Stick, Cossack, and Violin were exploring the city through its canal highway system. The raiding goblins were surprisingly amazing when it came to shipbuilding, and their canoes were designed to be slim to fit the narrow pathways of the city. Bord was rowing the boat. His smooth bald head reflected the sun and lit the waters ahead of them as if he was using his light spell. He was also much taller than before after evolving into a true goblin with light olive skin, the only one of his kind so far.

Meanwhile, Violin has also transformed into a true goblin. During her journey to the Orgut tribe, she stumbled upon the Maston tribe fighting illegal loggers. She joined the battle, and during it, she turned into a red conquer. And now, in her new form, her body has barely grown. Still taller than the red goblins, she is still short in comparison to the others. Standing five foot and two inches, Bord towers over her by one foot.

But despite her short stature, Violin was still very much confident in herself. And her beauty added more to her ego. Her once bald head now houses beautiful orange curls, and her eyes were as clear and deep as the untamed ocean.

Her new body made Cossack confused. Violin was his childhood friend, and he never found her attractive during those years. Cossack's forehead was covered with a bandage after slamming his head against the wall, trying to erase his emotions. He would yell on the dead of night, to the white moon, that his love for Artio could not be washed away so easily. His cries woke up Stick one night. He climbed out from his window and saw Cossack on the roof howling at the moon.

Now Stick knew about Cossack's crush and teased Cossack about it whenever he got the chance. Stick sat behind Cossack and Violin. He leaned in Cossack's ears and whispered, "Now's your chance. Just wrap your arms around her."

"No!" Cossack yelled back.

Violin covered her ears and flinched, "What the hell?" She yelled. "Don't yell so close to my ears, dumbo."

"Dumbo?"

Bord stopped the boat with his long paddle, then turned around and faced his passengers. "Control yourselves, or I'm turning this boat around!"

Cossack and Stick sat back on their seat. However, Violin walked to Bord with fire in her eyes. "Don't tell me what to do, Bord!" She yelled. "Also, how long are we going to keep surveying the city's canals. We already have the map Pagasa gave us."

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"We are doing this to learn the inner workings of the city," Bord said, "And to mark areas that need repairs or cleaning before repurposing them to our people."

Stick coughed to get their attention. "That's right, Bord," He said, "We also need to know to fix the underground sewage system after it was flooded by King and his men. And there's also the houses that must be listed, marking the buildings that can be repurposed, and clean the remaining the waste in the city waters."

Cossack pointed at Bord, "He mentioned those already."

"Oh, right. Carry on then. We still have the left side of the city to survey, and the day isn't getting any longer. And I still have to collect the reports on other districts. Sun wants them on his desk by tonight."

Bord coughed, "Actually, Bi and Skydas already wrote them with the help of Spreckles. They gave it to Sun this morning. We're only missing this side of the city."

"Oh," Stick sat down. Cossack and Violin also returned to their seat, and Bord continued to row the boat. Stick pulled out the map and began to mark down the buildings. He felt slightly relieved that he didn't need to write the reports. And he was also surprised at how competent their lieutenants were compared to last year. There was no need to hover over their shoulders.

As the boat float on the murky waters, Stick remembered how the lieutenants managed to defeat their opponents on their own. And now Bord is rowing their boat and setting them straight. Stick couldn't help but be slightly ashamed for teasing Cossack while Bord focused on the task. But it can't be helped. The brothers were robbed of their childhood, so their childish traits occasionally pop out through the surface.

Even now, at the castle grounds and inside the halls of its cold exterior, Rock was running through its halls with his Snow. She was riding on his shoulder, with her arms open wide and pretending to be a bird flying through the castle halls. "Dada! Fast!" Snow yelled.

"Hahaha!" Rock laughed, "I'll go even faster! Fly birdie, fly birdie."

Rock ran around the castle, zipping past through the castle attendants and guards. Those that used to work in the castle for King were bewildered by Rock's playful nature. It was difficult to imagine that the strong masculine Rock could be so jolly. And it was even more unbelievable for those that worked under Rook. The hardened guard of the city was defined by his stubborn attitude and his harsh words. He was nowhere near softness, but Rock, despite his name and body, was like a cloud walking on the earth.

He was a happy goblin that loved to share his joy with his world, Snow. After the battle, he became even more playful and spent his free time with Snow, nearly forgetting his daily exercise. Fortunately, Dawn was there to get him back on track. And just like Rock, Sun has also been acting more playful than before due to young love.

Shuja has returned from the Maston tribe. She left a week after the siege to patrol the Maston border, but when she arrived, the forest was at peace. Illegal loggers and smugglers were nowhere to be found near their territory, and that was due to the robust border control by the dwarves and dark elves. She wasn't sure why they were protecting the forest, but she could not help but think it must be due to Pagasa's connections.

Shuja told Sun about the report, but he shrugged it off, confirming her suspicion that it was indeed due to Pagasa. She appreciated the outsiders' help but she also felt trapped like an animal with the forest as the cage. Sun reassured her that there was nothing to worry about.

Shuja decided to trust Sun and the two joined Mari at the gardens. They sat down and had tea. Mari was the happiest she's ever been. "I can't believe there was tea in the castle." She exclaimed, "I was getting tired of drinking that nasty ale and spirit."

Shuja sniffed the tea, "I don't know. It smells like water."

"Hahaha!" Sun laughed, "Tea is more than just water. "It's the beverage that fills your soul and calms the mind. It may not be clear as water, but its purity comes from its aromatic smell."

Mari's eyes were filled with pride and surprise, "Sun, I didn't know you had so much knowledge on tea. Tea is in fact the best drink for self-fulfillment. And I'm glad you understand that." She giggled, "I guess you got your palette from me."