Chapter 291 - 263: Centaur Village Construction Plan

Chapter 291: Chapter 263: Centaur Village Construction Plan

"You really agreed to their request?" Evita asked Shire, who was sitting on the back of a Worker Ant.

Shire just nodded calmly. "What choice did I have? From the way the Elephant Lord was acting, it probably would have flattened our home if I hadn’t agreed."

"But, I can use those adult elephants as I please for the entire winter," he continued with a small laugh. "Although the Elephant Lord said it doesn’t want to get involved in our conflict with the Feathered Serpent Kingdom, I can still use the elephants to make some great improvements to our facilities. You said before that construction was a little slow, right? Now I can have the herd help you move lumber. That should make things much easier."

After his conversation with the Elephant Lord, Shire finally understood its intentions. It wanted the Goblin Leader to provide its herd with a relatively warm place to live and, preferably, a source of drinking water. This would ensure the herd wouldn’t freeze, get sick, and die in the cold winter temperatures.

But when Shire explained his feud with the Feathered Serpent Kingdom, the Elephant Lord bluntly stated that it didn’t want to get involved in their conflict. It just wanted to lead its herd to a safe place to spend the winter.

This put Shire in a bit of a bind. When he’d first heard the Elephant Lord’s request, he had secretly rejoiced, thinking he’d gained an "Evil God" card to play. But now, he realized this card was for display only; he couldn’t actually play it.

After weighing his options, Shire still nodded and agreed to the request. It wasn’t because he feared the Elephant Lord’s power. He reasoned that this Evil God had been guided to him by that so-called Creator. If the Elephant Lord was petty enough to kill him, it would be going completely against the Creator’s will. ’This giant elephant can’t be that stupid.’

But right now, the Centaurs’ progress on the log cabins was still slow, and many of them were still living inside the Fortress. If he could get all the Centaurs into log cabins on the surface, it would free up more space. This would allow Shire to gradually renovate the underground Fortress. Moreover, he had already decided to send Broken Tooth to scout the Feathered Serpent Kingdom. If things went smoothly, he believed they could launch a military operation against the Feathered Serpent Kingdom soon. By then, the elephant herd would have gradually adapted to living underground in the Fortress. If the Feathered Serpents really did fly over to attack Shire’s home base, the Elephant Lord probably wouldn’t be able to stay out of it, even if it wanted to.

’It’s like dragging the big boss back to your base. If they want to break my nexus, they’ll have to ask the boss for permission first.’ Shire felt his idea was solid.

The only problem was finding temporary living space for over thirty elephants, which would once again strain the Fortress’s living conditions. Fortunately, when the new entrance was built, it had been designed to be wide and gently sloped so the Worker Ants could easily enter the underground Fortress. It was also about three meters high, which was enough for the elephants to get in.

Of course, the Elephant Lord itself wouldn’t be moving into the Fortress. There was simply no underground space large enough to house the behemoth—not even the former lairs of the Giant Spider and Giant Bees would suffice.

"Now that you mention it, that’s a great idea. I was even thinking about reinforcing and raising the deer pens," Evita said, a hint of joy in her voice after a moment’s thought. "Right now, only half of the Centaur Race can live in log cabins. We have all the materials piled up, but the construction is slow because neither Centaurs nor goblins are natural builders. Our bodies aren’t made for lifting heavy logs, and Giant Demon Caocao is often busy making Ancient Runes, so everything has slowed to a crawl."

"If the elephants are helping, have you considered trying to build stone houses? We could find a way to buy bricks," Shire asked, looking at Evita.

"I looked at the building designs you drew. They don’t align with our Centaur beliefs," Evita said, shaking her head slightly. "We prefer to be close to nature. Being able to live in log cabins is already wonderful."

"All right, it’s up to you," Shire nodded. Because building the log cabins had been somewhat difficult, he had previously suggested that the Centaurs consider building brick-and-wood houses. He argued it would be a bit simpler and had even drawn some housing designs for the young Centaur woman to see. However, after she asked about the specific materials and processes involved, she had shaken her head and refused.

Shire knew that while Evita said it didn’t align with her Race’s beliefs, the bigger reason was that bricks couldn’t be produced in the forest. They would have to be imported from Yangjiao Town, along with sand and cement, which would be a huge expense. Back then, Shire was still struggling with the group’s finances daily, as Uncle Musa hadn’t arrived yet. That’s why Evita had decisively refused.

Her decision would save the community a significant amount of money, and there was still plenty of wood in the forest. Shire was gratified by Evita’s choice; she was gradually learning to consider things from the perspective of the entire community’s development.

"As soon as I get back, I’ll gather my people, and we’ll immediately start leveling the ground and planning the construction area for the houses," Evita said, full of confidence. Now, as long as everyone worked together, with the help of the elephants, she believed they could build the village quickly.

"When you get back, ask the elders of your tribe, and Oreco too. Build the entire village to be both beautiful and secure," Shire suggested with a smile. Then, after a moment’s thought, he added, "I think you could also consider the long-term."

"The long-term?" Evita repeated, stunned for a moment.

"Yes. Maybe in a few years, your village won’t just be welcoming goblins," Shire said with a nod and a smile.

"Not just goblins?"

"That’s right. Maybe humans, too. You know Mary has already established a very good working relationship with the artisans in Yangjiao Town. I think there will definitely come a day when those artisans will try to visit the forest, to come and see your people’s village. When that happens, you can show the humans a village rich with Centaur style. It would offer them different goods and a unique experience."

Hearing Shire’s words, Evita suddenly fell silent. She hadn’t thought that far ahead; right now, she was just focused on getting all of her people into log cabins.

"Of course, once humans gradually get used to the appearance and dress of Centaurs, I think you’ll be able to walk into Yangjiao Town yourselves. For a Forest Race, that would probably be the first time you’ve freely entered a territory outside the forest." Shire spread his hands as he spoke. "Those young Centaurs have asked many times what the outside world is like."

Evita nodded. Ever since they started spending more time with the goblins, Little John would sometimes tell the young Centaurs about human towns and bring them all sorts of strange items. This made the young members of her race yearn to leave the forest and see the world outside.

"I understand. I’ll tell them as soon as I get back," Evita said, nodding firmly.

"Good. We need to hurry. Let’s get back and clear out an area first." Sitting on the Worker Ant’s back, Shire glanced behind him. The elephant herd was still resting. He had to get back to the Fortress as soon as possible to make arrangements.