The next day, Lance asked for a census to be taken so he could know what he was dealing with, and how many the tribe was now. The census was prepared by a female goblin from Lance's clan, and after a bit, the report came back.
His brow furrowed slightly as he heard the final count.
"Forty-six," he murmured, running a hand through his hair. Combined with his original fifty-three goblins, the tribe now numbered a little over one hundred.
'That's great.' He thought to himself.
Turning to the lingering goblin, Lance gave her a nod, "good work. You can go now." He said. The goblin smiled warmly while offering a bow before leaving.
Within that forty-six, the males alone were 30, while the rest were female. The only slight drawback, was that the males who were at least of ages 12 to 40, were only 13 or so, the others were either too old or too young, with the elders being the only old ones, just three of them. Regardless, it was still doable.
As for the females, they were equally as important, after all, population mattered, and diversity also mattered. With the goblins of Lance's tribe originally, almost all of them were more happy to be improving their fighting or something related to it, following their seniors' footsteps, the addition of these new ones would help shift things a bit in that regard.
He set the report aside and called a meeting with Lia, Rynne, and Mira. He would also call Kaeli, but she seldom participated in small meetings, choosing to engross herself in her work instead.
The meeting itself was straight forward. The camp had to expand. New shelters, additional farmland, and stronger fortifications were necessary to accommodate their growing numbers. They already knew this would be coming, so there was not much to go over.
…
The goblins got to work immediately. Lance left the work to Lia, Zarra and Rynne to handle. Under their direction, groups were formed to tackle different tasks. Some were tasked with chopping wood and gathering materials, while others dug trenches and laid the foundation for an expanded perimeter fence.
Before all that, however, the new goblins had some learning to do, but the males amongst them who were already accustomed to swinging swords found it rather easy to catch on fast. They soon realized that there was no gender favourability in their new tribe, what party A could do, party B could equally do.
At the edge of the camp, the rhythmic sound of axes echoed as goblins felled medium sized trees, even though their speed was nothing close to what could be accomplished with tools. Rynne led a team to scout nearby areas for resources, ensuring they didn't deplete the surrounding forest too much, just as they had been doing, something they learned from Lance.
"Keep your swings steady," Rikka instructed a young goblin struggling with an axe, well, the goblin was only a few years younger. "You'll tire yourself out if you're too wild."
The goblin nodded, adjusting his grip and following her advice. Honestly, he didn't seem to understand what she meant, but nothing was mastered in one day, Rikka thought to herself, choosing to let experience be the goblin's teacher.
As their work progressed, they soon ran into a problem, though it was something they had already anticipated.
After clearing much of the surrounding trees, the trees standing now were old and more than matured trees, their log too stern to be hacked with the tools they had. For this issue, Lance had two ideas. Either they ignored any such tree and go around it, or they waited until they had the tools needed. For now, they would halt their actions, they already had enough space to accommodate the new members of the tribe. They just needed to manage the space a little.
…
A week passed, and the first signs of progress became visible. The fence had been extended, and a few additional tents had been erected. While the work was grueling, the goblins from both groups worked side by side, their camaraderie slowly growing.
Mira organized a rotation for rest and meals, ensuring that no one overexerted themselves. She also used her healing skills to treat blisters, sprains, and other minor injuries that arose during the labor.
The goblins themselves, despite the labour, had already shown improvement in physique.
…
By the second week, the goblins began to settle into their roles within the tribe.
Some of the newcomers, who had experience with farming, joined Mira in preparing new plots of land for cultivation. Mira's knowledge of soil and planting methods amazed them, and under her guidance, they planted seeds for crops that would sustain the tribe through the coming months.
"You'll see," Mira said, her voice brimming with confidence. "With proper care, this land will give us more than enough to eat."
"I've never thought of such a method before. You're amazing." An older goblin said, her eyes holding high praise for Mira.
"Not at all, I didn't do much. This is all our chief's idea, you see. We used to suffer from food problems, not having enough to eat, but he then, our chief came up with a lot of ideas to solve the problem, this is just one of them!" Mira said excitedly, her story laced with a bit of exaggeration.
The other goblins listened with surprised and fascinated faces. Whether they were aware or not, some form of indoctrination was taking place. Even the vehicle for it had no idea what she was doing in that regard.
A bunch of the new goblins joined Rynne's training to become warriors. Dran quickly proved himself to be a rather capable fighter. His skill with a spear impressed Rynne, who even considered mentoring him personally.
…
By the end of the month, the transformation was remarkable. The expanded fence now encircled the entire camp and additional tents provided shelter for the newcomers.
The integration of the two groups was not without its challenges, though. There were moments of tension, misunderstandings, and even a few minor disputes; but under steady leadership from Lance and Lia, these issues were resolved quickly and simply.
One evening, as the tribe gathered around the fire, Lance stood to address them.
"Look at what we've built together," he said, his voice carrying across the crowd. "A month ago, we were two separate groups, each struggling to survive. Now, we are one tribe. Stronger, united, and ready for whatever comes next. We will continue like this, and no matter what obstacle comes before us, we will conquer." He said, his voice firm and resolute.
Cheers erupted from the goblins, their faces glowing with pride and hope.
…
Later that night, when most activities had quieted down, Lance noticed Lia sitting before the fire, studying several scrolls spread out on the floor, so he walked up to her.
"Find anything interesting?" Lance asked, leaning closer.
"Plenty," Lia said without looking up. "But I can't understand any of it."
"Well, we've got time," Lance said, smiling. 'I hope.'
"For now," Lia replied, her tone soft but thoughtful.
Lance nodded. For now, things were moving in the right direction. But he knew the peace wouldn't last forever, not with such an existence like a demon lord existing in this world, and he was sure that these texts, the ruins, and the metal plate with strange symbols were all pointing towards something like that. He could only pray that him discovering these things didn't mean anything significant.
"Perhaps, in future, if we make contact with other races, they might know something." Lance said.
"Maybe."