Unexpected Joy

His original plan was to rely on [Mora's Blessing] and endure the loss from having his bloodline extracted.

Even if it might make him frail, it was within an acceptable range.

After all, as long as this ball of light existed, he could find a way to recover.

But now, a more perfect solution seemed to have appeared.

Why not?

An unexpected joy.

Outside the cave, the footsteps of a foreman cursing as he returned seemed to echo.

He couldn't stay any longer.

The foreman's curses and footsteps grew louder and closer outside the cave.

He Xi suppressed the excitement surging from gaining a new trait.

His objective for the night had been achieved. Clashing with a foreman would be meaningless and only lead to further complications.

He didn't choose to confront the foreman directly but retreated into the shadows of a side passage.

Soon, the burly man walked past the main mine tunnel.

He didn't notice that in the darkness just a few steps away, a pair of eyes were quietly watching him.

After confirming the other party had left, He Xi, with Bruce in tow, quietly left the mine, which had now become a goblin graveyard.

A week later, outside Oak Town, in another more secluded abandoned mine.

Unlike the Blackstone Mine, which was still in production, this place had long been hollowed out, forming a vast, intricate network of caves within the mountain.

The air was filled with rock dust and a more nauseating stench.

Deep within the mine, William stared intently at a crude hole in the rock face, his chin, shaped like a 'ω', contorting slightly with anger.

"Young Master."

A servant emerged from the shadows, holding a perfume bottle.

William picked up the bottle and sprayed it liberally onto his luxurious collar and cuffs with a "Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"

The strong fragrance overpowered the surrounding stench, and he let out a long sigh, his tense nerves easing slightly.

"Have you investigated thoroughly?" he asked coldly, a hint of irritation in his voice.

"Yes, Young Master William," the servant replied, lowering his head further. "Based on the residual traces and the scene, it appears that one of our catalyzed experimental subjects has given birth to a Purple-skinned Goblin."

"Purple-skinned?" William paused, a rare look of astonishment flashing in his eyes. "You mean... a Goblin Shaman? How is that possible! The formula contained no ingredients capable of nurturing a spellcaster. How could a Shaman appear out of nowhere?"

"We're not sure yet, Young Master. We suspect that several ingredients reacted in a way we couldn't predict," the servant's voice trembled with fear.

William's brows furrowed. "Then how did they escape? Didn't I instruct you to keep all the goblins separated?"

"It... it was that Giant Goblin, Young Master," the servant quickly explained. "It seemed to be influenced by that Goblin Shaman in some way and fell into a state of berserk rage. Before our men could administer sedatives, it... it smashed through the rock face on the back of the mountain."

The servant paused, then mustered his courage. "Young Master William, you see... with this accident, perhaps our experiment should... be temporarily halted?"

William blinked, then let out a dismissive snort.

He clearly didn't take the escape of a few goblins seriously, nor did he consider it would affect his order delivery to the "client."

After all, there were still over twenty goblin laborers in the Blackstone Mine.

Those green-skinned shorties could breed a litter every one to two months. Even if many had escaped, it would only cost a bit more money to buy more materials.

He quickly calculated in his mind, but a smile appeared on his lips as he spoke. "Halted? Of course. The shortfall in the order, you can make up for it, how about that?"

"No! No! Young Master! That's not what I meant at all!" The servant was terrified, his legs weakening as he nearly fell to his knees. "I mean, the risk is too great right now! Firstly, the escaped goblins attacked Plint's logging camp, and the matter has already alerted the guards. If Viscount gets involved in an investigation..."

"What do the lives of Plint's mud-footed peasants have to do with me!" William interrupted impatiently, as if hearing a joke.

"Yes, yes..." The servant broke out in a cold sweat, his voice dropping even lower. "But there's a second point, and it's the most fatal one! A week ago, the goblins at the Blackstone Mine... all died! Wiped out completely, not a single one left!"

"What did you say?!"

William's expression changed drastically. He turned abruptly and grabbed the servant by the collar. "The goblins at the Blackstone Mine are gone?! Not a single one left?! What about that damned shipment?!"

The servant trembled all over from fright. "Th-that's why I said... it's too late, Young Master. We... we can't deliver the goods."

"Who!?"

William shoved the servant away and kicked over a nearby wooden crate.

"Who did it?! Tell me!"

"The... the on-duty foreman reported that... his attention was diverted by a canine monster as fast as a shadow. It only took about fifteen minutes. When he returned... there were only corpses in the mine. He... he suspects it was a highly skilled beast tamer, or even a Beast King-class professional."

"Nonsense from a useless foreman!" William panted, his chest heaving violently. "Would a real professional be afraid of alerting a useless person like him? Ridiculous! Forget it..."

He forcibly suppressed the rage that was about to erupt, his mind racing.

The risk of exposure and the consequences of breaching the contract warred in his mind. Finally, he said coldly, "All research here stops immediately. Erase all traces. We'll talk about it when the heat dies down. Also, investigate! I want to see who dares to cut off my financial path in this territory of Oak Town!"

"As you command, Young Master."

Leaving the gloomy mine and getting into the carriage back to the castle, the jolting of the wheels sent William's thoughts back a year.

At that time, a group of Goblins had rampaged outside Oak Town, attacking several lumberjack camps.

He followed his father, Viscount Rick, to wipe them out, and when only about thirty Goblins remained, a bold and brilliant idea sprouted in his mind.

He told his father that he wanted to keep these Goblins as "cheap labor" for his newly discovered Blackstone Mine.

Using these green-skinned little monsters would not only greatly save on miner wages but also use their presence to spur on the lazy and greedy human miners to work desperately.

Viscount Rick admired his son's "business acumen" and did not reject this seemingly brilliant idea.

However, out of caution, the Viscount personally ordered all the female Goblins to be killed, cutting off their possibility of reproduction, and strictly forbade any miner's relatives from going near the mine.

However, the Viscount did not know that his son was far more insane than he imagined.