Chapter 36: Undercover Agent Grui

"Well, I suppose it’s just a matter of aesthetic differences."

Wang Xi thought for a moment and reached his conclusion. From his human perspective, the young female goblin named Gurusha was quite pretty, but her goblin companions likely didn't see it that way. Perhaps, to them, the sharper the nose and ears, the longer the fangs, and the more twisted the facial features, the more handsome or beautiful the individual.

Wang Xi shook his head and pulled back his thoughts, beginning to weigh the combat strength of both sides. He estimated that with his laser pistol, he could hold the advantage. Yet, once a conflict broke out and he was surrounded by the entire village, making a clean escape would be difficult. After all, the opposition had two three-star units, and the other adults were basically two-star units. Even the little goblins were one-star; they were clearly formidable.

Wang Xi did not have the confidence of a total victory. He wanted to make contact with this mysterious goblin settlement, but he was hesitant due to the pale red "hostile" tag hovering over them. Suddenly, a spark of inspiration flashed in his mind.

—"Photosynthesis."

This functional card could enhance one's physical constitution by basking in the sun, but the side effect was that it turned one's skin green. Under the current circumstances, this side effect had become a blessing, as it provided Wang Xi with an extremely effective disguise.

"I have no idea how goblins identify their own kind, but trying won't hurt." Wang Xi took out the card and pondered. "If my cover is blown, I'll run immediately. With the laser pistol and the Holy Stone as my trump cards, it should be fine."

*Hum!*

The universal card transformed into a green light and descended upon him. Wang Xi’s fair skin was instantly dyed into a verdant hue. After a brief check to ensure everything was in order, he took a deep breath and strode out confidently.

A little goblin playing by a wooden post noticed something, turned its head, and let out a frightened, gurgling shriek. For some reason, Wang Xi actually understood it. His face darkened. The little goblin’s cry roughly meant: "What an ugly guy! Scared the life out of me!"

Its shouting drew the attention of the other goblins. The entire settlement erupted into a stir. Several sturdy goblins brandished spears and blocked the entrance, sizing up this strange and ugly fellow tribesman.

"You, which tribe are you from?" asked the three-star vanguard named Gurulu, staring at him with a deep voice. Although this black-haired fellow was ugly and wore human clothing, he certainly didn't look like a low-level goblin.

"I’ve been wandering outside for a long time." Wang Xi performed a heroic French military salute to signal he had no ill intent. "You can call me... Gurui."

He was speaking the common language of the kingdom, yet these goblins showed no confusion; they actually understood him.

"Gurui?" The vanguard lowered his head, muttering, "Why does he have the same surname as our tribe..."

Hearing this, Wang Xi secretly wiped away a cold sweat, realizing he had made a blunder. Fortunately, the vanguard had a pointed head with a topknot and didn't seem particularly bright.

"King Guruchi, there’s an outsider named Gurui. Should we drive him away?" The vanguard turned and shouted behind him.

The elderly, white-bearded goblin took one look at Wang Xi, and after a few seconds, smiled. "Invite this guest in."

The vanguard nodded obediently, then signaled to those around him, stepping aside to clear the gate to the settlement. At this moment, the pale red hostile tag over the goblins instantly shifted to yellow—neutral. Wang Xi breathed a sigh of relief. He smiled at them and walked inside.

"Wow! So ugly!"
"Even uglier than Gurusha!"
"Ugly to death!"
"Why is he smiling? Is he daydreaming?"
"Scared the life out of me!"

As he walked into the settlement, the spectating goblins let out gasps and jeers, whispering and chattering.

Wang Xi ignored them, scanned the area, and walked straight toward the old goblin king sitting on a wooden stump.

"King Guruchi." He didn't perform any unnecessary gestures and greeted the white-bearded goblin cleanly and efficiently.

The old goblin nodded slightly in response. "Little Gurui, where do you come from?"

"From the north," Wang Xi said. "Near a human territory called Randor."

"Hmm..." Guruchi mused. "A very distant place, near the territory of the northern humans. It would take about a month to travel here... I didn't expect there to be high-level goblins over there."

Wang Xi was somewhat surprised. Goblins were divided into high-level and low-level? So, the ones he had killed before were just low-level goblins without civilized intelligence or communication skills?

"Has the King been to Randor?" he asked.

Unexpectedly, the old goblin shook his head. He looked up and smiled. "I haven't been. But I've heard the 'Candy Mushroom Girls' talk about it."

Candy Mushroom Girls? What kind of monster was that? Doubts flashed through Wang Xi's mind.

"You've just arrived, so you don't understand," Guruchi explained patiently. "Our Guru Goblins are affiliated with Lady 'Candy Witch,' and those 'Candy Mushroom Girls' are the Lady Witch's subordinates. We have a relatively good relationship with them..."

As he was speaking, two little goblins curiously crowded around, circling Wang Xi. They touched the sword at his waist and tugged at his leather belt. They seemed to have never seen such fine equipment and were bursting with curiosity.

Wang Xi suppressed the urge to kick these bratty kids away, took a deep breath, and continued to probe for information from the old goblin. He realized that with such a local informant, the probability of finding the Basilisk would increase significantly.

