Although the workers were amateurs, under the guidance of Lark, they were able to build decent houses. It was not as good the houses in major cities, but they were definitely better than the shacks frequently seen here and there. At the very least, each of these half-constructed houses were built with wood and stones. Those houses would not easily collapse from the weight of snow, leaving them homeless during winter.

Lark once again moved forward, towards the eastern part of the Endless Forest. Upon reaching the place, the darkness of the night swallowed him entirely. The canopies of leaves blocked the moon above, amplifying the darkness of the night. The sound of insects and ravens filled the forest.

Now, let’s see. There should be something here. I don’t believe the deaths of those 5 hunters last year are mere coincidence.

Deep within his heart, he sincerely wished that it was actually a mere coincidence, but his instinct was telling him that there was something dangerous in this place. After searching the area using magic, his instinct was proven right.

Over there.

His body shot forward, skillfully moving past the root-blanketed ground. After a few minutes, he arrived at the entrance of a small cavern.

If a normal person was around this part, they would not easily see it due to the vines that blocked the view.

Lark once again scanned the area using magic. But this time, he focused it inside the cavern.

His brows rose when he detected numerous presences inside. At the very least, there were around fifty of them.

Lark erased his presence, cast concealment magic, then entered the cavern. Although it was very dark inside, he was able to see the flow of mana. Whatever was inside this cavern, they were definitely not humans. The flow of mana clearly told him that.

As soon as Lark entered the cavern, a putrid stench assaulted him. He frowned, crinkled his nose, but kept walking. Eventually, he saw the identity of the creatures living inside.

“Goblins,” the name of the monsters came out naturally in a whisper. Some of them were walking around, rummaging through the piles of loots here and there, while some simply sat on the ground. The nocturnal monsters failed to notice that someone was observing them.

Lark looked around, but it seemed that that there was no Hobgoblin or Shamans. He was amazed that despite having no leader, this group was able to live in this place for so long. Judging by the reports, these creatures never once attacked Blackstone Town.

Still, Lark was not naïve. Although these creatures may seem harmless if they took those reports into consideration, they would definitely kill the humans if given the chance. They were probably unable to attack the human settlements because of the lack of a leader. This was a rare thing, even back in Lark’s previous life.

The hunters must have encountered these creatures and died. That should explain why all 5 of them died in this part of the forest.

For now, Lark decided to leave the group alone. Once he had trained the soldiers, he would issue a subjugation order to eliminate these monsters. After all, real life battle was different from training. Lark decided to make these weak creatures the steppingstone for the growth of his men.

Of course, if these creatures suddenly decided to invade the town, He would immediately eliminate them there and then. No questions asked.

As Lark was about to leave the cavern, he noticed something glimmering near the walls. He increased the flow of mana within his eyes to see better in the dark.

Kalrane Gemstones?!

Lark’s lips visibly rose. For the past few days, he had been pondering on how to solve the current lack of funds for Blackstone Town.

Tiling the soil and planting the wheats take time, and it would be several months more before they would be able to reap the harvest.

Although Lark still had a lot of gold coins given to him by his father, it would run out sooner or later.

He wanted to find a way to compensate for the lack of funds. But in this town which literally had nothing to offer, he found it hard to find one.

Finally! A product that could become the town’s specialty!

Lark licked his lips in anticipation. He could already envision it. Workers from Blackstone Town gathering Kalranes. Merchants coming and going out of the town to buy them. He could already hear the clanking sound of gold coins.

He looked at the Goblins. At first, he wanted to leave them alone until the soldiers were strong enough to subdue them, but now, he decided to act sooner. Although it would be dangerous for the trainees, Lark would accompany them. He would definitely not let anyone die during the encounter.