Wizard: I am a goblin

Chapter 170 I'm Willing

Chapter 170 I'm Willing

Geb hesitated for a second, then Yvette wrapped her hair around her fingertips, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

A subtle atmosphere emanated from the woman's implied hints, quickly filling the small room—was this room really that hot just now?

There's a saying that goes, "You can't let down a good woman, and you can't miss out on a bad woman either."

No way! Gebu won't fall for such an obvious test. With their background unknown and friend or foe uncertain, losing his composure at this point would be tantamount to walking into a trap.

Geb stared straight at the woman's face, as if he hadn't understood her hint at all.

"Do something else? Sure, didn't you say you had a job offer for me—we can talk about that."

"Ah. Yes, that's what I promised."

A hint of disappointment flashed in Yvette's eyes, as if she was disappointed by Geb's lack of understanding of her feelings—or perhaps she was doubting because her charm had not been recognized.

Clearly, this cheerful bard was not used to others accepting her invitations. She subconsciously straightened up a bit, pulled her collar up, and covered her cleavage.

This subtle emotion lasted only a moment; the half-elf quickly regained her cheerful demeanor. She put away the script, turned to check the situation outside the door, and seeing no one was around, sat back down. She said to Geb, "I haven't thanked you yet, Geb. This morning was truly thrilling; thank goodness we encountered the Queen of Raven's followers. I see you and Sister Doffin are quite skilled—how did you burn so many gnolls to death? With oil?"

"Pretty much. I happened to have some oil with me, so I used it." Gebu didn't explain further. He was certain that the person hadn't seen him cast the spell (she had been buried under the pile of stones the whole time), so he wasn't worried.

"To make a living in this line of work, you really have to learn to adapt to changing circumstances," the woman laughed. "The sky above us is like a child's face, changing in an instant. If you don't keep an eye on the clouds, you might accidentally get struck by lightning without even knowing it, don't you think, Gebu?"

The woman's words had a hidden meaning. Gebu thought for a moment, but instead of replying immediately, he let her continue.

"What I mean is—by the way, Gebu, you still haven't told me which mountain you worship?"

Gebu thought for a moment and said, "I used to work for Old Peacock. Now, like you, I work for myself, doing odd jobs."

"Oh, that's unusual. Lady Peacock isn't one to let people go so easily."

"I have legs, I don't need her to put me on them, I can walk by myself." Gebu deliberately put on an unhappy expression, making it seem like he had some grudge against Peacock, and continued through gritted teeth, "Of course, Peacock is a little unhappy, but I've already left, so what can she do?"

"I see." After listening to the halfling's words, Yvette looked the small man up and down, then said with a slightly serious expression, "I've heard that Lady Peacock is a vengeful person. Aren't you afraid she'll come after you?"

"If she wants to cause trouble, let her come."

After saying that, Gebu crossed his arms, looking like he was telling everyone not to mess with him. "Don't even mention her coming to find me, I'd like to settle scores with her myself—unfortunately, I heard she was poisoned by some guy and can't even get out of bed. Karma, karma. Too bad, it's not my turn to do it."

"Such a deep grudge?" the half-elf asked with interest.

"A blood feud. She killed my best friend," Gebu said viciously, recalling the scene when Old Peacock threatened him with Chuantong's life years ago to make his performance more realistic.

The more Geb thought about it, the angrier he became. He clenched his fists. If he hadn't held on properly, or if he had been a little slower, his wizarding career would have ended prematurely—that wretched elf!

Seeing the halfling's bulging veins, Yvette's eyes flashed. The woman took a step forward, grinned wickedly, and whispered, "You know what, I heard that Lady Peacock is coming to Martina's for a banquet tonight. Your chance has come."

Geb feigned surprise and looked up at Yvette: "Are you serious? Where?"

"I told you where the banquet was, and you actually went?" the half-elf teased. "You've got guts, but I don't want to be responsible for your recklessness."

