After returning, I find Axi waiting for me with Rike’grak and Zerenek. I raise an eyebrow. What’s that about?

“Good! You are finally here. Come over.” Zerenek says it with a smile. I look over at Axi, and she gives me a helpless shrug.

“What’s this about?”

“Humans! We decided that your dealings with humans are bad for the tribe! We will not fight for them!”

“Yes?” I hedge.

Nobody says anything for a while.

“Smag agrees that making that deal with humans will be bad for a tribe.” Asaru says. “He explained it to me on our way here.”

“See? I told you that Smag is the smartest, and I will naturally pick the best option. There was no need to bother me with that.” Axi complains.

I snicker. Assuming I would want to make a deal, it was a good idea to raise an objection. That would make smarter hobgoblins think Axi is unreasonable and not really independent. I mean, it’s true to a large extent, but it’s the appearances that matter. Zerenek is not happy.

Two hours later, Adam leaves the town with Lucas. He carries three boxes with him. Only three cores? I expected a bit more, but it makes sense that the town doesn’t store cores for long. They are worth a lot, and a poor town like Roheb likely doesn’t have the means to use them.

I try to sense mana, but I don’t feel anything from a distance. That’s expected. I still remember how I could feel earth mana from a few hundred meters back then when I was escaping a 4th-tier snake. Boxes use the core’s mana to contain it. After all, you need to use earth mana to move earth mana, for example. I have been storing my own cores in a similar way, since runes are pretty easy to make, especially for basic mana types.

I move forward, with Axi, Rike’grak, Zerenek, and Asaru joining me. I guess two guys want to make sure I won’t try to go back on my words.

“I have cores.” Adam says. I can feel their affinities now, as boxes don’t seal all the mana. Some leeks, but only enough that I can tell close to them. Air, chaos, and water. I guess Air Core is from Windy. Water was probably a reward for killing the dungeon boss, that is, Rike’grak.

“Good.”

“Did you make a decision about our deal?”

I smile. “First things first. We need to keep order. Give me cores.”

“Right.” Adam reluctantly gives me boxes.

“Good. Now, about the deal… After a long and fiery discussion, we decided that your proposal is not to the benefit of out tribe.” Lucas seems to sigh, though it’s so feint that I may have been mistaken. Adam grimaces. Honesty, what did he expected? I guess he just wanted power and the town and didn’t care what to do next.

“Go fuck yourself, human.” Zerenek says with a grin.

I frown. “As you heard, some are rather fiercely opposed to this deal. Personally, I believe in cooperation and want to maintain good relations with you.” Zerenek scowls. How childish! Your emotional outburst is only helping me. I continue. “I have a proposition for you. Well, more like advice. I believe you may be able to resolve your problem mostly on your own.”

Adam doesn’t look convinced, but Lucas quickly saves him. “Words of wisdom are always appreciated.” He says it amicably.

“Good. Guarding against riders and skirmishes is not economical for you. You need a fast reacting force and an information network to allow your forces to get to a village before the riders.”

“It’s rather hard to outrun a horse.” Adam complains.

“You can get your own horses. That’s not a problem. If you are to do as I said, you will find that sending information from your scouts to your soldiers in time is way more troublesome.” I explain a few ways, like creating smoke signals.

The Chinese created the Great Wall not to defend their whole border with it but to create signals. Soldiers were to light bonfires upon an attack, one by one, until a line of fires reached one of their armies. Doing it like that was way faster than a courier on a horse. Naturally, the wall helped a bit to slow down the invasion as well, but it wasn’t the main point.

“Wouldn't riders attack places with smoke?”

“Let them. Your soldiers can just escape and hide after lighting the fire. Obviously, you don’t want those places to be expensive, so not much will be lost. Your enemy will lose time while your army is already on the way.”

