Chapter 36: Undercover Investigator Gurui
Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Undercover Investigator Gurui
’Hmm, it must be a difference in aesthetic standards.’
Wang Xi thought for a moment and came to a conclusion.
From his human perspective, the young goblin named Gurusha was quite good-looking, but her goblin companions probably didn’t share that opinion.
Perhaps in their eyes, the sharper the nose and ears, the longer the fangs, and the more twisted the face, the more handsome or beautiful one was...
Wang Xi shook his head, pulling his thoughts back to the present.
He began to calculate the combat strength on both sides.
He figured that with his Laser Pistol, he should have the upper hand. However, if a conflict broke out and he was surrounded by the entire village, it probably wouldn’t be easy to escape unscathed.
After all, they had two Three Stars units, and the rest of the adults were basically Two Stars. Even the little goblins were One Star, making them obviously difficult to deal with.
Wang Xi wasn’t confident he could achieve a decisive victory.
He wanted to make contact with this magical goblin settlement, but the faint red "Hostile" tag made him quite conflicted.
Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind.
—「Photosynthesis」
This Function Card could enhance his constitution by sunbathing, but its side effect was turning his skin green.
In the current situation, the side effect was actually a good thing, as it could provide Wang Xi with a very special form of camouflage.
’I don’t know how goblins identify their own kind, but there’s no harm in trying.’
Wang Xi took out the Card, pondering.
’If I’m exposed, I’ll run immediately. I have my Laser Pistol and the Holy Stone as trump cards, so I should be fine.’
BZZZT!
The Universal Card dissolved into green light and fell upon him.
Wang Xi’s fair skin was instantly dyed, turning a vibrant green.
He gave himself a quick check, and after confirming everything was in order, he took a deep breath and strode out swaggeringly.
A little goblin playing by a wooden post noticed something. It turned its head, took one look, and immediately shrieked in terror.
For some reason, Wang Xi actually understood it.
His expression darkened.
What the little goblin had shouted was roughly:
"What an ugly guy! He’s scaring me to death!"
Its shouts attracted the attention of the other goblins.
The entire settlement instantly erupted into an uproar.
Several burly goblins holding Long Spears blocked the entrance, sizing up this strange and ugly kinsman.
"You. Which tribe are you from?"
The Three Stars vanguard named Gurulu stared at him and asked in a low voice. Although this black-haired fellow was ugly and dressed like a human, he didn’t seem like a low-class goblin.
"I’ve been wandering for a long time."
Wang Xi gave a valiant French military salute to show he had no hostile intent.
"You can call me... Gurui."
He was clearly speaking the common tongue of the Kingdom, but the goblins showed no reaction and actually understood him.
"Gurui?" The vanguard lowered his head and muttered. "How come that’s the same surname as our tribe..."
Hearing this, Wang Xi secretly wiped away a cold sweat, realizing he’d made a blunder. Fortunately, this vanguard had a pointy head and a topknot that stuck straight up, giving him a less-than-intelligent appearance.
"King Guruci, there’s an outsider named Gurui. Should we drive him away?"
The vanguard turned his head and shouted behind him.
The old, white-bearded goblin glanced at Wang Xi. After a few seconds, he said with a smile:
"Please, let our guest in."
The vanguard nodded obediently, then signaled to his comrades on either side. They stepped aside, clearing the entrance to the settlement.
Just then, on the goblins’ info tags, the faint red "Hostile" status instantly changed to a Yellow "Neutral."
Wang Xi breathed a silent sigh of relief.
He smiled at them and walked inside.
"Whoa! So ugly!"
"Even uglier than Gurusha!"
"Hideously ugly!"
"Why is he smiling? Is he daydreaming?"
"Scaring me to death!"
As he walked through the settlement, the onlooking goblins gasped and jeered, whispering and chattering amongst themselves.
Wang Xi ignored them, scanned his surroundings, and walked straight toward the old Goblin King sitting on a wooden post.
"King Guruci."
He didn’t bother with any unnecessary gestures, greeting the white-bearded goblin simply and directly.
The old goblin nodded slightly in response and said:
"Young Gurui, where do you come from?"
"The north," Wang Xi said. "Near a human territory called Randall."
"Hmm..." Guruci mused. "That’s a very distant place, near the territory of the Northern People. It would take about a month to walk here... I never expected there to be high-class goblins over there as well."
Wang Xi was a little surprised.
’Goblins are divided into high-class and low-class?’
’So, does that mean the ones I killed before were all low-class goblins, without civilization, intelligence, or the ability to communicate?’
"Have you been to Randall, Your Majesty?" he asked.
Unexpectedly, the old goblin shook his head.
"I have not." He lifted his head and smiled. "But I’ve heard the Sugar Mushroom Girls talk about it."
’Sugar Mushroom Girls?’
’Another kind of Demon...’
Doubt flashed through Wang Xi’s mind.
"You just arrived, so you wouldn’t know."
Guruci explained patiently.
"We Guru Goblins are affiliated with the great Sugar Witch. The Sugar Mushroom Girls are her subordinates, and we have a good relationship with them..."
As he was speaking, two small goblins curiously approached and began circling Wang Xi.
They touched the sword at his waist, then tugged at the belt of his Leather Armor. It seemed they had never seen such fine equipment before and were bursting with curiosity.
Wang Xi fought back the urge to kick these two brats away, took a deep breath, and continued to probe the old goblin for information.
He realized that with a local expert like this, his chances of finding the Petrifying Lizard would increase dramatically.
