Chapter 376 - 311: Battle is Imminent (2)

Chapter 376: Chapter 311: Battle is Imminent (2)

The little goblins, however, could only gaze at the baths and sigh in longing. Since their wings couldn’t get too wet, their only option was to wipe themselves down with hot water to get clean.

After sending his subordinates away, Shire rubbed his chin, studying the wooden map before him. ’When will those goblins arrive?’

The thought of the enemy having flying units made Shire a little envious. Being able to quickly scout distant situations in the forest was a huge advantage. His own race, on the other hand, had no one who could fly. For some reason, the Snake Shedding Garments captured in the last battle had rotted quickly, rendering them completely unusable.

"That Feathered Serpent God is so petty. Once you betray it, you can’t use its stuff anymore," Shire muttered, pursing his lips. He was quite dissatisfied with the god’s nature.

"Who’s being petty?" A voice came from outside the stone house, followed by the soft sound of something tapping against the stone bricks. A moment later, a massive fish head poked in, looking all around.

"You’re here?" Shire was amused to see his visitor. "Why didn’t you let me know?"

"I ran into Buck Teeth on the way, and he told me you’d probably be in the stone house, so I came straight over," Naga Prince Pazani said, ducking his head as he maneuvered into the room and approached the desk.

"What brings you here again?" Shire asked, studying him with great interest. ’How should I ask him about the Rune Language: Frosty Winter?’

"My adult trial," Pazani sighed. "After we dealt with those Frogmen last time, I immediately went back to see the Elders. After some discussion, they agreed to your proposal to let the Frogmen live by Darren Lake. We can even hire them to help with some fish farming."

"Unfortunately, my adult trial still isn’t finished. After I met with the Elders, the writing on it changed to ’Wait fifteen days, then assist the Goblin Race again,’" he said, spreading his webbed hands in frustration. "So I came over early to see what you’re planning to do this time."

"Fifteen days?" Shire raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure the time limit Shui Yumo gave was fifteen days?"

"Yes, why?" Pazani nodded a few times. "I gave myself a few days off and even used up my accrued overtime. Now I’m ready for whatever you need. It’ll all count as time in lieu."

’Fifteen days,’ Shire thought, ignoring the Naga Prince’s last remarks. He mulled over the time limit given by Shui Yumo. ’Based on past experience, Shui Yumo only gives the user the next step, without any regard for whether they have other things to deal with. That means...’ He counted on his fingers for a few seconds. ’The goblins from the Feathered Serpent Kingdom will arrive in two days.’

’Who would have thought this clock-punching prince would bring good news the moment he showed up,’ Shire thought, sizing up the somewhat bewildered Pazani. "Alright, welcome."

"Uh, what’s the big event this time?" Pazani asked, scratching the scales on his head and glancing around the stone house.

"Nothing major. The Evil God’s goblins are attacking again, and they’ve brought more of them this time," Shire said casually, as if it were no big deal.

"Again? And more of them?" The dorsal fin on Pazani’s back shot straight up. "I knew it! Shui Yumo wouldn’t let me off that easy."

Shire chuckled a few times before consoling him. "Come on, it’s your adult trial. What can you do? Speaking of which, did you bring the material list for that Rune Language?"

Pazani first glanced impatiently at his pack, which presumably held the beast hide inscribed with his adult trial. Then, hearing Shire’s question, he said rather sheepishly, "That thing... you know, the Elders didn’t tell me about it. I even brought it up twice, but they just changed the subject."

’Is that so?’ A corner of Shire’s mouth lifted. ’Things are getting interesting.’ It seemed the Naga Elders were evaluating the possibility of cooperating with him. They had previously provided the material list for the Magic Potion, but because he had only recently gotten in touch with Uncle Musa, he hadn’t been able to gather all the ingredients yet. This had likely diminished his race’s perceived strength in their eyes.

But it made sense. The Naga Race, unlike the Frogman Race in the caves, had a history of fleeing for thousands of years. They were constantly hunted by humans, Elves, and Dwarves; sometimes, even Demons would get involved. As a result, they had developed a sense of distrust that ran bone-deep.

Furthermore, when a race like that considered cooperating with others, they cared more about strength than anything else. They weren’t like the Frogmen, who were just struggling to survive and had even reminded Shire to keep his promise as he was leaving.

It was just like his cooperation with the Centaurs. If he hadn’t led his people through the forest to rescue them right from under the Evil Throat Army’s nose, they would never have so easily accepted taking orders from a goblin.

’In the Nightmare Forest, strength really is all that matters,’ Shire thought with a low chuckle. "I understand."

"Actually, I really did mention it to the Elders..." Pazani began, waving his hands to emphasize that he had tried, but Shire smiled and held up a hand to stop him.

"I can understand," Shire said with a nod. "For a race that’s been in exile for thousands of years, being able to live in peace is the top priority."

Everything was based on the foundation of survival. Shire had studied history; he knew that some races had been completely wiped from its long river. The Lizardman Race, for example. The sapient species was never mentioned again in later history, and no one ever saw them again.

But other races, after securing a safe place to live, would turn around and oppress others. The Tree Elves, for instance—those guys were always going on about the "Great Dome." Historically, they too were once wanderers, but after they found their home in the "Great Dome," many Tree Elves became Adventurers and began slaughtering goblins.

’And of course, there were other races, too,’ Shire thought, pursing his lips.

"For the next two days, just get some rest," he said, waving his hand to stop the still-protesting Pazani. "I had a bathhouse built for the race a while ago. The water is nice and warm, very comfortable. You can go try it out."

Shire studied the Naga Prince before him. ’Strictly speaking, a race of fish-headed humanoids should be cold-blooded, like lizards or snakes. At most, they’d be warm-blooded. They’re less active in the winter, and Pazani did say before that the Naga Race is oviparous. A hot bath should stimulate a Naga’s bodily functions, so they’d probably welcome it to some extent.’

"A bathhouse? What’s that?" Pazani frowned. As a sapient being who spent most of his time submerged in water, he was thoroughly confused by what Shire was saying.

"Er, I’m not sure how to describe it on the spot, but once you see the bathhouse, you’ll definitely love it."

"Oh," Pazani didn’t dwell on the question, instead pressing on, "That Rune Language: Frosty Winter you mentioned before, is it for fighting these Evil God Goblins? Do you need me to go back and have the Elders make it now?"

"No, I don’t think we’ll need it this time," Shire said, shaking his head slightly with a confident smile. "To deal with those goblins, I think our own strength will be enough."

"Really?" Pazani started to remind Shire, "Those Petrifying Lizards are really tough."

Shire didn’t get a chance to reply. The voice of Giant Demon Caocao boomed from outside the stone house—Agatha was probably looking for him. Caocao was too tall to enter the house, so Shire glanced toward the doorway. Pazani followed the goblin’s gaze, and his eyes widened in shock.

A colossal figure clad in grayish-white Bone Armor stood outside, so immense that only its midsection was visible in the doorway.