Chapter 226 - 226 Find the goblin, please! part 6

226 Find the goblin, please! part We decided to haul the corpse back to the camp and craft something with it, anything that could be of any help. But it turned out to be pointless because as soon as Bob grabbed it, it disintegrated into a pile of dust.

“What’s the meaning of this Bob? what did you do?”

Luke jumped to the conclusion that it must have been Bob the one who did something wrong, but I was paying close attention and he did nothing.

“Calm down Luke, I don’t think it’s his fault. It looks like after the corpse was drained of its mana it’s stability was so low it simply disintegrated and there’s nothing Bob could have done to avoid it.”

Bob was still shaken up by the strange phenomenon and held on to the tiniest part of the beetle’s paw that was left in his hand.

“So, now we don’t have a corpse what should we do? should we keep hunting for something to eat?”

“I don’t think that would be efficient, now we know that we most likely won’t be able to eat magical beasts even after draining their mana and we’re at our best right now, even Bob’s wand is recharged, so I think it’d be better if we went to the human camp. Not going now feels like a wasted opportunity.”

This idea is as good as any and I don’t see how letting time pass would make our task any easier. Luke and Bob couldn’t hide their excitement, none of us knew what to expect but they were brimming with energy and eager to prove their worth.

We set off to the same location we visited the day before, this time being cautious to avoid getting caught mid way. This time, our approach is a little different than last time.

.....

After chatting with the goblin scout that remained in place taking note of the human’s behavior we found out our first guess had been correct.

They belonged to the sacred empire and were hunting for demi-humans and beasts. The goblin informed us that despite coming and going constantly to and from their camp, they don’t seem to be too successful and most of their trips ended up in failure.

This could be the reason why they resorted to hunting goblins, because it’s apparent that they have a low value at the beast market, it’s a good thing because we might be able to avoid violence altogether.

Since Luke is the sneakiest of us all and the fastest too, he’s going to remain hidden outside the camp while I the rest of us go into the camp. Bob and Risa will try to pass as my bodyguards, while I pretend to be a young master with a lot of money.

One by one we pile together all our funds, thankfully I still have the two mithril coins I got at Quarrydew. Since the rest of the group also got a mithril coin, we ended up putting together a decent amount of money, but Luke refused to give away his coin claiming he had misplaced it.

Just as I was about to grab the purse, a short snake like creature slithered out from my sleeve and gobbled up a mithril coin before I could even react. The wurm simply bit on it and swallowed it whole, leaving us in awe.

After its misdeed, the wurm hatchling slithered completely out from my sleeve and, right then and there, before our dazzled eyes, it grew larger at a speed visible to the naked eye. It wasn’t so much that it didn’t fit in my sleeve anymore, but it was way longer than it used to be.

>Wurm (healthy)

“Your freaking snake just ate a mithril coin! keep your pets under control Ryu!”

Luke complained in a loud voice, earning him a glare from all of us.

“I didn’t know it would do something like that, I’m just as surprised as the rest of you. Besides, you didn’t even contribute so stop complaining and get a hold of yourself, if it wasn’t for my pets we wouldn’t even be here right now.”

My words had the desired effect and Luke fell silent soon afterwards.

I would have preferred if Luke was the one pretending to be the young master, he’s always acting proud and entitled, he also looks the part and I too can remain hidden. I bet he would do a better job than me, but apparently Risa got too excited to be my bodyguard and there was no changing her mind.

Two hours before sunset I stepped out of my cover and walked along with my two bodyguards towards the human camp. Just as Luke had predicted, they noticed our presence immediately but didn’t seem to be alarmed in the slightest.

A hundred meters or so before we reached their territory, two armed men came out to greet us.

One was clearly from the sacred empire, while the other seemed to be from the kingdom. I couldn’t use my consider skill without it triggering some random effects that might not go unnoticed, so I relied on what I was able to see to gather information.

The man from the sacred empire had a spiked mace and a dagger on his sash, the other had a short spear and a bronze looking sword. Their weapons weren’t concealed but they didn’t draw them.

“Bless you on this beautiful day travelers, my name is Liu and this is my business partner, Maximus.”

“Good evening to you, My name is Ryu and these are my... bodyguards, Bob and Risa. We’ve been traveling for a while now.”

“I can see that, you do look weary. Feel free to enter our guest’s tent and rest for a while, you are also welcome to browse our wares.”

Maximus led us to a cozy tent that looked completely different from what I expected. There were several carpets in the ground, covering the place entirely, the place was also modestly furnished. He took his shoes before entering and, of course, we did the same. We didn’t want to offend our hosts, but it seemed like it was a wrong move on my part.

When Liu watched me take off my shoes he snickered and left the place with a disappointed expression on his face. I’m so stupid sometimes, of course a wealthy young master wouldn’t have the courtesy of taking off his shoes before entering a dusty tent in the middle of nowhere.

Thinking on a way to redeem myself I hurriedly turn towards Risa.

“You, don’t slack off and do your job already, I’m tired and my feet could use a good washing.”

I said looking at her before realizing a critical mistake, she doesn’t have hands. I went from stupid to idiotic.

What’s happening to me?

Far from getting offended, Risa put on a smirk on her face and looked at Bob.

“I apologize master, but I can’t serve you properly right now, why don’t you let Bob do it this time?”

Bob and I exchanged an awkward gaze, but after a couple seconds he simply shrugged and crouched down in front of me. I cringed at the feeling of his huge rough hands on my feet, but after a few seconds to adjust to the feeling I must admit it felt really good.

Despite his rough appearance and huge frame, his touch was actually soft and gentle. When shivers started running through my back I snapped, this is probably enough.

I felt like I needed to thank Bob for the massage, he took his pretend job seriously and was very considerate, but being the young master I’m supposed to be I simply shook him off and stood up.

There was a small table with a jar of wine on top, I poured a cup for me and then passed it to Risa who received it merrily and took a long sip, leaving nothing but a drop for the thirsty Bob.

He looked at her with a pitiful expression, but Risa made a shrug and then winked at him.

After resting for a while in silence, I realized I didn’t feel any hostility coming from Maximus who was still inside the tent. It was strange not feeling threatened considering how well equipped he was and the possibility of being ambushed at any moment.

Despite my distrust, sense presence showed that even the people outside the tent behaved normally. They would go look for water, wash clothes, eat or just perform chores.

After making sure this wasn’t a trap or something of the sorts I stood up.

“I’m ready now, take me to the merchandise.”