Most of the snow in the Forest of Gloom had melted in the spring breeze, tender green grass sprouts emerged from the muddy ground, and new leaves grew on the branches. Even the howling wind was less biting, carrying a hint of warmth.
The Blackrock Clan welcomed its first spring. Blackrock Spire and Stonewatch, the two territories, were scenes of bustling activity everywhere.
The mushroom field in Blackrock Spire had been expanded again and again. The three medium-sized mushroom fields originally there had now increased to six, and two new, smaller fields dedicated to growing poisonous mushrooms had been established—these were used by the night hobgoblins for brewing poisons and feeding the Arachnari Giant Spider.
hobgoblins, carrying bamboo baskets, moved through the mushroom field, carefully harvesting the ripe mushrooms; hobgoblin laborers, meanwhile, carried hoes, tilling the soil in preparation for planting new spore bags, and even the tunes they hummed sounded cheerful.
Stonewatch was even more lively. Fifty hobgoblin pump pump carts traveled daily between the mine and Blackrock Spire, the "rumble" of their wheels over the stone road constant.
Every pump pump cart was piled high with iron ore; the dark brown rocks shone coldly in the sunlight as they were continuously transported to the Blacksmith Shop in Blackrock Spire.
Bone Tree had led the Orc Boyz to dig the mine even deeper. Not only did he find a denser vein of iron ore, but he also unexpectedly discovered a forge left behind by the dwarves. After a little cleaning and repair, they could smelt iron blocks directly in Stonewatch, saving a lot of transportation trouble.
The green mushroom tavern had become the busiest place in Blackrock Spire.
After work every day, the Orc Boyz would come here carrying axes, order a fungus beer, and boast while eating roasted mushroom slices; the night hobgoblins preferred to sit in the corner, quietly discussing stealth techniques, occasionally ordering a drink to sip slowly.
Even Chik and Zaggur were constantly busy, one roasting mushrooms in the kitchen and the other brewing wine at the bar, yet their faces were full of vigor—the tavern's income was growing rapidly, bringing the tribe nearly a hundred teeth in profit every month, and their "wages" had increased significantly as well.
That afternoon, Kurzadh was sitting by the window in the tavern, holding a skewer of golden-brown roasted squig bacon, his mouth slick with oil.
Squig bacon was a new snack developed by Chik. The squig meat was sliced into strips, cured with salt and herbs, then dried. It was fragrant and chewy, perfect with fungus beer.
The surrounding greenskins were noisy; some were playing finger-guessing games, others were arguing over who was stronger in the last fight, and the atmosphere was very lively.
"Boss! boss! Come out quickly and take a look!"
Suddenly, Scarface's voice came from outside the tavern, sounding urgent.
Kurzadh put down the squig bacon in his hand, wiped his mouth, and stood up to walk out of the tavern—he saw Scarface striding over, holding an human teenager by the collar. The boy's feet were off the ground, and though he struggled, he dared not make a sound, his face as pale as paper.
The surrounding greenskins all gathered around, curiously examining the human teenager.
The Orc Boyz reached out their rough fingers, trying to poke the boy's golden hair, only retracting their hands after Scarface glared at them; the night hobgoblins rode their small spiders, circling the boy, their black eyes full of scrutiny; even the passing hobgoblin laborers stopped, craning their necks to look at the novelty—humans rarely appeared in Blackrock Spire, let alone such a delicate-looking one.
The teenager looked about fifteen or sixteen, wearing a slightly worn silk jacket. The fabric, which should have been white, was stained with dirt and grass clippings, yet the quality of the material was still evident; his golden hair was messy, clinging with a few blades of grass, and his sea-blue eyes were full of terror. He stared fixedly at the surrounding greenskins , his body trembling uncontrollably, yet he forced himself not to cry.
"Scarface, where did this human kid come from?" Kurzadh walked closer, his gaze fixed on the teenager as he asked.
He noticed that the boy's fingers were slender, without any calluses, and he carried a faint scent of spices, clearly indicating he was not an ordinary human commoner.
Scarface put the boy down on the ground. The teenager stumbled before steadying himself, immediately taking two steps back, but he was completely surrounded by the greenskins and had no way to escape.
Scarface clapped his hands and said, "The patrolling Death Crawler found him beneath the cliff to the west! This kid was hanging on a pine tree, the rope was almost broken, and he was barely alive. The night hobgoblins rescued him and brought him back to Blackrock Spire."
Kurzadh raised an eyebrow. The western cliff was dozens of miles from Blackrock Spire, the terrain was treacherous, and few creatures usually went there.
How did this human teenager end up hanging on a pine tree on the cliff?
He crouched down, meeting the boy's gaze, trying to make his tone sound less aggressive: "Kid, what's your name? Where are you from? How did you fall off the cliff?"
The teenager shivered, frightened by Kurzadh's greenskin and sharp teeth. His lips moved, but he couldn't speak. Seeing this, the surrounding greenskins started jeering: "Speak quickly! Or we'll feed you to the spiders!"
"The boss is talking to you, don't pretend to be mute!"
