I Am Not A Goblin Slayer-Chapter 481 - 277: The Master of the Nest

To be honest, Gauss has seen many monster lairs at this point.

But aside from the numbers, this Kobold town seems to be the most properly planned. Though it’s rugged and chaotic, it maintains a unique order and gives off a peculiar vitality.

Before him lies a simple road.

Many Kobolds are walking along the road.

By appearance, their status can be easily distinguished. Ordinary Kobolds are small and have dull scales. The Elite Warriors are stronger, significantly larger, and clad in iron armor.

Some special Kobolds are riding giant lizards, swiftly moving along the main road.

These Kobolds rarely wear tightly protective armor, wearing only soft robes. When one drives a giant lizard across, the ordinary, small Kobolds give way, bowing their heads.

The hierarchy is truly stringent.

Gauss silently observes this monster town through the spider’s perspective.

In the gaps along the road, the controlled spider skillfully jumps around, avoiding the claws of the Kobolds above.

Soon, it passes through several areas, quickly understanding the Kobolds’ food sources.

A large piece of land grows dense moss and fungi, while deep pits house swarming black insects, mice, and other stored food.

During Gauss’s observation, several Kobolds are feeding those pits.

Furthermore, Gauss discovers that his previous judgment that the Kobold lair does not venture outside might be mistaken.

Because on the road, Kobolds are pulling vehicles loaded with wood and other supplies.

Clearly, the Kobolds have their hidden passage for going outside.

The more Gauss observes, the more he feels that the Demon ruling this monster lair is not simple.

Otherwise, how could they restrain these wild Demons so well?

Unconsciously, he has passed through the outskirts of the town to the area close to the interior.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

In front of the furnace, Kobold craftsmen are busily forging rough billets, hammering those reddish metal blocks into tools and weapons.

Beside them are some finished products, not exactly exquisite, but the shining blades are evidently deadly to other creatures.

Knives, rough short swords, spearheads, numerous arrows, pick heads, and some trap parts, metal ingots, very diverse kinds.

After all, mining aside, the Kobold tribe’s fame also lies in forging.

However, unlike humans and dwarves, Kobolds do not pursue craftsmanship and aesthetics in their skills; they focus on practicality, utilizing their instinctive perception of minerals and metals to discern ore quality, then simply heating and hammering to refine the metal.

Therefore, as long as a Kobold tribe is established on a mineral vein and fire source, they inevitably develop basic smelting and forging capability.

This ability has even formed a kind of innate talent engraved in their bloodline.

Unfortunately...

The Kobold’s other instinct is to loathe intelligent creatures, this creature despises all other humanoids and has a tendency to mistreat other beings.

They also worship powerful Demons, especially Giant Dragons.

This makes them a huge threat to humans, naturally hostile.

Gauss’s mind flashes with more memories about Kobolds.

His gaze fixes on the almost mountain-like piles of ores and weapons.

A Kobold lair strictly executing "blockade," maintaining basic order internally, and stockpiling vast amounts of weapons, ores, metal ingots.

What is their purpose? Or what does the Kobold leader managing this lair intend?

Attack Gold and Silver Town?

Silently amassing strength, preparing for future plundering?

With the information Gauss has so far, he cannot discern clearly.

He vaguely feels that the entire Kobold town is engulfed in a mysterious fog.

It is too calm.

Calm to the point where it hardly seems like a monster lair, only when passing the slaughter zone, seeing the group of bloodthirsty Kobold butchers with blood-red eyes, does he perceive traces of the Demon’s ferocity in them.

"Roar Roar!"

Several Kobolds are loudly communicating.

Gauss curiously approaches.

Just as a group of Kobold craftsmen circles around a piece of ore.

The crushed rock skin reveals a translucent Magic Crystal Stone.

The quality is quite good.

About the size of a goose egg.

Gauss roughly estimates that such a natural Magic Crystal Stone is worth at least dozens of Gold Coins, or even more.

Its color is crimson, emitting an aura of fire attribute power.

"Not bad, a good item," Gauss thinks silently.

This Demon Crystal already belongs to Gauss’s team’s spoils.

Besides him, the eyes of several Kobolds surrounding the Demon Crystal light up instantly.

They continuously let out excited roars.

Kobolds have an irresistible urge to collect Gold Coins, gems, and any small objects that can reflect light.

In this respect, it indeed shares a similar penchant with Giant Dragons.

Just as Gauss thought these Kobolds would hide the Demon Crystal privately, they actively reported it to other Kobolds.

Finally, a Kobold Shaman riding a giant lizard, holding a burning pure white candle, arrives at the smelting workshop.

As it enters, the Kobold craftsmen immediately disperse, crawling aside.

After the Kobold Shaman mutters something to them, it reaches out and picks up the crimson Demon Crystal.