Chapter 274 - 41: Epilogue
Chapter 274: Chapter 41: Epilogue
Robson nodded and, without another word, led Ais deeper into the town, leaving the soldiers staring in stunned silence.
"Did... did that Lord just return the salute?"
"I think so... I saw Lord Robson looking at Jack earlier. I thought for sure he was going to punish him."
"I told you, this is no ordinary lord..."
That last comment made Robson barely keep a straight face. He paid them no mind, however. ’Some things have to be done step by step,’ he thought. ’Moving too fast will only frighten people.’
...
"My Lord, we’ve found the goblins’ food and supplies."
Just as Robson and Ais were studying the map, a few soldiers approached to report.
"Food?" Robson was momentarily confused. Why would there still be food in Ancient Dumu Town?
"Yes, my Lord. It’s on the east side. The quantity... two times four... there are about thirty warehouses, all filled with this stuff," the soldier reported.
Although the soldier had whispered the multiplication table very quietly, Robson still heard him.
It was rather gratifying. ’The system panel really is something else,’ he mused. ’To think that these Peasants, who’ve been numb their whole lives, can start applying these skills so quickly.’
Thirty warehouses?
Robson was taken aback. He hadn’t expected to find so much grain gathered in this small town.
But on second thought, it made sense. After all, the Beastman Army of Ehrlichland had plundered everything beyond the border.
"Take me there," Robson said.
This stockpile of grain was a complete surprise. If the report was true, it would be an enormous benefit to the future development of his territory.
Moreover, it wasn’t as simple as just thirty warehouses of grain. Ancient Dumu Town was occupied by nothing more than a band of goblins. If even goblins had this much food, what about the main army behind them?
This was a blessing in disguise. Although Earl Uman had left him in a huge bind, saddling Lord Robson with this monumental mess, it also meant that if he could clean it up, the rewards would be equally unprecedented.
Led by the soldier, Robson arrived at the granaries.
When they got there, a group of soldiers was still rounding up goblins hiding in the granaries.
"My Lord, Commander Ais."
"This area hasn’t been fully cleared yet. Perhaps you should..." The captain in charge of the area stepped forward to advise against it.
Robson shook his head.
"If there’s something in there that even I can’t handle, wouldn’t that just be sending you all to your deaths? Let’s go in and see," Robson said.
The captain accepted the order and said no more.
Thirty warehouses. It might not sound like much—just a two-digit number—but when all thirty were laid out before you, the sheer scale was still shocking.
Robson walked into a random one and was immediately hit by a putrid stench.
’This is bad,’ Robson thought with a sinking feeling. He looked around and saw that the warehouse was indeed filled with all sorts of strange and bizarre foodstuffs.
Fire-Cabbage Leaves, Water Roots... and mountains of piled-up powder.
Unfortunately, the storage methods were atrocious. Worse, it seemed most of it had already molded and rotted.
The entire warehouse was filled with a foul, decaying odor.
No wonder the Beastmen hadn’t taken this grain with them. This stuff was only fit for Kobolds and goblins. You’d have to worry about giving horses an upset stomach if you fed it to them.
"This... This is a colossal waste!" As a farmer, Ais’s instinct to cherish grain was triggered, and he stared at the scene in dismay.
Robson was also frowning.
"What a pity. None of this can be used anymore," Robson sighed.
"Keep it for now. If people can’t eat it, something else can," Robson said.
Though the food was rotten, Robson wasn’t discouraged, merely disappointed.
’After all, it was all free. Who can ask for more?’
Besides, just because the goblins’ food had gone bad didn’t mean the food for the main Beastman army had suffered the same fate.
On the current battlefield, Beastmen still made up the majority of forces.
Of course, Robson had a deeper idea in mind. ’Perhaps I can use this stuff to raise Kobolds in the future.’
In the Human World, goblins were universally despised and hunted, but the same wasn’t true for Kobolds.
The Frank Kingdom and the Beastman Empire had a slave trade, and Kobolds had always been a very hot commodity. They were docile, not prone to fighting, well-adapted to dark environments, and had considerable arm strength.
As far as Robson knew, Kobolds were a common sight in the mines of the great noble families.
Coincidentally, he, Lord Robson, also had mines. And in the future, his lands would directly border the Beastman Empire.
One of the reasons he had set his sights on Clichy County in the first place was its proximity to the Beastman Empire’s vast market of... manpower.
Although it seemed like the Beastman Empire had humanity on the ropes at the moment, the fighting on the border was usually a back-and-forth affair.
Setting aside the internal conflicts within the Beastman Empire, from the perspective of the entire Human World, it might look like the Beastmen invaded every thirty years. But in reality, wasn’t it also true that every thirty years the Beastman Empire had to face the iron fist of the human hegemonies? The four great kingdoms and countless smaller duchies and nations would all join the feast of carving up the Beastman Empire.
In any case, it hadn’t cost him anything. That was the only way Robson could console himself.
The attack on the goblins had indeed come at a minimal cost. Thanks to Robson’s careful planning, only a few dozen men suffered minor injuries. After all, once a creature like a goblin was scattered, it posed almost no threat. A farmer could take on three of them.
The downside was that his troops hadn’t gained much experience. The ones who benefited the most were his Cavalry Team and the Frankish Border Watchers.
The Cavalry Team, of course, had been constantly charging into the fray. This battle had tempered the last batch of cavalry Robson recruited on the Western Front, promoting them all to Tier Four.
His Cavalry Team now consisted of nearly two hundred Tier Six Cavalry, almost two hundred Tier Five Cavalry, and over a hundred Tier Four Cavalry.
As for the Frankish Border Watchers, their last two volleys of arrows had killed at least two thousand goblins.
Although the experience from a single goblin was meager, the sheer number of kills caused a qualitative change.
Several of the Frankish Border Watchers had now met the requirements to advance to Tier Seven.
Unfortunately, Lord Robson was short on Magical Beast Meat.
Robson wasn’t worried about that, though. ’The wool comes from the sheep’s back,’ he thought. His future domain was right next to the Demon Beast Mountain Range. Would he ever need to worry about a shortage of Magical Beast Meat?
Just as Robson was talking with Ais, the cry of a griffon suddenly echoed from outside the warehouse.
The griffon was likely still far away, as the cry was faint.
But Robson was a Golden Tier master, his five senses long since enhanced, so he caught the sound with ease.
"My Lord, what is it?" Ais asked, looking at Robson, who had suddenly frozen.
"It’s nothing. You continue with the arrangements here. I’m heading out," Robson said.
"As you command, my Lord."