Chapter 95

The unpleasant conversation with the local bishop that took place yesterday afternoon continued to weigh on his mind. Even catching the servant around the corner, who accidentally got his nose broken, only confirmed the concerns that arose from the conversation with the local church boss.

Questions about the new settlers began to be raised, and the answers provided food for thought. Talk of sects and heresies was already nearly open. And yet not even a month had passed. That's why this meeting was convened as soon as the night work was finished.

— The main thing when we choose, we must immediately put an end to jokes about the dismissed monk.

— Forget your prison humor right away, please, properly, — Sergey glared disapprovingly at Semen.

— I wasn't even thinking about it.

— That's good. This is an important position. Just anyone can't be appointed to it, — Alexander, seizing upon the solution to the problem, struck while the iron was hot, — Dismissed monks are not hermits and the like. They attach themselves to mercenary squads. They roam the world. Perfect scouts. I'm sure there are many like them. These dismissed monks are a bustling lot. And we need to choose someone who will not only play the role but also occasionally go away from us to the people, conduct reconnaissance for us, gather rumors, and so on.

— You speak sensibly. Let's appoint a scout to this position! — Eugene nodded at Sergey.

— Why me right away? I won't be able to handle so many tasks at once!

— No one is asking you to. You have four subordinates now, sorry, vampires, — Eugene corrected himself, — You have four vampires under your command, so let's appoint one of them. It will be easier to get used to occasionally being a dismissed monk. And I also have in my memory these monks, a bustling folk everywhere, nosing around about everything. Indeed, many of them are disguised scouts.

— Well, if that's the case, then yes. I'll dress up Igor. He's a smart guy. He'll manage.

— Good. Now let's move on to the local population, — Alexander decided not to end the meeting.

— Well, people won't come crawling to us.

— I didn't mean people in general, but the locals that Kostya just mentioned. Goblins and trolls live here! But your phrase gave me the idea that people will indeed come crawling to us. Various runaways and dissatisfied folks, just simple settlers looking for a better life...

— As long as the "locals" stay put, the settlers won't threaten us.

— Please don't interrupt, Zhenechka (Eugene). So, settlers and others are something for the future, but goblins could pay us a visit tonight. What do we know about them?

— So I'm guessing I have to give another lecture? — Sergey sighed humbly.

— You understand correctly.

— Oh. I haven't spoken this much in public since defending my thesis. And these aren't my fondest memories!

— Don't get distracted by them, let's talk about goblins.

— Goblins... Small, unpleasant, malicious, dull, dirty, smelly, disgusting creatures, and so on, and so forth. Emotion aside, we're dealing with a malicious entity about a meter tall, covered in fur, quite fast and agile. They live underground in caves. The main headache for gnomes, and generally for all their neighbors. They don't possess magic. They eat everything within reach. Ordinary members of their tribe are dull, but the elite is smart and cunning, as they survive long enough to develop these traits. Internal fights, raids on gnomes underground, and attacks on nearby human settlements are their main pastimes. They don't like the sun; it blinds them, so attacks should only be expected at night. However, they never stray far from their caves, never more than three days' journey. Therefore, the nearest human settlements are two days' journey from the closest known cave exits to the surface. We are a bit closer to them.

— And people are willing to settle just two days' journey from goblin settlements?

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