Chapter 68 - The Prophet

The old goblin's body uncharacteristically stands up as the body gambles over to Jack, it's dried out skin looks like it'll fall apart at the slightest movement but the figure is moving about like a much younger person. It walks up to Jack with its unnatural gait and glowing eyes crawling all over Jack's body inspecting him but he doesn't move standing stoically.

"Why are you so secretive, young man?" the goblin sniffs Jack in several places as he walks several loops around, not caring for Jack's personal space. The old goblin's mouth looks like it'd be slobbering over Jack's arm as his nose runs up and down if it contained any moisture.

Jack feels like shaking the old man, 'the prophet sounds like something great, not some weird mummified old man sniffing me like an animal' but he holds back his fist but his qi roils the slightest amount causing his knuckles to crack.

"Wahaha, I know I'm not someone you expected" the old man laughs while returning to the throne.

���This body is almost done for but who could have expected the brat to have started this stage already, Jax isn't ready for me to take over... I mean, take over the goblin town." Jack's eyes meet the old man as he continues to chuckle, their eyes hold as Jack stares into an almost endless space of yellow light while his own have a rainbow petal iris appear for a moment.

Lightning comes out of Jack before disappearing into the surrounding rock, the old man breaks eye contact with Jack to watch the lightning disappear.

"Tut tut, even I wouldn't mess with these two, justice and punishment ahh... maybe this was a waste of time and this endeavour is to fail."

"Justice and Punishment is that related to the lightning? Why would this be a waste of time because of that? Can you start speaking about why I'm here?"

"I can't say much otherwise they'll come after me too but you'll see them soon, I'm already pushing my luck to come here today but I can reveal to you why I called you here. It's simple; to put you in debt to me."

Jack is still processing the comment about the lightning when he's given another shock, "What? Why would I do that?"

"I should be the one asking what you offer, I've spent countless years raising up these goblins and you're coming in here wrecking up my plans even more so than that pain in my ass overseer but I'll see how he likes it when I ruin some of his plans."

"Overseer? Is that related to the lightning?"

"Wahaha, they're always so cute when they're new to all this stuff, no dumbass one is a force of the heavens while the other is a heavens sent jerk off, the overseer is the one that runs this place, a godly entity to the brainwashed people but an entity or spiritual being to most in the centre"

"He will close off all outside communication even to the other realms so I have to abandon my plans here, so I'll give you a few hints to help you along the way but these hints aren't small things, they took a lot of effort to drag out"

'Just listen and I'll help you with questions later' Xueli whispers.

"All right, I'll listen but first who are you? It seems like that isn't your true body"

"I'm just a lowly divination goblin god from the outer god realm, Selected as the god for this group of goblins but this body is much easier to speak to them with, I'm not able to do much compared to the primary god types but they don't have access to my information, such as how I knew this spot would have someone special appear near it"

"What's special about this location? It's not any different to the other couple of hills around here with underground areas"

"That's what is so special about this area, the underground is filled with vast treasures that are waiting to be uncovered, well you already got most from this region but there are many more laid about by the asshole in charge but before you'll ask, no I can't give you their location if you have an affinity for them, you'll get them, I don't want any troubles like you have"

"You'll find out about this spot from Jax but what I can tell you is, an event is happening far off the shore southwest is of vital importance to nearly everyone within this cage, you'll want to get there early and bring your star goddess"

The old man's body is struck by something as it jerks forward as part of its arm rots instantly, "I guess that's too much, hah when you're up on the moon make sure you mess up the place he'll love that, it's one of his prized treasures"

"There's a seed up there you can find, it's special and probably the only one in this universe, if you can get it before your encounter with justice and punishment then I'll feel better after telling you this next piece of information, your world will shift soon, 2 years it will take in total but that's when the barrier will come down and you're thrown to the wolves"

Jack feels like telling him to slow down, but the goblin doesn't stop talking with its weird voice that echoes within his mind slightly.

"Listen to all of my words but I will tell you the final chance of this cage is dangerous… incredibly dangerous for anyone that's not at least a true Empire influence but if you can tame the beast below, you'll be able to move unhindered through the outer worlds but don't release it until it's under your control"

"Below as in underground?"

"Down beneath the demon suppressing pillar, I don't have to explain that to you, do I?"

Jack shakes his head, the demon suppressing pillar acts as a portal allowing access to a vast area underground, it goes down to level 5 but there is also a restricted level which wasn't in the information given to Jack previously, "Within the restricted area?"

"Oh, I didn't expect you to have even been there, well once that moon returns to normal, and he puts away his toy, you'll be able to go far, far below so luckily you have some time. Your little dragon larvling will be of substantial help down there"

"When will that be? Dragon Larvling?"

"The larvling around your arm. The moon shall change either prior to when grand travel will begin or when something triggers it earlier, the heavens are telling me vague things about this as if something I can't spy upon is involved... It's impossible to tell when you're involved…" the goblin's eyes scan over Jack's body while he furrows his brows.

