"If I had it my way, I'd prefer to act alone!" Hanso sighed in resignation. "But these goblins seem to value us. Perhaps there's strength in numbers."

Among the five murderers, "The Shepherd" Hill was the oldest and most knowledgeable, a former Catholic priest. However, in secret, he was a cannibalistic old pervert with severe delusions.

Another, "Fireworks" Rand, was an oddity, the least dangerous individually but the most harmful socially among all the murderers. To be precise, those he killed were indirectly harmed. Before his arrest, Rand was a firefighter and a terrorist responsible for multiple bombings, suffering from antisocial personality disorder, harboring inexplicable hostility towards almost everyone.

The last, "The Clown" Grant, was a hulking figure, even larger than Chekhov, whom Quentin had dispatched. Almost a giant. However, he was deformed, with an ugly visage and irregular features, suffering from a severe skin disease that had led to discrimination from his family and neighbors since childhood.

This led Grant to severe introversion and inferiority complex, developing a deeply paranoid psychological illness. As he grew older, the reclusive Grant began hunting beautiful women in nearby cities, peeling their faces off to stick on his own, hence his nickname "The Clown."

In short, aside from Hanso, the mental states of the four murderers were highly questionable. However, when not transformed into Joey Foster, Quentin could just about pass as normal, which made Hanso, in practice, only have one person to consult with.

"What's your plan?" Quentin asked after a moment of silence.

"Let them out!" Hanso glanced at Lincoln and Lily huddled in the tent corner and stated flatly, "Lyla is outside too!"

Quentin nodded at the two, who promptly scurried out of the tent like scared rabbits. Honestly, they had no interest in the conversation between two murderers. Though they knew they wouldn't be harmed for the time being, the overwhelming aura of the killers made staying nearby suffocating.

"These goblins seem to value us highly; perhaps we could take a firmer stance and directly negotiate with their leader," Hanso said, watching the others leave. "At the very least, we can probe their true intentions."

Quentin looked at Hanso, his expression unreadable, then finally nodded in agreement.

"Good. When I entered the camp, I took note of the layout. The large tent in the center is heavily guarded; likely the residence of the goblin leader. Let's take advantage of the night to scout it out. If we can sneak in, that would be ideal. What do you think?" Hanso's eyes gleamed with anticipation.

"Let's do it!" Quentin smiled slightly, rising without hesitation and lifting the tent flap with an extended hand, "After you."

Stepping out of the tent, they found Lincoln and Lily chatting quietly with Lyla, seemingly at ease. Upon seeing the two murderers emerge, they immediately fell silent and dispersed.

"Come with us!" Hanso ordered without courtesy as he eyed them.

The party of five walked through the camp under the complete cover of darkness, the perimeter lit by dozens of orange crystal lamps. Besides a few goblin sentries patrolling the camp, most had retired to their tents for the night.

The goblin sentries ignored the group unless they approached certain defensive structures, then they would show signs of alertness.

Hanso, leading the way, had a cold glint in his eye and a twisted smile on his lips. Just as he was about to make a move, a figure flashed by his side, blocking his path.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"What are you trying to do?" Hanso growled low upon seeing Quentin blocking him.

"It should be me asking you that!" Quentin's face remained serene, but his eyes were ice-cold as he quietly watched the burly Hanso.

"I was going to get some of their weapons before making a move. These horn-like guns are primitive; they shouldn't be hard to use," Hanso said, narrowing his eyes.

"I agreed to join you in speaking with their leader, not to join you in an uprising," Quentin replied, his smile holding a hint of mockery.

Hanso fell silent, his eyes growing more intense as he stared at Quentin, who had ceased smiling and now held a black dagger in his hand, the red glow in his pupils intensifying.

The three behind the two murderers began to sweat profusely; if these two clashed, their comfortable existence would end, and the goblins would likely not be so accommodating anymore.

"Since you're reluctant, we'll do it your way," Hanso suddenly said with a sardonic smile.

"Ha!" Quentin flipped his hand, putting away the dagger, and gave Hanso a meaningful look as he led the way to the central large tent. But as he turned his back, a cold smile crept onto his lips.

Quentin had realized back in the small tent that Hanso's reasons for seeking him out were not as straightforward as he claimed.

Hanso, a mercenary since youth, was skilled in military tactics and preferred to resolve problems with force. Expecting to restrict his freedom with mere confinement was foolhardy.

The "Lulu race" was a nomadic scavenger tribe with only basic defenses. Creating a modicum of chaos would make it difficult to detain a professional mercenary like Hanso.

Of course, Hanso wasn't Rambo; he needed someone to share the burden, hence why he approached Quentin and the others. His plan was to use the other four as bait to facilitate the theft of weapons and motorcycles for his escape from the goblin camp. As a mercenary, he was confident that even alone, he could find a way to survive in the Gobi desert.

However, this wasn't good news for the others, especially for Quentin and those forced to assist Hanso in his camp disturbance. Once the goblins regained control, no matter how much they valued them, they would no longer be so courteous.

Quentin had agreed to accompany Hanso because he felt that Hanso's pretext, which was used to mask his real intentions, made a lot of sense and coincided with his own thoughts.

Unlike Hanso, a straightforward soldier who disliked being controlled and preferred to hold his fate in his own hands, Quentin felt that since the goblins valued them, the inmates, who made up nearly half of their number, could likely persuade the unseen goblin leader to relent and reveal more if they took a firmer stance.

To their surprise, when Quentin's group approached the large tent, the goblin sentries hesitated only briefly before stepping aside, allowing them to enter what seemed to be the leader's residence.

Quentin and Hanso exchanged a look of surprise; they hadn't expected this turn of events. However, upon entering the tent, their faces revealed understanding.

Inside the large tent sat the other five inmates, including "The Shepherd" Hill and "The Clown" Grant, along with their three inmate followers. Missing were "Fireworks" Rand and one other.

It made sense, as Rand, with his antisocial disorder, saw almost everyone as an enemy except for the rebellious young inmate who followed him. Naturally, no one would seek him out for consultation.

No wonder the goblin sentries had let them in so easily; they probably thought they were with the other five who had entered earlier with permission from the goblin leader. This also indirectly confirmed that the goblins did indeed value them, having made concessions.

Upon seeing Quentin's group, Hill and the others had no objections. The more inmates with a unified thought, the greater their bargaining power. After Quentin's group entered, they nodded at Hill's group and silently took a spot in the corner, assessing the situation in the tent.

In the tent's center lay a wrinkled, corpulent old goblin with liver spots, the great elder of the Lulu race. Beside him sat the morning's biker boss, his son Ged, the current chieftain. Between them, on a small coffee table, rested the watch-like device they had seen before.

"Guests from another space-time, I am the great elder of the Lulu race, and beside me is my eldest son, Ged, the current chieftain," the old goblin opened his cloudy eyes and began to speak, the mechanical voice once again filling everyone's ears.

"I know you have questions, and I will tell you everything. However, my spirit is weak, so please be quiet and patient while I speak."

Ged had briefly introduced the Shattered Cosmos to the inmates in the morning. The great elder's description of the Shattered Cosmos was similar but more detailed.

However, the great elder's following words, explaining why the Lulu race acted so strangely towards the inmates and valued them so much, sent shockwaves through Quentin and the others. Even the hardened, cunning inmates found the revelations incredible and wondrous.