"How is it? Can the Construct be opened?" Glok asked the village researcher wearing a lab coat and glasses. He stood beside the bed, holding a manual about Constructs.
"No, young master. I've tried various methods as stated in this book. But this iron Construct is truly different from the others," he replied with a regretful expression. For the first time in his life, he couldn't find another way. Usually, even if he couldn't find a solution, there would be another way to solve it. "As you said, young master, this Construct is unique. Especially with a human controlling it from within."
Glok was surprised to hear that. He hadn't expected the person to be truly human because compared to other races, humans are the race with the least amount of mana, except for a few of them and their physical strength couldn't possibly move this Construct. He had thought that at least the person was an elf. A race with the most mana and the ability to control tree golems from within.
"What should we do now? We can't heal it without directly applying magic to the wound area," Glok said, puzzled with a worried expression, looking at the iron Construct's body that was still bleeding, though not as much as before. Healing magic needed to be directly applied to the wound area to close it; otherwise, it would take a very long time and a considerable amount of mana to heal. That's if he had mana inside his body.
The village leader entered the room, Glok's father, who was even larger than him, although Glok himself was quite large for a goblin. He wore a cape made of monster fur in white, adorned with a headband made of tree roots, a gift from the elves when the goblins came to help face the monsters at the Golden Core level.
As Glok's father entered the room, the atmosphere began to change. Something that always happened and could even make everyone quiet, feeling the presence of greatness. An aura that didn't come from how strong the person was, but how respected and loved they were by their people. The aura of a great leader, a figure of dreams for Glok, who also wanted to be a great leader like his father.
"How is the progress with the iron Construct?" asked his father, his voice soft but firm.
The researcher said the same thing, causing Glok's father to furrow his brow. From the continuous bleeding, he knew the human's wound was not minor. From the soldiers' stories as well, he worried that the human in front of them wouldn't last long. However, they also knew little about Constructs
"We need to take him to the elves," said his father, surprising both Glok and the researcher. It wasn't that they didn't want to, but just the presence of the iron Construct had already shaken the entire village. Even if they said not to talk about it, there would still be one or two words that would reach the ears of outsiders. If they took him to the elves, it would be much harder to stop the spread of stories about it.
Unsaid but understood, this iron Construct with a human inside was something mysterious and best left unexplored. Moreover, from Glok's and the soldiers' stories, its power surpassed the heroes. If someone like that had never been heard of until now, it meant they had chosen to live in silence, and his father wanted to respect that decision, although he wondered why someone so powerful didn't help the human race who were in turmoil due to the betrayal of one of the major kingdoms.
Perhaps he was the reason.
Whatever it was, his father had no intention of finding out more without permission and didn't want to bring a big problem to their village. Although their village was strong for goblin standards, it still couldn't face a much larger kingdom, which undoubtedly had heroes as their main strength.
"But only humans understand Constructs better, considering they were the ones who discovered them in the first place," Glok said after pondering the possibilities. "Besides, he is also a human, father. There should be no problem if we take him back to them. Rather than taking him to the elves who might not accept him well."
Not because the elves were hostile to humans, but because of the plight of the humans who were once again in turmoil. The treacherous major kingdom would not let other races live peacefully if they reached out to humans. They still weren't sure why humans would betray each other. However, it had become common knowledge that the human race was always driven by greed and willing to sacrifice their own people to satisfy it.
His father shook his head, "No, we still don't know for sure where he comes from. If he's from one of the major kingdoms opposing that kingdom, our village will be destroyed by them. We can't help humans recklessly, Glok. Only through the elves can we hide the fact that he's a human and provide him assistance." He turned to the researcher, asking, "How many people know he's a human?"
"Only the three of us, village head. I was the first to find out through the 'Status Window'," the researcher explained.
"Ah, right, you have the skill to see others' Status Window," replied his father, who for some reason felt they had invited a significant problem to come. His heart had been uneasy ever since the iron Construct was brought into the village. Something that only happened when trouble was lurking in the shadows.
"In other words, we just need to hide it from those who have that skill," Glok responded cheerfully, but quickly replaced by uncertainty. "But... will the elves accept this? If both races are known to help a human, no matter which village they comes from, our race will continue to be exterminated by that kingdom."
"Are you afraid?" asked his father, looking at Glok with sharp eyes.
Glok bit his lip, nodding in agreement.
"Good, that means you're not swayed by your power. Something that is often forgotten, while only with it can you continue to move forward while maintaining your sanity," said his father, approaching Glok and patting his shoulder a few times. "Glok, you need to take this human to meet the elves who are on their way to 'that' place. I've sent a message to the elf elders, and they said they would investigate further after seeing this iron Construct with their own eyes."
Glok took a deep breath, steeling himself before saying, "Alright, I'll do it. Since you already determined, I won't question it anymore," with full confidence.
His father laughed, proud to see his son matured, patting Glok's back a few times, forgetting about his own strength and causing Glok to cough a few times. "Good, good! I knew you wouldn't refuse; you want to save that human no matter what, right?" A smile formed on his face. "I want that too. He's your savior; I won't let him suffer, let alone die. We'll do the same."
"But how do I take him there without anyone else knowing? The kingdom's spies are always everywhere, and we need something to hide him... The Moon Festival!" exclaimed Glok, realizing his father's plan.
His father's grin widened. "Exactly! Plus, you'll be the one to conduct the 'Blessing' this year. Killing two birds with one stone."
"Alright, even though I don't know how you'll face the village elders, I'll do it. Let's hope mother doesn't make you sleep outside again," Glok said with a wide grin, imagining his father being kicked out of the house again for constantly worrying his mother.
The village head laughed nervously, not wanting to face his wife's terrible wrath. "Haha... You don't have to remind me of that, Glok. When I get home, please say a few kind words about me, alright?" he requested.
"Oh? Didn't you always say, 'If there's paynment, there's a deal'?"
The village head clenched his fists, forcing a stiff smile, holding back his annoyance because that was the lesson he imparted to his son: not to always grant requests for free. Moreover, Glok was to be the next village head. Otherwise, he'd be easily manipulated by others. "Alright, alright. What do you want?" he asked, giving in after a sigh.
"I want to marry Teena."
The village head instantly choked, unable to believe what he had just heard. Meanwhile, Teena's steps and the movements of Glok's two best friends halted in the corridor upon hearing his words. Teena's face turned bright red, her heart pounding rapidly, not expecting that Glok also loved her, let alone wanted to marry her.