As he made his way toward the chief, Alruk passed two new huts that had not been there a year ago.
During that year, apart from improvements in cooking and crafting, the tribe had built two additional huts.
The smaller hut served as the tribe’s armory.
It contained stone weapons, weapons taken from the adventuring parties the tribe’s warriors had encountered, and carved wooden weapons such as swords, axes, hammers, headless arrows, clubs, shields, and spears.
The larger hut had become the new female hut.
The old one was repurposed into a storage building, housing three large clay pots—each as tall as a goblin—for storing water.
It was also used to keep food, including meat, crops, and herbs.
Yes, they had started farming.
That was how Alruk had awakened the Farmer class.
They cultivated only a few things—vegetables, grains, spices, and medicinal herbs—but it was a beginning.
The hut also stored the tribe’s wooden utensils, effectively making it their kitchen.
Around the building, beast hides were stretched out to dry.
The females processed them into clothing, cloaks, shoes, and sleeping mats to make life more comfortable.
By studying the clothing taken from captured outsiders, the females had learned to make garments of their own.
Some of the tougher leather was even fashioned into simple leather armor.
As he walked, Alruk wore a pair of trousers taken from the last adventuring party the tribe had ambushed during the previous breeding season—the same party that had included the two human girls.
He also owned a few pieces of clothing made by the tribe’s females, which hung from the branches of his tree.
Although he had only one pair of footwear, which he had crafted himself, it was still better than walking barefoot.
Alruk approached the chief, wondering why he had been summoned.
Stopping before him, he asked,
“Chief call?”
The chief nodded and patted the stone stool beside him.
“Come.
Sit.”
Alruk glanced at the stool before taking his seat.
His muscles remained tense.
The chief was highly observant.
Alruk didn’t know whether he had made a mistake somewhere and given the chief reason to become suspicious.
“Relax,” the chief said, patting him on the back.
Alruk forced himself to calm down.
This wasn’t like his previous life, where he could walk freely without fear.
Right now, the chief could kill him before he even realized what had happened.
The contrast amused him, yet he understood why his body reacted this way.
He possessed far less control over his current body than he once had, and much of his fear was an instinctive response.
“I’ve noticed that since your awakening ceremony, things have been getting better for the tribe,” the chief began.
“And many of those improvements have come through you.”
Alruk kept his expression neutral, though inwardly he became cautious.
He silently waited for the chief to continue.
“I want to ask you something,” the chief said, pointing toward the females returning with bowls of water.
“What do you notice about them?”
Alruk looked carefully.
They were exhausted.
Some were even struggling to walk beneath their loads.
“The females…
tired?” he answered, glancing back for confirmation.
The chief nodded approvingly.
Then he turned to face Alruk fully.
“I want you to think of a solution to this problem.”
Alruk lowered his gaze.
He hadn’t expected a question like this.
Several ideas crossed his mind, but he needed something simple enough for the tribe to implement while also helping it develop further.
He also had to present it in a way that wouldn’t make him seem too knowledgeable.
Nearly half an hour later, he remembered overhearing one of the warriors mention that a member of an adventuring party had controlled a beast.
“Chief…
I have question.”
“Go on.”
“I hear warriors say capturers control beasts.
It true?”
The chief nodded.
“Yes.
It’s true.”
Alruk took a slow breath before presenting his idea.
“Why not we control beasts too?
Beasts carry water and heavy loads.”
The chief considered the suggestion.
“We’ve never done anything like that before, and we don’t know how to control beasts.” Get faster updates on g.com.
That was expected.
The tribe hadn’t even practiced farming before Alruk arrived.
Expecting them to suddenly domesticate beasts was unrealistic.
To them, every beast was simply food.
Alruk sighed before saying firmly,
“We try.”
The chief stared at him for a moment.
Then he burst into laughter.
“Hahaha!”
“Try, eh?”
Several nearby goblins turned to look, wondering what had amused him so much, before returning to their work.
The chief looked back at Alruk, a smile still lingering on his face.
“That’s what I like about you.”
His smile softened.
“You aren’t afraid to try.
That’s a good thing.
It has brought this tribe farther than I ever could, even with all my strength.”
“Not true,” Alruk replied carefully.
“Chief protect tribe.
Without chief…
tribe die.”
The chief smiled at the answer, but his expression gradually became serious again.
“Listen, Alruk.”
“My strength alone doesn’t truly protect the tribe.”
He sighed.
“One goblin cannot protect a tribe.
Only when the tribe has many strong goblins can it truly be safe.”
Alruk thought for a moment before asking,
“Why chief tell me this?”
The chief looked at him in silence before finally answering.
“Because I want you to become the next chief of this tribe.”