Chapter 285 - 258: New Personnel Assignment

Chapter 285: Chapter 258: New Personnel Assignment

After Agatha left, Shire went back to organizing his notes. He already had many ideas about the tribe’s current situation.

’This time, we mobilized nearly everyone to dry and grind all the mature Red Bull Mushrooms into powder in one go. I also got a basic understanding of the situation with the first batch of goblins.’ He tapped his notebook lightly with his charcoal pencil. ’It seems Cyan Hide was right. These guys are pretty honest. As long as there isn’t a Dongtou stirring up trouble, they’re relatively easy to manage.’

The new goblins were a bit clumsy. After all, they had spent their lives foraging in the forest and had little to no work training. When they first started, they would secretly stuff slices of Red Bull Mushroom into their mouths. The funny thing was, after eating a few slices, they became incredibly energetic. Previously, new members would get sluggish in the afternoons, not yet fully accustomed to the work. But because these goblins from the Feathered Serpent Kingdom had snuck some Red Bull Mushrooms, they ended up working with even more vigor in the afternoon.

Of course, they didn’t understand why this was happening. They just stared with wide, bewildered eyes, looking at each other while working, trying to figure out what on earth was going on with them.

Shire didn’t stop their pilfering. He could now sell Red Bull Powder in bulk through Uncle Musa, and Red Bull production would need a stable assembly line going forward. Even if he stopped them now, they’d have opportunities to eat it later. It was better to let them experience its effects. After sneaking a few more bites, they would learn their lesson.

Several consecutive days of full meals had also successfully converted many of the goblins into loyal subordinates. Shire had been frequently checking his panel these days, paying close attention to the increase in loyal followers. ’As expected, for the various Races of the forest, eating one’s fill is the top priority.’

Next, Shire needed to reallocate his workforce and properly assign roles to the thousand-plus goblins. ’We need more personnel for combat and hunting. After all, there’s no telling when the Feathered Serpent Kingdom to the north might attack again, and Valentine to the south is hardly the quiet type.’

Although goblins are a Race where every member is a potential soldier—they all fight when a tribal conflict arises—there are still differences in their physiques and dispositions. Shire had spent the past few days specifically patrolling the entire Red Bull production area with the express purpose of assessing each of his subordinates.

’In terms of physique and disposition, there are over 500 goblins who could serve as combat personnel,’ he circled a number in his notebook. ’This group is made up of adult goblins. Their personalities aren’t timid or cowardly; on the contrary, they tend to be greedy and reckless.’

Shire decided to trim that down and maintain a combat Hunting Team of 450. In addition to their previous duties—combat training, hunting wild beasts, and protecting the herb-gathering parties—they would have a new responsibility: patrolling the various regions of their territory.

’The territory is larger now. Although some Adventurers have moved on to Torch City, there are likely still many left in Yangjiao Town. This winter, because of my actions, the Feathered Serpent Kingdom probably won’t be "screening" any more goblins out. That means the Adventurers will soon wipe out all the goblins on the forest’s periphery.’

Shire slowly tapped on the paper. ’With no goblins to kill, the weather turning colder, and herbs and animals becoming harder to find, they’ll likely risk forming parties to explore deeper into the forest.’

’Even though Valentine’s parading of that giant creature throughout his territory indirectly helped me, greed knows no bounds.’

Fortunately, he could now hire a large number of Worker Ants and Soldier Ants, which greatly improved his subordinates’ mobility. Otherwise, expecting goblins to patrol the entire territory on their two little green legs would be pure fantasy.

’The number of ants I’m hiring has also increased. I wonder when the Little Ant Queen will mature.’ Shire was quite optimistic about the new Ant Queen’s Ability. After all, the lion’s share of the honey he bought went to the ants, with another portion going to the little goblins; not much was actually left for the goblins and Centaurs. ’With such a large supply of honey, the ant colony should flourish quickly.’

Taking Uncle Musa to the Ant Nest had been a real eye-opener for the man. Shire, for his part, had carefully observed the Little Ant Queen. Her abdomen was beginning to swell, which meant she would likely soon be able to fulfill her duties. Since Shire had been raising her on honey from a young age, the Ant Queen now preferred it to the fungus the other ants cultivated from leaves.

’A 200-person herb-gathering team?’ Shire mused over the personnel allocation. ’That seems a bit excessive. We still have several large areas left to clear, but winter isn’t the season for herbs, and there aren’t that many left to be found.’

After thinking it over, Shire decided to reduce the size of the herb-gathering team. With over two months remaining, his subordinates would have plenty of time to clear out the remaining areas.

He had previously discussed herbs with Uncle Musa. For Shire, the forest produced a vast variety of herbs, but not many could actually be used by the Drink Undying Alchemy Workshop. For one thing, overall demand in Yangjiao Town was limited, and Adventurers typically only carried a few standard types of potions. Shire had been collecting the surplus herbs anyway, and Uncle Musa’s advice was to inquire in Torch City. Unlike Yangjiao Town, Torch City was a major trade hub where herbs could be a significant commodity.

This suggestion also reminded Shire of something the Naga Prince, Pazani, had said. The Prince still hadn’t told him the ingredients for the Shui Yumo and the Magic Potion. ’That guy probably cashed in some overtime and is taking a personal vacation. He could have at least stopped by to fill me in.’

After mulling it over, he concluded he’d just have to wait until Uncle Musa finished the Teleportation Gate before they could communicate again.

’The engineering team needs more people.’ Shire felt a headache coming on whenever he thought about the team led by One-Eyed. The main issue was that the Fortress was becoming too crowded to live in. Originally, all his subordinates fit comfortably within the underground Fortress. But ever since they expanded the Red Bull Plantation and dragged several large fir logs inside, the whole space had become cramped. ’Now that Red Bull sales are about to take off, I’m realizing what I thought was enough space won’t cut it. We might need to fill the entire underground Fortress with Red Bull just to meet demand.’

Shire had never been so eager to take the Feathered Serpent Kingdom’s territory. He knew it was the Relic of the ancient City of Ten Thousand Races. If it was called the City of Ten Thousand Races, it couldn’t possibly be small. Even if part of it had collapsed into Darren Lake, and even after several thousand years had passed, it was still a case of a starved camel being bigger than a horse. The living space it offered had to be far greater than his Fortress.

’It’s just that Feathered Serpent Evil God,’ Shire mused, rubbing his chin. ’Is there a way to kill it... or at least get rid of it?’