The halfling, putting on a convincing act, frowned deeply, his face contorted in a grimace. After a long pause, he finally spoke: "—If what you're saying is true, then it's such a pity. Such a good opportunity—you're right, I couldn't have done it alone, and I'd have dragged my companions down with me." Gebu clenched his fist. "Damn it, if only I were a little stronger—"

Seeing Gebu's distress, Yvette stopped laughing, leaned forward, gently hugged Gebu, and patted his back.

"I understand—revenge is a slow poison; it destroys you before it kills your enemy."

"I don't understand those things. All I know is that as long as that old geezer lives, my friend can't close his eyes even if he's six feet away from me," Gebu said bitterly.

silence.

Through the barely tangled embrace, Geb felt Yvette's shallow, rapid breathing. Beneath her sympathetic exterior, the woman's heart pounded; she was plotting something.

"—If, and I mean if, there were a chance for you to get revenge, but it would involve some risk—would you be willing to take it?"

Upon hearing this, Gebu knew things were looking promising.

He pretended to shove Yvette away and said loudly, "Are you kidding me? Of course! But what are the chances of such a coincidence? Even if I got close to her, I might not be able to succeed in a single blow, and I wouldn't be able to escape."

"You don't need to worry about those things. I'm just asking you, if you had the chance to take revenge on the Peacock, but would expose yourself to the enemy, would you be willing to take that risk?" The half-elf looked intently at the halfling in front of him, his eyes filled with anticipation.

"Are you serious?" Geb asked earnestly.

"I am very, extremely serious," Yvette said, emphasizing each word.

Gebu pretended to hesitate for a moment, then nodded vigorously.

"I do."

After reaching a preliminary consensus, the two continued chatting for a while. Perhaps Gebu was putting on too much of a show, because Yvette unusually became serious during the conversation.

In order to gain Gebu's trust, she revealed to him the identity of the big boss behind her.

"The Rat King".

Gebu almost couldn't help but ask: "Do you, the Rat King, ever cook while hiding in someone's hat?"

Like the Peacock, this Rat King was a leader of the Gray Raven Society. His headquarters were located in Port Queen, the port city next to Shanhaiguan.

"Peacock lives a secluded life, and rumors about her are flying everywhere. No one knows which are true and which are false—but one thing is certain: she is losing control of her subordinates."

"She's quite powerful and well-known, so how come her subordinates have become demoralized after just a few weeks of absence?" Gebu asked.

"This disappearance was just the last straw that broke the camel's back. The business of Qi Hai Qi Pharmacy has plummeted in the past year and is not as good as before. Her subordinates have long been dissatisfied and have been looking for opportunities to find other jobs for themselves."

"A dramatic fall? Why?"

"Peacock was able to sit in the position of Crow Head entirely because of this thirty-year war between the Kingdom and the Empire," Yvette said. "I heard that she used to be a member of the Church's witch hunters, but later broke away from the organization and fled underground, but maintained contact with the Church's high-ranking officials. Because of this, she was able to do business between the Kingdom and the Empire right under the Church's nose, reselling embargoed materials to both sides, especially medicinal herbs, which are war consumables and are very valuable on both sides of Shanhaiguan."

"What has changed?"

"The war is over—and her path to wealth will come to an end. I suspect that after this peace talks, both the church and the kingdom will undergo tremendous changes, with the pro-war faction suffering a crushing defeat and the pro-peace faction emerging victorious. Perhaps those in high positions don't want to keep such a tainted black glove, giving their political enemies leverage."

"You know quite a lot. I didn't realize that. I thought you were more interested in the stories in books."

"Hey, reality is much more interesting than stories," Yvette laughed. "If I were to bring real-life events to the stage exactly as they happened, the audience would definitely criticize me for making things up out of the blue."

"I suspect that the peacock's subordinates have found a new patron—the Rat King?"

Yvette smiled subtly, neither confirming nor denying.

"Actually, the intensity of the war has decreased significantly over time. In the last five years, there haven't been any major battles near Shanhaiguan—only a few nobles who lost their territories in the Thousand Lakes Plain are still waging guerrilla warfare against the army of their homeland empire by hiring mercenaries. In the last two years, these nobles have gradually disappeared. The kingdom and the empire have effectively ceased hostilities," Yvette said. "Queen's Port has slowly developed from a military port into a commercial city—despite the strict embargoes imposed by both sides, trade between the empire and the kingdom has never stopped in Rat King's smuggling port, and it's only grown bigger."

