You Don't Do It, Plenty of Goblins Will

Suppressing the shock in his heart.

"It seems things are more complicated than I anticipated."

"In that case... I'll have to go confirm a few things with Baron Ul."

At the manor entrance, two guards were on duty.

Seeing He Xi approach, one of the guards immediately straightened his back, his face showing undisguised respect.

After the battle the day before yesterday, everyone in Plint Town knew he was that legendary genius mage.

Especially these guards who fought alongside him, they had personally witnessed that earth-shattering power.

"Esteemed Mage He Xi!" the guard respectfully saluted, "Are you here to see the Lord?"

He Xi was taken aback by the sudden honorific, then smiled helplessly, "Yes, please announce me."

"Please wait! I'll report it immediately!" The guard turned and trotted into the manor.

A moment later, Baron Ul appeared at the manor entrance, followed by the guard.

He wore an expression of unconcealed fatigue, but his spirits seemed okay.

He looked at He Xi with complex emotions – gratitude, admiration, and also the caution a noble felt when facing extraordinary power.

"He Xi..." Baron Ul paused, then changed his address, "Esteemed Mage, may the morning light shine upon you. What can I do for you?"

He Xi quickly waved his hands, "Lord, you are too kind. Cyril and I are friends, you can just call me He Xi. Moreover..." he paused, his tone honest, "By mage standards, I'm not even an apprentice right now."

Baron Ul looked at He Xi's young yet steady face, a flicker of emotion crossing his mind.

The Atmesia Family... to produce a mage's talent in a descendant who hadn't awakened their bloodline. His future was limitless.

"Alright... He Xi, but I believe mage certification is only a matter of time for you. Looking at your attire..." he glanced at the pack on He Xi's back, "Are you sure you're leaving?"

"Yes, Lord. Before I go, I have a question I'd like to ask you."

Baron Ul looked confused, "What question?"

"Have you tallied the town's losses, Lord?"

"A heartbreaking number." The Baron's face darkened, "The confirmed dead and missing townsfolk total twenty." He looked at He Xi curiously, "Why do you care about this?"

"I'm considering the origin of this goblin army." He Xi didn't beat around the bush, getting straight to the point, "Even the nearest Gray Mist Forest would take half a month to reach here with a long march. The checkpoints and villages along the way couldn't possibly be unaware of such a force."

He paused, his gaze sharp as he fixed on the Baron, "Therefore, I suspect... they came from a closer location. For example, the Blackstone Mine east of town."

"Blackstone Mine?" Baron Ul was stunned at first, then chuckled and shook his head, his tone tinged with disbelief. "He Xi, your imagination is vivid, but that's absolutely impossible."

"Why are you so sure?"

"Because there are only about thirty goblin laborers there, working under the supervision of overseers day and night," the Baron explained, as if correcting a young man's flawed guess. "They are foolish, weak, and don't even have proper weapons. How could they possibly form an army?"

He Xi thought of the clump of black hair and asked, "Were there any disappearances in town before the goblin invasion?"

"Disappearances?" Baron Ul frowned, "I just returned from Holder a few days ago... the steward didn't report anything like that."

Then, as if remembering something, he looked at a guard beside him, "Karl, you live closer to Matt's house. Have they returned recently...?"

The guard named Karl thought carefully and shook his head, "Reporting to you, Lord, no. Matt and his two brothers... haven't been seen returning from the mine in a long time."

"What about Matt's mother and sister?"

"Haven't seen them in a long time either." Karl recalled, "The last time I saw them was about two months ago? Matt brought back some venison, and their mother and daughter seemed to be smoking it by the door... After that, they never came out again."

Baron Ul: "What?! After not seeing them for so long, why didn't anyone report it?!"

Karl lowered his head somewhat awkwardly, "Matt's family all work in the mine, and they're distantly related to Viscount Rick of Oak Town. I thought they might have moved to Oak Town."

"Idiot! Oak Town is even farther from the mine! Why would they move there?" Baron Ul berated him, then his expression turned grim.

He Xi seized on his change in emotion and asked in a low voice, "Lord, what exactly is going on?"

Baron Ul said, "Matt's family in town, all three brothers, work in the Blackstone Mine to the east. Although that mine is closer to Plint, its ownership belongs to Viscount Rick of Oak Town."

"I suspect Matt's mother and sister might have gone to the mine privately. But according to regulations, relatives are strictly forbidden from entering the miner's camp..."

He Xi's brow furrowed, "How many human miners are there at the mine?"

"Over a hundred."

Anger flared in He Xi's heart, and his voice turned cold, "Why keep over thirty goblins alive in the mine instead of killing them? Just to save a few miners' wages? Creatures like goblins are stupid and inefficient. Are they more useful than human miners?"

Baron Ul: "Sigh... Perhaps it was to suppress the wages of the human miners. And with those tireless goblins working day and night nearby, the miners wouldn't dare slack off... afraid... afraid of losing their jobs..."

He Xi hadn't expected the answer to be so absurd.

"So, you're not working, but there are plenty of goblins to do the job!"

His eyes turned icy, "So, to save a few copper coins, you let this dangerous creature live instead of killing it, and kept it in the mine?"

Baron Ul retorted, "We've never heard of goblins attacking miners before. They were always kept under strict watch..."

He Xi suppressed his anger and continued to press, "Then why couldn't Matt's mother and sister go to the mine? You suspect they went to deliver smoked venison?"

Baron Ul nodded with difficulty, "Yes, I suspect... they went there privately to bring Matt food. Viscount Rick... he... he set this rule because..."

He paused, seeming to choose his words carefully, his voice dropping lower, "Viscount Rick prohibits family members from approaching the mine precisely to prevent accidents... because there were rumors that goblins might abduct monsters like Kobolds.

But it shouldn't be the case. Moreover, when Viscount Rick drove these goblins in, he had confirmed that there weren't many female goblins, and they had all been killed. These goblins shouldn't be able to breed more."