Chapter 9 Orcs (III)

The sun rose and the birds hummed, perhaps due to spending the night together, the goblins and the tribesmen had become quite close. On the far right of the cave, you could see Davis and Zriork having an arm wrestling competition together, with the constant cheering from both sides, a lively scene filled the cave.

"You can do it, Davis!"

"Victorrit es or's!"

"Don't let the young master down!"

"Winnar es lan!"

"Come on Davis!

The language barrier seemed nonexistent in the progress of having fun. Shaking his head Elric began to do one thing he needed to do before the trip began, and that was to burn his ancestral inheritance book. After all the A.I. chip had recorded the knowledge and carrying any longer would have been a liability.

Moving to the campfire still burning from the night without any hesitation he threw it in. "Don't worry ancestors, I would put your knowledge to good use." Clenching his fist, he was not sure if he was making that statement to himself or his ancestors.

"Young master, what are you staring at? We're ready to go," it was George who came up behind him, everyone looked ready to go with an eager expression apart from Davis who looked slightly lost.

Seeing his expression there was no need to guess he most likely lost the arm wrestling competition, given the stat difference between the two, there was no need to use the A.I. chip to simulate the result.

"Okay everyone let's move out! Zriork, it's up to you to lead the way"

"Ha-ha-ha, do not worry human, I Zriork of the green skin tribe will lead you to a human tribe! goblins protect those humans!"

With his order, the goblins immediately gave up their playful manner and formed a protective circle around the tribesmen.

The outside of the cave, unlike its cold and damp interior, was quite a beautiful and calming scene with oversized vegetation covering the entrance. Huge insects buzzed in the sky and the occasional growl from the distance. It gave one the illusion of becoming one with mother nature, unlike the blue star where most natural vegetation was destroyed due to industrialization. Taking a deep breath, Elric began to record everything he saw into his A.I. chip database for further identification.

After taking one last look at the cave, they began their journey. Just like on a school field trip, Elric's curiosity couldn't help but get the best of him. He occasionally stopped to take a closer look at some insects or would ask Zriork what he knew about some fruits and whether they were edible. Thankfully the other tribesmen were also new to the scene, causing them to also behave with curiosity; although, not as much as Elric.

According to Zriork, the place they are currently located was known as the mouth of the Zuma forest, which was known for its oversized plants, strange creatures, and magical beasts. According to legend, the center of the Zuma forest is home to a strange beast that was said to have existed since the beginning of the world.

Along the way, Elric saved data about over 40 kinds of plants and herbs. Through his discussions with the goblin shaman found out that they could be used for the treatment of minor injuries.

Though they had a lacklustre appearance and traits, Elric wasn't too disappointed. After all, according to Zriork the nearest human tribe was about two days north. So spurred on with anticipation of his future discoveries Elric had a slight smile on his face as they continued to approach their destination

As the journey continued, the tribesmen's initial curiosity seemed to be extinguished as the fatigue began to set in. With the setting of the sun, Zriork as an experienced commander and chief noticed the change of atmosphere and immediately began searching for a place to camp for the night.

With a roar in goblin language, they immediately dispersed going out to look for a suitable camping spot.

"Watar ket itst!"

After a few minutes, a regular goblin ran to Zriork in a somewhat excited manner. After listening to the goblin's speech Zriork spoke up with a burst of hearty laughter.

"Ha-ha-ha, Elric my friend! It seems the spirit of the green skin God is still with us. My tribesmen have found a source of water! We shall sleep there for the night." Without giving Elric a chance to reply, he immediately ordered everyone to set off in the water source direction.

As they arrived, a small river came into their view. The sounds of the trickling stream of water crashing against the rocks broke the silence of the night. As a cautious person in his past life, Elric immediately stopped his tribesmen who were following and gave an order to his A.I. chip.

"A.I. Chip! Scan the surroundings!".

[Beep! The surrounding area has been scanned! There are no dangers within a radius of 15 li!] The A.I. Chip immediately reported the message.

After confirming the safety of the area he immediately signalled his tribes' men to come over. At this point, the goblins had already jumped into the lake. The sounds of their screams reverberated through the night as they played in the water

"yaaaarit!"

"waaah!"

Even Zriork and the shaman seemed to have fun in the lake. Turning his head he saw George and Davis looking at him with an eager expression.

"Fine, go have fun and wash up but remember not to play too hard. After all, we have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow," with a serious face Elric addressed the crowd.

"Don't worry young master you can count on us," with his allowance George and the others immediately ran into the river.

"It seems I might as well join the fun," looking at his now empty surroundings Elric muttered and he took off his Animal skins, entering the river naked.

Feeling the Icy cold waters he couldn't help but miss the water heaters back on the blue star.