Chapter 40: You Smell So Good
Chapter 40: Chapter 40: You Smell So Good
Wang Xi wasn’t too surprised.
His disguise as a goblin using "photosynthesis" was full of holes, so it wasn’t a shock that the boy had seen through it.
Still, he had to ask.
"How did you know?"
"Because you smell so nice."
Pinocchio clasped his hands behind his back, circled Wang Xi, and spoke seriously.
"Smell nice?" Wang Xi grew wary.
’Dude, what are you trying to pull?’
Pinocchio took a step forward and leaned in to sniff, making Wang Xi retreat again and again.
The boy continued.
"My father used to have me interact with humans all the time, but I only ever scratched the surface. I never truly understood them."
"Goblins can water mushrooms, but they could never grow a rose, much less hold one up and claim they created it... The biggest difference between humans and Demons is that humans lie."
"Of course, I’m not talking about selfish lies, or evil lies... but lies full of goodwill. Gentle lies. Lies like a rose."
"Lies like a rose?"
Wang Xi raised an eyebrow, thinking the boy was quite poetic.
Pinocchio nodded, his expression earnest.
"Just like you, Sir Gai. You deceived the goblins, but you didn’t harm them. In fact, you even helped them defeat the Darkened Demon..."
"You clearly disliked the crystal I gave you just now, but you still accepted it. It was only because you saw how dejected I looked and didn’t want to make your new friend sad."
"You’re very gentle, Sir Gai."
"I saw the brilliant light of humanity in you, and I smelled its rose-like fragrance."
Wang Xi was taken aback.
He really hadn’t expected this. Pinocchio seemed so innocent and naive, but he was actually incredibly sensitive and skilled at observing and picking up on emotional shifts.
"Am I right?" the boy asked expectantly.
"Mostly," Wang Xi said with a cough. "But I have to correct you on one point. I didn’t dislike your crystal. In fact, I love it... If you have any more, I’d be happy to take it."
"Really?!"
Pinocchio said, pleasantly surprised.
But soon, his expression turned troubled.
"But, I don’t like to... I don’t like getting too emotional, so I can’t give you any more crystals."
"Pinocchio."
Wang Xi’s gaze sharpened, and his voice deepened.
"Hm?"
"Your pants are bulging again."
"Ah!" The boy spun around in a panic. A CRACKING sound was interspersed with his explanation, "Sorry, sorry! It’s my first time making a friend, I’m just so excited!"
"Whoa, whoa! It’s growing so fast!"
CRACK, CRACK...
A moment later.
The boy turned back, his face beet red. He was holding several clusters of light purple crystal and whispered:
"For... for you, Sir Gai."
"Thank you."
Wang Xi took a deep breath and accepted them with both hands.
This batch was about three pounds, which could be exchanged for 150 Energy.
"Hee hee, I have a friend now."
The boy flashed a brilliant smile, planting his hands on his hips.
...
...
「The next morning.」
As the first rays of dawn pierced through the branches to shine upon the peaceful Guru Tribe,
Gurusha’s startled cry suddenly rang out, quickly drawing the attention of the other goblins.
A clamor arose, growing louder and more intense.
"Waaah! The donkey the Witch bestowed upon us is gone!"
A small goblin stood by the fence, pointing at the collar and chain lying on the ground, shrieking in terror.
Another small goblin was so scared it plopped right down on its backside and began to wail, screaming:
"We’re doomed! If the Witch finds out, she’ll totally flip out!"
Just then, the Goblin King, Guruci, arrived with his entourage. The tribe members crowded around, murmuring amongst themselves with worried faces.
"King, what do we do?"
The vanguard, Gurulu, asked with a grave expression, his voice low.
"That was a gift from the Witch..."
"First, go search the surrounding area. If you really can’t find it, we’ll think of something else."
The old goblin ordered, remaining quite calm.
Gurulu and the other goblins nodded, grabbing their Long Spears as they prepared to leave the settlement to search for the donkey.
Just then, a voice called out.
"I’m the one who let the donkey go."
"Huh?!"
The goblins whipped their heads around to see Gurui emerging from a wooden hut. Behind him followed a lavishly dressed, yet "ugly as sin," black-haired boy.
"Hiss! A human!"
The goblins’ expressions changed drastically. Gurulu leveled his Long Spear and strode forward, questioning him:
"Gurui! Why are you with a human?! Where did he come from?!"
Seeing the goblins united in hostility and ready to grab their weapons for a brawl, Wang Xi quickly reached out and pulled Pinocchio behind him, afraid a real fight might break out.
He wasn’t worried Pinocchio would get hurt. On the contrary, he was afraid Pinocchio might kill the entire group of goblins... After all, though the boy looked frail, he was actually a Four-Star Hero unit.
Besides, Pinocchio’s very purpose in coming to the Magic Forest was to exterminate Demons.
But Wang Xi’s action immediately caused a misunderstanding on both sides.
The porcelain doll-like boy looked astonished. He gazed at the figure shielding him, deeply moved.
’Sir Gai...’
’He lied and said he let the donkey go, all for my sake. He’s even willing to make an enemy of this entire goblin tribe for me.’
’He truly sees me as his friend!’
"Gurui! You?!"
