Forests Don't Support Idle Goblins

"This sole looks like tree bark?" Charles carefully examined the shoe sample in his hand, and even scratched the sole with his fingernail a few times to feel its hardness and wear resistance.

"Yes, the shoemaker said the sole is made from the inner bark of trees from the high mountains of the North, making it harder and more elastic," Little John nodded and explained.

Charles bent the soles of the shoes a few times with both hands. "Hmm, the elasticity is alright."

The elasticity was passable. He didn't know if rubber even existed in this world. Although it was a bit stiff, it still had a certain degree of elasticity and flexibility, and its wear resistance was also good. It was basically usable. "Tell the shoemaker that this material is fine for making shoe soles."

"The upper is made of thick canvas and leather, specially waterproofed according to your design, boss." Little John shook the upper of one of the shoes and pulled it slightly to demonstrate its sturdiness to Charles.

"It does look pretty good," Charles nodded, then picked up his cup and poured the liquid into the shoe sample in his hand. "The waterproofing is also decent."

In his previous life, he had bought several pairs of waterproof hiking boots and was well aware of their performance. The boot sample he had now could not yet compare to those boots, but it could still guarantee basic functionality.

"How long will it take them to make two hundred pairs?" Charles put down the shoe pattern in his hand and poured tea for himself and Little John across from him.

"I estimate it will take a long time," John said, taking a sip from his cup. "Chrysanthemum tea with honey tastes better."

After taking another sip of tea, he said, "There's only one shoe workshop in Goat Horn Town, and the shoemaker has several apprentices. Their production capacity is quite limited. However, the shoemaker said that there are many shoe workshops in Black Lion City and the surrounding area."

"In other words, even if I use all the gold coins my tribe currently has, I still can't quickly obtain two hundred pairs of shoes." Charles slowly tapped the edge of the table. "The production speed is indeed very slow."

"But I think that if we order so many shoes from shoemakers, we can pay them a large deposit and ask them to recruit people from all over the country through the craftsmen's association. That would be a good solution," John suggested with a smile.

"Those craftsmen are willing to come to Giethoorn in the winter? There aren't many places to stay here. It's not summer now, so we can just set up a tent," Charles said, frowning.

"No, boss," John waved his hand, "I heard that because Earl Valentine has increased taxes, many people in the territory are no longer spending extra money to buy new items, which has also resulted in the craftsmen not receiving as many orders."

He leaned forward and said mysteriously, "Now all the craftsmen in Gieshorn are saying that Mary has high-ranking church officials behind her and is preparing to build a huge church school around here. Mary is now almost the leader of those craftsmen in Gieshorn."

"Oh?" Charles raised an eyebrow. Little John had told him before that Mary had gained some status in Giraffe Town, but he hadn't expected it to reach this level. "It seems that the huge market of goblins has attracted all the craftsmen here."

"Beds and furniture, clothing and daily necessities, even the goblins' 'toy' cabins, plus the centaurs' weapons and equipment, this can indeed create a new economic phenomenon in Gieshorn."

"There are no vacant houses left in Giethoorn. People are even buying land and building houses, just the simplest wooden cabins. I think if you put down a large deposit, the shoemaker's workshop will recruit a lot of craftsmen from the craftsmen's association," John chuckled. "After all, when I found him, he kept patting his chest, guaranteeing that he could bring in a lot of people to help complete the orders."

Charles chuckled and rubbed his cheeks. After the previous trade of various supplies, especially the acquisition of longbows and armor for the centaurs, the tribe's gold coins were running low. If a large deposit was made this time, there would be little working capital left, which was not good news for the tribe's development.

However, these shoes still had to be made, and he didn't want his men to get chilblains on their feet and have to have their toes amputated as the weather got colder.

"Alright," Charles finally nodded, "we still have to do it. The sooner we finish making them, the better. Besides, these shoes are also very suitable for adventurers."

He glanced at Little John across from him, who had been holding the shoe sample with obvious delight. If it weren't for the fact that it was made so small to fit the soles of goblins' feet, Little John might have tried it on earlier.

"I will collect the foot sizes of everyone in the community as soon as possible and give you a size range." Xia Er picked up the shoe pattern and looked at the size of the sole. In this world, shoe making is not divided into multiple shoe sizes like in the previous life. Instead, customers go to the workshop to leave their foot patterns, and the shoemakers basically make shoes according to the customer's foot pattern.

"Hmm," John nodded. He had mentioned this suggestion to the shoemaker before, but the shoemaker hadn't taken it seriously because they had never received such a large order before. However, if they ordered two hundred pairs first, as the boss suggested, and then added more later, the shoemaker would probably accept the suggestion. "Then, the shoes for the shoemaker..."

"We'll have to wait a bit longer to solve this problem," Charles sighed softly upon hearing the other's words. The troll's clothes and equipment were proving difficult to obtain, since there were no humans over three meters tall around Goat Horn Town.

If we rashly place such a huge equipment order on those craftsmen, it will surely cause a sensation and suspicion, and may even attract the attention of the police department.

"If Cao Cao were still the same height as the troll before, it would be understandable, but now, ever since we bestowed the [Blessing of the Evil God] upon him, he's completely different from ordinary species." Xia Er frowned. "As for clothes, it's not a big deal for now, but the armor and shoes are the more crucial items."

However, if the [Gift of the Evil God] is stripped away, although it would allow Cao Cao to wear various equipment, it would be a waste in terms of the tribe's combat power. After all, that ability is indeed quite useful. Whether it's Red Eye, Scarface, or Cao Cao, after using the [Gift of the Evil God], they would all give a thumbs up and loudly say "Yoshi".

Charles even considered leading a group to do what the Evilthroat Army had done before: to besiege the young bear goblins who had been expelled from the Feathered Serpent Kingdom, and then try to raise them to see if they could organize a "Berserker God" guard.

"Let's wait and see," he shook his head. "Even if we were to do it, you can't go and tell those craftsmen. They all know about your relationship with Mary. I'll see if I can find someone else later."