Lord: Starting from a Goblin Nest

”Unfortunately, you’re right.”

Aive said helplessly, ”Look at us. We’re all that’s left of the expedition that was supposed to open a new trade route.”

In fact, it was even worse. She was the only one left.

”I see...” Ron rubbed his chin. ”So, can we still buy water and food in town?”

”It’s difficult, and the prices are very high,” Buni said bluntly. ”The mayor supplies the townspeople with their normal water rations, but getting any more is nearly impossible.”

”A gallon of purified water costs three Gold Coins, almost six or seven times the old price,” Lavinia provided, giving the exact numbers.

Alchemy required large quantities of solvents, so she was among those hit hardest by the shortage.

”It’s worse than that!” someone who had come to pray happened to pass by and chimed in. ”Today’s market price is thirty-six Silver Coins! It’s gone up again!”

”And food prices have skyrocketed too. I don’t know how much longer we can last if this keeps up!”

The passerby left, still grumbling, while Ron and the others just stood there, staring at one another.

”What should we do?” Delaford’s spirits were low too. ”Ron, it looks like your promise will be hard to keep.”

’Buying supplies is ridiculously expensive, and as for information, the only option seems to be heading south. What are we supposed to do?’

”Maybe you could try your luck with the mayor,” Lavinia suggested. ”I heard they’re recruiting people, probably preparing to ’take’ some land and resources from the Delusional Land. If you can join the Pioneer Corps, you’ll probably get a good deal of support.”

”The Pioneer Corps? He’s just a mayor. Does he have that much authority?” Aive asked doubtfully.

”He’s the only mayor for miles, Half-Elf,” Lavinia shot her a look. ”They call all the shots around here.”

”Besides, the Delusional Land has never been truly conquered,” Buni added. ”If he really pulls off this feat, he might actually gain recognition from the other Lords!”

”Looks like we’ll have to pay this mayor a visit,” Ron said with a nod. ”Is he seeing people now?”

”Now? It’s a little late for that,” Buni said, glancing at the sky outside. ”But you can wait in town for a couple of days. The night after tomorrow, the mayor is holding a banquet. Anyone interested in joining the expedition into the Delusional Land can attend. The details will probably be announced and discussed then.”

”But before then, I’d suggest you get yourselves some proper outfits first.”

Lavinia sized them up with a critical eye. ”If I were a guard, I definitely wouldn’t let you in. You look like a bunch of vagrants, especially this one who’s about my height.”

”What do you mean by that? I’m taller than you!”

Delaford was not having it.

But looking at the three of them, Ron had to admit the two chattering Half-Elves had a very good point.

In terms of clothing, Ron was probably the best off. After he’d transmigrated, he’d ended up in a set of cloth clothes that fit the local culture and time period. Aside from being travel-worn, they were fine. Aive and Delaford, on the other hand, were basically dressed in rags—the only difference being that Aive’s clothes certainly hadn’t gotten that way by choice.

As for weapons, their situation was even more pathetic: a single shortbow between the three of them.

Lavinia’s point that they’d probably be stopped at the door was well-founded.

”Alright, how about this? We’ll go get something to eat, find an inn for a good night’s rest, and then buy some gear tomorrow?”

Ron laid out his plan. ”The day after tomorrow, we’ll check out that banquet. If we get a chance, I think we can solve all our problems in one go.”

’I’ll take the goblins to the Delusional Land, then Aive and I can make an excuse to slip away. After that, it won’t matter if we go to Rose City or Cloud Port.’

’I’ll have fulfilled my promise. What happens to the goblins afterward in that supposedly perilous Delusional Land won’t be my problem.’

”Is... is this really okay?” Delaford hesitated after they left the church. ”That’s the boss’s money. It’s not for us to—”

”But Delaford, don’t you want to experience life in the sun?” Ron coaxed. ”You could eat delicious food, sleep in a comfortable bed, wear brand-new gear...”

”Do you really think you deserve nothing more than dark, damp caves, hard rocks, and tasteless raw meat?”

”That’s... No! No, no, no!”

Torn between the authority of the distant earth goblin and the pleasures right in front of him, Delaford ultimately chose the latter. He cast aside all his doubts and fears, cheerfully dashing into the tavern with Ron and Aive.

Goblins don’t live in groups and obey authority because they like it; they do so because they’re too weak on their own.

Consider their cousins, the bear goblins. Those large, powerful goblins prefer a solitary, unrestrained life—a future that smaller goblins can only dream of.

If they had the chance to enjoy all this, only a fool would willingly return to those stinking, filthy underground caves!

Ron and the others found an establishment that was both a tavern and an inn, with a dining hall on the first floor and guest rooms on the second.

After they sat down, Ron ordered a sausage pie and a mug of ale, while Aive asked for breaded veal with gravy. As for Delaford, who just moments ago had been worried about saving his boss’s money, he now spent lavishly, ordering a table full of meat and a small keg of the tavern’s house brew.

Ron had to lay out nine large Gold Coins on the table before the innkeeper was convinced they weren’t there to dine and dash.

”You goblins are strange,” Aive remarked, finally showing a bit of her refined upbringing. She dabbed her mouth gently with a handkerchief, tilting her head toward Delaford, who was still stuffing his face. ”How can you endure such extreme conditions, yet still have such a craving for good food?”

”I guess he just wants to try everything he’s never had before,” Ron said, finishing the last of his ale. ’Just as I thought. The alcohol in this world is pretty weak. Even for someone like me who doesn’t drink much, it’s basically like juice.’

”Speaking of which, I’m more curious about you—I thought you’d be a vegetarian?”

”What gave you that idea? My Elf blood?” Aive winked playfully. ”I’m a Warrior, and I’m half-human, too. A life without meat would be unbearable.”

”It’s just that plain roasted meat is a bit too... primitive. I prefer more refined dishes like this.”

The Half-Elf was chattering on when she suddenly fell silent. She nudged Ron with her elbow, motioning for him to look in a particular direction.

”Hey, look at how those guys are dressed. Aren’t those the Barbarians we saw outside earlier?”