Chapter 39: Chapter 33: Preparations Complete
Shire pushed up with both hands, lifting the glass tank that covered his body.
Balancing the tank over his head, he walked into the underground chamber filled with Slimes.
This morning, he had led his subordinates to meet Little John and tested the Bang-Bang Fruits fitted with Iron Shells on the spot. The effect was good, with a kill radius of about five meters.
Without the iron casings, the Bang-Bang Fruits could explode over a wider area, but their lethality was nowhere near that of the shelled version.
His subordinates could throw the "Hand Grenade Fruits" about 25 meters. This distance exceeded Shire’s expectations. He had originally thought that with a goblin’s physique, they would only manage ten-odd meters. He hadn’t expected their strength to have increased so much after eating well these past few days.
If they added the effect of a Strength Potion, Shire felt they could throw them 30 meters.
This would be a great weapon against the Fearsome Claw Bear or Adventurers. Just toss 30 Hand Grenade Fruits at the start of an encounter—safe and effective.
After testing the effects, he had Little John procure another 50 Iron Shells at 30 Silver Coins each. He couldn’t let the Blacksmith Shop owner lose money, but he didn’t let him profit much, either.
With the Hand Grenade Fruits sorted out, Shire wasted no time and headed to the chamber where the Slimes nested.
He first had Red Eyes forcefully throw five torches into the chamber. Then, Shire inverted the large glass tank and crawled inside.
Balancing the tank over himself like this, he slowly shuffled toward the back of the room.
The last time Nine-finger came in, he had noticed a reflective object in the corner.
Anything that could survive surrounded by so many highly acidic Slimes had to be something good. Since he was here to catch Slimes anyway, he might as well retrieve it.
SPLAT! A Slime fell from the ceiling, hit the top of the glass tank, and burst, its acidic contents splashing everywhere. With Shire safely inside, the acid couldn’t touch him.
He chose his path carefully, maneuvering around the Slimes squirming all over the floor.
Fortunately, these blobs moved very slowly. Although they sensed something passing by, they couldn’t keep up with Shire’s pace.
He made it to the far end of the room without any real danger, though he was hit by falling Slimes three times along the way. None of it was a threat.
Shire set down the glass tank and picked up the object from the ground. It was a green ring.
[Item: Magic Green Glaze Ring]
[Quality: Refined]
[Use: Worn on a finger.]
[Special Effect: When worn, grants immunity to Mind attacks until the ring can no longer bear the strain.]
[Note: The captain said this piece of junk is too fragile to engrave with a Rune. I’ll have to use a different material next time.]
’A ring.’ Shire examined it carefully in the torchlight. Seeing nothing else special about it, he stuffed it into his pocket. After a quick look around confirmed there was nothing else of interest, he immediately lifted the glass tank and started heading back.
Several Slimes had already crawled over the spot where he had just been standing.
"Just you wait. I’ll get all of you out of here eventually," Shire said confidently.
Once he was out, he planned to start breeding Slimes. He believed they would be an effective biological weapon against the Fearsome Claw Bear and could produce miraculous results.
As long as their cores weren’t destroyed, you could just place some food next to them, and they would grow back in no time. If you wanted them to grow faster, you could even add a little water.
Ever since joining forces with Agatha, his need for the forest’s resources had grown larger and larger. Although he had the Domain map to check resource distribution, the threat of the Fearsome Claw Bear was ever-present. He really didn’t want a gray-black beast’s head suddenly appearing in front of him while he was gathering herbs.
He had already formulated a battle plan for the Fearsome Claw Bear and was quite confident he could kill it.
Besides, he had to make a move for the Beast Core inside its body.
Shire was very clear about Beast Cores. They were the main ingredient in the various Secret Medicines made by the Kingdom and were strictly controlled. Ordinary people couldn’t obtain them, and if he still had his human form, it would surely be the same for him.
Back when he was a Political Assistant in Plantagenet City, he knew that members of the National Knight Order took Secret Medicine to enhance their physical abilities. The old nobles also relied on Secret Medicine to delay aging. It was a method the Royal Family used to Control the privileged class.
Ordinary people could only improve so much by training their bodies and honing their skills; they couldn’t break through their physical limits. The Knights, on the other hand, relied on popping pills to increase their strength, agility, and endurance.
Although taking too much Secret Medicine could cause irreversible damage to the body and even turn one into a monster, the feeling of being filled with power was still addictive.
Shire had once been invited to watch a martial demonstration by the Knight Order in the Royal Capital. Those guys, clad in full armor, could cleave through three tied-up goblins—along with the wooden post they were tied to—in a single sword strike.
At the time, he had asked someone from the Knight Order if they had to cut goblins. The man said it didn’t have to be goblins, but nothing was better than the little green-skins. First, their height was just right. Second, they put on the best show. They would shriek and squall before being cut, and the ground would be filled with wails after the blade passed. Moreover, you could watch a goblin drag the upper half of its body across the ground with its hands, guts spilling everywhere. The visual effect was a perfect ten.
Shire didn’t like to watch. It was too bloody and brutal. But some people loved it, and the scene was often met with thunderous applause.
This also led to skilled Adventurers often trying to capture live goblins. After cutting off their ears, they would sell them to merchants for 15 silver a piece, and the merchants would then sell them to the various Knight Orders.
Now that he had become a goblin himself, Shire could only hope that neither he nor his subordinates would ever see that day.
And while Magical Beasts occasionally appeared in other places, they were most concentrated in the Nightmare Forest. He felt like he had built a house right next to a monster spawn point. He wouldn’t have to worry about a lack of Beast Cores in the future.
Balancing the glass tank, Shire carefully and quickly navigated past the Slimes covering the floor, moving step by step toward the entrance.
The torchlight flickered, illuminating a strange pattern on the wall next to the stone door.
He kicked a torch in that direction, then slowly approached to get a better look.
It was a drawing. The general outline seemed to be of the Nightmare Forest. There was a square in the middle and black dots to the left, right, and below it. Next to the bottom black dot, the words "Current Location" were written in Common Speech.
Below the drawing, there were some blurry words. Shire moved closer.
"Watchtower... notice..."
"24... on duty, shifts..."
"One captain... members, equipped... report..."
"Encounter Magical Beast... Fortress, immediately..."
"...fire situation... must immediately..."
"Equipment maintenance... every seven days..."
After much effort, Shire could only make out these fragments, but it was enough to deduce the nature of this structure.
This was a watchtower, built at some unknown time. Its purpose was likely to monitor the Nightmare Forest for Magical Beast activity and fires. The above-ground portion had long been destroyed, so the preserved stone chamber must be the watchtower’s basement.
But what truly captivated Shire was the word "Fortress."
’The square in the middle must be the Fortress. It looks like it’s very close to this watchtower, but quite far from the points on the left and right.’
’If the Fortress was built underground in the forest, then it’s a natural, gigantic cavern. It would be a perfect nest for goblins.’
’I have to get it. I absolutely must get it. Then I’ll finally have a home that I don’t have to move from again.’
Shire was ecstatic. He quickly committed the map to memory.
Then, balancing the glass tank, he moved out of the stone chamber and ordered his subordinates to capture three Slimes.
