Sunlight filled the courtyard as wisps of cooking smoke rose into the air. Another busy day began at Haggard’s household.
Linda kneaded the fermented mixed-grain dough into long strips, scoring several patterns on their surfaces. After brushing them lightly with oil and arranging them neatly, she placed them in the oven.
Fara, Lis’s wife, picked a full basin of green vegetables from the garden. After washing them thoroughly, she prepared a delicious vegetable soup.
Once the family had finished washing up, they gathered around the dining table to enjoy their breakfast.
Lam sat with dark circles under his eyes, mechanically chewing his bread.
Though it tasted wonderful, he had no appetite whatsoever.
Everyone found Lam’s listlessness somewhat peculiar.
“Uncle, did you go stealing vegetables last night?”
Luna asked curiously.
“That was so long ago,” Lam replied weakly. “Little Luna, have you finished your homework yet?”
Luna stuck out her tongue playfully.
When Lam was young and mischievous, he often sneaked into the vegetable patch to steal freshly sprouted radishes. Linda frequently teased him about this, and Luna had remembered the story.
After breakfast, Lam stopped Haggard and his two older brothers to tell them about what he had witnessed the previous night.
“It could stand up?”
Lis asked.
“Yes.”
“It had no tail and no fur?”
Brian asked strangely, thinking his younger brother must have been mistaken.
“No no, it had a little on its arms and legs.”
“How tall was it when standing?”
Haggard inquired.
“Much shorter than me, about Danny’s height.”
Danny was Brian’s son, thirteen years old this year.
“You’re sure it had a human face?”
Haggard asked again.
“Yes, I’m certain.”
Haggard fell into deep recollection.
“Dad, do you know what that was?”
Lam looked at him expectantly.
“If I’m not mistaken, that should be a Goblin.”
“Goblin?”
“Goblin?”
“Goblin?”
The three brothers were so astonished by this revelation that we must trace back to the Holy War for context.
Centuries ago, after the Holy War ended, the Church rose to power.
They regarded the Demon Clan as symbols of evil, while Goblins were considered their lackeys.
They dispatched knights to drive out all Goblins and established bounties—capturing a Demon Clan member and delivering them to the Church would yield two gold coins; capturing a Goblin and delivering them to the Church would earn five silver coins.
Since then, people impoverished by prolonged warfare began viewing Goblins as minor fortunes (ordinary folks dared not even consider capturing Demon Clan members), making Goblins nearly impossible to find in human city-states.
It must be mentioned that the Church’s intense dislike for Goblins was inextricably linked to their disgraceful conduct during the Holy War. Goblins often took advantage of wartime chaos to steal younglings from various races, either selling them to Forest Witches or consuming them directly.
“Regardless, this matter must be reported to the Clan Elder.”
Haggard made the decision and took his three sons to the Clan Elder’s residence.
Though it was still early, others had arrived before them. Over a dozen villagers sat in the Clan Elder’s living room.
Some were shouting loudly, others wore bitter expressions while pleading their hardships, and some simply rolled on the floor.
“All my red prairie birds have been stolen! The village still hasn’t caught the culprit! I demand compensation, or I’ll lie right here and never leave!”
Maggie rolled on the ground wailing and howling. If not for her crocodile tears, one might truly think something terrible had happened to her.
“Exactly! You must give us an explanation!”
This was shouted by that scoundrel Butz, whose family had only lost two birds. But seeing the village’s notorious shrew Maggie making a scene, he jumped in to join the commotion.
Kali watched this farce with a grim expression. Everyone in the village was related in some way, making it difficult to deal with these troublemakers who were all familiar faces.
Hunting and fighting were his strengths, but handling the village’s domestic disputes always gave him a headache.
“What’s all this racket about?”
The moment Haggard spoke, the noise in the room immediately dropped a level. Even Maggie, who had been lying on the floor, sat up and smoothed her disheveled hair.
Haggard was highly respected in the village hierarchy. His three burly sons followed behind him, plus he had a mage daughter. Few in the village were foolish enough to provoke his family.
Kali seemed to see a savior, eagerly welcoming the four men inside.
“Kali, where’s your father?”
“Not feeling well, resting upstairs.”
