Goblin Knight - Chapter 305



Only Noblemtl

EP.305 Tin Heart (13)

Blanc couldn’t help but turn white when he realized the hidden meaning behind Nicola’s words.

Why did they insist on continuing this perilous journey eastward?

Regardless of whether the hands of the great powers such as the religious order, the imperial family, or the federation were moving toward the East or not, there was only one reason why they were heading east, even committing the crazy act of stepping into the rippling land.

To meet the fairy godmother.

Since it can turn humans into monsters with immense power, there is a glimmer of hope that it can also turn monsters into humans.

but.

‘If what Nicola said is true, and we can really solve our problems here… …!’

The rippling land is an unexplored land where ancient secrets live and breathe. It is a land where even the most absurd things can happen as if they were everyday occurrences.

If only I could borrow that power, there would be no need to continue my journey eastward, nor would there be any need to rely on a fairy godmother whose identity is not yet known.

Ella, who straddles the line between life and death, will be able to return to the world of the living completely, and Blanc will no longer have to worry about his goblin instincts exploding at any moment.

Only then can you become a real knight… without a strange adjective like ‘goblin’ in front of you.

“… … Explain in more detail.”

After thinking it all over, Blanc decided to approach this matter with a completely different attitude than before.

It’s not that I wasn’t serious about Gilan’s unknown proposal or Nicola’s love story… but it was just ‘someone else’s business’ that I got passively involved in.

But now it was up to Blanc to solve the tragedy he had become involved in.

“The facility is located about 5km northeast from here. Nearby are eight huge buildings, each of which continuously produces and maintains combat dolls and mines without stopping for even a moment.”

“What’s the total number?”

“Each building is responsible for over a hundred dolls and five thousand mines, and is in charge of the defense of each direction.”

Blanc felt dizzy as he calmly laid out the outline the tin man gave.

Even though the scale is different, it’s too different. Each of those dolls has such strong power, and you call that heaven?

What I find most incomprehensible is that all that immense power was used for nothing more than defense.

What on earth were we fighting against in the past?

“… … Where on earth do you get those materials?”

“Would you understand? Either they have a huge stock of materials or they have ancient technology. They are thoroughly recycling, so it’s not infinite, but… It’s not really important. You can’t fight them head-on anyway, right?”

“Is there a way around it?”

“That’s the pioneering for that.”

Gilan interjected, saying:

“As you saw earlier, this artifact I have… the ‘Key Card’ can nullify the defense system here. To be exact, it has the ability to make them recognize us as allies.”

“Yeah, that’s what happened… Then why did you set up a forward base here? Why not just use the power of the artifact and go inside?”

“That’s what I did. But it seemed like each region used a different card. When I tried to enter the central area, I was denied entry, saying I didn’t have enough authority.”

“It’s annoying.”

“If everything could be solved with just one card like this, the notoriety of the Shimmering Lands wouldn’t be so high… That’s why I’ve been exploring and pioneering the area. To find a key card that might allow me to gain authority over the central region.”

Gilan said, spinning the card around in his hand.

Nicola, who had been watching the scene for a while, continued speaking.

“Let’s continue. There is a building with a converter in the center. As I said before, I don’t know exactly what it is for. But from what I vaguely remember… I think the name of the building was some kind of storage.”

“It’s a storage.”

“I need to go to the center to open up the area for the merchant guy and to win the hearts of the people, but I can’t do that because I lack the authority.”

I could roughly understand the situation.

But there is one thing I still don’t understand.

“But… Gilan, I still haven’t heard what you want from me.”

“Yes, it was.”

“To be honest, it’s a bit confusing. If you wanted additional power, you could have asked the empire that hired you, and there doesn’t seem to be any particularly difficult problems… What on earth am I supposed to do about this?”

Blanc tilted his head and asked.

Gilan looked at him with unreadable eyes for a moment, then muttered in a cold voice.

“Let’s get back to business. To be honest, Kyung is like a free insurance policy that fell from the sky to me.”

“… …Free insurance?”

“Yes. Even if we put aside the fact that it’s a ridiculously cheap power to rent compared to its capabilities… what I’m most interested in is Kyung’s pumpkin carriage.”

“I told you I couldn’t give it to you.”

“Of course. Even if you receive it, you can’t use it. But when you need to safely retrieve something, there is no other means in this world more useful than that carriage.”

Gilan stood up from his seat and looked at the wall.

“Let me be presumptuous for a moment, but this is not the first attempt to develop the rippling land.

Not only the great powers like the Silk Empire and the Church, but also the magicians obsessed with knowledge, the demons seeking new realms, and most likely the followers of the Broken Moon would have tried.

