Chương 27: The Foul-Smelling Magical Girl

After every human declared their submission, a crisp system notification chimed in Li Qinwu's ear. Ding! You have obtained Victory! Enemies Killed: 7 Enemies Captured: 97 EXP Gained: 520 Casualties (Self): 18 Loot Obtained: Grain x35, Sickles x28, Logging Axes x25, Hoes x19, Daggers x11, Arming Swords x8, Ragged Cloth Clothes x17, Ragged Arming Vests x8, Kettle Hats x5, Tattered Chainmail x1. Denars Obtained: 3, 890 Ding! The Master of Hardship Hamlet has changed! Hardship Hamlet now belongs to you!

Current Prosperity: 280 Please choose your attitude toward the settlement: Merciful 2. Pillage 3. Raze Li Qinwu looked at the "Pillage" option. According to the Mount & Blade system, clicking "Pillage" would cause a certain degree of destruction to the fort, but he would gain a large amount of loot and Denars. It sounded tempting, but doing so would drastically reduce the prosperity. Currently, the prosperity was only 280, which was already pitifully low—a normal settlement should have at least 1, 000.

Li Qinwu planned to use this place as his base of operations, so he chose Merciful. Once the choice was made, another option popped up. Would you like to rename the fort? Li Qinwu clicked "Yes" and typed in the characters for Gobu-Fort with his mind. Ding! Hardship Hamlet has been renamed to Gobu-Fort! Just like that, Li Qinwu owned his first castle! He opened the castle management page and clicked on "Garrison." He saw that Gobu-Fort had 80 garrison slots.

Li Qinwu immediately transferred his 19 Hobgoblins into the castle to free up his personal party capacity. Then, he ran into the fields, grabbed every working goblin he could find, and asked if they wanted to join his army. After paying the Denars, he transferred them all into the castle garrison. After a few rounds, he filled all 80 slots, costing him 400 Denars. His remaining balance was 5, 640 Denars.

He couldn't take the garrisoned troops with him on expeditions—they could only operate near the castle—but regardless, it converted chaotic, disorderly goblins into system soldiers who followed his orders absolutely. This way, even if he wasn't in the fort, these soldiers would maintain order, prevent other goblins from causing trouble, and stop humans from escaping. More importantly, garrisoned soldiers cost only half the wages of those in the main party, and the castle could collect taxes to offset the cost.

Garrisoned troops also enjoyed a training bonus from the castle's practice fields. If he left goblins there, they would gain EXP every day, eventually promoting into Hobgoblins or even higher-tier units after a month or two. Li Qinwu opened the building panel to check the existing and available structures. Existing Structures: Level 1 Barracks: Provides 80 garrison slots. Level 1 Blacksmith: Staff 2/20. Produces 2 tools (axes/hoes/spears, etc.) daily. Level 1 Woodcutter's Hut: Staff 1/20.

Level 2 Farmland: Includes irrigation system, increasing crop yield by 20%. Level 1 Walls. Stolen story; please report. Empty Slots: 1 Available Buildings: Training Camp, Warehouse, Prison, Moat. (Special: Paper Mill, Brewery, and Textile Mill unlocked due to captured specialists). Li Qinwu immediately selected the Training Camp for the empty slot. He needed that passive EXP gain as soon as possible.

After assigning the 80 garrisoned goblins as laborers, his vision shifted—he was suddenly looking down from the sky in a top-down "God View"! He saw the fort, the walls, the fields, and the waterwheel. In the center was a green square labeled "Training Camp." Li Qinwu discovered he could drag the square with his mind, much like an RTS game. He found a flat patch of forest and placed it there. The 80 goblins took up their tools and began clearing the land. A timer appeared in the corner: Construction Time: 48 Days.

"This is incredibly useful," Li Qinwu thought. Next, he looked at his Engineering skills. After building the four towers, his proficiency had reached 25, unlocking a perk choice: Charcoal Kiln: Highly efficient coal production (32 days). Lime Kiln: Highly efficient lime production, must be placed on limestone (35 days). Li Qinwu chose the Lime Kiln. Lime was essential for paving roads and building sturdy stone houses.

He placed it near a mountain about a kilometer north of the fort where the system highlighted a green "placeable" zone for limestone. He also queued up the Textile Mill, Paper Mill, and Brewery. There was a massive perk to system-built structures: in the real world, people could work in them to produce goods, and the system would simultaneously generate extra goods into the system warehouse. It was double the productivity—pure bliss! Li Qinwu then dealt with the blacksmith shop.

