Chapter 312 - 279: Uncle, You’ve Learned to Be Bad

Chapter 312: Chapter 279: Uncle, You’ve Learned to Be Bad

"Auberto?" Shire braced his hands on the desk, his smile vanishing as his expression turned serious again. "That guy is with the Third Prince?"

"No, he’s with Valentine. He’s Valentine’s personal guard now, and from the looks of it, he’s involved in quite a few matters." Uncle Musa began to recount in detail what he had seen that day. When he mentioned that the other party was prepared to raise the price to buy all the Red Bull, his eyes narrowed. "It seems this ’Poodle’ has some nerve, willing to invest so much."

"I was a little surprised at the time, too. But after that, they started having people secretly follow and investigate me," Uncle Musa said, nodding.

"It’s fine. The Red Bull we shipped over should last them a while, and I’m already ramping up cultivation here. Red Bull is a type of Mushroom, so it’s much easier to harvest than crops or medicinal herbs." Shire smiled. The little goblins were once again going full throttle planting Red Bull Mushrooms. Yun Xiya had complained a bit before. After all, they had been cultivating them for a long time. The little goblins were a Race that felt a deep connection to nature, and Shire’s decision to harvest all the Red Bull at once to make into a powder had left them feeling a little down.

But they soon got over it. It wasn’t because Shire gave them a gift, but because he built a wooden platform, secured it with ropes, and had the Elephant Lord take the little goblins for a grand tour of the forest. With the massive Elephant Lord around, they no longer had to worry about any malicious characters targeting them. They had been cooped up in the underground Fortress for months. Although they could occasionally fly out for a look, they couldn’t wander very far. This trip with the Elephant Lord was a real treat that satisfied their craving for adventure.

Shan Xi Ao even told Shire that if they could regularly patrol the forest from the platform, his people would likely put even more heart into cultivating Red Bull.

Shire just shook his head and smiled. He had, in fact, asked the Elephant Lord for this favor. The Elephant Lord had only reluctantly agreed because the goblin tribe helped its herd by removing parasites and treating issues with their footpads and skin.

Still, once was enough to lead to a second time. As it happened, these little goblins also knew some Low Level Healing Spells. The Elephant Lord had no use for their healing, but the rest of the herd could certainly benefit from the experience.

There were still two months until the end of winter, and this time was crucial for Shire. The elephant herd was currently helping the Centaurs build wooden houses at a speed that was plain for all to see. In the future, after defeating the Feathered Serpent God and conquering the Goblin Kingdom, there would surely be a massive amount of construction work to do. The elephant herd would be an excellent asset.

Unfortunately, the Elephant Lord’s herd was migratory. They only ever stayed in one place for a limited time. They had only actively sought out the goblins this time because they were following the Creator’s instructions. Once winter ended, the elephants would likely resume their migration.

That meant Shire only had a little over two months. He decided to use this time, while the Centaurs were accelerating the construction of their village, to wait for news from Broken Tooth.

To be honest, Shire himself wanted to sit on that platform on the Elephant Lord’s back and survey the forest. The feeling was completely different from anything else. In Shan Xi Ao’s words, it gave you "the feeling that the entire forest belongs to you." Shire couldn’t agree more. ’After all, not everyone gets to experience a parade worthy of a P2W whale.’

"It seems my analysis of the Merlot Clan’s situation had some merit." Shire leaned back in his chair. After Uncle Musa finished recounting what he’d seen with the Third Prince, Shire knew for sure. ’Those guys really were scheming for my family’s Deepwater Port all along. It just took one person to make the first move, and the rest immediately fell in line.’ He continued, "As for why Auberto chose to follow Valentine, I can think of a few reasons."

Uncle Musa said nothing, simply looking at the goblin before him with a questioning gaze.

"Something our family couldn’t give him, I believe Valentine can," Shire said calmly, folding his hands in front of him. ℯℯ𝘭.

"Something we couldn’t give him?"

"Status. Or more precisely, a Noble Title," Shire said with a slight smile. "In the Merlot Clan, even if he worked himself to death, the highest he could ever reach is Captain of the Guard, like you, Uncle Musa. My father isn’t a very ambitious man. He exhausted the family’s fortune, even took out loans from merchant guilds, just to build a single Deepwater Port. But by pledging allegiance to Count Valentine, serving under him... he might have a chance to become a noble. He might even become a Baron."

"Is that possible?" Uncle Musa’s face was a mask of disbelief.

"It is possible. Auberto’s martial skills are average, but he’s exceptionally skilled at administration and management. I sometimes had the feeling he’d managed a large territory of his own before. That’s why I took him to the Northern Lands to negotiate the iron ore purchase," Shire slowly laid out his reasoning. As he spoke, Uncle Musa’s brow furrowed. "But now, a golden opportunity has fallen into his lap. If he hands me over to Valentine, he’ll gain the backing he needs to advance his station. At the same time, he holds secrets known only to our two sides. For him, this is a massive opportunity."

"That bastard... What about his loyalty?"

"Uncle Musa, not everyone is like you," Shire said with a small laugh. "For some people, loyalty is just a mask. I’m just a little puzzled as to why he waited until now to make this choice. Why didn’t he go straight to one of the Great Nobles before? A man of his talents should be able to make a name for himself anywhere."

"Maybe he wasn’t ready before now?" Uncle Musa offered his own thought.

"Perhaps," Shire shrugged. "But we’ll likely see him again. And when I do, I’ll be sure to have a good long talk with him."

’The next time we meet, it will probably be on the battlefield.’ The conflict with Count Valentine would first decide the fate of Yangjiao Town, and then lead to chipping away at the Valentine Clan’s territory. ’There will be no shortage of opportunities to meet this personal guard in the future.’

’But before that, I need to conquer the entire southern Nightmare Forest and the Goblin Kingdom to expand my strength.’

’And if I want to get deeply involved in the Fran Kingdom’s war of succession, I must also expand east and west of the forest, gathering more goblins or other Races to bolster my forces.’

"I understand the situation now. Uncle, you should head back. You can’t be away from the house in Plantagenet City for too long; those guys are probably still watching." With the briefing complete, Shire urged Uncle Musa to leave.

"Alright, I understand." Uncle Musa picked up his cup, downed the mixed drink of Red Bull and milk in a single gulp, then stood and brushed off his clothes.

"Just act normal for the next few days. You can even look around a bit, maybe check out Perfume Lily Avenue. Just be careful no one removes the Magic Necklace you’re using to transform," Shire added, hopping off his chair. "If anything comes up, contact me through the Teleportation Gate. You don’t need to come in person anymore."

"Mmm," Uncle Musa nodded, his eyes fixed on the small goblin before him. "Right, what should I do with those things?"

"Things?"

"The weapons. When I met with those officials, I deliberately didn’t ask for Armor, since your people are too small to wear it. Instead, I requested a large quantity of Longswords and Short Crossbows," Uncle Musa said with a victorious smile. "When the Third Prince said I could go to a Kingdom official to collect old weapons, Valentine looked like he wanted to say something but couldn’t. I’m guessing he had his eye on them too, but I beat him to it."

"Old weapons? That could be a problem," Shire said after a moment of thought.

"They aren’t exactly old," Uncle Musa continued. "I gave the official two Basic Beast Cores, so all the weapons they shipped out were brand-new."

"Uncle Musa, you’re learning some bad habits," Shire laughed.