The vast majority of attempts ended in failure. Even the Empire with its Seven Swords and the Sect with its Executors returned with only horrific sacrifices.

But some really lucky ones succeeded. It wasn’t exactly a ‘pioneer’ achievement, but they managed to come back alive with a few artifacts. That’s a huge success.

There is a common epilogue to these success stories.

Among the artifacts brought in that way, those that had truly powerful powers were lost or damaged the moment they set foot on the edge of the rippling land.

“What a regrettable loss this is.”

Gilan looked at Blanc with sparkling eyes.

“But today, the perfect delivery man who could possibly save me from such losses suddenly appeared before me. It was none other than Sir Blanc!

The pumpkin carriage of Kyung-ui not only ignores mass and space constraints when it comes to storage, it even freezes time for the items placed inside.

“If we can move the artifacts without having to step foot on the border, maybe… we can prevent them from being catastrophically damaged!”

“……indeed.”

“Ultimately, my request is this.

Not only would Blanc and his party be valuable forces in pioneering, but they would also be asked to help take home the ‘extra rewards’ they might receive there.

“Isn’t that really reasonable?”

As the saying goes, Gilan’s request was very clear.

As a merchant, I want to make more profit, so I want to hire you as a sure insurance.

Considering the potential benefits, it all made sense to help Blanc and Annelie.

That makes sense… but… … .

“I understand… I got it. Actually, I’m a little confused… … .”

“Yes? Why? It’s just a normal request.”

“No, it’s just that this is my first time being hired for something just to gain more profit… I thought there must be some hidden agenda or some reason why I couldn’t help but get involved… … .”

“What kind of trip have you been on, really?”

Gilan looked at him with a puzzled expression, but soon, when it seemed like everything was sorted out, she clapped her hands with a satisfied expression.

“Well, I think that concludes the general business explanation! It was a very meaningful time where we were able to clearly convey each person’s purpose and reset what we needed to do!”

“… … That tone of speech sounds really familiar. I guess it always feels that way in the world of merchants?”

“How could I have gotten this huge project from the Empire? The more obvious the better to get more investment.”

“That’s a really lucrative word… … .”

“So what should we do now? Should we head straight to the place you tell us and start searching for that key card?”

While Ella was strangely amazed, Blanc, who also got up from his seat, asked immediately.

I thought to myself that it might be a bit hasty, but I couldn’t help it because it was the agenda.

If things worked out well, it was something that could make you human.

“Haha, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but not yet. It’s time, and you’re probably tired… and above all, we need to get Miss Annelie to a proper infirmary before we start the operation.”

“Oh, are you moving it right away?”

“Of course, right? Now that the deal is done, Sir Blanc and his party are my precious customers. I don’t think they would want to go into battle with anxiety.”

Gilan said with a grin.

“I’ll prepare the barracks tonight, so everyone get some rest, and let’s head to the nearby city together tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you… so much. Really.”

“Haha, this investment is nothing compared to the benefits Kyung can give me. I will send someone soon. Have a good night.”

“Good night, organisms.”

As Gilan said this, he left the room, and Nicola followed him.

Ella, who had been watching their backs for a moment, muttered in a strange tone.

“… … Somehow, he doesn’t seem as suspicious as the author I saw on the ship. Rather than talking about conspiracies or anything, he just seems to care about his own interests.”

“Well, if you think about it, that incident was the best we could do as merchants to prevent further losses. It wasn’t easy for us to accept, though.”

“Hmm. Does being a target make you give off that kind of suspicious aura, or is it that you have to act suspiciously like that to become a target… … .”

Leaving Ella behind, who was pondering a philosophical dilemma, Blanc carefully lifted Annelie from the bed.

Her body was still hot, but it didn’t feel like she was hugging a fireball like before, and Annely’s face also looked a little better.

The fever reducer seems to have worked.

If nothing else, I couldn’t help but be thankful to Gilan that Anneli’s condition had improved…

“Lord, Lord… Sir… … .”

“──Annelli!!”

“Huh? You’re awake? Are you okay!?”

As Annelie spoke in a faint voice, panting, Blanc looked at her in great surprise.

You’re feeling better enough to be able to talk. I’m sure you’ll feel much better if you stop by the clinic tomorrow.

With such expectations, Blanc looked at her with tears in his eyes.

“Cho… be, careful… … .”

“It was difficult, but it was something that had to be said,” said Annely.

“I, myself, don’t know about the pumpkin carriage’s… ‘storage capacity’… but knowing about the ‘time freeze’ inside… is… strange… .”

“……what?”

“There is still something I am hiding… Please… … .”

Annelly lost consciousness again without being able to finish her sentence.

Leaving only confusion and questions in the group.