Outside Valley City, the port on the river bank is bathed in the summer wind, bringing some humidity and heat.
A white teak merchant ship slowly docked. The ship's sides were weighed down by the cargo and it was sinking. Water waves were lapping at the edge, and there was a slight fishy smell in the air.
Thick planks were lowered from the ship's side, and workers stepped on them to unload the cargo, leaving piled footprints on the planks.
While waiting for the cargo to be almost moved, a young man in a coarse cloth vest, carrying a sword on his back, jumped from the ship and stood on the dock.
His eyebrows were thick and black, his skin was a bit bronze, and there were black scars on his shoulders, which looked like burn marks. Not long after he stepped off, a short goblin also carefully stepped off the boat.
He was about 1.2 meters tall, had broad ears, and had dark skin with many wrinkles. He looked around warily, and then walked up to the young man.
"Mick, is this the hometown you are talking about?"
"It's not here yet. We need to continue walking south for a few days to reach Scorched Stone City."
"This place doesn't seem to have much money, and you can't even see a few well-dressed women on the street." The good clothes he was talking about were probably high-end fabrics such as velvet or satin.
"Regas is not a very wealthy country to begin with. Don't be too petty. If you are caught, I won't be able to redeem you." Mick shook his head.
"Tsk, tsk, I won't make trouble in such a small place." He said, with a hint of cunning flashing in his eyes.
"Let's go. First we will go back to our hometown as you said, and then you have to go to Stone Cave Ruins with me. There is a big treasure buried there."
"Yes, yes, big baby."
Mick didn't have much confidence in the treasure the goblin said, but he also knew that the guy in front of him was very precious about his life. If it was really dangerous and there were no sufficient rewards, he would definitely not risk his life and go with him.
One person and one goblin walked out of the pier, walked through the streets, and headed towards the hotel in the city.
Creatures like goblins are said to be a race created by a powerful Named One in ancient times. Unfortunately, with the fall of that Named One, their race has no protection from superior beings, and they are ugly and not liked by other races. They have always been marginal existences.
Of course, this does not mean that this race has no merits. They are small in size and have Darkvision. Even in dirty environments, they are not prone to illness. They often gather in the sewers of large cities or are used as slaves in mines. Occasionally, it is heard that goblins will form their own villages in the wild.
Goblins are small in size, can see in the dark, and have nimble fingers. These make it easy for them to gain an advantage among thieves and assassins. For this reason, many people regard goblins as potential thieves and liars, and have a bad impression of them.
They themselves are not opposed to this kind of prejudice, and even believe that being able to deceive people and steal things is a sign of intelligence, and they are also the objects of worship and envy among the ethnic group.
Regas There are very few goblins present. The climate here is too cold for them to survive, and the beasts in the mountain forest and wilderness also prefer to prey on these prey that are thinner than humans.
After staying for a day, Mick and the goblin continued on the road. They bought two donkeys and put their luggage on them. The goblin also rode on one of the donkeys.
Along the way, the goblin complained indifferently, saying that he was a descendant of the noble goblin king Kairun, the prince of a certain underground world's goblin population, and he had no choice but to run out and live in a foreign land because he was attacked by humans.
As long as Mick helps it retrieve the treasure left by the goblin king Kairun, he will be able to gain endless wealth and powerful power, return to his homeland and become the king of the underground world. Mick will also be able to become the glorious chief warrior in his kingdom. He can bathe in a bath made of gold coins every day, and have eight young goblins serving him every day, etc.
Mick has always half-believed these words. There is a high probability that this goblin did come from the underground, but it is not necessarily a descendant of the goblin king. And the treasures he knows about are versions that have been handled by many people. Maybe there is nothing there for a long time.
The two met during a certain temporary adventure exploration. There was a big accident on that expedition. Many teammates died in the ambush trap, but the two of them cooperated with each other in the critical environment to escape.
Compared with the more simple Mick, this goblin is much sharper and more cunning. In that crisis, he commanded Mick to avoid many crises. Mick's powerful combat power also allowed the two-man team to survive the danger.
Since then, the two have become permanent teammates, but their temperaments are also very different and they are always noisy. For example, this time the other party disapproved of Mick traveling all the way back to his hometown for an appointment.
"I said, you are only in your twenties and you are already a second-level warrior. There is no need to go back to that remote corner of the country to meet your friends. They will most likely live there for the rest of their lives and will not be able to help you in the future."
"Not to mention the cost of traveling this way, so much time is wasted. With this energy, you can buy a good piece of armor. Look at you, you are still wearing a shabby vest. No wonder there are no beautiful women to seduce you." On the way, the goblin started thinking again.
"When I was your age, I have slept with countless beautiful and exquisite women, those black little hands and bodies, hehehe~" As he said this, he missed the past days again.
"But yes, if you are addicted to women, you may not be able to hold the sword steady. For the sake of our great cause, we should be patient first and find the treasure left by my ancestors."
"If anyone comes to conquer the underground world in the future, you will be the gatekeeper and beat them to pieces. The men will be slaves, and the women will be kept for your own use. Ah, I can't imagine how good those days were~"
"Let me tell you, there is a kind of green mushroom in the ground. After it is ground into powder and baked with flour, it tastes really good, even better than the best beef. I used to eat eight of them every day."
"But you can't eat too much, and you have to save some good things. Just like the little girl gnome I like, I usually only play with it before going to bed."
"Oh, you can't think too much about the good times, otherwise you will feel that it is too difficult now."
"Tell me, why is this donkey walking so slowly? Is it because it hasn't eaten grass?"
"I saw a deer running through the woods. Can you catch it? It's our dinner."
"The venison has some firewood, and we need to find some water. Would it be better if we boil it and eat it?"
"It would be great if I could have a dancer come and dance at night. I used to like to spend the night at Mengba City's tavern. There were always beautiful dancers twerking there. Let me tell you, those dancers are also very snobbish. If there are no distinguished guests that night, they will just twist and leave. If there are a few rich people and wealthy gentlemen, they may want to take off as many clothes as they want."
"Oh, you don't understand. You are still a young girl. The big-eyed girl in the team last time was interested in you at first sight. You foolishly missed countless opportunities."
"Don't blame me for not reminding you at the time. Who told them to exclude me? If you really got along with that girl, wouldn't I become an outsider?"
"This wilderness in the mountains is really boring. The thought of returning to my hometown with you and having to repeat this journey all over again makes me feel uncomfortable, as if I had lost a whole gold coin in a tavern."
Along the way, the goblin kept talking, as if not speaking was torture for him.
Fortunately, Mick has long been used to it. Except for occasionally responding with a few hums, he pretends not to hear him at other times and allows the other party to talk to the air.
They slept in the mountains at night and continued on their way at dawn. After two days of this, Mick finally arrived at Scorched Stone City and saw this old place they had not seen for several years.