Chapter 316 - 281: What Broken Tooth Saw and Heard (Part 2)

Chapter 316: Chapter 281: What Broken Tooth Saw and Heard (Part 2)

The food was almost ready. For the eagerly watching goblins, the large, steaming pot was like a starting pistol. Each one longed to rush over and fill its belly. Even without the plump rats or tubers boiled to a mush, simply filling their stomachs with hot soup would bring a welcome warmth to their bodies.

Unfortunately, in this den, Dongtou was the one who gave the orders, the goblin who got to eat first. He was currently berating the other members of the den with no intention of stopping, because he could still see the intense longing in the eyes of the goblins before him.

But clearly, this was not allowed. Dongtou had to maintain his authority. There was only so much food, and he had to ensure he ate his fill first. As for the other goblins, it was every goblin for himself.

Just as he was still jabbering away, he failed to notice an arm extending from the shadow behind him. It picked up a thick tree branch from the ground and swung it down hard.

With a THWACK, Dongtou stumbled. He looked behind him in a daze. There was nothing there—only a tree branch lying on the ground.

He looked up at the den’s ceiling in utter confusion. It was just earth and rock; there were no wooden branches or anything of the sort. Just as he was struggling to make sense of it, a wave of dizziness washed over him. Dongtou staggered a few steps, then pitched forward and collapsed, unconscious.

For a moment, the other goblins in the den had no idea what had just happened. They glanced at one another, trying to understand the situation. But the aroma and heat wafting from the large pot completely overwhelmed their curiosity. It wasn’t clear who reacted first, but once one goblin charged forward, the rest immediately followed, swarming the pot.

Broken Tooth’s eyes peered out from the shadows. He watched the goblins scramble and fight around the large pot. These creatures paid no mind to the scalding food, using no utensils, simply scooping it out with their bare hands. Some of them howled and bared their teeth from the burns but didn’t move a single step away from the pot.

"Just like we used to be," Broken Tooth muttered. He shook his head, looking down on these goblins’ behavior. After a few months of eating his fill, he already considered himself different from them. In the words of the "great poet," Buck Teeth, "We’ve evolved."

He stopped paying attention to the goblins and turned to look at the unconscious Dongtou. The leader’s build was clearly more robust than his own, though still no match for that fellow Red Eyes. Besides, it hadn’t taken much force to knock him out. ’A good head.’

That was something the tribe’s leader, Shire, used to say: "You can tell by the sound. If it makes a nice sound, it’s a good head."

Broken Tooth paid the den no more mind. He concealed himself in the shadows again and activated his traversal Ability, moving continuously from one shadow to the next until he quickly reached the entrance of another den.

This den looked a bit strange. Above it stood several stone houses that hadn’t collapsed yet. However, the trees beside them grew very close, their roots already creeping up the walls through cracks and crevices.

There were quite a few stone structures in the Feathered Serpent Kingdom. Some had crumbled, leaving only a wall or two, while others were still well-preserved and habitable.

Trees grew everywhere throughout the Kingdom. The collapsed stone houses had fallen partly due to wind and rain, and partly because they were toppled by the ever-growing, ever-thickening trees.

Three stone houses stood around this particular den. Judging by what was inside, goblins were living in them. The floors were covered with plenty of hay, along with some animal fur and bird feathers.

After a brief inspection, Broken Tooth pinched his nose and retreated. ’It stinks.’

’I wonder what kind of goblins live in the stone houses. Maybe it’s the leaders, the Dongtous,’ Broken Tooth mused. He continued to sneak into the den beside the stone houses, from which came the constant sound of shouting and cursing.

He saw a group of goblins already fighting over a large pot. In the distance, a stout goblin had clearly eaten its fill. It was leaning against the den wall, contentedly picking its teeth with a fingernail.

The other members were still clamoring. Broken Tooth frowned as he watched these creatures, until he spotted a certain figure. A cold glint flashed in his eyes.

It was a young goblin, old enough to be weaned. It was desperately crawling toward the throng of goblins surrounding the pot. Even when it managed to grab onto one goblin’s leg, it was simply kicked away. Meanwhile, the goblin that should have been its mother was frantically fighting for her own share of the food.

Broken Tooth couldn’t bear to watch. His pockets were filled with jerky, honey-candies, and some dry biscuits, but he knew that the moment he revealed himself, these creatures would swarm him.

Back in his own tribe, the young were well cared for. Fearing the low winter temperatures, the leader Green Egg had even arranged for large quantities of fur to keep the young ones warm. The mother goblins diligently cared for their offspring, and everyone knew the tribe’s future was secure.

’As long as it’s still alive,’ Broken Tooth sighed to himself, watching the small goblin that was still struggling to crawl forward. ’If what Bai Mao said was true, this little one would probably be in the pot by now.’

After observing the situation in this den, he once again slipped into the shadows and traveled to the "streets" of the Feathered Serpent Kingdom. It was likely mealtime for the goblins, as they were all huddled in their respective dens. There wasn’t a single one in sight.

Broken Tooth took a risk and emerged from the shadows. He adjusted his gear and the large pack on his back, then scanned his surroundings until he locked onto what looked like a very tall tree. He would climb it and use his telescope from a commanding height to survey the area.

Thanks to his experience standing watch for his leader, he quickly scaled the tree. Through the telescope, he immediately took in his surroundings.

Unlike the forest, the trees here weren’t as dense due to the various structures scattered about. There were still many gaps in the woods. Through these gaps, he could see numerous stone buildings and a few solitary stone walls.

However, the trees were all of different heights, making it difficult to get a complete view of the area from a single treetop. Fortunately, with the telescope, Broken Tooth spotted several buildings in the distance that rose above the canopy. They were tall and square, somewhat resembling what his leader had called "towers."

Broken Tooth quickly put away his telescope. He decided to head for the square stone tower to the east—it looked to be the tallest and most magnificent. From the top of that, he should be able to see the entire region.

......

"And that’s where you encountered the Feathered Serpent God?" Shire asked, stroking his chin.

"Yeah," Broken Tooth nodded. "There was a huge hole there. A really, really big one."

He tried to spread his arms again to show his leader just how big the entrance was, but Shire held up a hand to stop him. "I get it. An entrance that can fit a snake with eyes that large can’t possibly be small."

"The hole leads underground, and there’s a great serpent inside," Broken Tooth continued, recounting his experience while trying his best to recall every detail and avoid any omissions.

"And there was a goblin there, speaking a different language?" Shire narrowed his eyes at his subordinate’s report. "What was it like, exactly?"

"I couldn’t understand it," Broken Tooth said, shaking his head. "It sounded a lot like what humans speak."

"A lot like human speech?" Shire slowly tapped his fingers on the table. ’It must be Common Speech. To think there’s another goblin who can speak it... Could his situation be the same as mine?’

After a moment of thought, he gestured for Broken Tooth to continue.

So Broken Tooth went on to describe being hit by an Electric Ball and his desperate escape. He also recounted how he hid in the shadows to recover from his injuries, and the strange scene he witnessed afterward.

"You’re saying humans went there?" Shire raised his eyebrows again. "Why would they meet with those goblins?"

"They were transporting something," Broken Tooth said after a moment’s thought.

"What was it?"

Broken Tooth reached into a pouch at his waist and rummaged around for a while before pulling out a few wrinkled leaves.

"This is it."