The goblin vanguard, Gurulu, looked aghast. His ugly face scrunched up, his brain working overtime, yet he couldn’t fathom why Gurui would protect a human.
The other goblins stared at each other in bewilderment.
The atmosphere instantly turned icy.
"I am Lord Gurui’s servant!"
Pinocchio suddenly shouted.
He was even speaking in the goblin tongue, a series of gurgles and grunts that everyone understood perfectly.
"Lord Gurui saved my life but asked for nothing in return. I couldn’t let it go, and I admire him so much, so I followed him all through the night to find him!"
"You are not allowed to harm him!"
"Otherwise, don’t blame me for getting rough!"
Pinocchio’s feigned threats sent the goblins into an uproar. They weren’t afraid of this weak human boy; instead, they seemed utterly astonished.
"Gurui has a human servant!"
"He’s so amazing!"
"Even humans admire us goblins!"
"That’s not it! They admire Gurui!"
"Same thing!"
"..."
Wang Xi was speechless. He felt something hard press into his back, and his expression darkened.
Immediately, he heard a CRACK from behind him.
"Gai, my good friend."
Pinocchio’s quiet voice whispered in his ear as he handed over a pale purple crystal.
"This is for you."
"...Thanks."
Wang Xi accepted it with practiced ease.
Another 100 Energy in the bank.
"So it was a misunderstanding. Everyone, no need to be tense."
The old goblin broke into a kindly smile and waved with his one remaining arm.
Then, he walked forward and asked, puzzled,
"Little Gurui, you just said you were the one who let the donkey go? Why?"
Wang Xi grunted in affirmation and, going along with Pinocchio’s lie, came up with a random excuse. He explained that he had taken the donkey out for a ride last night, happened to run into the black-haired boy who was looking for him, and while the two of them were chatting, the donkey took the opportunity to run away.
It was a lie so full of holes that a three-year-old wouldn’t have believed it, yet it successfully convinced the goblins.
"So that’s what happened!"
Guruci was taken aback for a moment, then sighed.
"But with the donkey gone, we have no way to explain ourselves to the Witch..."
Hearing this, Wang Xi frowned.
If the Guru Tribe was annihilated by the Witch because of him, his conscience would be tormented.
"Will this Witch kill you?"
he asked in a low voice.
But the old goblin shook his head.
"The Witch is very good to us. She never goes out of her way to kill Demons. But that’s exactly why we don’t want to disappoint her."
Guruci’s Yellow, horizontal pupils were filled with reverence.
He lowered his voice again.
"To be honest, that donkey was of no use to us. We had to spend time and energy taking care of it... It ate so much, even more than Gurulu. But since it was a gift from the Witch, we couldn’t bring ourselves to get rid of it."
Now, Wang Xi finally understood.
From the Goblin King’s description, the "Sugar Witch" they served didn’t seem to be a bloodthirsty, terrifyingly evil entity. On the contrary, she sounded quite merciful—very different from the image of a Witch Wang Xi had in his head.
Furthermore, judging by Pinocchio’s own story, it seemed more likely that the "Sugar Witch" had simply steamrolled and captured him. The so-called "battle of hundreds of rounds," the cheap shots when she feigned surrender, the beatings and verbal abuse—it was all just a load of nonsense Pinocchio had spouted to save face.
In the end, the "Sugar Witch" hadn’t killed Pinocchio. In fact, she’d let him go...
Yes, she just let him go.
From Wang Xi’s perspective, there was no way the Witch didn’t know that the Guru Tribe had absolutely no use for a donkey. Her only intention could have been to make Pinocchio suffer a little.
The most likely outcome was that he would be abandoned by the goblins.
’But that Witch probably never imagined that this group of goblins’ reverence and admiration for her would far exceed her expectations. They wouldn’t actively abandon the donkey, even if it meant feeding it for nothing in return.’
Wang Xi sorted through the sequence of events in his mind.
He immediately had a plan.
"King Guruci, don’t you worry."
Wang Xi said with conviction.
"Since I’m the one who let the donkey run off, I’ll go get it back for you. And even if I can’t find it, I’ll have my servant go to a human town and buy a new one. That way, the Witch won’t blame you."
"That would be for the best!"
The old goblin immediately grinned from ear to ear, revealing a set of jagged, pointy teeth.
"Little Gurui, you’re a good goblin!"
"Gurui! A good goblin!"
The surrounding green-skinned goblins all cheered, the worried looks on their faces completely vanishing.
At that, Wang Xi glanced at the sun in the sky and decided it was time to get going. He bid farewell to the Goblin King and, using the excuse of searching for the donkey, left the settlement with Pinocchio.
After the two of them had walked a considerable distance,
"Gai, are you really going to buy a new donkey and bring it back?"
The aristocratic-looking, black-haired boy asked, turning his head as he kicked pebbles along the path with his hands clasped behind his back.
Wang Xi glanced at him and grunted in affirmation.
"Why?" Pinocchio seemed a little confused. "Even if we just left, they would never know, and they couldn’t possibly find us. Why go through all the extra trouble?"
Wang Xi thought for a moment, then chuckled.
"Because they all call me Gurui, and they said I’m a good goblin."
"Huh?"
Pinocchio’s confusion only deepened.
’Humans...’
’They’re so hard to understand.’