"Don't worry, I am here to help this village; I will not harm you."
"But with so many Goblins...?"
It seemed the old men in the village still didn't quite trust Niu Zida's Goblin troops.
This was understandable, as Goblins were consistently perceived by humans as cruel and cunning, only plundering human women for reproduction, and were considered the most evil and despicable race, even more disliked by humans than the mindlessly brutal Orcs.
At least, if you truly conquered the simple-minded Orcs by force, those foolish Orcs would genuinely submit and not rebel, at least as long as your strength didn't appear to them to be weakening.
"Don't worry, I will not harm you.
On the contrary, I have come specifically to rescue you this time."
"That's right, I went to the city and saw how peaceful it was.
This time, they've come specifically to help us."
The person who had gone for help also spoke up for Niu Zida at this point.
He had been well-treated in Duōléi City these past few days.
He was particularly surprised to see that the Goblins defending the city walls didn't harass the common people.
He initially found it strange, but after observing for many days that it remained the same, he finally believed Niu Zida's words.
Seeing that one of their own was also speaking up, the old men showed expressions of cautious belief.
Niu Zida quickly interjected, saying:
"Since this is Dorei Territory, it is natural to protect you.
Tell me what happened here.
Who attacked you?"
"Originally, our village, besides having barren land, was still able to survive.
But recently, another Demi-human Village from the other side of the mountain attacked us, saying we encroached on their hillside fields and wouldn't allow us to continue farming there in the spring.
That place was originally where we cleared land to plant corn!
They just relied on their numbers to forcibly take it away.
Alas, why are we always bullied no matter where we go?"
It was just as he had predicted; come springtime, these pioneers would inevitably be bullied by Orcs, Goblins, Gnomes, or Elves.
This was also why Niu Zida hadn't forced these pioneers to relocate in winter.
Instead of forcing them, it was better to wait until they encountered danger and came to him for help.
Otherwise, if they were forced to relocate, even if their lives improved, they wouldn't thank him; instead, they would resent him for forcing them to leave their well-established village.
"What kind of people are in that Demi-human Village?"
"That village mainly consists of Orcs, half-Elves, and reportedly even humans.
Originally, they coexisted peacefully, but ever since we developed the terraced fields on the hillside, there has been constant friction between the two sides."
"Even in such a remote place, there are conflicts over land?"
"Alas, one can only say that where there are people, there will be conflict.
In this world where life is not easy, it's not easy no matter where you go."
"If you're willing, you can rent land within the territory.
It's safer there, the land is more fertile, and it's close to the main city, where you can buy things that are only available in remote immortal valleys."
"The taxes are too high.
We actually ran away from Dorei Territory, and they also conscripted able-bodied men for war."
"There's no war now, and haven't the tax rates been announced?
They've been significantly reduced compared to before.
You can also be provided with farm tools and seeds, and just repay the debt with your harvest at the end of the year.
The first year even has interest waived."
"That sounds good, but who knows if it will still count when we go back?
At that time, forcing us to pay money is just a matter of their word.
How would noble lords care about our lives?
In the past, they did even more outrageous things to us.
My son was taken away by them and never returned, and what's even worse, with one less laborer at home, the taxes actually became heavier...?"
Unexpectedly, the conversation easily shifted to complaining about the nobles.
The old men didn't feel any awkwardness complaining about human nobles to a Goblin.
Perhaps their resentment ran too deep, or perhaps they simply didn't care anymore.
Niu Zida, however, didn't stop the old men from complaining until the person who had sought help couldn't take it anymore and began to interrupt them:
"Old Man Tewar, you should say less.
The most important thing for us now is to save the village.
We still have people being held by them."
"Yes, yes, I've become so senile, I forgot the purpose of finding the Lord."
The old man called Teva quickly patted his head to stop complaining. He couldn't tell who had arrived. Anyway, everyone who led the troops was called "Master," and that was always correct.
"What do you mean your people were detained?"
"When we were fighting with the Demi-human Village for the fields, our people couldn't beat them, and many people were detained by them. If my son hadn't been taken away to be a conscript, how could I be afraid of them."
"If you hadn't been conscripted and couldn't pay the taxes, you wouldn't have escaped here, would you."
The old man was criticized and didn't know what to say. Niu Zida took over and said:
"I roughly understand the situation. Where is the Demi-human Village located? I'll go and rescue your people."
The old men were a little surprised that this Goblin had casually agreed to help. Originally, they had already prepared to be extorted for some wealth at the very least. But then again, this poor little village didn't have anything worth extorting. Perhaps this was why they finally agreed to ask the lord for help. If they had any extra food, they probably wouldn't dare to contact the lord in Duōléi City for help. In their opinion, the lord was even more terrifying than Goblins.
The people in the village drew a simple map, then marked the location, and also reminded Niu Zida:
"There are many people in the village on the other side. Can the Goblins you brought really beat them?"
"Don't worry, I'm super good at fighting."
Niu Zida proudly pinched Misato Shizuku's big snow lumps. Misato Shizuku snorted. If it weren't for the fact that the mistress play would hurt her master, she really wanted to throw this perverted master in her arms on the ground just now.
Without staying in the village for too long, Niu Zida led his Goblin Army towards the Demi-human Village under the guidance of Teva. Niu Zida stopped marching on a high slope about 3 kilometers away from the Demi-human Village:
"It seems that this
village is not too far from here. We'll just carry out a night raid tonight. Set up sentry posts and don't allow anyone to make a sound. The entire army rests."
Teva was amazed that a group of Goblins were so disciplined. It was the same in the village just now. These Goblins didn't have any intention of attacking humans. This was completely different from the Goblins in his previous knowledge who would burn, kill, loot, and kidnap women as soon as they entered a human village. He sighed in his heart that the world had really changed. Humans had become warlike and brutal, but the Goblin Army had become disciplined and committed no crimes. It felt like humans and monsters had been reversed.