It was just dawn, and the greenskins of Blackrock Spire weren't fully awake yet; only a few hobgoblin scouts, responsible for night watch, were yawning as they patrolled beside the wooden palisade.
Kurzadh lay on the animal hide bed in the boss' house, sleeping soundly—he had chatted with Antonio until late last night and then pondered ways to improve Stonewatch's Blacksmith Shop, so he finally got a rare peaceful sleep.
"What's all the noise about?!"
Suddenly, a burst of boisterous laughter came from outside the house, like a group of squig yelling in his ear, pulling Kurzadh directly out of his dream.
He suddenly opened his eyes, filled with morning grumpiness, and his green face instantly tensed up—daring to make noise while he was sleeping, were these Orc Boyz tired of living?
Kurzadh threw off the animal hide blanket and rushed out, bare-chested.
The morning wind carried a hint of coolness, blowing on his solid muscles, but it did not extinguish his anger in the slightest.
He looked in the direction of the sound, only to see a large crowd of greenskins gathered in the direction of the mushroom field, a dense mass of them, with laughter and cheers rising and falling; even the hobgoblins responsible for tending the mushroom field had joined the crowd, leaving no one to look after the mushrooms in the field.
"All of you, shut up!" Kurzadh roared, taking large strides as he rushed over.
The hobgoblin laborers passing by quickly scurried away in fright, and even the patrolling hobgoblin scouts shrank their necks—the boss' morning grumpiness was no ordinary matter.
When he reached the edge of the mushroom field, the surrounding greenskins had not yet sensed the danger.
Without a word, Kurzadh extended his large, fan-like palms and struck left and right—an orc Boy on the left was slammed in the back by his fist, letting out an "ouch" as he stumbled into the crowd; a hobgoblin archers on the right didn't have time to react before he was grabbed by the scruff of his neck and thrown out. The greenskins immediately erupted into chaos, backing away to clear a path.
Kurzadh stepped on the dew-covered earth, stomping angrily into the center of the circle, and just as he was about to erupt, he froze—standing in the circle was a rather lewd-looking night hobgoblins, tiptoeing, holding a purple poisonous mushroom in his hand, gesturing something to the surrounding greenskins .
This night hobgoblins was half a head shorter than ordinary night hobgoblins, only about half a meter tall, with dark greenskin covered in a lot of dirt; his head was large and round, but his eyes were as small as green beans, gleaming with a sly light; his nose was flat, and the corners of his mouth turned upwards, making him look like a fox that had stolen a chicken when he smiled; he wore a tattered cloak sewn from mushroom leaves and carried a bamboo basket full of mushrooms, looking like a groundhog that had just burrowed out of the earth.
"Look, this purple mushroom can not only poison spiders, but if you grind it into powder and sprinkle it on arrowheads, it's a sure hit every time!" The lewd night hobgoblins' voice was thin and sharp, yet it carried a strange allure. "And this yellow mushroom, it's fragrant when roasted, and if you dry it and grind it into powder, then mix it into squig feed, the squig grow faster!"
The surrounding greenskins listened with great interest, occasionally exclaiming "Oh" and "Wow"—most of these greenskins were uneducated and had no idea that mushrooms had so many uses, only thinking that this lewd night hobgoblins was incredibly powerful.
Kurzadh frowned, walked up to the lewd night hobgoblins, and looked down at him: "Who are you? Where are you from? What are you yelling about here?"
The lewd night hobgoblins was startled by Kurzadh's sudden appearance, almost dropping the poisonous mushroom in his hand.
He looked up and saw a bare-chested greenskin giant standing before him, his muscles as solid as iron, his eyes so fierce they could devour someone. He immediately took two steps back in fright, but quickly regained his footing, puffed out his chest, and said with a hint of pride: "My name is Skarsnik! I was born from this mushroom field!"
"Born from the mushroom field?" Kurzadh paused, his face full of confusion.
It was true that greenskins grew from spores, but most emerged from rotten wood or mud; he had never seen one directly "Born" from a mushroom field. Moreover, this Skarsnik looked too lewd; compared to other night hobgoblins, he was practically an "Anomaly."
Just as Kurzadh was wondering why this guy looked so strange, a system prompt suddenly sounded in his mind:
[Detected special hero unit—Skarsnik (night hobgoblins)]
[Hero Trait: Guardian of the mushroom field]
[Unlocked Abilities: 1. All tribe mushroom field yield permanently increased by 45%; 2. Unlocked "New Mushroom Cultivation" skill (can cultivate poisonous mushrooms, high-yield edible mushrooms, squig-specific nutritional mushrooms, etc.); 3. Unlocked "squig Mutation Cultivation" skill (can induce squig mutation through mushroom feed to cultivate combat squig with special abilities)]
"Hero unit?!" Kurzadh's eyes instantly widened, his anger vanishing, replaced by utter shock—he hadn't expected this seemingly lewd night hobgoblins to be a hero!
One must know, the mushroom field was the lifeline of the greenskin tribe! greenskin food was supplied by the mushroom field, squig feed came from the mushroom field, and even night hobgoblins' poison and Orc Boyz' fungal beer were inseparable from mushrooms.
