Island God: Going From Level 1 To World Ruler-Chapter 92: Oga Caverns (Episode 2)
Gool and Yemo were escorted deeper into the cave. Instead of winding downwards, this cavern seemed to only expand outwards as they traveled to larger parts of the hill they were under.
Within was truly a region of goblins.
From the very outskirts, there existed paths leading to various coves, each filled with dozens of homes built by goblins.
Tunnel systems seemed to go throughout the cavern, connecting all the different coves to one another.
However, it all paled in comparison to the massive trove of goblins that existed at the heart of the cave.
Yemo and Gool were led into a tunnel with a bright opening at the end.
They walked by dozens of goblins going about their daily lives.
When they reached the opening, their eyes widened with shock.
They stood on a ledge that overlooked an enormous cavern. It wasn’t nearly the size of Sergalas’s Cavern, but it was still large enough to hold the title of a realm.
From where Gool and Yemo were standing, they could see a large orange crystal the size of a small mountain at the center of the chamber. The crystal stretched from the ground until it reached the ceiling, becoming brighter in its orange hue as it reached the center of the room. It was five hundred feet (152 meters) in height.
All around the crystal were valleys of stone filled with goblin establishments and homes.
The walls were covered with goblin homes as well. In fact, there did not seem to be a single piece of land that was natural.
Everything was overtaken by goblins. Speaking of which, Gool and Yemo could see hundreds of the green critters walking around down below as if it were broad daylight.
There was no extraordinary technology or any signs of things like basic trade. But what there was was a civilization of a species.
The two followed the goblin soldiers down a wooden stairway that was holstered against the stone wall. It descended downwards, leading to another series of steps that descended downwards in the opposite direction, and so on.
This pattern continued until it finally reached the floor several hundred feet below.
Thankfully, the path wasn’t narrow, or else Gool and Yemo would have issues bumping shoulders with the dozens of goblins that made their way past them.
’Every time I come to this place, it gives me a sense of shock.’ Gool thought, ’I haven’t been here in many years... but the last time I came here, there weren’t even half as many goblins as there are now. Goblins are quick to multiply under peaceful conditions. We are a weak species, so we must do this in order to survive and preserve our race. But to think they have multiplied to such an extent... It’s almost unbelievable.’
As the four entered the streets of Oga town, one of the goblin scouts turned back to Gool.
"You said you wanted an audience with the king... but in truth, I would advise against it. The recent success of Oga town has felt like a revival, you see. For centuries, our royal ancestors slowly deteriorated the reign of goblins and the sanctity of our kind. But now, it seems like things are turning around for the better. And this success has gone to the king’s head. He is arrogant now... unwilling to listen to reason. He stays within his audience grounds, demanding constant entertainment as he dines on the best of our food." The soldier said, his tone quite somber.
’Hmph! An undeserving king! He must be a part of the lineage of scoundrels who overtook true ancestral reign many years ago.’ Yemo thought spitefully.
Gool was also quite upset, but for different reasons.
"I see..." He said, "You said he is always in his audience grounds, so it seems asking for an audience wasn’t really necessary."
"Yes," the soldier replied, "But instead of using his audience grounds for real reasons, such as hearing the pleas and requests of his people, he uses it for clowns, shows, and other forms of flattery." He shook his head.
Gool sighed. His task only seemed to be getting more and more difficult.
’Well... at least there’s one thing I can depend on.’ He glanced forward, looking at the face of the soldier who was speaking to him. ’The will of our kind to survive and thrive is still alive and well.’ He smiled inwardly.
To him, this was the only thing he needed to survive.
"Hey, by the way..." The soldier in front of him asked, "Why is your stoic buddy over there so tall?" He leaned in and whispered into Gool’s ear. "I’ve seen some tall goblins, but he’s a few inches taller than even them. He almost looks like a half-breed." The soldier asked with genuine curiosity, referring to Yemo.
Gool seemed quite surprised by this question, his eyelids flying open.
"O-oh! Oh hohoho..." He awkwardly laughed it off, "That’s because he was born with a birth defect, you see. That’s why he’s tall. He’s just an odd guy, what can I say... heheh..." He scratched the back of his head.
His eyes peered forward with an intense focus, though, wanting to make sure the soldier didn’t suspect anything.
"Hmm... seems reasonable enough." The soldier replied, letting Gool heave a sigh of relief. "Anyways," He turned, "This is the audience grounds of the king. Welcome!"
The soldier looked up at a large colosseum made of stone on the left side of the large cavern.
"Wow... just like my idea," Yemo said, staring up with awe.
"Yeah..." Gool replied, "Expect a hundred times bigger, maybe."
The two entered an alley leading into the coliseum. They stopped by another room to get booked into the audience that would greet the king.
The waiting room was dark, damp, and filled with nothing but dusty barrels of wine.
Finally, they were called to the forefront.
They made their way out of the dark hall and into the open grounds of the coliseum.
Gool was at the back, Yemo walking in front just like how Gool wanted.
As they entered the coliseum, Gool expected a large roar from the crowd.
However, he noticed no such thing.
Looking around, he didn’t see more than a few odd goblins seated sparsely here and there.
It was clear the seats could fit over a thousand goblins, yet there were a dozen present.
