Goblin Workshop In Me

[Sorry for the delay, this series will be fully uploaded by Christmas.]

126. An Unexpected Reunion

The fierce wind froze the ground under the people clinging to each other to preserve what little warmth they had. It was still the end of November, so it was cozy during the day. However, the sky had been overcast for the past few days, and now, it had a color like ash. The damp cold persisted even though it was noon.

“It looks like it’s going to snow.”

Ko Byeong-gap frowned as he glanced up at the sky.

“I’m going to make shaved ice when it snows. No, maybe sorbet?”

“Even elementary school students don’t think like that these days.”

“I mean, Ashvilam doesn’t have enough snacks. I want to eat something sweet. Something like a parfait.”

Jeong Seon-kyung ignored Ko Byeong-gap’s comment and recited her desires. He asked with a small sigh.

“So, how many?”

“I don’t know. Maybe three? Including monsters, it’s about ten.”

Ko Byeong-gap made a similar estimation. He calmly turned to the man who stood by the entrance of the collapsed grocery store.

“Tell the people inside to get ready.”

“Yes.”

The man hurried into the mart. After a while, a group of people and monsters appeared on the other side of the road, glaring their way.

“Are they Pokémon trainers or what? Every time I see them, I get goosebumps.”

Jeong Seon-kyung drew her ax, and Ko Byeong-gap grabbed the sword at his waist. Suddenly, the enemies rushed them. It was similar to what they inferred: five people and seven monsters.

Ko Byeong-gap and Jeong Seon-kyung gladly responded. Their weapons mercilessly decapitated their enemies and displayed the overwhelming difference in their abilities. If they weren’t stupid, then why did they start such a foolish fight? It was because the two were deliberately hiding their presence.

After eradicating them, Ko Byeong-gap shouted.

“Come out. We have to move on.”

“Oh, yeah! We’ll go right away!”

The workers gathered various items into their carts, such as canned food and household items. Once they were done, Ko Byeong-gap immediately opened the door to Ashvilam for them to run through. When the last person passed through, Jeong Seon-kyung spoke with annoyance.

“They’re gathering like bees!”

As she said, many new presences were coming their way. If they made even a little fuss, they would show up.

“Hey, let’s move on.”

“Okay.”

Ko Byeong-gap and Jeong Seon-kyung crossed the door. The light was unable to find them that day.

***

Ko Byeong-gap stood on the highest wall in Valtadren. When he was there, he could see a panoramic view of the city spread out below.

“It’s fascinating.”

When he had just left Somnium and set up a new home in Valtadren, this place was in ruins. The dead land was cleared, crops were planted, collapsed buildings were demolished, and new buildings were constructed. Indeed, he worked tirelessly with the Goblins. As a result, such a wonderful city was born. In addition, the Goblins weren’t the only ones in Valtadren. There were also Spirits and humans.

Ko Byeong-gap turned his head slightly. He could see a small basin next to the center of Valtadren where the Goblins lived together. It was Insula, where the Spirits lived, and next to it was another wide wall. That was Polis, where the humans lived.

‘There are more than 9,000 humans already.’

Like what the Six-rays Bridge said, two months had passed since Judgment Day, and Ko Byeong-gap worked with the hunters over the past two months to collect survivors. As a result, there were more humans in Ashvilam than Goblins. The number of Goblins was a little over 4,000, which meant the humans more than doubled their ranks.

Although it was good to say that several thousand residents had been saved, considering that Seoul had over 10 million citizens, it was only a small part of it. Refugee rescue was still underway, and as the population increased, inevitably, various difficulties arose. The most troubling thing was, by far, the food shortage.

“Ashvilam has never suffered from food shortages before… whew.”

Since they started collecting humans, all the food stocked in Ashvilam had been released. It wasn’t enough, so they had been airlifting food to and from Earth. The farmland was expanded to an extent, and more than 80% of the human members were put to farming, so they regained some stability. But, if it hadn’t been for the growth potion, all of them would’ve starved to death.

In addition to eating and living, conflicts, non-cooperation, collective fear, and madness between species also worried Ko Byeong-gap. However, such problems could be solved more easily than the food shortage. In this, he actively accepted Landriol’s advice.

‘If there are any seeds that create chaos, kick them out without tolerance.’

He was the Goblin Lord. He unconditionally prioritized the Goblins over humans. If anything would harm their symbiosis even in the slightest, it was chased away without blood or tears. They cried and repented afterward, but there was no mercy. Thanks to the charm of Ko Byeong-gap, as Landriol said, he was able to get people’s approval despite such terror.

It wasn’t just thanks to his charm, however. Ko Byeong-gap handled the Goblins, ruled over their large territories and farmland, and provided food and sleep for refugees. In addition to that, he built strong acquaintances with influential people. Anyone with common sense followed Ko Byeong-gap to survive, which was why their small society could be maintained.

‘Even so, the current Ashvilam is like a boiling kettle. I don’t know how much longer we can endure in this state. We’ll have to find an essential solution.’

Ko Byeong-gap sorted out his thoughts while smoking through his dwindling supply of cigarettes. It was then a small puff of black smoke swirled to his side. Dorma walked out of it.