What did a 45% increase in yield mean? It meant the tribe could support more greenskins , cultivate more squig, and logistical support would directly jump to a major level!
Not to mention the ability to cultivate new types of mushrooms and mutated squig—poisonous mushrooms could enhance the power of night hobgoblins' poison, high-yield mushrooms could solve food problems, and mutated squig could become a new combat force! This Skarsnik was simply a true "logistics + research" dual talent!
Kurzadh looked at Skarsnik before him, liking him more and more—what did a lewd appearance matter? Being able to fight and work was the real deal! He immediately put on an overly enthusiastic smile, stepped forward, and hugged Skarsnik, almost choking the little shorty.
"Skarsnik! Welcome to the Blackrock Clan! We've been waiting for you!" Kurzadh's voice was loud, filled with uncontrollable excitement. "From now on, you're our tribe's precious treasure!"
Skarsnik was hugged until his face turned red, his two short legs flailing in the air, his mind full of confusion—this greenskin giant had just looked like he wanted to eat him, so why was he suddenly so enthusiastic? He wouldn't be trying to stew him and eat him, would he? He quickly patted Kurzadh's arm and said in a soft, reedy voice: "Bo... boss, please let go of me first... I can't breathe..."
Kurzadh then realized he was too excited and quickly let go, scratching his head apologetically: "Sorry, sorry, I'm too happy!"
The surrounding greenskins were also completely bewildered—just now the boss was angrily hitting people, and now he was hugging a lewd night hobgoblins and smiling? This change was too fast, wasn't it? The Orc Boyz looked at each other, and those Orc Boyz who had been hit by Kurzadh looked even more wronged; they were all greenskins , so why the preferential treatment?
Skarsnik rubbed his aching chest, looked at Kurzadh's enthusiastic eyes, feeling a bit uneasy, but still forced himself to be calm and bowed to Kurzadh: "Th... thank you, boss, for taking me in."
"What taking in? You grew out of our tribe's mushroom field, so you're one of the Blackrock Clan!" Kurzadh patted Skarsnik's shoulder, not controlling his strength, almost knocking him over. "Wreelx! Come here!"
Wreelx, who was watching the commotion in the crowd, immediately ran over, bowing and scraping: "Boss, I'm here!"
"You take Skarsnik and show him around Blackrock Spire properly, introduce him to the tribe's mushroom fields, squig pens, and the green mushroom tavern!" Kurzadh ordered, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "Also, from today onwards, all the mushroom fields in the tribe are under Skarsnik's management! Whatever mushrooms he wants to cultivate, whatever squig he wants to feed, listen to him! Anyone who dares to disobey, I'll break his legs!"
Wreelx paused, looked at Skarsnik's lewd appearance, then at Kurzadh's serious expression, and quickly nodded: "I understand, boss! I promise to take good care of Skarsnik!"
Skarsnik was also stunned—as soon as he arrived, he was put in charge of all the mushroom fields? And he could cultivate mushrooms and squig as he pleased? This treatment was too good, wasn't it? He had originally thought he would be treated as a laborer, but he unexpectedly became the "mushroom field Manager" directly.
"Skarsnik, don't worry, you'll have as many mushrooms, spores, and fertilizer as you need in the tribe!" Kurzadh patted his shoulder again, his smile exceptionally kind. "Do a good job, I won't treat you unfairly!"
"I... I'll definitely do a good job!" Skarsnik nodded quickly, a hint of excitement flashing in his small eyes—he had been dealing with mushrooms since birth, having a natural affinity for mushrooms and squig. Now, being able to manage so many mushroom fields and cultivate new things was a dream come true.
Kurzadh nodded in satisfaction, then remembered he was still bare-chested, and the morning wind felt a bit cold.
He shivered and said to Wreelx: "You take him around well, I'm going back to put on clothes." With that, he turned and ran towards the boss' house, his steps as light as a goblin who had just snatched some roasted meat.
Watching Kurzadh's retreating figure, Skarsnik hadn't quite recovered from the earlier enthusiasm. Wreelx leaned closer and said with a smile: "Skarsnik, shall I take you to see the mushroom field? Our tribe's mushroom field is the place the boss values most!"
Skarsnik nodded, following Wreelx towards the mushroom field, his bamboo basket still clutched tightly—the mushrooms in the basket were picked from the field where he was "Born," and now, he would bring the power of these mushrooms to the entire Blackrock Clan.
The surrounding greenskins also gradually dispersed, discussing as they walked:
"Who's that little shorty? Why does the boss favor him so much?"
"I don't know, but I heard the boss say he can make more mushrooms grow!"
"Really? Then we'll have endless roasted mushrooms from now on?"
"Let's go, let's go see how he handles the mushrooms!"
The morning sun gradually rose, casting its light on the grass of the mushroom field, and also on Skarsnik's lewd yet determined back.
Kurzadh returned to the house, put on his animal hide armor, still thinking about Skarsnik's abilities—with this hero, the logistical foundation of Blackrock Province was completely stable.