"So basically, any time between now and 2 years from now? Will there be any signs or will it just happen?"

"You won't notice but you really have a short window to act, the travel time isn't big and there're countless obstacles you need to cross to even attempt going down there, the formation surrounding it protected the creature below from nearly everything but I glimpsed it…" the old goblins glowing eyes focus away from Jack, "it's a corrupted foul thing of an ancient bird, I suspect its mind has long since died but its body lives on"

"When it stared at me through my heavens peering skill, it felt like my soul and essence was being torn out causing me to become this mummified old form, that thing should have long been destroyed"

"Why the hell would I tame that thing? Can that sort of thing even be tamed? It sounds like some sort kind of cosmic horror, what sort of benefit can that thing bring when you even say don't release it making it sound as though nothing can handle it"

"I won't tell you what to do and not to do but the information is there, a small window is available down beneath the surface far below the 'restricted' area, the people within this cage have the chance to tame that creature within that short window and I'd rather it be you"

'Ask him what creature it resembles' Xueli asks Jack, "What sort of creature does it resemble?"

"An ancient crane but surrounded by corrupted energy, not just qi, all energy which just isn't possible but I only caught a glimpse and I'm just a lowly divination goblin god who isn't privy to the true secrets of the universe and the centre, time is getting short so I shall start my final reading"

His body glows, "The two shall become the one during the great fall before the barrier opens, will you protect the goblins through those times?"

"Why do you wish to protect them so much? It's just an insignificant goblin town, can't you just start again elsewhere?"

"Our motives are none of your concern, most mortal beings would jump for joy at the chance to serve a god so you're lucky I am speaking to you so calmly and not dissecting you to take your secrets for myself but we will both benefit"

"Ok but they will be my goblins not yours after all of this"

"That would be my suggestion, anyway we have little time left, catch" the old goblin throws a pale grey orb towards Jack who catches it carefully not noticing the suspicious smirk on the goblin's face.

[Blood Essence Orb]: Stage: Stage 3, Description: An orb refined from a stage 3 corpse that contains accumulated cultivation power. Using it will increase one's cultivation, but is limited to those at Stage 2. Each orb stage can only be used once.

"That's what I'm offering you in payment for looking after the goblins, those things will empower your soldiers but it's a greedy sucker, it took quite some time to calm it down and make it cooperate, you'll meet it soon enough but for now I can give you 200 of these, any more and you will have to provide the fertilizer, bodies and such Jax will handle that"

Jack grips the orb tightly but holds back on using it, if it's true then this will mean a substantial upgrade to the normal soldiers who cultivate much slower than himself, it will also mean it's much quicker to train up soldiers initially therefore losses can be replaced quickly.

"The vine can only produce 5 a day so don't get your hopes up, Jax can tell you more about it but for now there's nothing more to say, so I will use this last chance before I'm punished for spoiling his plans"

Jack interrupts him, "Why do you keep calling the overseer these various names, shouldn't the task be given to something with high standing?"

The goblin god exaggeratedly laughs for a moment, "Oh, you'll find out why before too long, you two are going to run into each other a lot but even I know about the group he comes from in the backwaters where I am but there's a good chance you are well entrenched within his plans now so just remember the name at the end of my words"

"So let's get this out of the way, time is running short and the last of my energies is about to fade from this connection" the lights within the room flicker and become dim as his eyes appear brighter and an unknown majesty comes from the old goblins body, this doesn't affect Jack but from the distance Jax can be heard slamming his body onto the ground.

The goblin throws some bones on the ground as an illusory headdress appears over the dried-up mummified body, Jack watches the bones roll on the ground where they land in an unusual pattern before burning up into black dust.

"Your fortune tells a tale that I cannot tell but I can tell you two things, your first opportunity lies to the East, there you will find an ancient ruin of a tribe, ancient before the ancient Phoenix Empire rose, their mastery over time didn't afford them longevity but their countless ruins still stand today," the goblin gets struck by something again "this opportunity will be difficult but this is your only chance before the barrier comes down, go there first" his arm rots off and falls on the ground crumbling into dust.

"The second opportunity lies to the North, deep within the Sacred Mountain lies a weapon which is also a key, The Ancient Fiendgods... Mountain Giants were the ones to have tamed and raised up the divine beasts still present in this universe, acquire the key to gain knowledge and access to these divine beasts"

Jacks ears pick up upon hearing this information, it's one of the first times that he has heard mention of the divine beasts.

His cultivation technique, Dragon - Phoenix Myriad Arts, requires access to other types of divine beast qi and while he hasn't had time to search yet it's something that has always been troubling him. His current cultivation pathway recommends acquiring 4 different divine beast qi types before reaching Stage 8 but there was nothing about where to get this qi so this is a burden lifted off his mind.

"Acquire the key before you meet the first mature divine beast, your path will be easier" The goblin's body is struck yet again and his other arm falls off giving Jack an idea of what's going on.