"King Guruchi, you just mentioned Lady 'Candy Witch'?" Wang Xi keenly caught a keyword. Candy Witch! This was exactly the same name as the "Candy Witch" in the Spade 2 maze of the main world! Regardless of whether it was a coincidence, it successfully grabbed his attention.

"There are seven major powers in the Magic Forest," the old goblin said, turning serious. His cloudy, yellow horizontal pupils revealed a sense of awe. "Three witches and four lords. They each have their own territories and monster subordinates..."

Wang Xi’s spirits lifted immediately upon hearing this. But just then, the little goblin to his left gasped and shrieked, "What is this? Is it your mushroom?" Saying this, he reached out toward Wang Xi’s crotch. "Let me play with it!"

*Smack!*

Wang Xi grabbed the little goblin's hand, squeezed out a smile, and said in a deep voice, "Kid, playing with everything will only get you into trouble."

"Stingy goblin!" The brat threw a tantrum and let out a weird cry. "Gurui is a stingy goblin!"

Wang Xi’s temple throbbed with veins. *Encountering green-skinned little runts, trying to grab my crotch upon meeting, stronger than monsters, impossible to defeat with full effort...*

Just as he prepared to dish out a small punishment, a sharp whistling sound suddenly rang out.

*Whoosh—*

A sharp arrow shot in from outside the wooden stakes, streaking through the air and aiming straight for the little goblin's head! The vanguard, Gurulu, was the quickest to react. His expression changed, and he moved to block it, but he was seven or eight meters away and couldn't make it in time.

At the critical moment—

*Clang!!*

The black-haired "goblin" drew the longsword at his waist and swung it. The arrow, which should have pierced the little one's head, was precisely parried, snapping into two pieces in mid-air and deflecting away.

Wang Xi immediately threw his arm out, shielding the two little goblins behind him, and looked toward the outside of the wooden stakes.

"Enemy attack!!" the goblin vanguard Gurulu roared.

*Toot-toot-toot—*

The sun-goblin Guruwen took a bone horn from somewhere and blew it with all his might. Amidst the blaring horn, the entire goblin settlement sprang into action. Regardless of age or gender, everyone grabbed weapons.

Wang Xi’s eyes narrowed. He saw a massive figure appearing outside the wooden stakes. It was a giant tortoise with a pitch-black body, roughly the size of a tank. Its shell was covered in barnacles and algae, its four giant feet were comparable to an elephant's legs, and the ground trembled and rumbled as it moved. Its protruding head resembled a crocodile's, and a pair of scarlet eyes were filled with malice.

[Blackened Land-Walking Turtle (Scarlet/Three-Star)]

The tag was surrounded by bronze patterns; it was clearly an elite unit. Simultaneously, on the back of the giant tortoise, four or five gaunt, blue-skinned figures were crawling or standing. They only wore loincloths, their skin was covered in fish scales, their hands and feet were webbed, and they had large, ugly, slick, fat fish heads.

[Blackened Merman (Scarlet/Two-Star)]

These mermen held swords, shields, spears, or hand crossbows; one look told him they weren't homemade—most were likely looted from humans.

"It's the blackened monsters from the 'Mirror Black Lake'!" King Guruchi said in a deep voice. He stood up from the stump and took a spear handed to him by a tribesman. "Gurusha, take the little ones and hide. Gurulu, lead the warriors and defend our home with me!"

"Yes! King Guruchi!" the vanguard and the other strong goblins shouted in unison.

The young female goblin with the pleasant face responded timidly and led the little goblins into a wooden hut. Immediately, Gurulu led the charge, taking five or six two-star subordinates to the wooden stakes to engage the invading blackened mermen.

The sounds of *clanging* were endless. Both sides were incredibly strong; picking any of them at random would be on par with that Iron-Finger Knight from before. Wang Xi noticed that the old goblin was also fearless, leading the sun-goblins to the other side to attack the giant tortoise. The spears pierced the turtle's legs like they were stabbing into rubber, emitting dull *thuds* and splattering blue-black blood.

*ROAR—*

The giant tortoise opened its hideous mouth and let out a low rumble. Its crocodile-like head whipped around, swatting the sun-goblins away, and it snapped at the old goblin, who dodged nimbly. Guruchi seized the opportunity to thrust his bone spear, striking the giant tortoise’s red eye; it burst, and blood sprayed out.

*ROAR!!*

In agony, the giant tortoise suddenly spat a high-pressure water jet as thick as a thigh from its mouth. Because they were face-to-face and the distance was too close, the old goblin tried his best to dodge but was still hit.

*Splash—*

Guruchi’s entire left arm was crushed by the water jet, and his aged body went flying.

"King Guruchi!!" All the goblins were shocked.

The giant tortoise, still with the spear stuck in its left eye, opened its mouth again at the fallen old king and spat out a head-sized water bomb.

*BOOM—*

It looked as if the old goblin was about to be blown to pieces on the spot. The "black-haired" goblin made his move once more. His figure flickered, and with incredible agility, he scooped up the old goblin and dodged to the side.

The next second—

*BOOM!!*

The water bomb slammed into the ground, exploding into a spray of water. The terrifying impact kicked up dust, and the goblins present were all stunned. Then, they heard cheers coming from the wooden hut:

"Great! It’s Gurui! The King is saved!"