"This thing, if it weren't for being packed in this small box, I'm afraid it would have been snatched away by reaching hands when passing by a few cells before," the old dog-headed jailer said, somewhat smugly, as if proud of coming up with such a good idea.
But whether it was Braus's trio or the big man, they didn't care about what it said. Instead, all their attention was focused on the dark red piece of meat.
In the underground world, the environment is not conducive to preserving meat, so it undergoes processes like smoking and pickling. This treatment makes the meat look less appealing than the surface dishes, but for prisoners who have been starving in the cell for a long time, it is definitely the most beautiful food in the world.
However, the edge of this piece of meat seemed to be missing a corner, but Braus, who was about to faint from hunger, didn't notice it at all, which made the guilty old dog-headed jailer breathe a sigh of relief. Although it wasn't as cunning as other goblins, it couldn't resist the temptation of meat and withheld some.
Meat is an absolute rarity in the underground world. Here, there are basically no plants, and mushrooms are definitely not abundant enough to raise livestock, so all the meat comes from hunting monsters roaming the underground passages. Those who participate in the hunt can get a share, but most of it goes to the king and the elders.
The old dog-headed jailer had also heard that if a goblin offered treasures to the king, they would receive some meat and candles as a reward. But it couldn't understand why these three prisoners would be given meat.
"Maybe the king and the elders have their own ideas!"
The not-so-smart brain of the old dog-headed jailer couldn't comprehend such questions, so it shook its head and said, "Take out the meat, and quickly return my box."
Braus cooperatively took out the meat, returned the silver box to the old dog-headed jailer, and then the three of them ran to the corner of the cell with the meat.
The old dog-headed jailer, satisfied, closed the box that still smelled of meat, turned around, and saw the man leaning against the iron bars, saliva almost dripping from his mouth.
"What are you looking at? Is there anything worth seeing! Hurry up and finish the mushroom soup, or I'll take it back!"
Hearing the old dog-headed jailer's urging, the man also came to his senses, picked up the bowl he had just placed on the ground, gulped down the mushroom soup, and then handed the empty bowl back to it.
In the past, he might have chatted with the amiable jailer and savored the mushroom soup. But today, in the presence of meat, he completely lost interest, returned to leaning against the iron bars, and sniffed the aroma of meat again.
"So pathetic!"
With a contemptuous tone, the old dog-headed jailer opened the box, sniffed the lingering fragrance inside, and then contentedly pushed the "food cart" back the way it came.
The big man, who was leaning against the iron bars, wiped his mouth and politely asked, "Three friends? Three brothers and sisters? If you can't finish it, can I..."
"Don't worry, there's no leftovers."
But Alonso suddenly raised his hand to shake.
In this cell, Braus obviously didn't pay much attention to what was said earlier and gave Alonso a third of the meat. As for the mushroom soup, he might still share it with Karla, but the meat was just too precious. It would seem rather unfair not to share it.
"By the way, why are the goblins suddenly so kind? Although I don't know the situation here, meat should always be considered a relatively precious food, right? Why would they give it to us, prisoners who have committed serious crimes?"
Chewing on the meat, Braus voiced his doubts unclearly, then seemed to realize something and exclaimed, "This isn't a last meal, is it?"
"What!"
Alonso and Karla, who were about to taste the meat, almost dropped it upon hearing this.
"Don't scare me like that, Braus brother!"
Karla said, sounding a bit scared.
"No, it can't be a last meal! At least not mine..."
Alonso's voice, however, was only audible to himself.
Previously, Tovagel, the goblin king, had told him that he would be sentenced to death only after making significant contributions to the goblins. So how could he suddenly be having a last meal now?
But who could guarantee the reliability of the goblins' words? To be safe, Alonso looked at the two of them and asked, "What crimes were you sentenced for before you were brought here?"
"Before we were captured, we collected more than seventy candles, and as for the goblins we killed, there were probably more than the candles. The fat goblin, with his belly exposed, said it was a crime worse than death, and that he needed to think carefully about the punishment. Then we were thrown into this cell."
Karla spoke up first. She was really scared now. Hearing Alonso say that this couldn't be a last meal had somewhat reassured her earlier. Now, when asked by the other party, she answered their question without reservation.
"Oh, I think I understand now..."
Rubbing the stubble on his chin, Alonso said with an air of understanding, "I stole fifty-two candles, and although you guys didn't steal as many as me on average, you killed quite a few goblins. So, our crimes should be about the same, and the punishment should be the same too."
When Alonso had told them about his experience earlier, he had deliberately hidden the number of candles he had stolen, fearing that nearby goblins might hear. However, he had disclosed the punishment he had received to the two of them.
"So you mean, the goblin king called Tovagel might want us to help him exterminate the monsters in the underground world together? In that case, the purpose of giving us meat should be to keep us strong enough to fight the monsters."
Braus, also a smart person, heaved a sigh of relief and dispelled his earlier theory of the last meal.
"The underground world is not dominated by goblins (although they think so themselves). There are many more powerful races here. Although they may not be as numerous as the goblins who enjoy breeding, they have terrifying strength. Among them, the most representative are some groups of giant dragons that dwell underground.
However, these powerful races, apart from occasionally catching a few goblins as snacks, hardly ever have any disputes with these little guys. Especially the dragons, who also love gold and treasures, often go to raid the treasures collected by goblins to enrich their own hoards.
What truly threatens the goblins are the various monsters roaming the tunnels. Misfortune moles, noisy creatures, meat-eating modules, and demons that have been increasingly appearing recently, of unknown origin. To deal with these guys, Tovagel, the goblin king, has put in a lot of effort, but the results seem to be not very significant." — "Marlin's Underground Dungeon Adventure Diary"