"Calamity is falling upon this universe, the calamity means the fall of this entire universe unless the ones chosen by the heavens are able to rise to the challenge but they will face challenges from the intruders but also from within simply because of human nature, you must step up to the challenge and rise above them Chosen Son of Heaven, I will see you in the Centre and watch out for Nightfa..." the old goblins body crumples into dust causing the majesty to collapse and disappear.

It leaves a shiny orb sitting on the throne but after only a few seconds it become dull returning the room to stillness, leaving Jack to process these words as there's a lot of information to go through with a lot of it still cryptic.

"Little Miss Dragon Larvling, did you understand all that?"

'More than you did I bet, humph,' Xueli harrumphs a few more times within his mind before speaking, 'He revealed a lot of important information but I'm concerned about that thing he said about the ancient tribe of time. If there's truly ruins from that tribe then even my father wouldn't be able to resist waging war against allies to control it'

"What so special about it?" Jack specifically ignores the comment about her father, it's not time yet to talk about that stuff.

'They were the only group to control the principle of time, they placed time pyramids all over the universe that no one has recreated but it's like they just mysteriously vanished and left behind everything one day. Time pyramids are amazing places, they can control time within a set area so you can spend years inside but hours pass by outside, if there's one of them there then that'll solve a lot of your problems'

Footsteps are heard behind Jack while he's listening to Xueli, Jax the dwarf still has his head lowered but his muscles are tense as he approaches Jack.

"Lord Profit said that you are our new Lord, he also said to pass you this piece of paper when he has disappeared," Jax passes a delicate piece of paper which Jack quickly scans.

It's a list of where all the important items stored within the goblin village are including a list of them and their approximate worth before the bottom of the page has a route, going to the south-west but Jack cannot make sense of the names listed which are possibly people or places. Jack puts it away before looking at the dark-skinned goblin that is continuously peeking at the dust pile sitting atop the throne.

"You will meet with your Prophet again soon but you are now part of my village, DeeYo has said that you dislike humans and that'll have to change but I don't expect miracles overnight. Are you willing to pledge loyalty to me and join me?"

Jax looks up at Jack with a cold glint, his facial muscle twitching as his whole body goes taut, Jack responds with no emotion but subtle power seeps into his body from the village heart filling the area with a majesty of Jack's own compared to borrowing it from his bloodline or cultivation technique as he did previously.

"You blew off this arm which the Profit granted me back" the dark-skinned goblin holds his newly regrown arm, differently coloured to the other, "I accept that you are stronger than me, that you have made a force able to challenge me within few weeks, I accept that you are stronger than me and more capable so it should be my honour to submit to you but I cannot, humans are scum that believe they rule this universe because the most powerful beings are humans, if a goblin was the most powerful then our positions would be different, if you want a loyal dog you have DeeYo he can take over"

"Your prophet told me to watch out for your town and you specifically, if you don't wish to submit and come under my banner then I'll be forced to seal you away where goblins will truly be stuck where they are." Jack coldly eyes the goblin glaring at him, "but I feel that your prophet was giving you the opportunity to advance goblins."

Jack closely watches the goblin "perhaps you haven't considered that you have been given this chance to come under my banner to advance goblins to a higher stage with me, I do not discriminate against goblins as most people will and I doubt I'm the only one that can create a force able to rival yours in a few weeks."

The goblin's muscles tense again, showing to Jack that his speech is working.

"If goblins come under my banner, while they'll be one of the many forces under my banner, my banner will reach the highest peaks while you are already stuck down here. Don't you wish to be the ones leading your goblins through all the trials to come and reach the highest peaks with me so you can show to your Prophet that you don't always need his help?"

The goblin looks deeply at Jack, "How can I trust your words?"

"Will you trust any of the words that come out of my mouth? I don't expect you to trust me but I will prove to you through my actions and overtime I hope that you will come to trust me, for now I need a goblin general, are you willing to be one?"

The goblin doesn't break eye contact with Jack but he breathes deeply before kneeling lowering his head, "I will submit to you so you can prove to me you are worthy of my loyalty, I will listen to you and hope you do not break your words just now"

'SYSTEM NOTIFICATION - Jax the special hobgoblin would like to submit to you, do you accept?'

Jack pauses for a moment, he didn't expect to see a notification come up regarding this situation, before accepting the prompt, Jax can feel the change after the prompt was accepted, looking toward Jack in a different light but still slight hostility.

"Now are you able to show me this thing that produces orbs?"

"The vine that produces orbs has gone underground for today, we created the last orb before you arrived today but it will be back tomorrow. We have enough bodies to create another 30 orbs but we cannot get anymore so you will have to provide them"

"Ok let's go back to the surface, I will come back to inspect the vine another time"

Jack walks away from the altar room, inspecting the various storage rooms that cover these tunnels that have a lot of equipment and goods within them, Jack cannot see anything that is valuable but this will be a good method to raise some money for the auction, the goblins don't need all these goods that are rusted and ill-suited to their size.

Jax quietly follows Jack above ground where they meet with Drakon again, "How'd it go, Lord?"