That gives them a lot to think about, and I feel they are convinced. “There’s another way, but I’m not sure if you will be able to pull it off. In theory, it will give you near instantaneous communication and even allow more detailed reports.” I explain to them how to create simple magnets using a lightning strike. I explain it as a magical ritual. Frankly, I’m not sure if this will work. I watched it in an anime, so who knows?

“And we just need a large block of iron? Nothing else?” Lucas asks.

“Yes. You need to circle wire around it; remember that part.” After that, I explain how to create a simple dynamo. “You need to create a long wire and place it between a guard tower and your army. With the dynamo working, you need to touch a wire with something that is connected to the earth. That would release lightning mana onto the earth, allowing people on both sides to notice it. Dynamo will get lightning mana into the wire constantly. Well, that’s the theory. You may need to adjust some minor details.”

“That’s… lightning mana should be very adenced mana type. Which tier is it, Lord Smag?” Lucas suddenly got way more respectful. Good. But why are you asking questions? Half of what I said is pure bullshit!

“Four-merged.” I make a guess.

Adam frowns. “How do we get a wire all the way between two points without it touching earth?”

“You need to isolate it. Some materials don’t let lighting mana move. I think wood should be good enough. Anyway, I’m not sure on that. Experiment with different materials and find what is cheap enough for you.”

They have a few more questions, to which I have no answers. I just give them vague explanations and say their network will be better if they figure it out on their own, trying to look like a wise master.

“We will leave in an hour or so. Lend me Nicolas until then.”

Adam nods and goes back to the town. Ten minutes later, Nicolas leaves it, slowly walking in our direction. He has a face like he marches to his own execution.

“Come, come!” I wave him over. “Don’t worry. We will discuss things for an hour or so, and you will go back to town.”

“Right. It’s just…”

“Payment, right? I just got three nice mana cores. I want to know all the things I can do with them. That should be good enough for a job, right? How much for such a consultation?” I smile.

“Three… Two silvers is enough!” I chuckle. “Sure.” I got some money as a loot. Regular coins are useless to me outside of trading with humans anyway, so it’s no big deal.

“Ok, so… Hm… I don’t want to be presumptuous, but why do you ask such a question? Aren’t you a former warlock? I probably know less than you.”

“Yes. But I’m not just a warlock. I’m an ancient warlock.” Looking at him, I chuckle. He looks like a student who doesn’t know the answer but tries to look confident so the teacher won’t pick him. “You don’t understand, do you?”

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He grimaces. “I’m sorry.”

I sigh theatrically. “I don’t blame you. Old people like me have a tendency to think they know it all. It’s often the case, but sometimes a new generation figures something new.” I push my chest forward to look as heroically as possible. “To not acknowledge that is to choose mediocrity. Indeed, I know way more than you, but there is still a chance there has been an alteration in one of the methods that raises efficiency. That’s the reason I paid you!”

“That’s… I see.”

I nod. “Remember that Anastasia is my subordinate, and I need to know how she can use the cores as well. I have a reason to ask you this, so you can tell me freely.” I add. I remember that he is under a contract that prohibits him from teaching anyone, and he can only provide enough information for the completion of his job.

“Right. The unique method of using cores for monsters is to eat and merge with the mana type. A monster will then become a specialized mage and have only access to ambient mana and the mana type of the core they ate. Then…”

“Wait!” I interrupt. “You need to tell me all the details. For example, how high is the chance of incorporating the core into the monster? What can I do to increase the chance? Things like that.”

“Sure. Higher tier mana types are harder to incorporate. Stronger monsters, and those with especially high Vitality stat have it easier. I don’t really know much more about it. I'm sorry, I just never cared about monster progression.”

I nod.

“The unique use of core for the enlightened is that we can attune to mana types, allowing us to turn ambient mana stored in our souls to those mana types. The cheap option is to meditate with a core close to a person.”

“What about meditating in a mana-rich environment, but without a core?”

“Some do that, but I think core helps.”

