“Brother, is that the same goblin from last time? Have you finished discussing matters?”
Neil was worried about Lai Yi and waited for him in the living room.
“It’s him. His name is Iru, and he has five small goblins at home.”
“Wow, that’s a lot of small goblins.”
Lai Yi sat down on the chair opposite Neil.
“They don’t have enough food to get through this winter. Should we help them?”
Lai Yi didn’t plan to hide the fact that he was giving Iru food. As a member of the family, Neil had the right to know.
Neil frowned, feeling conflicted.
His brother was truly too kind-hearted.
“But what will we do during winter then?”
“We’ll only give him 150 pounds of food. We won’t sell this year’s autumn harvest for now anyway—it wouldn’t fetch many silver coins. I promise we’ll both have enough to eat this winter.”
Lai Yi answered Neil’s question seriously.
“Alright then. Brother, next year they should grow their own food and not rely on us like this.”
“Okay. Neil, you’re so obedient and family-oriented.Neil scratched his head, feeling somewhat shy.
With no other matters to discuss, the two washed up and went to their respective rooms to sleep.
Lai Yi half-reclined on his bed, quietly examining the Earth Element Stone in his hand by candlelight, his eyes flickering as if he had thought of something.
He rolled out of bed and retrieved the two Bone Knives made by Tiemuqi.
After carefully observing the grooves in the handles, he tentatively pressed the Earth Element Stone into one.
With a “click,” the element stone was securely held in place by small protrusions in the groove. A faint light flashed across the blade, and the entire Bone Knife immediately felt different.
The blade became increasingly lightweight, with earth element magic power flowing along its edge.
Caught off guard by the sudden change, Lai Yi felt his heart pounding in his chest, a surge of excitement spreading through him.
He swung the Bone Knife at a wooden table corner and was surprised to easily slice off a piece of wood.
He knew an ordinary bone knife couldn’t do this so effortlessly—Tiemuqi must have modified it in some way.
If he remembered correctly, Tiemuqi had once said that such alchemy techniques used to link weapons could harness part of the element stone’s magic power.
Which meant this Bone Knife had now become a magic weapon!
Feelings of confusion, surprise, and a bit of delight intertwined, keeping Lai Yi awake all night.
Lying in bed, he pondered the pros and cons of this Bone Knife.
Without a doubt, it was an excellent tool for self-defense. With it, his safety in this world was more assured.
Lai Yi still remembered his experience in the riverside woods—there must be some secret hidden there, but his current abilities weren’t sufficient for exploration.
Fortunately, that area was rarely visited, and he’d heard no strange incidents had ever occurred in the village. Investigating the woods could be postponed for now.
“Sigh.”
Lai Yi sighed, sheathed the Bone Knife, and placed it under his pillow.
It was a pity that he possessed magic but didn’t know how to use it effectively.
Perhaps the Mage Association or the church could provide him with concrete answers.
The element stone given by Iru had proven incredibly useful.
Lai Yi thought it over and decided to visit Iru’s family the next afternoon, bringing two red prairie birds and some durable food items.
He took a rather roundabout route, doing his best to avoid being spotted by villagers or goblins.
There were several small wooden cabins scattered across the barren mountain, but Iru’s home was easily identifiable—it was the only one with several small goblins playing nearby. Lai Yi quickly located Iru’s house.
At that moment, Iru, having just woken from a good sleep, was carrying water to fill the broken vat in his home. All these household items were either discarded by villagers or handmade by himself.
Lai Yi’s arrival clearly frightened the small goblins. They screamed and ran back into the house, slamming the wooden door shut with a heavy thud.
“A human has come to capture us!”
“A human has come to capture us!”
The screams echoed through the wooden cabin to the outside. Hearing the commotion, Iru dropped the bucket of water and rushed toward his home. Only when he spotted Lai Yi standing outside with a backpack basket did he slow his frantic pace.
Iru was somewhat bewildered, unable to comprehend why Lai Yi had come here.