He dragged 20 "intelligent-looking" goblins and brought them to the smithy.

"From today on, these 20 goblins are yours. Teach them everything you know about smithing!" Li Qinwu said with a smile. The old smith, Te-Ouk, fell to his knees.

"My Lord! It's not that I'm refusing, but smithing is a technical skill! Even humans struggle with it, and we don't even speak the same language!" Li Qinwu waved his hand.

"Language isn't an issue. Teach by doing! Don't be fooled by their 'special' looks; once you pique their interest, they learn very fast!" He pulled out his sword and waved it in front of a snot-nosed, finger-chewing goblin.

"Want one?" The goblin stopped chewing and stared at the shiny blade with stars in its eyes.

"Want it, yes-yes!" Li Qinwu slapped him across the face and pushed him toward the smiths.

"Then learn from these humans! Learn well, and you can forge your own swords! I'll even give you extra food so you don't have to fight on the front lines!" Suddenly, 20 pairs of glowing eyes surrounded the smiths. Li Qinwu then ordered them to melt down Knight Leo's custom plate armor and the captured swords.

"In the development phase, luxury items like swords and plate armor are useless. Melt them into axes and hoes." After setting up the carpenters and farmers with goblin apprentices similarly, Li Qinwu stretched and looked at Hana, who was trailing behind him." Within three meters!!" Hana flinched and walked over. Li Qinwu studied her. She was tall, slender, with beautiful red hair—a quintessential "Magical Girl" (Mahou Shoujo) of this fantasy world!

Apart from the fact that he was a goblin and she looked at him with pure disgust, everything was perfect. Li Qinwu had heard rumors on the internet back on Earth: that magical girls' feet were fragrant and they didn't... well, they didn't poop, or if they did, it was pink. His curiosity was peaked.

"Jie-jie-jie-jie!" He let out a weird laugh that made Hana's skin crawl.

"C'mon! In the house!" He grabbed her hand and dragged her into a cabin. It's almost Chapter 30, he thought. As a goblin, I should start doing 'goblin things,' or the readers will leave! Hana was terrified. Is it here? Finally? Am I going to have to...

'negotiate a 200-million-word deal' with this damn goblin? Li Qinwu closed the door, rubbing his hands together like Tom the Cat about to pull a prank. I'm going to find out if magical girls' feet are actually stinky or if they poop pink! He leaned in close to her. Hana closed her eyes tight, her face pale with despair. Lance was right... survival is everything. I'll endure... However, as Li Qinwu took a deep sniff, his entire body stiffened. Hana, sensing no movement, opened one eye. What's the holdup?

Does he need to build up the mood? Isn't he supposed to pounce? Li Qinwu looked horrified.

"Not sure... let me check again." He grabbed Hana's hand, lifted her arm high, and shoved his nose right into her armpit for a deep inhale." GAH—!! ABSOLUTELY FOUL!!!" Li Qinwu roared, leaping three meters away.

"F*ck! Why does a magical girl stink so bad?!" Hana was stunned. She instinctively lifted her arm and took a sniff. The concentrated stench of a month's worth of sweat, fermented leather, and unwashed body hit her like a truck. She gagged, her face turning from cherry-red to a deep, embarrassed purple. Li Qinwu pressed himself against the wall, clutching his nose. His sense of smell as a goblin was excellent.

Hana had been wearing thick leather and coarse cloth mage robes, along with sealed over-the-knee leather boots. After a month-long siege with no water for bathing, the smell of her sweat and the leather had fermented into a scent so potent it felt like it was destroying his olfactory cells. It smelled exactly like a construction worker's locker room after a twelve-hour shift in the summer heat! Dammit! Whoever said magical girls are fragrant—I'll kill them!

Li Qinwu edged along the wall toward the door, avoiding Hana as if she were toxic. He yanked the door open and shouted awkwardly, "Ma'am... we'll talk tomorrow. Just... go wash yourself first! PLEASE!" SLAM! He shut the door from the outside. Inside, Hana's face went from red to a 'cherry bomb' state, steam practically venting from her head.

"AAAAAHHH!!!" She let out a scream of pure shame and rage. She—a noble mage—had just been called "stinky" by a goblin! What did he expect?! she fumed. There's been no water for a month! All the water I summoned went to everyone else to drink! Even girls get stinky if they don't bathe for a month, dammit!! Every girl is like this, dammit!!!