I sigh. “I thought someone might have figured that out by now. Continue.” It’s obvious that cores are not only storage of mana type. The fact that monsters can conjure real elements that won’t dissipate naturally is one piece of evidence. The fact that meditating on a core is better than just on mana in another.

This also explains why I can’t create another core manually. I lack the secret ingredient. On the other hand, why did I manage to create my core the first time? What was the secret ingredient? I sigh. I've pondered this many times already; new information may help, but I still don’t have any solid clues.

“The expensive option is to treat a core with some alchemical potion and dissolve it in a sealed chamber. The core is lost, but the chance to attune to the mana type is significant. At least that's what I heard.”

I nod, and he continues.

“Other than that, the most common way is to use cores as batteries for enchantments. You can also use them for a focus in a magic staff. I heard that some monsters also use that way, though necessity for another manifold merged mana type core is prohibitive. I suppose you can also make talismans, aka blow them up. That mostly sums it up. Oh! I think you can also use them to cultivate a trait, but I’m not sure on that.”

Traits? That’s a bit unexpected. How would that go? Can different body parts have different mana types in them? Like metal skin or something? I frown. I suppose it’s not impossible. Monsters can’t have two cores at once, but it doesn’t extend to mana types. After all, we all have multiple mana types in our bodies. Blood mana, flesh mana, bone mana, vitality mana, and so on. Adding something exotic to the mix may be a bit problematic, but it should be possible. I should experiment with that. Maybe I can give a few traits to my goblins?

Externally, I keep my composure and sigh. “It seems nothing interesting happened when I was in seclusion.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help.”

“No need, no need.” I wave my hand. “You were of great help. Let me accompany you outside of my tribe. Unfortunately, many of my race are not as civilized as me.” Nicolas is quite pleased by that. I wish him a good look and say we may meet again in the future. He doesn’t seem very bright, but he knows things I want to know as well. He can be used.

I pack all my things. I walk to Axi.

“Where are we going to go?”

“Where do you want to go?” I ask. Frankly, I don’t care too much. I just need time and Experience Points.

She thinks for a while. “I suppose we can go back to kobolts. We beat them up before, and it will be easy now. I suppose we could also go back to big ants. They give a lot of Experience.”

I nod. “Ants are in the 1st tier zone. Kobolts seem fine to me.”

We start marching within an hour. The local forests don’t have any monsters that can challenge us anymore. We still have enough meat, so we can march for a few days with minimal hunting. It’s good because new goblins don’t know how to hunt. Sure, they have some instincts and common sense, but everything is new and strange to them.

After two days, I feel mana concentration increasing. I find Asaru.

“I have a task for you.”

“Task?”

“Think about it as a mission. We are going to fight a tribe of kobolts soon. I believe they have a fire core lying around.” I killed their chieftain, but we didn’t recover his core. This means their shaman should still have a fire core in his possession, and use it as a bomb against us. Asaru frowns at that.

“Honestly, I think your skillet is more of a thief than an assassin. You don’t need to show yourself at all. Just go, take the thing, and leave. Nobody needs to know you were there. It’s even better if they don’t. This way, they won’t be able to change their strategy until it’s too late.”

“Fine.”

“Check for traps and count kobolts, if possible.” She leaves after that, and I go to Axi. She is arguing with Rike’grak. Essentially, this is another attempt for influence within the tribe. Rike’grak wants to be in the front, and let Axi command from the distance. If she were to let him, goblins would admire Rike’grak more, and look at him as a leading figure. They will be more inclined to listen to his orders, even if they clash with those of nominal chieftain Axi.

Ultimately, Rike’grak will fight alongside Axi in the front. I guess he just wants to outperform her. Good luck! My full buff is going to leave Rike’grak in the dust. After all, unless something catastrophic happens, I’m not planning to buff him.

Asaru comes back three hours later.

“Why did it take so long?” I ask with some concern. It’s not like I'm admonishing her, but rather, I thought it should be a simple job.