"So, once the war ends, the Rat King can turn from black to white?" Geb asked.

"Once the ceasefire is reached, Queen's Port will become the largest port in the kingdom, the center of maritime and land transportation for the kingdom and the empire, and the crossroads of the entire Golden Continent."

"So you're betting on the rat, not the molting peacock," Geb said meaningfully to Yvette.

"You overestimate me. I'm just an opera singer~" Yvette stuck out her tongue and pretended to be innocent.

This guy, after saying so much to me, is still just sending me to my death—Gebu wanted to see what kind of plan this half-elf had in mind to kill the peacock.

"Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. I see that many of Peacock's men are still quite wary of her. May I ask, Lord Rat King, what plans do you have to defeat Lady Peacock?"

"This is your chance for revenge, Geb." Yvette tilted her head at the halfling.

"If you want me to become a suicide bomber—"

"No, we've already prepared a trap. All we need is bait."

"That's me?"

"Yes, it's you." Yvette said without hesitation, "We need someone Peacock knows to lure her out—and I think you're the right person. You know better than I do that Peacock is petty; if you anger her, she'll definitely not let you off the hook."

So that's how it is—it seems that the gears to lure and kill this peacock had already begun turning before I even arrived in Matiana.

Luring the peacock out won't be difficult—after all, the old elf lady came to Martina specifically for the goblins! If Geb shows her his true form, the old lady will definitely take the bait.

The question is, can the trap that Yvette mentioned really guarantee that the peacock will be killed?

"Tell me your specific plan. If you're asking me to take this risk, I need to know at least what the potential risks are, right?"

"I'm sorry, but for confidentiality reasons, I can't tell you the whole plan. I can only guarantee that as long as you do what you're supposed to do, I guarantee the peacock will have nowhere to escape!"

"How can you guarantee that? Peacock is a master herbalist; making invisibility potions or flight potions wouldn't be difficult for him."

"Don't worry, we have specialists to handle these situations. I can't reveal any more details." The half-elf winked at Geb.

Geb became alert. Judging from Yvette's words, did these so-called "specialists" mean they had special methods to counter magic? Geb recalled the anti-magic grenade used by the witch hunter Vulture in the Peacock basement. He didn't want to experience that again.

While luring out the peacock, you must not expose yourself to the battlefield, otherwise you will be affected by the magic-suppressing items and your true form will be revealed, and you will be finished.

"Alright, I'll trust you this once—but I hope you can promise me one thing."

"you say."

"After this is done, I hope you can introduce me to His Majesty the Rat King," Geb said. "This gentleman sounds like the future leader, and I hope to be on the side of the winner."

"Ha, believe me, once you meet the Rat King, you'll see he has absolutely no connection to any 'Emperor.' Of course, introducing you is no problem at all; if it succeeds, he'll certainly express his gratitude without me even having to say it."

"Okay, tell me, what do I need to do?"

"Now, you don't need to do anything," Yvette said with a smile. "Next, you'll watch the rehearsal with Sister Dove, and then go back to your hotel—I've prepared a gift for you there. You'll know what to do then."

"Hey, are you keeping me in suspense?"

"A good script needs twists and turns, my dear Geb." Yvette stood up and winked at Geb. "Alright, it's my turn—wish me luck!"

After watching a boring rehearsal, Geb and the Swordswoman returned to the inn, by which time it was completely dark.

Geb found a box tied with a bow on the bed in the room. He opened the box and saw an exquisite nobleman's formal dress inside, which fit his body perfectly. On the dress was a brass fox mask.

Geb picked up the mask and fiddled with it. A piece of paper fell out from under the mask.

Upon opening it, I saw two short lines written on it: "Silver Moon Corridor, Masquerade Ball, Titian—Cedric's Guest."

"When the nightingale sings, a trap is set for the peacock in front of the statue of the Rose Saint in the garden."

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