Free Web NovelChapter 47: Chapter 41: Intelligence on the Giant
"Why is it just water?" Shire eyed the wooden cup with a hint of disdain.
"Who was it that took all my chrysanthemum tea?" Ghost Witch Agatha grumbled. "Take it or leave it."
Shire gave a sheepish smile and took a sip of the water.
"What are you here for now? Finished picking your herbs?" Agatha ignored Shire, busying herself with mixing her herbs.
"Ah, well, I came to ask if you have any Healing Potions left," Shire asked with a smile.
"Nope. You cleaned me out last time." Without turning around, Agatha finished sorting her herbs, placed them in a mortar, and began grinding them with a pestle.
"Oh, right. The Beast Core I promised you." Shire hopped off his chair and began to rummage through a pack on the floor.
"You got one?" Agatha said, surprised. "Right, you have human friends. They could probably get a Low Level Beast Core from the Black Market."
"It’s not a Low Level Beast Core," Shire said.
"Then it must be damaged. Those are pretty useless. Even the Adventurer Association doesn’t want them." Agatha pursed her lips and went back to grinding her herbs.
"Here you go." Shire held the Fearsome Claw Bear’s Beast Core right in front of her face.
"This... this is an Intermediate one." Agatha’s eyebrows shot up, her eyes wide. "Where did you get this? Did you rob the Yangjiao Town Adventurer Association?"
"So, do you want it or not?" Shire leaped onto the chair, clasped one hand behind his back, and stood there with his chest puffed out and his belly forward.
"Yes, yes, of course, my old friend," Agatha said eagerly, setting down her pestle and looking up at the goblin on the chair.
"What did you just call me?"
"Chairman," Agatha corrected herself instantly. She then took out a small packet of tea leaves, brewed a cup for Shire, and presented it respectfully. "Your tea, sir."
Shire glanced down at the flower blooming in his wooden cup. "I thought you were out of tea. What’s this?"
"Golden Flower Tea."
"The kind the Fran Royal Family drinks?" Shire asked, stunned.
"That’s right."
"So what about the chrysanthemum tea from the Archipelago?" Shire asked.
"Right here." Agatha pulled a bag the size of a human head from a cabinet. "It’s all chrysanthemum tea."
"You really... scamming even an old friend..." Shire was speechless.
"No, no, the Chairman is the impressive one! Your human friend actually managed to get an Intermediate Beast Core. When can you introduce me?" The Ghost Witch’s wrinkled face beamed.
"My subordinates and I took it down," Shire corrected.
"Lies."
"My subordinates listen to me."
"Lies."
"They’re very capable."
"Lies."
"Fine, believe what you want." Shire gave up. She obviously didn’t believe a goblin could take down an Intermediate Magical Beast. "You can have the Beast Core. I want twenty Healing Potions and a large bottle of sleeping potion."
"Chairman, I don’t have any Healing Potions at the moment," Agatha said.
"Then use some of that initiative of yours and make some."
"But I have to rush an order for the Adventurer Association," Agatha said evasively.
"You can adjust your work schedule. Put in a little overtime. The youth should learn to work hard. Don’t disappoint my expectations of you."
"You..." Agatha gritted her teeth.
"Hmm?" Shire held up the Beast Core, dangling it in front of her.
Annoyed, Agatha cleared the half-finished herbs from her table and started preparing the ingredients for the Healing Potions. As she sorted the new herbs, she muttered under her breath, "Stupid goblin... rotten little man... I’ll grind *you* to a pulp..."
"Ahem." Shire cleared his throat pointedly. "This is a really nice Beast Core. And there might be more where this came from."
Agatha stopped muttering. While grinding her herbs, she asked, "Didn’t you take twenty vials last time? Why do you need more?"
"We drank them all."
"What are you doing with them, drinking them like water? Most people add water to their food, do you add Healing Potions instead?" Agatha exclaimed.
