It took 2 days for the rain to finally stop, but once it did the air was both sweet and rancid. To my surprise the rancid smell came from the mud rather than the corpses. Nothing touched the corpses so they were still around. As they began to sit around though they gave off a sweet smell. Eventually i figured out why they gave off a somewhat sweet smell. It was the small monster cores that were buried in each of their bodies.
I gave some thought and carved out each stone before digging 12 holes just outside the camp. After burying each body to prevent any unwanted attention. I ate each of the cores one after the other. I received a few notifications that repeated.
I looked at the 3 of the none repeated messages. It made me realize two things, the goblin that was bigger than the others had a literal goblin core. While the others all had lesser monster cores. So it was a higher level than the others and all that. Which meant I killed them so easily due to my level difference. The bigger goblin seemed to be level 10 while I was now level 23.
Bright-side eating its core gave me a translation guide. Actually I had 3 new entries, the first two were about the cores I ate. While the last was the translation guide. However I couldn't find it at first and I had to use the table of contents for my entries to find it.
To my surprise the skill it showed I could receive actually had a sub entry. Which just read the languages I knew. Which meant the skill was like skill that grouped all the languages one can learn. I would need to learn that skill for the real entry.
I looked around the rest of the camp and decided to fix it to what I needed.Most of the structures the goblins made couldn't accommodate me so I scrapped them in favor of making a large front house structure on the out-cove. I fixed the leaks and looked through the stuff the goblins had left behind.
I had ultimately found nothing useful. I looked at the new camp, it had took all day. However I had made something akin to a house you would see from a video game actually. Which left me to sleep again.
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I yawned in the morning as I got up. I had a few things I needed to do. Get food, water and check the farm house again. Starting with food I could just eat plants around. Which left water i knew water had to be nearby due to the goblin's camp. So I looked along their trails and found one that led north.
So I followed it as I traveled I realized the forest was scary in how calm it was. besides the goblins I had evicted it was all just herbivores. Not even when i found the river that goblins used for a water source had I found any sign of wolves, bears or any kind of predator.
I ran my hand in the water and drank some.
"Kava shu?"
I jumped as I heard the voice. I fell back as I found the eyes of some kind of reptile stare back at me. The creatures body was shaded by the forest until it stepped out into the river. It looked at me then sighed.
"Is telepathy really required to talk to you new one?"
I paused, unable to really speak.
The creatures rolled its eyes as it sat down. "Would you like me to teach you common tongue then? It is a simple matter."
That would be great if i could be taught th- "OH MY GOD!" I slumped as I held my head in pain.
The creature giggled, "Ah, I forgot it hurts those who are not psychic. My apologizes."
I mouthed the words, then spoke, "Thanks for the language, but who or what are you?"
"I am a Kirin, the um... Guardian? Yes, the guardian of the forest here. My name is Merli."
Oh, that was neat. "Are you the reason why I can't seem to find any wolves or what not?"
The Kirin look at me before laughing, "Nah, wolves just don't live within this forest. Bears do though, just they are still hibernating."
Oh, "Why are you uh introducing yourself to me?"
Merli stared before coughing, "I uh.... Well.... I'm not really good at my job of guardian. Never really wanted to, just got the job cause I'm a Kirin."
I raised a finger, "What does that have anything to with me?"
"Well you made those goblins leave! They will likely go north and try to become a vassal of the orc tribe there. Which is one of the things I want to talk to you about! Can you, help me. You know.... Evict or control the tribes of monsters in this forest?"
I looked at Merli and I felt my mouth frown slightly. "Why?"
Merli looked down in shame, "Well I'm a Kirin, so I can't really fight and intimidate other monsters. So I can't stop the monster tribes from their war with each other. Which would be fine normally, but humans have been expanding their borders and most of those which come here are not the kind you want to be here."
I raised and eyebrow as Merli bent its head down and sipped at the water. "Monster god worshipers mostly, they think they are helping monsters and all, but monsters like myself are just put in harms way. Not to mention it means if the monsters in this forest become a 'problem' humans will preform a monster hunt. Those are never good, I had to hide during the last one."
I scratched my chin. before turning around. I heard a shuffle and Merli jumped across the river. "Look I know you may think its not worth it, but listen. I'll do whatever you need! I'm psychic so I can teach you all kinds of stuff! Information is a Kirin's currency after all!"
Merli trotted up to beside me and I could see a smile on its face. "Come on! You will get stronger, and uh... you can become a king!"
"That isn't really appealing."
Merli stopped and I heard a barely audible whisper.
"Please?"
I turned around and the look on Merli's face was... I scratched my head I wasn't one to pry into people's personal matters. However it was clear Merli was one of those cases. "Why me then?"
Merli perked up and the joy was evident. "Like I said Kirin's are psychic! So I can read one's heart! So I can tell, you won't take advantage of me!"
I sighed, this was the second person who had 'helped' me. Though Merli really had helped me without expected me to accept its request. "Fine! Fine! You gotta teach me everything I want to know and whatever else I ask alright!"
"Yeah sure, You want me to cook for you right? While I am around you won't have to eat any grass! Unless you want to..."
"Riiiight."