The Monster King's Legacy

Chapter 33 Incorporation into the Tribe

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."

...

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."