From inside the house came the panicked cries and shouts of the children. Iru awkwardly lowered his rolled-up sleeves and knocked on the door three times in a set pattern, repeating it three times.
“It’s alright, children. It’s someone your father knows. There’s no danger.”
Iru repeated this several times before Nana cautiously cracked open the door. Seeing her husband unharmed, she finally relaxed and opened the door fully.
“Please, come in.”
Iru ushered Lai Yi into the wooden cabin.
Goblins were generally not very tall, and Lai Yi, standing at 176 centimeters, barely avoided bumping his head inside the house.
He set his backpack basket on the floor and surveyed the modest living room.
“Have some fruit.”
Nana placed a small woven wooden fruit tray on the only wooden table, containing a few modest-sized fruits.
“Thank you.”
Lai Yi thanked her politely.
Lai Yi frowned slightly.
Iru’s wife appeared excessively thin, as if a strong gust of wind could blow her away.
The entire family seemed uneasy, and Lai Yi realized that his sudden visit had indeed been somewhat abrupt.
“I apologize for the trouble caused by my unexpected visit.”
Lai Yi offered a sincere apology, and Iru hurriedly waved his hands.
“No trouble at all, no trouble at all.”
“Waa! Waa!”
The sound of a child crying came from the bedroom. Nana returned to the bedroom to comfort the two wailing small goblins.
The other three children hid in various spots, secretly watching Lai Yi, the human who had suddenly intruded.
“I came today to bring you some food first. I took a detour on the way, so no humans or goblins spotted me.”
Lai Yi placed the two not yet fully grown red prairie birds on the ground, then took out various vegetables, and finally produced a bag of rye flour.
“If you raise them a bit longer, they’ll start laying eggs. They can help nourish your wife and children.”
Iru was clearly too stunned to speak. He wanted to refuse but didn’t know how to phrase it.
“Please accept them. What you gave me has been very useful.”
Lai Yi hinted at the reason for his visit.
“I’m glad it was useful to you.”
Iru finally felt relieved. He had been uncertain about Lai Yi’s intentions and had been dealing with him cautiously all along.
“My small garden is growing quite well now. In a little while, we’ll be able to eat what we’ve grown ourselves.”
Iru showed Lai Yi his family’s vegetable patch. The soil was somewhat damp, likely from recent watering, and there wasn’t a single weed in the garden.
“Well done. Let’s plant more potatoes and sweet potatoes next year. They can be stored for a long time.”
“Alright.”
Iru showed a satisfied smile.
They went back inside, and the small goblin had already stopped crying.
“Would you like to see my newborn children?”
“Mm.”
Iru brought Lai Yi to the bedroom, where Nana was feeding two small children mashed vegetable paste.
The children were very small, like two kittens.
“Can they eat solid food at such a young age?”
“Yes, we goblins have stronger adaptability and can eat various things. Actually, mother’s milk is better, but Nana’s health…”
Lai Yi nodded in understanding.
“I know a recipe that’s more nutritious than paste and suitable for young cubs without teeth. It only requires bird eggs, a little oil, and salt.”
Nana’s eyes lit up.
“May I ask what the recipe is?”
Lai Yi told her the method for steaming egg custard, emphasizing the amount of water to add and when to remove it from the heat. Nana nodded repeatedly.
“Don’t drink too much unboiled water. Boil it first to make it safer.”
“Thank you, Mr. Victor.”
“You’re welcome, ma’am.”
Nana rarely showed a shy smile.
Lai Yi sat for a little while longer before leaving Iru’s house. It was only then that the three children came to their father, gathering around the two live red prairie birds.
“Dad, didn’t you say we should stay away from humans?”
Iru’s eldest child asked in confusion.
“Some humans can be approached. You need to learn to distinguish.”
“What about Mr. Victor?”
“He…”
Iru hesitated.
“He’s an exception, and a friend.”
Iru knew his status wasn’t quite appropriate, but he genuinely considered Lai Yi his friend.
“Shh, this is a secret. Don’t tell other goblins.”
