The further north you go, the more monotonous the scenery becomes, and the warm wooden houses are gradually replaced by boxy and old-fashioned stone houses, and there are no gardens and vegetable gardens in front of and behind the houses, but sheds for livestock and piles of wood. The gaze cast at them gradually changed from curiosity to strangeness, wariness, and even slight hostility.

The girls, who had been chatting all the way, began to fall silent, and the tension made Ed uncomfortable. At this time, he wished that Tess still had the spirit to bully him.

On the tenth day of their departure, they arrived at Cam, the second largest city in Anktan, and like Visa, it sits on the banks of the Vinz River, where the river makes a great bend around the city to the east and continues south.

In the bustling streets of every city, they are no longer so visible. The tense nerves relaxed, and the girls quickly regained their vitality. Tess managed to buy a small box of unpolished garnets, one of the most abundant gemstones in Anktan, at a very low price, but people in this country are not very good at working it into more attractive jewelry.

"Norvi can do a lot of things out of this, and garnet is very popular in Stunbuch. Tess said happily.

"Why do you still make jewelry?" asked Narya, curious, "I thought you were a warrior. ”

"My father taught me. "Norvi rarely talks about his family," he said, designing and making jewelry for the Elven royal family. ”

"He can cook, you're going to love his craft. Tess quietly steered the conversation away.

Naria's eyes lit up, "I like to cook too!"

As they began to discuss how the different ingredients should be combined, Norway gave Tess a grateful glance.

She smiled back and continued to look around curiously. Ed walked ahead of her, struggling to make his way through the growing crowd with his body. Compared to the generally burly Anktan, he was a little thin.

"I think we're on the wrong track!" he said breathlessly.

The front looks like it's getting through.

They tried to retreat, but it seemed to be going against the current, and it became more and more difficult, and they could only be pushed forward by the crowd.

"What the hell is going on!" cried Tess, her feet almost off the ground, and Moqi was so squeezed that she jumped onto the hat of the tallest elf, and lay there refusing to get down.

"What animals are being sold in front. Norway squinted, "No...... That's not an animal. ”

His face sank: "That's a goblin." ”.

They eventually squeezed to the front with the little mess Mochi had created. In one corner of the square was a small platform, on which a man wrapped in the fur of an unknown animal was shouting loudly.

"The last goblin in the world!Evil little monster!Green-skinned little goblin!Sign a contract to become its master, and it will obey any orders you make......"

In the center of the platform, a small, green-skinned monster was chained there, wrapped in a mess of cloth and shaking. It was about the height of a human child about ten years old, with countless deep lines on its small face, crumpled into a ball, its nose collapsed to almost two nostrils, its protruding round eyes full of fear, which took up half of its face, and its oversized green pointed ears were tattered and tattered around the edges, as if it had been gnawed by some animal.

"I thought the goblins were dead hundreds of years ago. Tess wrinkled in disgust, "It's really ...... It's ugly. ”

"Can goblins be sold?" asked Naria, confused, unable to say she liked goblins—but the situation still made her uncomfortable.

"Once upon a time, people just killed them. "That's when goblins will attack human villages in hordes, even lone elves and dwarves, snatching everything they can take and destroying everything they can't." ”

But humanity's power is growing, and they can't afford to allow this creature, which is clearly weaker and inferior than humans, to pose any threat. They organized a powerful force to attack one goblin lair after another, killing every goblin alive.

Elves and dwarves alike acquiesced in such behavior, the orcs had long since taken care of themselves, and the goblins were not good at uniting to fight for their own survival. In less than a hundred years, the goblins of the entire continent were rapidly exterminated, and only a handful hid deep in the mountains and underground beyond human reach.

Winter is very difficult for them, and the goblins on the platform may have accidentally goblint too close to the inhabited area while foraging for food. A goblin poses no greater threat than a wild dog, and it can be easily caught by packs or prepared hunters.

Norvi had always known that humans could commodify all sorts of strange things, but a goblin ...... That was a bit out of his mind.

"Uh...... Is it crying?" asked Tess.

The goblin on the stage sobbed, tears rolling out of his oversized eyes, and the snot that was cloudy and mostly congealed on his face was mixed together, looking disgusting and pitiful.

There were already people in the crowd who started bidding. Goblins don't actually have any magical powers, and they can't obey orders properly, so they can only be kept in cages or chained for human amusement.

"Let's get out of here. The elf whispered, the sight disgusting him.

The two girls nodded and began to follow the elves outward.

But Ed stood there and didn't move.

"Ed?" Narya pulled him.

Ed suddenly raised his hand and shouted, "I'll give out ten gold coins!!".

Ed Singhal bought a goblin. He had no idea what to do with it.

It was now tied to a corner of the inn's stables, behind a bars for some of the more ferocious pets, and continued to shake the rope in the rags, wiping tears and snot from its new owner.

Ed tried to bring it into the hotel room, but was sternly rejected by the proprietress who even had muscles on her face.

"Livestock and wild animals can only live in stables. She said, ignoring Ed's argument that goblins are not livestock and beasts, but was courteous to Mooch on Tess's shoulder.

"What a cute little thing!" she clasped her hands to her chest, exclaimed as if her heart had melted, and kept asking Moch what he liked to eat, if he needed a warm and cozy nest, and generously discounted the two girls' rooms.

And Ed could only sit in the stinking stable, frowning at his goblin who was not at all lovable.

"Why the hell did you buy him. Norway frowned behind him.

"Because it's crying. Ed said listlessly.

He was too impulsive, but now he could only face reality.

"Ed ...... Do you know what kind of race goblins are?" asked Norvi.

"I know," Ed sighed and crouched on the ground, "goblins are evil creatures...... But they also say that ice dragons are evil creatures. ”

“...... I'm afraid I'm not too happy to hear this. The elf said, but he roughly understood what Ed meant, "I guess you don't really want to 'sign a contract' and become its master or something." ”

"Not at all!!"

"Don't want to kill it too?"

"Not at all!!"

"Then we'll just leave it here for the time being, take it out of town tomorrow, and let it go in a more remote place. The elf watched with some amusement as the little monster that had been shaking suddenly pricked up its ears and listened motionlessly.

It understands their language.

"Oh oh, that's it!!" Ed jumped up, "Why didn't I think of that!"

"Because that's what you paid for. Naria's voice came from the stable doorway, "The nature of a merchant prevents you from throwing money into the water. ”

She sounded pleased.

"Maybe it'll give me something in return. Ed walked out the door with a relaxed look and a big smile.

"I've heard goblins like to collect leftover bones, do you want that?"

"Uh......"

Before leaving the stable with his young human friend, Norway glanced back at the goblin still cowering in the corner.

He could indeed understand Ed's thoughts. But if he tries to find any answers from this goblin, he may be very disappointed.

Not all living things can go against their nature.