"I have a big family."
Too angry to reply, Agatha ignored Shire. The only sound in the small wooden cabin was the grinding of herbs.
"By the way, do you know anything about Giants?" Shire was the first to break the silence.
Agatha still didn’t respond to Shire, but a thick book flew off a shelf and hovered in front of him.
"Page 338. Read it yourself," Agatha said.
"You’re that good? You even remember the page number."
"Besides brewing potions here and selling them on the sly at Drink Undying, what else do I have to do?" Agatha said irritably.
Shire gave a sheepish smile and turned to page 338.
"Giants, also known as Mountain Monsters, are called Limbless Monsters in the Dwarven tongue. They typically live in forests or caves. They are coarse in appearance, taller than humans, and possess generally low Intelligence. In battle, they will uproot small trees to use as clubs and sometimes throw boulders. They tend to attack all living creatures and are especially hostile toward humans. A terrible, innate hunger drives them to devour anything they can catch." free𝑤ebnovel.com
"Why the sudden interest in Giants?" Agatha asked, watching Shire.
"Oh, I’m planning to take some men to hunt a couple of them," Shire said, his head still buried in the book.
"They’re incredibly difficult to deal with." Agatha looked at him seriously. "The book recommends that any Adventurer who encounters a Giant should flee immediately. They possess a fearsome Regeneration Ability."
"Mhm, I see that in the book," Shire nodded.
"Breaking their bones or cutting their flesh will only anger them. A Giant’s wounds heal with incredible speed. If a limb is severed, the dismembered part will remain alive. The Giant will simply reattach the severed limb to the stump. While it won’t be perfectly restored right away, if properly bandaged, it can fully reattach in less than a day. This is also why some Giants have strangely shaped limbs. Only strong acid and fire can stop their Regeneration, and Giants will prioritize attacking any enemy who uses fire or acid."
"I don’t recommend you go picking a fight with Giants," Agatha said. "If you insist on fighting one, you should bring that human friend of yours. After all, he’s the one who can defeat an Intermediate Magical Beast."
"Like I said, it was my subordinates..." Shire waved his hand dismissively.
"Shire," Agatha cut him off. She spoke seriously, "I don’t want anything to happen to you. You’re the only friend I have left. It gets lonely out here in the forest by myself." freewebnσvel.cøm
Shire closed the book and placed the Beast Core in front of Agatha. "Don’t worry, old friend. I’ll be fine."
"By the way, can I borrow this book?" Shire asked calmly. "I also need some glass jars."
"Take whatever you need," Agatha said dismissively. She was already getting ready to brew herbs in a large, bubbling cauldron.
Shire got up and went to the bookshelf. He selected a book on natural history and a book of poetry. The natural history was for himself, and the poetry was for Buck Teeth. Buck Teeth was learning Common Speech, and the book’s simple verses would be a great help to him.
"Oh, right," Agatha said, suddenly remembering something. "From now on, if you come here and I’m not around, just ring the little bell over there."
She pointed to a small Copper Bell sitting by the wall and then chanted, "Salman Tulu."
SWOOSH! A black rift tore open in the air, and a massive blue creature shot out, nearly colliding with Shire.
"This is Rubus, my Summoned Beast. If I’m gone, ring the bell, and he’ll appear. Just write a message on a piece of paper and give it to him."
Shire stared at the Giant Beast before him. It was a Star Realm Dog. Its body was a translucent, pale blue, with its eyes and mouth a deeper shade. Within its form, points of light glittered like stars.
The massive dog was over a meter tall at the shoulder; if it stood on its hind legs, it would probably be two meters tall.
Rubus wagged his tail and pounced on Agatha. "Aah!" She was knocked right over.
"So cool! Can I have him?" Shire’s eyes lit up.
"In your dreams. Don’t even think about it." Agatha scrambled up from the floor, pushing the dog’s head away. "Rubus, stop licking me!"
