Chapter 428: Chapter 338: The Handsome King and the Vice Commander

After a bumpy period of adjustment, the construction of the Forest City finally got on track, and Shire could begin his research on the Phoenix Egg.

His "research," so to speak, was limited to reading books and observing the egg’s shell. As for anything else, Shire couldn’t do a thing.

By all rights, the egg should be on the verge of being corroded. The entire shell had changed from silver to pure white. Fortunately, he could see through his status panel that the little life inside was still healthy.

But this situation only made Shire more conflicted. I mean, who wouldn’t want their own "Pikachu"? If the Phoenix Egg hatched successfully, he would have a pet that could fly, breathe fire, resurrect from flames, and was enormous. Then, let’s see who would dare come to his Kingdom and boss his goblins around.

’What are you looking at? Go tell it to my giant Phoenix.’

But now the shell was corroded, which didn’t match the descriptions of Phoenix Eggs in the books. The egg was not only a quarter larger, but its shell no longer had the hard feel of mithril. He didn’t know what to do. ’Should I continue using Rune Language: Temperature to incubate it, or just leave it be until I can find and ask someone who actually knows how to raise a Phoenix?’

But he had to act fast. The book said a Phoenix Egg could be preserved for a long time, as a pair of phoenixes took up to a year to incubate it. This created an opportunity for humans to steal the eggs; there were always cases where both parents slipped up.

He didn’t know how long the Feathered Serpent God had "soaked" the egg. If he didn’t incubate it in time, would the Phoenix Egg just die in its shell?

"It would be tragic if it really died." Shire pressed his ear to the shell, trying to hear a sound from within, just like a new father listening for his baby’s heartbeat. "But if it’s really dead, the only thing to do is crack it open and eat the chick."

These Mythical Creatures possess immense power from birth. Even newborns have it, though it’s just a small amount.

But at the thought of eating an egg soaked in the Feathered Serpent God’s venom, Shire felt a wave of disgust. ’Whatever, I’ll eat it if I have to. Don’t worry,’ he told himself, ’you’re a man who’s eaten a "Child Egg" before.’

In his previous life, Shire had been in poor health as a child. His mother, having heard of a folk remedy from who knows where, would often cook "Child Eggs" for him—eggs boiled in a young boy’s urine. The difference for Shire, however, was that the urine used to boil his eggs was his own.

As he grew older, he filled out and became as healthy as anyone else, even growing to be six-foot-three.

After that, his mother would often tease, "See? The ’Child Eggs’ really did work."

Hearing nothing through the shell, Shire gave up. ’I’ll just have to ask Uncle Musa to check with Vivian first. Maybe her two teachers know something about Phoenix Eggs,’ he thought. ’But if that happens, those two High Tier Great Mages might just make a trip to the Nightmare Forest themselves. Then I won’t be able to hide the fact that I’m a goblin.’

The image of a tear-streaked Vivian wailing as she hugged her "brother"—who only came up to her chest—made Shire’s brow furrow.

’That’s just cruel.’ Not only would it break Vivian’s heart, but it would break Shire’s too—his image was supposed to be tall and handsome, after all. ’Better have Uncle Musa ask around at those Magic Artifact Merchant guilds in Torch City first.’

With that thought, Shire placed a bookmark in the book beside him and closed it. He was going to inspect the construction site of the Forest City.

The entire site was gradually starting to run smoothly, but problems still cropped up occasionally that required his attention.

Shire placed great importance on this city. It was a city for goblins, but more than that, it was *his* city.

Who didn’t fantasize about having a "secret base" as a kid, like a nook behind the house or a corner of the wardrobe? Shire had that kind of childhood, too. He used to dream of the day he could introduce himself to people, saying, "Hello, I am Bai Yun City Lord, Xia Gucheng," or, "He is the Peach Blossom Island Lord, Pharmacist Xia."

Now he finally had the chance to be called a City Lord. "I am the Forest City Lord, Xia Green-Egg."

’It just doesn’t sound as good. "Handsome Guy" is way better.’

This city didn’t just satisfy Shire’s personal little fantasy; in his grand design, it was a crucial milestone.

Goblins had no cities of their own. They were scattered across the Nightmare Forest in small groups. Even the goblins of the Feathered Serpent Kingdom were split among dozens of separate burrows, with each burrow viewing the others as mortal enemies—competitors for the same Hunting Grounds.

When Shire had spoken of this with the High Priest, the old goblin could only sigh. He hadn’t known what to do. He wanted to protect more goblins, but he couldn’t find a way to manage their daily affairs and could only rule them according to the most basic principles of survival.

This, however, plunged the massive goblin population into even greater chaos. No one wanted to travel far to gather food, and something as simple as a nest of bird eggs on the path could provoke a brawl between goblins from several burrows. Fortunately, the High Priest had strictly forbidden lethal force and cannibalism; otherwise, the Feathered Serpent Kingdom would never have needed to draw lots to exile its excess population.

Now, Shire had organized a division of labor. He had several operations running—gathering herbs, raising livestock—that all required workers. The construction of the Kingdom and the forest itself demanded a huge number of goblins. They had no shortage of things to do.

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