Chapter 2 – I Hope You Can Help Me Give Birth to a Little Goblin
Most goblins did not rely on women to reproduce. On the contrary, most goblins hated humans and would kill all humans without hesitation if given the chance. However, genetic defects forced them to hunt humans.
Because high-level goblin mothers were extremely rare, the chance of a high-level female goblin appearing was more than ten times lower than that of a male goblin, and it was nearly impossible for them to exist. Ordinary female goblins also could not give birth to offspring strong enough for high-level male goblins due to their small size and weak genes.
Thus, by their very nature, they captured human women—and Altair felt there was nothing wrong with that. But their behavior provoked human hatred and exposed their location, which he considered highly problematic!
Altair's gaze fell upon the young girl beside him. When their eyes met, she was startled, and her face flushed slightly.
For Altair, the Goblin Emperor, had beautiful short blond hair, smooth golden-tinged skin, and a body resembling that of a human. His appearance was more like that of an elf with a unique temperament. He was more handsome than humans, even more handsome than elves.
The older generation said that goblins were the accidental offspring of elves, a sub-race perhaps, though this might not be true.
The young girl's heart pounded wildly, but Altair felt heavy in his chest. Upon closer observation, he realized that the clothing the sixteen-year-old girl wore was actually that of a human noble.
A group of humans would soon enter this strange forest to protect and rescue this noble's daughter. The goblins could no longer act freely, or they would endanger her.
Altair slowly stood. He wished to gain control of this place and immediately sweep away all the goblin dens.
"Were you… also brought here by them?" the human girl asked timidly, instinctively moving closer to Altair's back, wanting him to block the terrifying sight of the goblins within the cave.
She never imagined that the beautiful and strong elves would fall into the hands of such hideous goblins. Lyra knew she was likely doomed. She and her escorts had merely taken a shortcut to Duke Nas's territory to attend the coming-of-age banquet of the Duke's daughter, her close friend. When they passed through this remote place, inhabited only by weak goblins, they were ambushed, losing many people. In the chaos, she was captured by goblins.
Knowing that her father and the Duke had been seized by goblins, they would surely send people to rescue her. But whatever she might suffer in the meantime was enough to destroy her spirit. She felt completely hopeless.
Upon entering the goblin cave, she was terrified. There were two goblin shamans and four white goblins present. Through his innate Goblin Emperor ability, Altair could see Lyra's information panel:
Individual Name: Noble Human (Legendsson Lyra)
Age: 66 years
Attack: 4 (+11)
Vitality: 26 (+48)
Magic: 11 (+15)
Intelligence: 20 (+41)
Impact Resistance: 3 (+6)
Magic Resistance: 0 (+0)
Attribute: None (not cultivated)
Occupation: None (undetermined)
Special Ability: Doran's Shield
Genetic Talent: Skill [Doran's Shield]
Current Hope Value: 20
(When hope reaches zero, the individual falls into despair and attempts to end their own life.)
As expected of a human, the weak girl's stats easily surpassed those of the Purple Goblin in every aspect except magic power and magic resistance. Especially the column of hope, which was remarkably high.
"Yes, they caught me too," Lyra said softly.
Perhaps, he thought, he could first obtain some information from the human side through this girl, then make a plan. They shared the same suffering.
Lyra's eyes welled with tears, filled with regret. She didn't realize the mistake that had caused the goblins to capture strangers into their cave. Her heart was already overwhelmed with fear of the goblins.
Altair approached the girl, holding her hand to comfort her.
At that moment, the old purple goblin, thinking Altair intended to do something to the girl, stepped forward to stop him. He muttered strange goblin chants, then pulled out several odd medicinal herbs from a stone crevice, pointing toward certain directions outside the cave.
Altair roughly understood his meaning. The girl was somewhat frail, so even if she cooperated, problems might arise. Thus, Altair and Lyra would need to risk their lives to fetch these precious herbs from dangerous places in Qirwood and nurse her to better health.
The old goblin said this, then spoke further. The general meaning was that they were very concerned about Lyra's condition, and even though they had not harmed her, she might still be upset. The old goblin had likely seen such cases before speaking.
This old purple goblin should have produced the most offspring, but most of them were ordinary goblins, and three of the four white goblins were also his children. As for the other purple goblin, it was not his offspring.
Generally, goblins could only give birth to offspring one level lower than themselves, but green goblins were his children. They could give birth to goblins of any level.
Goblins also had a strong sense of individual competition. Without high-level individuals restricting them, only the more intelligent Purple Goblins would not fight when encountering others of their kind. If it had been two white goblins or even more advanced individuals, regardless of gender, they would have already fought long ago. One would die, or they would split and lead their own smaller goblin bands.
"What is… what is he saying?" Lyra hid behind Altair, asking timidly.
Altair replied, "That old goblin can no longer give birth, but his genes are still the best. That's why he captured me and used his own blood to curse me, forcing me to only give birth to goblins. He wants you and me to help strengthen their population."
"Ah?" Lyra gasped, shocked and terrified.
How absurd this was. Honored Father, my fiancé Lord Os… what should I do…
"Think positively, beautiful human woman. Even if they may look like goblins, the children we give birth to are still our children. When a group of new goblins arrives, won't we become their father and mother? Perhaps then we can make them release us."
"Something like this… is something like this really possible?" Lyra asked, trembling.
Although she lived a sheltered life, Lyra knew this was just a fairy tale. She had never heard of such a thing, though she had heard of people who perished in Goblin Caves. No, even if they could truly leave this place one day, by then she would have already… already…
But she had no other choice. At least he was not one of those hideous goblins, but a handsome and noble elf-like figure.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here," Altair said softly, stepping forward gently. He spoke in a calm tone: "These vicious goblins, who may frighten you, will not touch you, and I will treat you very gently."
"Woo… wooo…" faint goblin voices echoed.
"Be good and listen to me," Altair added.
The mental preparation for bearing offspring had been made, and the next step was to gather information about the human world while being careful not to reduce Lyra's hope value. The matter of relocating the den also had to be placed on the agenda.
...…..
On this day, in the earthquake-stricken territory of Earl Rejerson, news quickly spread throughout his domain. When Count Rejerson and his wife heard the news, his wife fainted, and he—already ill and recovering at home—was enraged.
"Cursed goblins!!!" shouted one villager.
In that land, several commoners whispered among themselves, each one sorrowful.
It seemed that Lady Lyra, the naturally beautiful daughter of Lord Reigen who possessed the special skill [Doran's Shield], had been captured by goblins in the Misty Forest.
"What? Those goblins actually captured Lady Lyra?"
The Earl had already prepared troops to attack. This might wipe out the goblins in the Misty Forest and drive them deeper inside, where they would soon perish at the hands of beasts.
"I hope Lady Lyra is safe," the villagers whispered anxiously.