Haggard immediately understood – the Clan Elder was using this as an excuse to throw Kali into the deep end for experience.
“I need to discuss something with him.”
“Right this way.”
Kali led the father and sons upstairs.
The crowd glanced around uncertainly, unsure whether to stay or leave.
Maggie simply resumed her position on the floor, pounding her legs while fake-crying, howling and cursing simultaneously.
“Auntie, they’ve all left. Why are you still howling?”
Butz stirred the pot, never one to miss a chance for drama. Maggie shot him a venomous glare before redirecting her fury toward him.
Not to be outdone, Butz dredged up old grievances between their families, and the two began trading insults. The others stopped their chatter, some watching the spectacle, others trying to mediate.
“Enough!”
Clan Elder Barnett’s roar cut through the commotion.
“Aren’t you ashamed at your age? Don’t you fear the younger generation laughing at you?”
There was indeed a young man present who had come to report losses to Barnett. He awkwardly scratched his head.
“Clan Elder, if he hadn’t…”
Maggie stubbornly tried to complain to Barnett.
“Silence.”
Maggie clamped her mouth shut.
“I’m aware of the village matters. I’ll give everyone an answer about how to handle this in three days. Now disperse.”
Barnett commanded immense respect in the village. Not only because his family had generations of influence, but also due to his decisive character. Since he took over managing the small mountain village, no one had died of starvation.
Hearing his promise, the crowd dispersed, though Maggie and Butz continued glaring at each other, neither willing to back down.
With everyone gone, the living room finally quieted down.
Haggard and Barnett began discussing recent events.
It turned out it wasn’t just George’s family that got robbed last night – four other households had also lost their red prairie birds.
In just a few days, the village had lost over forty red prairie birds! The villagers weren’t wealthy to begin with, each family depending on the birds’ eggs to supplement their children’s nutrition or to sell for silver coins.
And now this – some wild beasts had ravaged every household!
Haggard shared his suspicions and had Lam recount the previous night’s events.
After listening, Barnett’s expression turned grave.
Goblins were creatures known for their extreme cunning.
“While Lam’s method may not be perfect, it’s still better than large-scale mountain searches.”
Barnett continued,
“Kali, go call the members of the self-defense team. This matter shouldn’t be spread around the village.”
“Alright.”
Kali brought along his two sons, and the three of them rushed out to find people in the village.
Within about ten minutes, everyone had gathered.
Some members of the self-defense team had also lost red prairie birds from their own or relatives’ homes. After hearing the cause and details of the incident, they all became indignant.
Barnett had them set traps in his house. Those who didn’t have many red prairie birds at home borrowed some from relatives. After discussing various details, they dispersed.
Everything was ready, waiting only for nightfall.
After the dark clouds cleared, the temperature finally began to rise. The entire morning was sunny.
Lai Yi and Neil changed into old shoes early and went into the forest with baskets on their backs to pick mushrooms.
After the rain cleared, the forest was bound to be full of mushrooms. They needed to act quickly, or others would pick them all first.
They were still a bit late—there were already people picking mushrooms in the forest.
“Neil!”
A little girl with braids waved to them.
“Helen!”
Neil greeted her cheerfully.
The girl bounced over to them.
“Neil, you’re late today. The mushrooms on the outskirts have been mostly picked. I searched for a long time and only gathered this little bit.”
Helen showed them her small half-basket of fresh mushrooms.
“Ah? What should we do then?”
Neil was a bit frustrated.
The weather was exceptionally good this morning, and he had specifically asked Lai Yi to come with him to gather more mushrooms. If only they had come earlier.
Lai Yi watched as the two children sighed and chatted, their tones full of regret.
“How about I take you further inside?”
Lai Yi suggested.
“Great!”
“Thank you, Brother Lai Yi!”
Neil and Helen immediately cheered up.
Lai Yi led the two children deeper into the forest, where there were indeed plenty of mushrooms.
Oyster mushrooms, paddy straw mushrooms, shaggy ink caps…
They even found a type of deep-red mushroom called Ilton Mushroom, a local specialty. It was extremely delicious but rare and hard to find.