The teenager trembled even harder, tears welling up in his eyes, but he gritted his teeth and whispered in the greenskin language: "I... I am Antonio... I come from Prince Patton's Fiefdom..."
"Prince Patton's Fiefdom?" Kurzadh's heart stirred.
Prince Patton's Fiefdom was one of the three southern kingdoms, famous for its developed commerce, and it was not too far from Katushir Hold. Many of the human merchant caravans he had previously ambushed with the greenskins came from Prince Patton's Fiefdom.
Seeing that Kurzadh did not immediately act, Antonio grew slightly bolder and continued: "I am the eighth son of the Earl of Coventry in Prince Patton's Fiefdom... My family has nine sons and four daughters..."
At this point, Antonio's voice dropped, and a trace of loneliness flashed in his eyes: "My mother's family was also nobility before, but they fell on hard times, so my father doesn't favor me... This time, my father sent me away to travel and trade, but I didn't expect... I didn't expect to be plotted against by my brothers..."
Kurzadh became interested and motioned for Antonio to continue.
The surrounding greenskins also quieted down, pricking up their ears to listen to the story—greenskins loved hearing about fights and schemes, especially the infighting among human nobles, which was much more entertaining than the Orc Boyz fighting over roasted meat.
Antonio took a deep breath and slowly recounted the sequence of events: "Father sent me to take a caravan to the eastern city-state of Estalia to sell silk and spices, which was supposed to be a lucrative assignment... Before I left, my third brother approached me and said he would help me manage the caravan personnel so I could have an easier journey... I was grateful to him then, but I didn't realize he was setting a trap for me."
"Halfway through the journey, the caravan was suddenly attacked by 'bandits' at night, but those bandits didn't steal the goods; they only targeted me! I realized then that the guards and drivers in the caravan had long been bought off by my third brother—they were all there to kill me!" Antonio's voice was filled with anger and fear.
"I fought back desperately and managed to ride a horse to escape in the chaos, but they pursued me relentlessly until they drove me to the edge of the western cliff... I had no choice but to jump. Fortunately, I was caught by a pine tree halfway down the cliff and wasn't killed instantly..."
As he spoke, Antonio's tears finally fell: "I was stuck on that pine tree for two days and two nights, without food or water, certain I was going to die... until this morning, when the patrolling greenskins —your people—found me and brought me back."
After listening, Kurzadh generally understood the situation.
This Antonio was simply an unfortunate noble bastard. Because his mother's family had fallen into decline, he was unwelcome in the Earl's house and was viewed as a thorn in the side by his brothers, who set a trap to hunt him down. If not for sheer luck, he would have long been a ghost at the bottom of the cliff.
How melodramatic! Is this a soap opera?
He stood up, examining Antonio, and began to calculate in his mind.
Prince Patton's Fiefdom was a wealthy land in the south, and the nobles there surely possessed many resources, such as iron ore, weapons, grain, and even human technology.
Although this Antonio was an unfavored son, he was still the Earl's bloodline and might prove useful—either they could use him to demand a ransom from the Earl, or extract intelligence about Prince Patton's Fiefdom from him, or even utilize him to establish trade channels with human nobles.
The surrounding greenskins didn't have Kurzadh's complex thoughts. The Orc Boyz rubbed their hands together, staring at Antonio with fierce eyes: "Boss, this human kid is useless, why don't we roast him and eat him!" "Exactly! human meat must taste better than squig meat!"
When Antonio heard the words "roast and eat," his legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed. He quickly said, "Don't... don't eat me! My father is the Earl of Coventry, and he is very rich! You can use me to ask him for ransom; he will definitely pay!"
Kurzadh glared at the rowdy Orc Boyz and barked, "Shut up! This kid is still useful, you can't eat him!" Although the Orc Boyz were unhappy, they dared not disobey their boss' command, so they reluctantly put away their fists, but they continued to stare at Antonio as if he were a piece of roasted meat about to be eaten.
Kurzadh looked at Antonio and said, "You can live, but you must obey me. Whatever I ask you, you must answer; whatever I tell you to do, you must do. If you dare to play tricks, I don't mind throwing you to the Arachnari Giant Spider."
The name Arachnari Giant Spider made Antonio shiver. He quickly nodded, his voice tearful: "I... I will obey! I will do whatever you say! Please don't feed me to the spiders!"
Kurzadh nodded in satisfaction and said to the hobgoblin scout beside him: "Take him away, lock him up in a clean straw hut, give him food and water daily, make sure he doesn't run away, and don't let the other greenskins bully him."
The hobgoblin scout accepted the order, stepped forward, grabbed Antonio's arm, and led him toward the depths of the camp.
Antonio looked back as he walked, his eyes filled with fear, yet he dared not offer the slightest resistance—he knew that his fate was now in the hands of these greenskins .
Seeing that the excitement was over, the surrounding greenskins dispersed, some returning to work in the mushroom field, others going back to the tavern to drink. Kurzadh stood still, watching Antonio's retreating figure, pondering: A noble from Prince Patton's Fiefdom... This might be a new opportunity for the development of Blackrock Province.