Chapter 348 - 297: Black Mud Experiment 2

This was similar to his old way of doing things. He had eked out a meager existence under the two Giants, just to survive. After coming under Shire's command, he had led a group of goblins around, digging holes and fixing things, never taking the initiative to tell his leader that he could do more, or that he could improve his combat abilities.

He was still the same "play-it-safe" One-Eyed, but his woodcarving skills had become much more refined, and the leader had even had someone buy him a full set of carving tools.

But when Shire heard his refusal, he had still told him that it wasn't just battle-crazed fiends like Red Eyes who were most important to the tribe. Every goblin could do their part. Right now, this was a job only One-Eyed could do; Red Eyes couldn't carve beautiful little wooden figures, nor could he carve that wooden map.

Now, seeing One-Eyed begin to direct the goblin construction team in their orderly work, he was even more certain that the tribe had made great strides in all areas.

'I wonder if their own abilities have improved, or if the Blessing of the God of War and Glory went in the wrong direction. How else could these goblins have improved in other areas too?' Shire mused, rubbing his chin. He watched a few goblins mix the water-thinned Black Mud and sand at a 1:3 ratio, while on the other side, One-Eyed was already leading people to level the ground.

"If—and I'm just saying if," Evita said, walking up to Shire's side and also watching the goblins work with fiery enthusiasm, "that fireplace you mentioned is a good idea, what about the log cabins that have already been built?"

"Simple. We just saw through the low wall I left in place beforehand and build the fireplace there," Shire said nonchalantly, patting the dust off his clothes.

"Those low walls?" Evita was taken aback. She turned to look at the completed log cabins. Half the tribe's members were already living inside them, and with the help of the elephants, construction was moving even faster. "You planned all this from the very beginning?"

"Mhm," Shire nodded. He had indeed considered a more suitable housing structure for the Centaurs when designing the log cabins. The low wall was originally intended to connect to a stove and a *kang*, but after some experiments, it turned out the Centaurs' four hooves weren't well-suited for the *kang's* structure, so a fireplace would be a good alternative.

"I..." Evita pressed her lips together and fell silent. She hadn't realized how much thought had gone into the log cabin blueprints Shire had given her, or his words, "No more grass huts. We'll live in log cabins from now on."

After nearly half a minute, she finally spoke. "You're going to be a truly great leader."

"Me?" Shire glanced at the centaur maiden. "I'll take that as a good omen."

Not far away, One-Eyed and the goblins had already begun marking out the foundations on the ground.

...

"This is a great method. All I have to do is look for the sign that says 'Tiger Head Shells in Stock,' and I can find you." Little John said, sizing up the warehouse. In front of him, Uncle Musa was squatting, head lowered, examining the Rune Stone Ring he had brought.

"This thing isn't damaged at all, but installation will take some time." After finishing his inspection, Uncle Musa stood up and hammered his lower back a few times with his fist. "Getting old is a bit of a hassle."

"Come on, Uncle. The boss told me that even though your temples are gray, you could still take on a young guy like me with no problem at all," Little John said with a laugh.

"Little John." Uncle Musa immediately raised a finger to his lips, signaling for him to stop talking. At the same time, his eyes darted outside. Little John instinctively shut his mouth and also glanced out.

"I don't know if anyone's been posted around this warehouse," the old man said in a low voice. "You'll need to be more careful next time you come."

"Who is it?" Little John's hand slowly went to his longsword. His first instinct was to draw his blade and charge out.

"The Royal Family's lackeys," Uncle Musa said, holding up a hand to stop Little John. "There's no immediate danger. They're just watching me. They've been tailing me all the way from Plantagenet City. It's probably the Third Prince's men."

"What do they want?" Little John stopped what he was doing and frowned.

"Heh. They just want to find the source of Red Bull, but they're not capable enough to do it." Uncle Musa chuckled silently, then asked in a low voice, "Did the Young Master have you come for anything else?"

"Anything else... oh," Little John glanced around, then lowered his head and said quietly, "The boss told me to tell you that the struggle in Plantagenet City might have the Churches playing games in the background. He wants you to keep an eye out."

"The Churches?" Uncle Musa rubbed his cheek with the back of his left hand. "No wonder. Vivian mentioned before that Bishop Konrad's attitude was a bit strange."

"Bishop Konrad?" Little John blinked a few times. He didn't know any bishops. The highest-ranking clergy member he had ever met was Sofia.

"He was the bishop of the Night Church in Torch City. He's been transferred to the Royal Capital now." Uncle Musa waved his hand dismissively. "His attitude was odd—excessively solicitous. And he mentioned the Young Master several times. I don't know what he's after."

"Could it be for the bounty?" Little John wondered aloud.

"I'm not sure," Uncle Musa shook his head. "But I understand. I'll pay attention to the movements of these Churches from now on."

"There's one more thing," Little John continued. "The boss said you don't need to make special trips to Plantagenet City for a while. It's going to take time to produce more Red Bull. Plus, he's developing a new product. He says its profits won't be any lower than Red Bull's, and might even be higher."

"Higher? What is it?"

"Uh, the boss calls it... Dragon Breath."

"That name..." Uncle Musa chuckled. "That's his naming style, all right."

"By the way, Uncle, are you familiar with anyone from the Earth and Life Church?" Little John asked after a moment of thought.

"The Earth Church... I'm not too familiar with them. Their main cathedral isn't in Plantagenet City; it's in the Savoy Kingdom to the west." Uncle Musa frowned. The Merlot Clan's church had been the Night and Destiny Church. It and the Light and Justice Church were the only two on the continent whose main cathedrals were in the Fran Kingdom.

Now, hearing Little John say that other Churches might be meddling in the struggle for the Fran Kingdom's throne, Uncle Musa instinctively wondered if Savoy and Algon were involved as well.

"The boss just wanted to ask if you've heard anything about Bishop Luther."

"A kind old man, very devout. He treats people well, and many of the faithful sing his praises." Uncle Musa thought for a few seconds before relaying the reputation he'd heard of Bishop Luther.

"What the boss means is, he'd like you to pay more attention to this Bishop Luther, and the Earth and Life Church behind him."

"Alright, I'll keep an eye on him," Uncle Musa nodded, showing he understood.

"That's everything," Little John said after a moment's thought. But just as the words left his mouth, a BANG BANG sound came from the warehouse door as someone pounded on it.

Both of them immediately fell silent, their gazes fixed on the door. They were both wondering who could be here, and why they would choose to show up during their very first meeting.

"Don't make a sound," Uncle Musa whispered. He tiptoed to the side, picked up a two-handed hammer from the floor, and moved closer.

"Uncle, should we—" Little John also slowly drew his longsword halfway out of its sheath. Then, a voice shouted from behind them.

"Uncle, you really are here! Why didn't you tell me you were back?"

Then, before Little John's shocked eyes, a person in a long black cloak tunneled up from the ground and pulled back their hood.

"You kept me waiting so long I got bored," Mamadou said with a grin.