Green Monster Epic

Chapter 51: The Road Home

“Reporting, sir, that group of hobgoblins has already left the city.”

In Greyshadow Alley, on the second floor of the Slave Merchant Guild, the chief appraiser of the goblins, Philok, was listening to Sam report on the movements of Allen and his party.

“Okay, you can leave now.”

Philok said expressionlessly, waving his hand to signal Sam to leave.

After everyone else had left the room, Philok opened the window and looked towards the distant wilderness, muttering to himself, “Little fellow, I hope you can give me a surprise.”

Allen couldn't understand Philok's expectations of him; only Philok himself knew what he felt for this fellow tribesman he had met for the first time.

The more someone like Philok was well-read and knowledgeable, yet lacked outstanding strength, the more he felt sorrow for his race.

In recent years, Philok's life seemed carefree. He lacked neither food nor clothing, and few dared to offend him. But in reality, deep down, he always felt a sense of loneliness, with no one to communicate with.

Because he lacked a strong backing, Philok, who had achieved his current status with what could almost be described as a one-in-ten-thousand chance of survival, had paid a price and taken risks far greater than countless of his colleagues over the long years.

As his status rose, he naturally needed to find allies in the power struggles of the Wojin Merchant Guild to consolidate his position. However, looking around at his colleagues at the same level, almost no one was willing to ally and work with him. The mere derogatory term 'green skin' excluded Philok from any alliance. In the end, all he could do was continue to diligently study various appraisal skills, relying on his own extraordinary abilities to secure his foothold.

And among the many colleagues who interacted with him, after their status rose, who would still be as diligent as he was, still studying hard at the age of 50 or 60? Who wouldn't take the opportunity to enjoy the various benefits brought by power, colluding with each other to divide the many interests of the Wojin Merchant Guild, benefiting their descendants?

Therefore, Philok, who had deeply suffered from racial discrimination, had already become a firm racialist in the invisible. After all, even if he hated his own bloodline, he could only helplessly accept this fact since he could not change his lineage.

Since his rise to prominence, he had supported many wilderness goblins he had dealt with. However, as far as he knew, most goblins disappeared into the vast wilderness and the primeval forests of the Elven Kingdom. A very few lucky ones, although still active around Thistle Fort, were basically just cannon fodder at the bottom, and there was little value in investing in them further.

Philok didn't need his tribesmen to repay him with anything. He only hoped that a strong individual could be born among his people, to protect more goblins and provide them with a safer living environment. Even if this leader was inherently cruel and ruthless, it would still be better than the current situation where the wilderness goblins were scattered among many large tribes or struggling below the survival line.

His letting Allen buy those dozen humans could be regarded as a kind of care for the other party, and at the same time, it was a test for the other party. It was just that how Allen would use this group of humans would serve as Philok's consideration for future communication with the other party.

However, these small tests were completely unknown to Allen, who was already on his way home. At this moment, he was looking at the scattered team with a headache, occasionally scolding his tribesmen a few times, telling them not to bully the human slaves too much.

Most of the twenty-odd goblins were adults. After filling their stomachs with two full meals yesterday, they didn't have too many problems in terms of physical strength. Moreover, as fellow tribesmen, they wouldn't cause too much trouble for Allen's party. Although they were still connected in a string by a rope around their waists, the goblins were spaced about ten feet apart, which could be considered a lot of freedom. They were obediently following behind Dasha, and they didn't forget to secretly size up Allen and the others as they walked.

On the human side, the ropes connecting them not only restricted their waists and abdomens, but also bound their ankles, preventing them from taking large steps when walking, lest they have ulterior motives to escape. Last night, one human quietly broke free from his restraints and tried to sneak away, but Allen, who was alerted, kicked him to the ground.

After this lesson, Allen paid more attention to these slaves he had bought at a great price. Even if they couldn't help him in the future, they could still become a meal for the tribesmen, right? Allen still hadn't corrected his ethical morality. Although Regis and Philly had subtly reminded Allen, what was that so-called ethical morality worth compared to hunger?

Buying this group of slaves wasn't without its benefits. For example, Allen and his group were much more relaxed now. The three freight vehicles purchased in Thistle Fort were loaded with grain, covered with a layer of waterproof tarpaulin. Pulled by this group of slaves, they slowly moved along the rugged road towards the route home that Allen remembered.

Allen didn't buy pack animals for transporting the vehicles. That stuff wasn't worth much in the wilderness. In the eyes of the hobgoblins, it was just a delicious meal, and the price was still high. A packhorse would cost 5-6 gold coins, several times higher than a freight vehicle. Allen was distressed by the lack of gold coins in his hand, and he stubbornly saved those silver coins, originally planning to have Dasha and the other strong men pull them. But now that there was more labor, it saved Allen and the others a lot of effort.

Moreover, having the slaves carry the vehicles also had its advantages. That was, these slaves couldn't have other petty thoughts. Just dragging and pushing the heavy vehicles all the way took up most of their physical strength. They were so tired after a day of walking that they quickly fell into a dream after falling to the ground, and when they opened their eyes, it was another bright day. As a result, Allen paid less attention to these slaves and had more energy to observe the unique scenery along the way.

After leaving Thistle Fort, Allen didn't lose interest because the population became sparse. When he followed Philly and the others, he had to take care of their progress, and Allen didn't have much time to look around. Now that he was in charge, Allen didn't care about wasting too much time on the road. First, it could reduce the hardship for the slaves, and second, Allen could better observe the daily life of the races outside.

Phillip, as a slave valued by Allen, was much happier than other slaves. At least, he didn't have to swing his thin body and work hard with a group of people, sweating like rain. At this time, he was being led by Allen, listening to Allen's questions while organizing his language to answer Allen's questions.

“What are these humans walking around on the grass doing?”

When Allen entered Thistle Fort, he was very curious about the neat pieces of land outside Thistle Fort, wondering what they were for. However, they had arrived in the evening, so he couldn't see clearly. When he asked Regis, he vaguely explained it casually, without completely dispelling Allen's doubts. Now that he had the opportunity, Allen passed the question to Phillip, asking him to answer it for himself.