The Forest Feeds No Idle Goblins

Chapter 253: Chapter 226: Pazani’s Thoughts

Pazani wasn’t actually all that concerned with the fact that he was to become King of the Naga Race.

Shortly after he first hatched from his egg, he learned that his father was the King of the Naga Race. But of all the Royal Family Naga born alongside him, he was the only one left.

Although his father subsequently produced two more clutches of eggs, not many of the children survived.

After he grew up, the elders told him it was because of the water quality. After all, his race had once lived in the sea. Now, they were hiding in a lake. It was safe, yes, but many of the newborns couldn’t adapt. Besides, the Naga Race was inherently fragile during its formative years.

From then on, his father and the clan elders constantly told him how glorious his race had once been—how they had roamed the great oceans and how masterfully they had applied Water Magic. Back then, he too had yearned for the outside world. He longed to see the ink-black depths of the sea, the ever-glowing algae and fish. He longed to see the colossal ocean Giant Beasts with heads as large as houses. Most of all, he longed to see the great Naga city, crystalline and translucent, that sat on the seabed, holding the ocean water at bay.

But as he grew older and learned more, he gradually understood that he would probably never see those things in his lifetime.

The elders often said the Naga were the shepherds of the ocean. Pazani wanted to say that was ancient history. The Naga of today were just fish in a lake.

He knew his race possessed too many good things coveted by outsiders. Besides Shui Yumo and Magic Potions, there were many powerful Magic Items. But those people—Demons, humans, Elves, especially the Elves—constantly raided the Naga’s home, aiming for those rare magical objects. They even tried to capture Naga young and eggs to threaten the race into handing over the methods for creating their Magic Items.

Survival was already difficult for the egg-laying Naga Race, and these threats made it even more perilous. So, their ancestors could only keep moving, hoping to win their people a chance to breathe.

Unfortunately, this did little to stop the greedy from hunting them. They used every method at their disposal: Arcane Divination, training beasts, tracking their trail—they stopped at nothing. He had once asked an elder why the Naga Race was treated this way, and the elders would always reply, "Greed is the true color of all Races."

Pazani knew the effects of Shui Yumo, and he knew their ancestors used it to guide the race toward good fortune and away from disaster. He also knew that a Magic Potion could directly alter a creature’s magical potential, giving those with no innate Magic Talent a chance to peek through the door to the arcane.

But every seeker, whether human or Elf, wanted to monopolize this "Treasure" for themselves.

And so, several thousand years later, only a few thousand members of their race remained, huddled in Darren Lake. They endured not only the effects of salt deprivation but also attacks from goblins.

Frankly, Pazani didn’t like the idea of becoming the King of the Naga now. If he weren’t his father’s eldest child, if his father hadn’t already died, and if it didn’t mean he could work three fewer hours a day, he would never have accepted this "job."

He would have to handle all the race’s affairs, consider the collection and storage of supplies, and deal with enemy attacks and the race’s counterattacks. It was said to be three hours less work, but he knew that once he actually sat in that position, with thousands of pairs of eyes on him, it would often be impossible to completely separate "work and rest."

"How interesting. Even my coming-of-age trial has to be so much more troublesome than everyone else’s," he grumbled resentfully after glancing at the animal hide again to confirm its contents and stuffing it back into his pocket.

The coming-of-age trial for other Naga in the race was, at most, a solo hunt for a large fish—a very easy task for the Naga Race. But his trial had felt completely out of the ordinary from the very beginning.

Pazani stretched his arms, his fins flaring out across his body. ’Still, it’s thanks to this trial that I met this group of goblins. Not only can these guys provide salt, but now they’re saying they can get their hands on the White Holy Stone.’

He had been suspicious of the goblin leader before. He’d thought the other was deceiving him and would eventually try to seize his race’s Magic Items after a certain period of interaction.

But then he considered two things. First, this alliance was the result of the elders’ past rituals to the will of nature. Second, the goblin had been upfront about his attitude toward these items from the very beginning. He wanted them, but his preference was for trade, not theft or Enslavement.

Pazani twitched the four barbels around his mouth. ’At the very least, I need to solve the race’s salt deficiency first. As for returning to the ocean... we can worry about that later.’ He knew his own father had died from consuming too little salt, combined with exhausting himself with worry over the scarcity of Royal Family heirs. Logically, as King, his father shouldn’t have had any problem with salt intake, but he had given most of his share to the race’s young.

’If Father had lived a little longer, I wouldn’t have been rushed into this coming-of-age trial,’ he thought. Hearing a sound in the distance, he straightened his upper body, picked up the "telescope" Shire had given him, and peered out toward the forest.

Once he realized he might never leave Darren Lake in this lifetime, he had gradually settled into a daily routine. He would help with the race’s chores, listen to the elders’ teachings, learn a bit about managing the race, and then eat pickled fish with algae made by the Naga cooks, drink a little Ball Algae Wine, and have a good night’s sleep.

This had more or less become the life he had set for himself.

"Something’s approaching," Pazani said, frowning as he looked into the distance. Then he glanced down at Shire, who was not far from his side.

"Yes, that should be them," Shire said with a nod. He didn’t use a telescope; being short, his view was blocked by the trees and shrubs. ’Those guys really are heading this way.’

Shire had previously instructed Broken Tooth to place a few of his stick-figure drawings on the bushes at regular intervals. The goal was to lure the enemy to a pre-arranged battlefield where the race’s Warriors and the Centaurs were waiting. ’It seems the Group Dumbing Curse is working pretty well. These goblins are heading straight here without a second thought.’

Goblins didn’t have high Intelligence to begin with. With this curse layered on top, their IQ was probably lower than that of the gray wolves that hunted in the forest.

Just as he was thinking this, a nearby Giant suddenly sprang to its feet, grabbed a rock, and hurled it forcefully into the sky. A scream echoed from above, and Shire knew—the enemy had arrived.

"They’re finally here."

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