The small goblin covered his mouth and nodded heavily.
Lai Yi walked home. The floor of the shed had been paved in the morning.
The stone floor was smooth and dry, and wouldn’t become muddy even when it rained. Even if livestock urinated or defecated inside, it could be cleaned by simply rinsing with water and giving it a quick scrub.
Lai Yi was quite satisfied.
The shed was basically completed, and the remaining eleven red prairie birds had already moved in early.
Originally, there were fifteen including both large and small ones. Later, two died from illness, and two were given to Iru, leaving only eleven now.
And tomorrow, he could bring the Little Delrasto Beast home.
Having no experience raising one for the first time, Lai Yi specifically went to seek advice from Haggard.
Delrastoen Beasts are herbivores—fresh grass, hay, vegetables, beans, they’ll accept anything. As long as they don’t mistakenly eat poisonous plants, they can basically survive with just a little food.
But special attention must be paid to not keeping them confined all the time. Let them roam more often, and they’ll grow well. Also, occasionally add some salt to their forage.
Lai Yi noted everything down, cut a lot of alfalfa grass in advance, and piled it in the shed.
The next day, Lai Yi and Neil followed Haggard’s ox cart to town.
Rosen Town had a designated area for livestock trading; just pay a management fee.
The seller arrived early, and the intermediary was already there too. The Little Delrasto Beast was lowering its head, eating fresh grass from a sack on the ground.
Haggard and the intermediary greeted each other by pounding their left shoulders twice with their fists. Lai Yi also imitated their gesture, pounding his shoulder twice.
“This is my nephew Lai Yi Victor, also the buyer this time.”
Haggard introduced Lai Yi to the two men.
The seller pulled up the Little Delrasto Beast that was still grazing with its head down. After finishing the grass in its mouth, it snorted loudly at the seller.
It appeared quite defiant.
“You can pet it.”
The seller tightened its rope, allowing Lai Yi and Neil to stroke its head.
The Little Delrasto Beast had jet-black fur, with only a tuft of white hair right in the center of its forehead, resembling a third eye.
Somehow, Lai Yi felt that beneath its handsome appearance, there was a hint of foolishness. And really, wasn’t the Delrasto Beast just a mule?
Neil liked the little creature very much, stroking its head a few times and then pinching its erect pointed ears.
“Be good now, I’ll give you lots of food!”
After a while, the little beast grew somewhat restless from the rope’s restraint and struggled a bit. The seller simply loosened the rope and stopped controlling its movements.
Sure enough, while the seller was seriously discussing basic information with Lai Yi, the little beast stood nearby and began chewing on the seller’s straw hat. Only after being lightly smacked did it abandon the already chewed-up hat and turn its attention to the feed bag.
Haggard circled the little beast several times, looking it over repeatedly, then nodded at Lai Yi. Lai Yi decided on the spot to buy it, at the price Haggard had previously negotiated.
With the little beast tied outside and Neil watching over it, the four entered the notary office.
Under the witness of the intermediary and Haggard, Lai Yi and the seller signed their names, exchanging money for goods. The Little Delrasto Beast officially became Lai Yi’s property, and the seller kindly gave him the bag of grass as well.
The cart bed needed some metal structures that had to be custom-made and wasn’t finished yet.
After completing the official business, Lai Yi didn’t linger any longer. Once the villagers who came to town together had finished their shopping, everyone returned together.
The little beast was tied behind the cart bed, following the ox cart without any struggle, trotting along back to the village.
Its name was truly too cumbersome, so Lai Yi decided to just call it Mule from now on. If anyone asked, he would say it was a nickname he gave it.
Author’s Note: Element Stone: A natural mineral capable of storing magical elements. They are scarce in quantity but not rare. The amount of magic power they contain relates to the quality of the ore and is not directly linked to their size.
Can be used for magic array arrangements and high-level magic casting;
Commonly used for the recovery and replenishment of magic power;
Can also be used for breakthrough attempts (extremely high risk, not recommended).