“It took me some time to find this. It was my first time in a kobolt village.” She gives me a fire core in a box similar to mine. I guess their shaman enchanted this one. I find Axi and ask her to contain fire mana with her powers. After that, I open the box. As I expected, the core has been ridged to explode. Runes don’t look too complicated, and I should figure it out in a few days.

We continue our march, now through the field of traps. Asaru points out most of the traps, noticing fake mana in them. Anastasia has the best perception otherwise, and she noticed a few not camouflaged but also not obvious traps as well. Some goblins died regardless, but our losses are minimal.

After another day, we find the village. It actually has a primitive, three-meter-high wall. That’s unexpected, but actually welcome. I never assaulted a fortified location. Given our superiority, it will be good training. We spend half a day building ladders. After that, a quarter of the tribe moves to scale the walls. Our archers shoot at the defenders, who hide behind the walls. Kobolts still don’t use bows. Strange.

As my goblins start to climb the ladders, several mounds of soil fly above them and fly down to hit them. A few ladders break. Axi dodges by jumping to another ladder. Rike’grak summons water and hits back. The ball of mud still hits him, but without active control of the mage, it’s just a minor distraction. Then, Axi jumps behind the walls, and the slaughter starts. Rike’grak is next, and the rest of the hobgoblins follow.

I climb one of the ladders as well. Half of the goblins that jumped down are dead, while the kobolts' losses are smaller. I frown. Attacking from all sides would have been a better strategy. More hobs and regular goblins climb the walls, and soon enough, our archers keep shooting down. We still have more fighters, so some goblins move along the walls and attack kobolts from the sides. We are winning.

I don’t get why kobolts didn’t escape. Too bad it's too late for them. Surrounded, they fight to the last one. Our losses are actually significant. Around 40% of hobs and 30% of regular goblins died. If not for Axi, Rike'grak, and Asaru, our losses would be even greater. Obviously, my buffs also helped.

I notice a goblin eating an earth mana core. I would like to monopolize them, but I can’t just take their spoils. That would be bad and create hatred. Besides, Axi slayed their shaman, and his order mana core is now hers. I guess she will let me play with it. In the 2nd tier zone, mana cores should be more plentiful; finding more of them shouldn’t be a problem.

Searching the village, we find children of kobolts. Obviously, all die. System gives reduced Experience for children, depending on how old they are. Just like with spiders, killing newborns counts as killing 0th tier monsters. Older children count as 1st tier, while all those who count as proper 2nd tier monsters died fighting. I sigh. It’s just the way the world is.

If I were the leader of their tribe, I would escape. After all, we didn’t want to kill them. We want land and hunting grounds. They could leave. Oh. I figure it out. So that’s why… I sigh. Kobolts wouldn't be able to reproduce in the 1st-tier zone. Their children won’t grow up property without enough mana. They could still leave for somewhere else in the 2nd tier zone, but I guess this region has the weakest monsters, given that it’s on the border with the 1st tier zone.

Fortunately, goblins don’t have such problems. I can have children with human women and reproduce in the 1st tier zone. Unfortunately, we have a different problem: our children will be 1st tier monsters and won’t be able to hunt anything on their own. We will have to feed them Experience, though with my magic, it will be easy.

I’m planning to recreate the old arrangement. I will stay in the village, experiment, and train my magic. Other goblins will bring me 2nd and maybe even 3rd tier monsters, which I will kill and then repeatedly resurrect so that all regular goblins can evolve into hobgoblins. This will also make me incredibly useful to the tribe and, therefore, important.

“This was the house of their shaman. I’m claiming it!” Zerenek challenges me.

I smile. “Sure. I’m obviously going to live with the chieftain in this house.” I point at the biggest house of them all.

Zerenek scowls at me. Right. Playing with this guy is fun, but what should I do with him? We can’t be enemies forever. Either I need to make him submissive and at least neutral to me, or he has to die.

I don’t think Asaru will miss him.