“Lord, you are here.”

“Oh, Dorma. Why? Are you looking for me?”

“Yes, because Lord didn’t attend the meeting…”

“Ah!”

Ko Byeong-gap slapped his forehead. He checked the clock reflexively.

“Hey… I’m sorry. I forgot.”

“It’s fine. However, the humans were curious about where you were, Lord.”

“Okay, let’s hurry up and go.”

“Come with me.”

Ko Byeong-gap and Dorma went into the black vortex. In the next moment, he was teleported to the council located in the heart of Valtadren. There was a long table in the conference hall, with about thirty people seated.

“Lord, you’re here!”

The goblins stood in unison and greeted Ko Byeong-gap.

“Hey! What were you doing that you came just now?”

“I had something to do. I’m sorry I’m late.”

“No, it’s okay because you’ve arrived. Come on, sit down.”

Ko Byeong-gap sat down at the end of the table. There were twenty-four humans, eight Goblins, and one Spirit. The Spirit Kunta, sitting at the end of the table, scratched his chin and grumbled.

“But why do you keep calling me? Sitting here for a couple of hours, there’s nothing else to say or hear.”

“Haha, but shouldn’t we still discuss these things?”

Ko Byeong-gap trembled as he replied.

“What… then I’ll tell you in advance. I think it would be okay if the Spirits continued to take charge of the security missions inside and outside the castle. Everyone has no complaints and is satisfied with what they are doing.”

“Is that right? That’s a relief.”

“Now, I just need to be like a stone statue.”

Kunta leaned heavily against his chair’s backrest. Ko Byeong-gap turned to the humans next.

“How about the newcomers?”

“It’s the same. They’re not adjusting at all, but you won’t have to worry too much. As everyone else did, they will gradually get used to the rules here.”

S-class hunter Seo Han-woong answered casually. It was thanks to Dorma’s magic that he understood Ashvilam’s language. This broke down the wall of communication between humans and the Goblins.

“If any impure seeds are detected, please take action. As you know, the moment the order here collapses, there will be a storm.”

“I know.”

“There’s been no disputes recently, right?”

Ko Byeong-gap asked Doran. She nodded.

“Yes, there haven’t been. Lord told us not to wander around where humans live for no reason.”

“I did. Do you have any complaints?”

“Who would be dissatisfied with Lord’s order?”

Ko Byeong-gap smacked his lips. They then discussed the status, needs, and food conditions of the refugees before moving on to the main point of the meeting.

“…So, I found some gathering places for Illumination. Among them, the one in Yeouido was the largest.”

Hunter Shin Ye-ji left on a search mission and only returned that day to report.

“Shouldn’t we fight back from here? If we just avoid them like this, we’ll end up playing in their hands.”

“But the difference in size is too big to face them head-on. Since even monsters are under their command, we don’t have enough talent to beat them if they push us, right?”

“We might miss the people who are still alive while you’re doing that.”

Public opinion was divided into two parts. The hardline group wished for a full-fledged war to wipe out Illumination, and the moderates wanted to prioritize accepting refugees by implementing guerrilla tactics as they currently did. Among the moderates, again…

“But we still have to overcome Illumination and reclaim our home, Earth.”

“Can’t we just stay here? Is there a need to be obsessed with returning to Earth?”

The debate continued until night fell. Ko Byeong-gap felt his temples throbbing as a flurry of opinions assailed him. For reference, his position was closer to the hardliners. He also thought he shouldn’t let Illumination be anymore. However, as the moderates claimed, they lacked the power to wage an all-out war.

‘If there was only one more person who could open the door….’

The operation could be divided into infiltration groups and manned groups if only one like Ko Byeong-gap. However, if such an operation were carried out under the current circumstances, one of the two would surely be wiped out.

He thought this meeting would end without concluding. At that moment, the door of the conference room suddenly opened, and a Goblin soldier entered.

“Lo-Lord!”

“What’s going on?”

The soldier’s voice was urgent. Everyone in the conference room turned their attention to him. The Goblin soldier barely spoke after catching his breath.

“A monster has appeared!”

“Monster? Are you talking about that?”

“No. Uh… it’s a little hard to explain in words.”

“Byeong-gap, let’s go!”

“Okay.”

Ko Byeong-gap hurriedly raised himself. Everyone attending the meeting followed him as they were guided by the Goblin soldier to where the monster was sighted. It was already chaotic as drums rattled off the emergency signal.

Finally, they arrived at the south gate of Valtadren. Though it was quite far from the human residences, it was crowded with hunters who came out to see. Ko Byeong-gap spotted the huge mass visible beyond the fortress wall. However, he couldn’t see any details because it was night.

A light rose above its body and illuminated it. Finally, the mass was fully revealed. Those climbing the wall sighed.

“Hey, what’s that? What’s it called?”

“It’s a monster!”

“But it’s a mess…? Would it die if we leave it alone?”

“Lord is that…?”

“It looks dangerous. Should we attack? Give us an order.”

“…”

Ko Byeong-gap pursed his lips, then shouted after a moment of thought.

“Everyone stop! That’s not an enemy! Drop your weapons!”

He jumped down from the wall and ran toward the dragon.