After Surviving the Apocalypse, I Built a City in Another World-Chapter 1426: Goblin Dormitory (Part 2)

While many goblins were lounging about their common area, chatting or playing the puzzle board games they bought from the woodworking shop, the door suddenly opened, revealing more goblins with smiles on their faces.

It was Pupu, who had just gone home from over-time work elsewhere. He ran to them. "We’re going to get out to treat ourselves. Come on, join us!"

Because they were so small, most establishments had limitations in accommodating them. It wasn’t in a discriminatory way, but they were just built differently. They couldn’t have tens of high chairs in every single restaurant, right!?

However, about a few weeks ago, there was a small establishment built nearby, near the entrance to the dormitory area.

Well, there were three, though the two were occupied beforehand. One was a cafeteria-style restaurant, and the other was a branch of the Gaean Convenience Store.

The last one, the newest establishment, was called the ’Goblins’ Nook’, which was a restaurant designed for smaller folk like goblins!

It was like what the locals called a resto-bar. Its height was technically two floors, like the adjacent one, but the second floor had a mezzanine area.

Upon entering, the goblins were met with a warm, earthly atmosphere illuminated by youli lanterns embedded on the walls. The counters and the tables were designed according to the goblins’ sizes, so everyone could use each furniture with ease.

Their feet touching the ground while they were eating brought them a little happiness in and of itself.

The ones who managed the place were the goblins who couldn’t handle hard labor anymore, some with disabilities, and some with age. They formed a sort of goblin-coalition (as advised by some humans) and made the business proposal, which they got a shared loan for.

One of the members was Maku, a goblin who had lost both his legs during the war with Guia. He was one of the collateral damage where one of Baltimore’s sharp rocks landed on them (and many other Guians). He was rescued along with the others but, unlike them, he felt hopeless from the start.

Even humans could be thrown away without their legs, let alone Goblins like them?

However, instead of doing so, they built him a movable chair that could help him move around. They comforted him by saying he could pay for it when he was able, but there was no rush.

It was that time that some well-meaning humans commented about how many goblins they had now, and how nice it would be to have establishments specifically catering to them.

Someone from the construction team also joked that if they somehow found dwarves—which were apparently (according to Otto) stouter and just a little taller than goblins—they could fit in here quite well too.

It so happened that the goblin skill could be used with other materials as well, not just rocks. As long as they were connected to earth or earth-based, they could have something to do with it.

A lot of plants that could create good alcohol and delicious drinks were like this, so they found their own niche soon enough.

Speaking of this, the restaurant’s offerings were vast. While some products could be found in other places, others were formulated according to the goblins’ tastes.

One of the most popular menu items was the mushroom stew, which was thick savory soup filled with mushrooms (which now had dedicated farms in the tunnels) and root vegetables served in small bowls.

Another was the Berry Tart, which was a type of sweet pastry with crushed berries on top that looked like sparkling gems. Very beautiful, very delicious.

For the alcohol they had, they made what was now called the Merie Ale. Merie was a fruit found in damp places and fit their preference for the earthly tastes.

At this time after working hours, the bar-restaurant was filled with goblins, all the way to the mezzanine floor. Here, there was a close group of goblin friends eating their hearts out.

These were the former goblin slaves from Guia like Iko, Pupu, Yut, and Hoku, who were assigned to Alterra as soon as the war was over. They had freed themselves a few months ago after a bit of hard work, and they were now free goblins!

The newcomers did not hold back with their admiration for their other friends who managed to free themselves.

So inspiring! Soon, they could be free, too!

"Ah, this is so nice here~" one said, downing his bowl of soup. Another nodded, though he seemed a bit more introspective.

"I wonder how our brethren are going."

"I feel so... fortunate..."

The veteran goblins smiled and patted their shoulders. "Well, you’ll get used to it," Iko said. "And accomplishing things for Alterra would definitely help you feel worthy of its goodness. So work hard!"

"We will, we will!"

"I still think this is a dream," one said. Even back in Iron Mountains, they still hadn’t completely psychologically adjusted that their lives were changing. And now they were in Alterra, it felt like they had entered a new world.

Basically, the goblins in this region were now all doing well. When they thought about how their brethren from afar would still be suffering, they felt really guilty.

However, the free goblins had already asked for help with the Mercenary Teams as well as the Intelligence Department. They asked them to look out for goblins like them, and they would be willing to pay whatever was needed—even if they had to work for several more years straight—to save them as needed.

Another interesting thing was that the goblins were also for-hire in other associate territories like the allies and subsidiaries, so they really would never lack job opportunities. While only free goblins could easily do so, it was an amazing thing to see—how they were welcomed in many places.

Of course, the ones in Alterra would not want to leave. However, if they found more of their kind, their sheer number might no longer be needed here, but they knew the other territories would definitely have a need!

Who knows... maybe they’d be able to find the rest of their kind! They knew for sure that Alterra or any of the villages around would welcome them with open arms!