Chapter 69: Choice? I Want It All!
The two parties at the center of the camp were still continued on “clumsily”.
Because they did not have a professional translator like “Oreo”, both Kento and the kobolds could not understand what the other party meant with full accuracy.
They had to resort to using primitive gestures and make the simplest of communications.
As Su Mo looked on, he slowly understood what their conversation meant.
Kento was probably laying out a plan for the kobolds. He used his fingers to mimic a helicopter’s rotor and seemed close to putting it on his head and flying into the air.
Yet, the stupid kobolds seemed unable to understand the meaning behind it. They woofed twice anxiously when they realized they did not understand a large amount of the gestures made.
After around half an hour, when even Su Mo had gotten tired of watching, the two parties finally finished communicating.
Kento waved his large hand and hollered several times to a few henchmen. A small car was pushed out from a warehouse some distance away.
“Huh? This is saltpeter that has already been collected?”
The saltpeter was white-colored with streaks of brown in it. Su Mo could tell it had high levels of purity even by looking at it through his binoculars.
Compared to nitrates found in feces and urine, saltpeter like this was an essential resource to compete for back when “munitions” first began setting up business.
The kobolds seemed to treat Kento as an equal.
However, the two henchmen did not seem to be so lucky.
Several kobolds could be seen shouting and yelling at the henchmen even from a distance away, a haughty expression on their faces. Yet, the henchmen could only suffer quietly as they did not dare to show their anger.
“If a human ends up like this, they might as well have lost any shred of dignity they ever had. They’re drifting through their days and taking each day as it comes.”
After Su Mo calmed down the urge to kill in his heart, he got up slowly and began retreating.
He had a rough idea of how the plot was going to progress.
It was most likely that the kobold team that had arrived just now was here to transport this shipment of mined saltpeter back to the castle.
“Looks like the kobold leader is no idiot too if he knows that the outside camps should not have massive gunpowder killing machines in their camps outside. Doing so would be giving the kobolds here the ability to support their troops, and they would lose what authority they had.”
“Shame. What a shame. I’m afraid this group of kobolds is going to ship their saltpeter over to me, Su Mo.”
Su Mo barked out a cold laugh. When the distance between them was far enough, he stood up deftly and did not turn to look back as he ran towards the road the kobolds had taken to come here.
Only little children made decisions!
I want everything!
This time, the saltpeter will belong to me, and the kobolds’ lives will also belong to me!
“Move it, everyone. If not, I won’t be able to save your doggish lives if Lord Doug begins throwing blame around.
As Kento watched the kobold team drive off with a truckful of mined saltpeter, he wiped the sweat off his forehead and spoke to the henchmen by his feet in an arrogant and boastful voice.
When the in-game clan translation function was used, one could easily understand what the other person said as long as they were of the human race.
“Yes, Lord Maeda!” The two henchmen hurriedly stood at attention and bowed a 90-degree bow to Kento.
“Hah..” A satisfied expression appeared on Kento’s face when he looked at the two people by him, and he continued speaking.
“Ah, Ying Xiong, I asked you to recruit more people using the game panel. How are you doing? Any progress lately…”
When Ying Xiong, who was standing on the left, heard that, he immediately began shuddering as he braced himself and said:
“Lord Kento, we have phished nearly everyone in the nearby surroundings. Furthermore, many people are already becoming suspicious because those two dogs leaked out information on purpose… We…”
“Idiot!” When Kento heard what Ying Xiong said, a violent look crossed his face as he kicked Ying Xiong in the chest with all his strength.
“How many times have I told you to not call them dogs here but to call them kobold lords instead. Are you a pig? Can’t you understand the human language? If there’s a next time, I’ll make sure you travel to hell and meet those two people from the day before!”
Ying Xiong had been kicked to the ground, and he had an expression of pain as he hurriedly nodded. Bead-sized droplets of sweat rolled from his forehead, but he pursed his lips tightly and did not dare voice out his pain.
When Kento saw the state Ying Xiong was in, he nodded and said to the other person, “Marshall, you’ll come with me!”
Then, Kento turned and walked straight toward one of the rooms in the back. The person named Marshall had a numb expression on their face as they followed along.