Where Neil and Helen found them, there were still some that hadn’t fully grown, suggesting a small cluster of Ilton Mushrooms underground. The two marked the tree and divided the harvested Ilton Mushrooms equally.
Lai Yi also had some other finds—he discovered wood ear mushrooms on a fallen, decaying log.
They were in excellent condition, dark brown in color and plump with gelatinous flesh. Lai Yi had always enjoyed eating wood ear mushrooms in hot pot. He picked them one by one and placed them in his basket.
Seeing that they had gathered enough, Lai Yi led them back to the village, both children returning with full baskets.
Back home, Lai Yi and Neil took off their mud-caked shoes outside before entering the house. After washing their feet, they spread a cloth on the dining table and poured the mushrooms from their baskets onto it.
“Brother, you can’t eat this—it’s poisonous.”
Neil picked out the wood ear mushrooms Lai Yi had gathered.
“They’re edible.”
“Really?”
Neil picked up a small piece and pretended to toss it into his mouth, but Lai Yi quickly stopped him.
“You can’t eat them raw—you’ll get a rash. They need to be cooked first.”
“Ah.”
Neil’s ears turned slightly red.
Brother knows so much.
Lai Yi set aside a bowl of mushrooms to use later for making mushroom soup.
The smaller mushrooms were left as they were, while the larger ones were torn into several pieces. The wood ear mushrooms were simply separated. Taking advantage of the fine weather, they were laid out on wooden boards in the yard to dry.
Lai Yi soaked their shoes in water, then washed some wild strawberries Neil had picked. The two sat on the steps, chatting as they ate. Most of the conversation consisted of Neil asking about what had happened the previous night.
In the afternoon, after catching up on sleep, Lam rushed over to Lai Yi’s house, eagerly sharing Haggard’s speculations and the Clan Elder’s plan.
“Isn’t it better to keep this matter known to as few people as possible?”
“You’re not an outsider,” Lam said matter-of-factly, prompting a light chuckle from Lai Yi.
“What’s this?” Lam pointed at the Gomoku board on the table.
“Gomoku.”
“Gomoku?”
“Yeah.”
Lai Yi had made it for Neil to play with, thinking his usual routine was too monotonous.
“Brother, teach me how to play, please.” Lam batted his eyes, imitating little Luna’s cute antics, which sent a shiver down Lai Yi’s spine.
He really wanted to ask Lam how old he was this year.
Lai Yi briefly explained the rules but ended up being pestered by Lam to play for over half an hour.
The more Lam played, the more he lost; the more he lost, the more he wanted to play—a classic case of being unskilled yet addicted.
Feeling a bit drained, Lai Yi sent him upstairs to play with Neil.
The afternoon remained rain-free, with clear skies and not a cloud in sight.
It seemed the rainy season had come to an end.
To Lai Yi’s surprise, Lis also came to see him.
“How’s your rest?” Lis asked.
“Pretty good,” Lai Yi replied, though he couldn’t quite grasp Lis’s intentions.
“Hahaha! You lost!” Lam’s exaggerated laughter echoed from upstairs.
“I knew that kid would be here. Has he told you everything?”
“Yeah.” Lai Yi nodded.
“Want to join me in action tonight?”
Lai Yi hesitated.
“What’s wrong?”
“Lam and I were already exposed yesterday. It might not come tonight,” Lai Yi said honestly.
“Other households were targeted yesterday too. There’s likely more than one Goblin. If this gets out, it could stir up panic in the village. So, we have to give it a try—what if we catch one?” Lis smiled wryly.
“At least you have some experience, which is better than knowing nothing at all.”
After a moment’s thought, Lai Yi agreed.
As night fell, a covert capture operation was about to begin.
Author’s Note:
Goblins—the most despicable race in the world.
A known intelligent race. Height: 1.3 meters, hunched posture, large claw-like hands and feet, four toes, no tail. Dark skin, with some groups exhibiting deep green hues.
Capable of crawling and bipedal walking.
Burrow-dwelling, strong, skilled at digging.
Eccentric in nature, adept at flattery, lacking moral boundaries.
Omnivorous, including carrion.
Where they go, not a blade of grass remains.
Editor’s note: Upon encountering them, either drive them away or keep your distance—they’re nothing but bad luck!