Chapter 53: Exploitation and Inducement (Please keep reading)

The goblin at the very front said with a long face, "Noble sir, we are willing to pay tribute, but the quantity is too much. We cannot produce this much. Look, this is all we have... it's all right here. If you wish, you could pick a few people from our tribe... let them serve as servants to the Great One..."

What the goblin presented was a crudely made deerhide pouch. One could tell at a glance it was made from raw hide; not only did it have a pungent odor, but it was also not durable. Before long, it would be riddled with holes from various insects.

However, the contents inside made Gavin's eyes light up. It was one of the primary objectives of his trip—spirit crystals.

Only, the quantity was small. Even combined, the various scraps were not larger than a goblin's fist.

Gavin's expression remained unchanged. Stroking his chin, he said, "Not enough. Far from enough. This is at most enough tribute for two people; it is nowhere near enough to repay the price of your betrayal."

"We truly only have this much." The goblin looked as if he were about to burst into tears. "What we dug up before has all been given to Lord Hou... Aside from my clansmen, we have nothing left... All the food was eaten by that damned troll. He even ate three of our people. It's really not that we wanted to invite him; he came to our door himself... We didn't dare provoke him... If this isn't enough, I can pick a few more for the Great Ones."

"Today, we will believe you once. The deficit must be made up within the next ten days. If you fail to make up the difference, do not blame me for leveling your nest. Next time, I will only accept this kind of crystal," Gavin said with a cold face, like a debt-collecting slave driver. "Do not haggle. If you lack manpower, you can work with the leaders of the surrounding goblin nests to find a solution. As long as you can collectively produce five times this amount of ore, I guarantee you will not be harassed again."

"Really?" The goblin's face lit up with pleasant surprise.

If using these crystals as tribute, they wouldn't be particularly worried; they would simply drive their clansmen to dig more, as the caves were full of them.

It wasn't that they hadn't thought of using them as tribute before, but Lord Hou had little interest in them. He was more interested in food, especially meat. He would only accept these crystals when he truly had no other choice.

The problem was, they often didn't even have enough food for themselves, making it even harder to squeeze out a portion for tribute.

"Do I have any reason to lie to you?" Gavin gave a condescending snort. "In addition to the mandatory tribute, if you dig up surplus crystals, you can bring them to Black Well to find me. I will provide a fair valuation and exchange them for mining tools and food. Rest assured, I will give you a good price."

Having confirmed that this was the location of the crystal vein he needed, Gavin immediately made minor adjustments to his original plan.

Instead of simple, crude exploitation, he would combine exploitation with incentives. This method would maximize their motivation to mine.

In particular, once they obtained large amounts of food from Black Well through trade, they would quickly become the "Black Well" of the goblins, enticing the surrounding scattered goblin tribes to come and seek refuge.

"No need, absolutely no need! I was overthinking it. We will definitely, definitely dig more crystals to offer to the Great One." The goblin's large eyes darted around; clearly, he did not believe Gavin's promise at all.

Gavin didn't expect them to believe him. Having always followed the law of the jungle, they only believed in themselves and their own eyes. To gain their basic trust, he would have to wait until the first transaction was completed.

Thus, Gavin wasted no more words. He picked up the crystal pouch and turned to leave.

In addition, Gavin had the half-ogre carry the troll's corpse back to the Black Well tribe.

A troll's corpse was a treasure trove in itself.

Troll blood was a core ingredient for refining regeneration potions.

Where troll meat was buried, a special herb called the Regeneration Flower would grow; it was a common auxiliary ingredient for many potions and commanded a very high price.

Weapon masters loved troll bones; they could be used to make weapon hilts, which often carried magic effects related to regeneration.

As for the moral burden, even if a Paladin were present, they would not say much about such a matter.

These creatures, born naturally lazy and evil, were less endearing and less likable than a hardworking ox.

If necessary, even an ox could be skinned and deboned to become a delicacy on the table, let alone a dead troll. As long as the magical potions worked well, who cared what materials were used or whether the growth process was evil?

"Lord, Lord! A caravan, a caravan! A huge human caravan has arrived at the tribe! The merchant leading them says he is a friend of the Great One. Zack sent me to notify you!" A tall, sturdy kobold shouted breathlessly while sprinting toward Gavin.

This was Fangtooth, the former leader of the Pale Fang tribe and the current chief kobold warrior of the Black Well tribe.

"I know," Gavin nodded expressionlessly, though a hint of joy stirred in his heart. They had finally arrived.

He didn't need to ask to know they were likely his sponsors; only they knew about the Black Well tribe and Gavin.

To gain a foothold in the Rocklands, merely subjugating a few kobold tribes was not enough.

The most important thing was the support of human merchants like Bed.

One should never underestimate the power of these merchants. They possessed unimaginable connections, wealth, and resources—especially the energy they unleashed when they smelled a business opportunity.

What Gavin needed was their connections. He needed them to help him transport the specialties of the Rocklands out and bring the things he needed in. As for the fat profits made in the middle, that was their due.

Only a win-win situation could bind them to his chariot and drive it forward.

*Woof... woof...*

Even before reaching the Black Well tribe, the intermittent barking of kobolds could be heard, making it as lively as a rural market.

Just as Gavin appeared, a round figure came rushing toward him, shouting as he ran, "Brother Gavin! Brother Gavin! You're finally back! We've been waiting for you so hard!"

Of all the people who were so stout, yet so agile, and knew him, Gavin only knew one person—Bed Sage.

Bed seemed to want to give Gavin a warm hug, but he abruptly braked himself.

This was because the half-ogre was standing in front of Gavin like an iron tower. Had Gavin not shouted a timely command, the massive wooden club would have come crashing down.

"Cough, cough..." Bed tilted his head back to size up the half-ogre, swallowing several times before cautiously backing away further. "Brother Gavin, the moment I saw you, I knew you weren't an ordinary man. I didn't expect you to be so... so heroic, to have made such a huge commotion here in such a short time. Everything here is simply beyond our imagination..."

"Hou, take the corpse to Anna and get a bucket of ale. It's not the remuneration we agreed upon this morning, but a reward for your loyalty just now. Go," Gavin said, dismissing the half-ogre first.

"Ale?! Okay, okay!" Upon hearing this, the half-ogre shouted with joy, hoisted the troll corpse, and strode off toward the young priestess.

The Black Well tribe instantly fell into a state of chaotic commotion.

The half-ogre knew nothing of politeness; he ran in straight lines, and the kobolds along the way scrambled to dodge him, fearing they would be knocked flying.

Gavin felt a headache coming on and shouted loudly, "Slow down! If you knock over a carriage or knock someone flying, the ale reward is revoked!"

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" The half-ogre braked immediately, moving cautiously like a thief to avoid everyone.

(End of Chapter)