In the pitch-black room, the only light came from a small window about the size of a human’s head.
As he stood in the dark, Marshall could not tell what expression was on Kento’s face, who was sitting in front of a table.
A split second later.
“I asked you to make a private collection… Um, how is it going…”
“It’s… It’s done. I didn’t dare hide away too much and only stole small quantities when the mages were asleep. I’ve almost amassed a kilogram!”
“Alright!” The sound of Kento’s almost unhittable excitement rang out from the pitch-black room.
“How about the other task I gave you, to scout out the location of Su Mo’s base, going…”
When Marshall heard Kento say that, he sounded almost ready to cry as he said, “Lord Maeda, amidst the many kobolds I purposely sent toward Su Mo’s shelter the other day, only two exploration teams remain… More than a day has passed, but there still isn’t any message, I’m afraid…”
“Huh?”
“My brothers are too scared to go. Su Mo is a vicious and merciless person who kills people like he’s cutting grass. The shelter is so safe. There’s nothing we can do even if we go there!”
Kento first had an agonized expression on his face when he heard what Marshall had to say but then he began laughing creepily as if everything was going according to plan.
This laughter sounded extraordinarily ominous. Even though the sun was blazing from the sky, and the weather was scorching, Marshall felt as if he had fallen straight into an ice cellar.
“B*llshit. Did you think I asked you to hide those things so we could look at them? I’ve already received the news, hahaha, as long as you place it in a suitable place, you won’t have to lift a finger before he cracks open the shell which he thinks is so strong.”
“When the time comes around, let’s not think of the fact he seems made of stone. As long as you do as I say, even if it’s made of reinforced concrete and is the so-called best shelter in the world, it will still be a fancy grave…”
“When the time comes and we can go in to get his shelter core…”
“Hahaha, once I get that secret, do you think the kobolds will have any authority to stand and speak loudly to me?”
Kento would not let anyone else call them kobolds, but he did so himself without abandon.
A look of disgust instinctively appeared on Marshall’s face when he heard those casual insults, but the expression on his face became serious the very next second.
“That’s right, Marshall. How’s the mission where I asked you to go scout around in the kobold castle!”
Kento laughed recklessly as he stood up from the table and utilized the light shining in to make his way over to the small bed, sit down, and look out the window.
Kobolds did not understand human language.
Kento had the resources and confidence to believe that no kobolds would overhear and expose them even if they discussed such topics in such recklessness here.
“We’ve been to the kobold castle thrice but have only managed to get up to the third floor every time. We weren’t able to enter the fourth and fifth floors. I suspect that’s where they store their gunpowder. Or perhaps… they have some unspeakable secrets hidden there.”
When Marshall finished speaking, he respectfully pulled out a piece of rolled-up yellow paper from his coat and handed it over “respectfully”.
“Fourth floor… fifth floor… looks like there’s a huge secret in this kobold castle too…”
As Kento gazed at the complete distribution of kobolds on the first, second, and third floor as well as the locations where the kobolds stashed their goods in the kobold castle, he nodded and allowed a creepy smile to form on his face as he said:
“Marshall, you’re very good. But remember to be smarter the next time you go over and serve the kobolds. Find a opening to look at what is on the fourth and fifth floor. But remember!”
“Before we get Su Mo’s secret, we must be careful and meticulous. Don’t let anyone catch wind of this!”
“That’s right! And make sure to never let these stupid dogs know anything about Su Mo! I’ll think of a plan for the two missing exploration teams. You will be my most trusted general when we take over the kobold castle!”
“You and I will establish order in the new world. When the time comes, beauty, wealth, safety…”
“All this will be at your disposal!”
As Kento finished speaking, he turned to face the light and laughed recklessly as he hugged the map to his chest. He seemed to have already begun imagining the wonderful days of the future!
The expressions on Marshall’s face changed rapidly in the dark.
From anger to recklessness.
From recklessness to calmness.
Finally, it changed from calm to a cold, imperceptible smile as he clutched his curled fists.
Marshall said in an obedient voice:
“Yes, sir, Lord Maeda. I will not betray your trust!”
“The new world will belong to us!”