"King Guruci, you mentioned the great Sugar Witch just now?"
Wang Xi had keenly caught a keyword.
Sugar Witch!
The name was identical to the 2 of Spades ♤ Maze,「Sugar Witch」, in the Main World!
He didn’t know if it was a coincidence, but it had certainly captured his attention.
"There are seven major powers in the Magic Forest."
The old goblin grew serious, a look of reverence appearing in his cloudy, Yellow, horizontal pupils.
"Three Witches and four Lords. They each have their own territories and Demon subordinates..."
Upon hearing this, Wang Xi’s interest was piqued.
But just then, the little goblin on his left let out a yelp and shrieked:
"What’s this? Is it your mushroom?"
As it spoke, it reached out to grope Wang Xi’s crotch.
"Let me play with it!"
SLAP!
Wang Xi grabbed the little goblin’s hand, forced a smile, and said in a low voice:
"Little one, playing with everything will only get you hurt."
"Stingy goblin!"
The brat threw a tantrum, screeching oddly.
"Gurui is a stingy goblin!"
"..."
A vein bulged on Wang Xi’s forehead.
’I’ve run into a little green-skinned rascal, monstrous enough to grope me on sight, an enemy I can’t defeat even with all my strength...’
Just as he was about to mete out a small punishment.
Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air.
WHOOSH—
A sharp Arrow shot in from outside the wooden posts, leaving an afterimage as it flew straight for the little goblin’s head!
The vanguard, Gurulu, reacted the fastest. His expression changed, and he moved to block it, but he was seven or eight meters away and couldn’t make it in time.
In the nick of time.
CLANG!!
The black-haired "goblin" drew the Longsword from his waist and flicked it. The Arrow, which should have pierced the little one’s head, was precisely parried and snapped in two mid-air.
Wang Xi immediately swung his arm, shielding the two little goblins behind him, and looked up toward the area outside the posts.
"Enemy attack!!"
The goblin vanguard, Gurulu, roared.
DOOT DOOT DOOT—
Gurwin, the ’sunshine goblin’, produced a bone horn from somewhere and blew it with all his might.
At the resounding call of the horn, the entire goblin settlement sprang into action. Everyone—young and old, male and female—took up arms.
Wang Xi’s gaze hardened.
He saw a massive figure appear outside the posts. It was a giant turtle, jet-black all over, and as large as a tank.
Its shell was covered in barnacles and algae, and its four giant feet were comparable to an elephant’s legs, causing the ground to tremble and rumble as it moved. Its outstretched head resembled a crocodile’s, and its pair of scarlet eyes were filled with malice.
「Darkened Land Turtle (Scarlet/Three Stars)」
The tag was surrounded by Bronze Patterns, marking it clearly as an Elite unit.
At the same time, four or five slender, blue-skinned figures were either crawling or standing on the giant turtle’s back.
They wore only loincloths. Their bodies were covered in fish scales, their hands and feet were webbed, and they were topped with large, ugly, slimy, fat fish heads.
「Darkened Fishman (Scarlet/Two Stars)」
These Fish People wielded Sword Shields, Long Spears, or Hand Crossbows. It was obvious at a glance that their weapons weren’t self-made; they had most likely been looted from humans.
"It’s the Darkened Demons from Mirror Black Lake!"
Goblin King Guruci said in a low voice.
He stood up from the wooden post and took a Long Spear handed to him by a kinsman.
"Gurusha, take the little ones and hide. Gurulu, lead the Warriors and protect our home with me!"
"Yes, King Guruci!"
The vanguard and the other strong goblins shouted in unison.
The good-looking young goblin gave a timid reply and led a few little goblins into a wooden hut.
Immediately, Gurulu led the Charge, rushing to the edge of the wooden posts with five or six Two Stars subordinates to engage the invading Darkened Fishmen.
The CLANGING of weapons was incessant.
The combatants on both sides were extremely strong; any one of them was on par with the Iron Finger Knight from before.
Wang Xi noticed that the old goblin was also completely fearless, charging toward the other side with Gurwin to attack the giant turtle.
The Long Spear stabbed into the turtle’s leg as if piercing rubber, making a dull THUD as bluish-black blood splattered.
ROAR—
The giant turtle opened its savage maw and let out a deep roar.
With a swing of its crocodile-like head, it sent Gurwin flying, then snapped at the old goblin, who nimbly dodged.
Guruci seized the opportunity to thrust his bone Long Spear, hitting the giant turtle right in its red eye. The eyeball burst, and blood sprayed everywhere.
ROAR!!
The giant turtle cried out in pain and suddenly shot a high-pressure jet of water as thick as a thigh from its mouth. They were face to face, the distance too close. The old goblin tried his best to dodge but was still hit.
SPLAT—
Guruci’s entire left arm was pulverized by the water jet, and his aged body was sent tumbling.
"King Guruci!!"
All the goblins were shocked.
The Long Spear was still stuck in the giant turtle’s left eye. It aimed at the fallen old goblin, opened its mouth, and spat again, launching a water bomb the size of a head.
BOOM—
It looked as though the old goblin was about to be blown to pieces.
The "black-haired" goblin acted once again.
His figure blurred as he agilely scooped up the old goblin and dodged to the side.
The next second.
BOOM!!
The water bomb slammed into the ground, exploding in a splash.
The terrifying impact kicked up a cloud of dust, startling all the goblins present. Immediately after, cheers from the little goblins could be heard from the wooden hut:
"Yay, it’s Gurui! The King is saved!"