The Forest Feeds No Idle Goblins

Chapter 252: Chapter 225: Confident Bald Hide

Bald Hide once believed the Feathered Serpent Kingdom was the only place in the entire forest suitable for goblins. He fought with all his might for more food to ensure his own growth, and after successfully dodging the draft several times, he began to aspire to the position of a Dongtou.

At the time, the Dongtou of his burrow was a strong adult goblin who slept above ground in a structure everyone called a "stone nest."

But that didn’t stop Bald Hide. Though he wasn’t as strong as the other goblin, he knew how to use his head. Only the Dongtou was exempt from the draft. He knew that one day he might draw the damned lot and be exiled from the Kingdom, or draw the red one and be sacrificed to the Feathered Serpent God. Neither of those outcomes was acceptable to him.

’How could I possibly survive outside the Kingdom?’ Bald Hide muttered hatefully. So, during a hunt in a raging storm, he shoved the Dongtou out from behind a tree. The other goblin was sent flying by a charging wild boar. By the time the others found the Dongtou, he was already lying in the rain, no longer breathing.

’If I hadn’t done it, I would have been the one to die,’ he thought, fiddling with the hard Bone Dagger in his hand. The previous Dongtou had been planning to kill him, too.

After that, he beat the other goblins in the burrow into submission and successfully became the new Dongtou. It took him a long time to recover, but at least now he could live in the stone nest. At least he wouldn’t be exiled from the Kingdom.

And he’d never have to face the draft again.

Before long, a few goblins descended from the sky. They landed in front of Bald Hide and announced, "There’s a pillar of smoke rising in the distance!"

Bald Hide adjusted the feathered crest on his head. He had just finished making it yesterday. To distinguish himself from the other goblins and appear more "authoritative," he had specifically used the long tail feathers of a forest grouse his subordinates had hunted to craft the headdress.

"Have you gotten a closer look?" Bald Hide asked, walking forward with his hands clasped behind his back.

"No, but we could see a large clearing up ahead," one goblin said. "It looked like there were some houses, too."

"A clearing? Houses?" Bald Hide frowned. "Since when can forest goblins manage something like that?"

He’d passed a warren of burrows earlier and seen what they were like: numerous, tightly packed, with a clearing where a few strange goblin skulls were impaled on wooden stakes.

The burrows were crudely dug, and the area was a complete mess. The sight filled Bald Hide with disgust. ’Living in rat holes like this... Goblins exiled from the Kingdom really are no different from animals.’

But now, hearing that there was a clearing with actual houses built on it, Bald Hide’s first thought was that it couldn’t be a goblin settlement.

"Rest for a moment, then go take another look. I want to know exactly what kind of creatures are living there," Bald Hide commanded. If their opponents were weak, they could just sweep in, plunder their goods, and it would make managing his few hundred goblins that much easier.

A short while later, Bald Hide got the answer he was looking for. "It’s a group of Centaurs. They’re raising Big-horned Deer in the clearing. There are some goblins with them, too."

At the same time, one of his subordinates brought him a piece of paper. There was no writing on it, only a drawing of several goblins, decapitated. The threat was unmistakable.

Bald Hide crumpled the paper in his hand and tossed it carelessly behind him. He laughed in contempt. "They dare to provoke the Kingdom."

’Perhaps those goblins living with the Centaurs are the ones the Feathered Serpent God is looking for. To be living with such a large Race... they must have been tamed into herding slaves,’ he mused. ’Useless trash. The only thing they can become after leaving the Kingdom is a slave. They probably can’t even get a full meal.’

He stroked the feathered headdress on his head, then waved his hand. "Charge! Crush them!"

For tactical purposes, Bald Hide deliberately kept his formation loose. He ordered the few Dongtou who held a grudge against him to drive the Petrifying Lizards forward in the first wave of attack. Meanwhile, goblins in Snake Shedding Magic Robes would provide support from the sky. Once the Petrifying Lizards broke the enemy’s lines, he would lead the remaining several hundred goblins in a final Charge.

This would not only rout the enemy but also preserve the bulk of his own forces. When he brought his subordinates back completely unscathed, he was certain the High Priest would see him in a new light.

’As for the risk of the formation breaking or his goblins’ combat effectiveness plummeting without the protection of the Petrifying Lizards...’ Bald Hide wasn’t concerned. In his mind, no creature in the forest could possibly challenge the might of the Feathered Serpent Kingdom.

"They have the god of the goblins on their side, after all," Bald Hide said with a smirk.

「...」

After receiving Broken Tooth’s report, Shire knew the Feathered Serpent Kingdom’s Expeditionary Army was on the move.

He immediately began issuing orders, sending out scouts and arranging for Bai Mao to prepare meals ahead of time.

The problem was, the enemy’s line of march wasn’t heading straight for them. This meant the Rune Language: Frosty Winter Array he’d prepared beforehand wouldn’t be able to display its full power.

Another problem was the Naga Prince. He was still in the underground river, and there was no way to contact him.

’An important Ability like activating a Rune Array really needs to be in my own hands,’ Shire thought, clenching and unclenching his fists. As he continued to shout orders to his subordinates, he cast a [Group Dumbing Curse] on himself. ’I don’t know if it’ll be useful now, but I hope those goblins will be affected.’

He had considered this strategy before: by keeping [Group Dumbing Curse] active on himself, anyone he perceived as an enemy would automatically be affected by the Magic, suffering a decline in their judgment and strategic thinking. It was a potent spell; he’d even used it to outwit Lust once.

Then, an idea struck him. He had a subordinate bring him his notebook and quickly sketched a few pictures inside.

Shire knew the enemy goblins probably couldn’t read, but they could certainly understand pictures. Perhaps he could use these simple drawings to lure them into the range of the Rune Language: Frosty Winter. Once they were inside the effective area, the rest would be up to the Naga Prince.

"Pazani, don’t you dare mess this up," Shire muttered through gritted teeth.

Just then, a voice called out from nearby, "Were you calling for me?"

Pazani, dripping wet, slithered over with a swish of his serpentine tail.

"You’re back?" Shire said, raising an eyebrow in pleasant surprise. "I thought you’d be much longer."

"Of course not," Pazani said, shaking his head. "I have to leave myself enough time so it doesn’t cut into my break. Otherwise, I’d be stuck spending my downtime in that underground river."

"And that would be a total waste."

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