Chapter 112 - 111: Martial Growth
Goblin Village – Central Hall, Early Afternoon
Stacks of worn books and thick scrolls covered the long stone table. Lumberling stood at the center, leafing through one of the more battered manuals, its corners frayed from age and battle. Around him, several captains and younger recruits waited in hushed anticipation.
"These," he said, lifting the manual for all to see, "are the foundations for everything we’ve built, and what we still plan to become."
He handed the scroll to Grokk, who took it with a reverence usually reserved for weapons.
Skitz, arms crossed beside the table, eyed the stack with mild curiosity. "Never thought I’d see the day we’d be trading blades for books."
"You’ll still need both," Lumberling said with a faint smirk. "But now you’ll actually know how to use them."
He tapped the stone table. "We gathered these during our mercenary days, some taken from fallen foes, others bought from traders. Spearmanship, concealment, swordsmanship... Knight skill manuals. It’s not much, and some might not mesh well with monster physiology, but there’s still value in them. It’s more than we had when we started."
The hall murmured with excitement.
"Is it free?" asked a wide-eyed goblin in the back.
Lumberling raised a brow. "Free? No. But accessible, yes. We’re implementing a contribution system, missions, training hours, labor. Anyone who puts in the effort will earn reading rights. Even guards and rank-and-file soldiers."
He looked toward a pair of young kobolds standing near the doorway. "It doesn’t matter if you’re born with strength or bred for servitude. If you’re willing to learn, then you will learn."