The two hunters could clearly tell that this Kobold tribe was quite strange.
If anyone had told them that Kobolds knew how to use tools and weapons, and even build houses and cities, they would definitely have viciously mocked that person.
Only people who had never seen Kobolds before would say such a thing.
To them, Kobolds were a weak and barbaric race.
They barely had any intelligence and were like rats, constantly foraging for food.
At the same time, they were far weaker than Beastmen and humans.
Moreover, they were cowardly, and even when they faced Beastmen with greater numbers, they could be easily scared off or even killed.
That was the impression that Helu and Kumir had of Kobolds.
However, this impression had been completely destroyed today.
These Kobolds seemed to have been trained. Not only did they not seem cowardly like ordinary Kobolds, but their bodies were also much stronger than ordinary Kobolds.
In the past, they had only seen very few such Kobold warriors, but here, they seemed to be everywhere.
The tools and the weapons they used made them feel even more shocked.
This shock reached an all-time high after they were brought to where the Kobolds resided.
What was this? A city built by Kobolds?
Even though it was quite simple and the structures were quite short, it was indeed a city.
In fact, compared to some human cities, this city was even more comprehensive and orderly.
There were no faeces all over the ground, and it was clean everywhere; it seemed that there were Kobolds who had cleaning roles.
These scenes completely struck Helu and Kumir, and they did not know what to say.
“Where are these Kobolds taking us?” Helu asked in a low voice.
“No idea…” Kumir frowned as he also looked confused, “But it doesn’t seem like they’re going to kill us.”
The Kobolds had their own language, and even though it was simple, it was quite unique.
Just like how Kobolds could not understand humans, humans could not understand Kobolds either.
Of course, if they were willing, they could learn each others’ languages.
It was just that most humans viewed Kobolds as barbaric creatures, and after seeing one, they would instinctively kill it. Who would have the heart or patience to learn the Kobold language?
As such, neither Helu nor Kumir knew what was going to happen to them.
Time gradually passed.
Soon, the two of them were brought to a wooden house.
The house looked quite smooth, and from the traces around it, it seemed that it had been newly-built.
It seemed that even though they had not done these things before, the Kobolds had decent talent in construction.
After walking there, the Kobolds seemed to say something respectfully before leaving, leaving behind Helu and Kumir.
Following this, a voice sounded from within.
“Are they telling us to go in?” Helu looked around and found that the Kobolds were looking at them and barking at them.
Hearing these barks, Helu and Kumir looked at each other before walking in.
The room was quite simple, and apart from a wooden bed, there was nothing else.
On the bed, a Kobold was sitting there in a unique pose.
He did not look very old and seemed somewhat like a juvenile. However, his body was incredibly big and was already one meter tall.
Among Kobolds, a figure like this was quite rare, and even an adult Kobold might not be this big.
Compared to ordinary Kobolds, not only was he tall, but his figure was also very straight.
As Helu and Kumir walked in, the Kobold turned and looked over.
The first sentence he spoke gave them a big fright.
“Welcome.”
Looking at the two people, the Kobold smiled, seeming quite friendly.
However, what he spoke was not the language of Kobolds but the human language.
In fact, compared to ordinary people, his speech was even more standard, and if they did not know, they would have thought that the owner of this voice was a noble.
Looking at this Kobold, Helu and Kumir were completely dumbfounded, not knowing what to say.
They had received enough shocks on the way here, and they did not expect to be even more shocked.
A Kobold who spoke the human language?
This was even more shocking than Kobolds using weapons and building a city.
“There’s no need to be so shocked.”
Sitting on the bed, Chen Heng looked at the two of them and smiled, “It is possible for Kobolds to learn the human language; it’s just that under ordinary circumstances, no Kobold would take the initiative to learn.”
His appearance was different to that of ordinary Kobolds.
When ordinary Kobolds smiled, they gave off a savage feeling. However, when this Kobold smiled, he gave off an air of cordiality and friendliness.
“So it’s like that…” Helu and Kumir nodded and spent some time processing this.
“Apologies, I did not know the two of you would be coming, so I did not prepare a banquet to receive you,” Chen Heng looked apologetic as he said, “However, there are some things I’d like to propose and see if you are willing to work together.”
“We are willing.”
Hearing Chen Heng’s words, Helu and Kumir immediately nodded.
They did not forget their current situation—right now, they were prisoners.
If they said they were not willing, their lives would become quite difficult.
“Since it’s like that, things will be quite simple,” Chen Heng said as he smiled and asked some questions.
His first question was about the Oro Empire.
“Do you know how far we are from the Oro Empire?” he asked.
Hearing Chen Heng’s words, Helu and Kumir were once again stunned.
A Kobold speaking the human language was already stupefying, and he also knew about the Oro Empire?
Could this Kobold have stayed in a human settlement for some time?
They could not help but wonder.
Even though they felt shocked, the two of them did not hesitate and quickly gave him an answer.
It was a pity that the two of them did not know the exact location of the Oro Empire, as they had never been there before.
After all, in this world, apart from some experts, most people’s mobility was quite limited.
Most people would stay in their hometowns their whole lives, and they would not be able to venture to places far away.
After all, there were too many disasters in this age.
As such, they were unable to give a specific answer.
They only knew that the Oro Empire was very far away but did not know exactly how far away it was.
In response, Chen Heng was not disappointed and only smiled before asking other things.
He began to ask them about their experiences, including their profession and why they were here.
The two of them honestly replied; after all, there was nothing to hide about this.
Hearing the answers from the two, Chen Heng began to understand his situation.
Helu and Kumir came from the Qika Kingdom.
The Qika Kingdom was a very powerful kingdom that bordered the Sorcerer City Aimu. They produced very good weapons and armor and were renowned for that.
Of course, what Chen Heng was most concerned about was that the Qika Kingdom was not too far away from the Kalo Kingdom.
In other words, his current location was not too far from his main body’s location.
Thinking to there, Chen Heng’s eyes lit up.
As he talked with the two people, he also learned about their identities.
These two people were hunters of the Qika Kingdom.
Their job was to go to the Wastelands and retrieve specialties as well as slaves to sell.
They had come here this time to obtain some unique medicinal herbs.
The current season was good for growing medicinal grasses, so many hunters had come to the Wastelands.
From what the two had said, they had encountered one of the Kobold parties and been brought here.
Of course, from how Chen Heng saw it, apart from being hunters, these two were also merchants and slave peddlers.
The reason why they were able to meet him alive was because of the orders he had given.
Back when he had found gold coins in the Beastman tribe, he had guessed that this place would not be too far from human settlements.
As such, they would most likely encounter humans sooner or later, so Chen Heng gave the order that unless the humans threatened their safety, the Kobolds were to bring humans back here.
Following this, Chen Heng continued to chat with the two hunters.
“Thank you for coming.”
At the end, Chen Heng gave a slight smile and said, “I have always wanted to understand the surroundings, and I was able to do so thanks to you. However, I have some requests; would you be willing to help me?”
“Esteemed Chief, please let us know what you need from us,” Helu hurriedly said.
“It’s quite simple,” Chen Heng said, “Even though the Wastelands is quite vast, it is quite barren. We lack many things, such as tools and weapons. Would you be willing to help us buy some things from the Qika Kingdom?”
“Of course.”
Hearing Chen Heng’s words, before Helu could reply, Kumir quickly spoke.
If he wanted them to buy weapons and tools from the Qika Kingdom, then he would have to let them go.
After they left, whether or not they helped him would be up to them.
