Cornflower Witch

Chapter 331 The Goblin's Rambling
Outside the valley city, the harbor on the riverbank is bathed in the summer breeze, bringing a touch of humidity and heat.

A white teak merchant ship slowly approached the shore, its hull weighed down by the cargo, waves lapped against its edges, and there was a slight fishy smell in the air.

Thick wooden planks were lowered from the ship's side, and then workers stepped on the planks to unload the cargo, leaving piles of footprints on the planks.

When the cargo had been mostly unloaded, a young man wearing a coarse cloth vest, carrying a greatsword, jumped off the ship and stood on the dock.

He had thick, dark eyebrows and a bronze complexion. He had charred scars on his shoulders that looked like burn marks. Shortly after he stepped off the ship, a short goblin also carefully followed him.

He was about 1.2 meters tall, with large ears, dark skin, and many wrinkles. He looked around warily before walking up to the young man.

"Mick, is this the hometown you were talking about?"

"This is not the place yet. We need to continue south for a few more days to reach Jiaoshi City."

"This place doesn't look like it has much money; you hardly see any women dressed nicely on the street." The nice clothes he was referring to were probably made of high-end fabrics like velvet or silk.

“Regas isn’t a very wealthy country to begin with, so don’t get any ideas. If you get caught, I can’t bail you out,” Mick shook his head.

"Tsk tsk, I won't make a mess of things in such a small place," he said, a sly glint in his eyes.

“Let’s go. First, as you said, let’s go back to our hometown. After that, you have to come with me to the grotto ruins. There are some great treasures buried there.”

"Yes, yes, my darling."

Mick wasn't very confident about the treasure the goblin mentioned, but he also knew that this guy valued his life highly. If it was really dangerous and there wasn't a good reward, he definitely wouldn't risk his life to go with him.

The man and the goblin walked out of the dock, crossed the streets, and headed towards the inn in the city.

Goblins are said to be a race created by a powerful named being in ancient times. Unfortunately, with the fall of that named being, they have no protection from a higher being, and because of their ugly appearance, they are disliked by other races and have always been a marginal existence.

Of course, it's not to say that this race has no advantages. They are not large in size, have poor vision, and are not prone to illness even in dirty environments. They often gather in the sewers of large cities or are used as slaves in mines. Occasionally, it is said that goblins form their own villages in the wild.

Goblins are small in size, can see in the dark, and have nimble fingers, which makes them an easy opponent for thieves and assassins. As a result, many people regard goblins as potential thieves and swindlers and have a bad impression of them.

They themselves do not resist this prejudice; in fact, they believe that being able to deceive people and steal things is a sign of intelligence and makes them objects of worship and envy within their community.

Goblins are rarely seen in Regas. The climate here is too cold for them to survive, and the wild animals of the mountains and forests prefer to hunt these prey that are weaker than humans.

After staying for a day, Mick and the goblin continued their journey. They bought two donkeys, placed their luggage on them, and the goblin rode on one of the donkeys.

Along the way, the goblin kept complaining, saying that he was a descendant of the noble goblin king Kelune, a prince of a goblin tribe in the underworld, who had to run away and wander in a foreign land because he was attacked by humans back then.

If Mick helps him retrieve the treasure left behind by the goblin king Kelun, he will gain inexhaustible wealth and immense power, return to his homeland, and become the king of the underworld. Mick will then be able to become the glorious chief warrior in his kingdom, bathe in a pool piled with gold coins every day, and be served by eight young goblins every day, and so on.

Mick remained skeptical of these claims. The goblin likely did indeed come from underground, but wasn't necessarily a descendant of a goblin king. And the treasure he knew of had likely passed through countless hands; perhaps it was already empty. The two met during a hastily arranged adventure. The expedition went horribly wrong; many teammates perished in ambushes, but the two managed to fight their way out in the perilous situation.

Compared to the more simple-minded Mick, this goblin was much more astute and cunning. During that crisis, he guided Mick to avoid many dangers, and Mick's powerful combat skills also enabled the two-man team to survive the perilous situation.

Since then, the two have become regular teammates, but their personalities are very different, and they often quarrel. For example, this time the other party strongly disagreed with Mick traveling all the way back to his hometown to keep the appointment.

“I’m telling you, you’re only in your early twenties and you’re already a second-tier warrior. There’s absolutely no need for you to go back to that remote, impoverished corner to see your friends. They’ll probably live there their whole lives and won’t be able to help you much in the future.”

"This journey has cost money and wasted so much time. With that energy, you could have bought a good suit of armor. Look at you, still wearing a tattered vest. No wonder no pretty woman is trying to seduce you." The goblin muttered to himself again on the way.

"When I was your age, I slept with countless beautiful geoglyphs, their dark little hands and bodies, hehehe~" he said, reminiscing about the past.

"That makes sense. If you get too caught up in women, you probably won't be able to hold your sword properly. For the sake of our great cause, let's hold back for now and find the treasure left by my ancestors first."

"If anyone ever comes to raid the underworld, you'll be the gatekeeper, crush them to pieces, and all the men will be slaves, while the women are yours to keep. Ah, that kind of life is just unimaginably wonderful!"

"Let me tell you, there's a kind of green mushroom underground. When you grind it into powder and bake it with flour, it tastes amazing, even better than the best beef. I used to eat eight of them every day."

"But you can't eat too much. You have to save the good stuff. Like that little goblin girl I like, I usually only play with her before bed."

"Sigh, you can't think too much about good times, or you'll feel like things are just too hard right now."

"Why is this donkey walking so slowly? Has it not eaten grass?"

“I saw a deer running through the woods. Can you catch it? It’s our dinner.”

"Venus meat is a bit tough, so we need to find some water. Would it be better if we boiled it?"

"It would be nice if a dancer came to dance at night. I used to like spending the night in the taverns in Momba City. There were always beautiful dancers there swaying their bodies. Let me tell you, those dancers are all very snobbish. If there aren't any important customers that night, they'll just sway and leave. But if a few rich people or wealthy gentlemen show up, who knows how many clothes they'll want to take off."

"Sigh, you wouldn't understand even if I told you. You're still a virgin. That girl with big eyes in the team last time, she was obviously interested in you. You were so stupid and missed so many opportunities."

"Don't blame me for not reminding you back then. It's their fault for ostracizing me. If you had really gotten together with that girl, wouldn't I have become an outsider?"

“It’s so boring in the mountains. The thought of going back to our hometown with you and having to repeat this journey makes me feel uneasy, like losing a whole gold coin in a tavern.”

The goblin's mouth never stopped moving the whole way, as if not speaking was torture for him.

Fortunately, Mick was already used to it. Apart from occasionally responding with a few "uh-huhs," he would pretend not to hear it and let the other person talk to thin air.

They camped in the mountains at night and continued their journey at dawn. After two days, Mick finally arrived at Jiaoshi City and saw the familiar place he had not seen for many years.

(End of this chapter)