Leader of Goblin Debauchery: I Can Infinitely Evolve my Artifacts

'.....' Keith, who had been managing the situation on his own until now, remained unaware of any fault on his part.

He had gathered some understanding from the map he had seen, yet the intricate ranks of the merchant guild eluded him.

As he continued to search for answers, he noticed the guard approaching him.

The guard's bulky figure loomed over Keith, who barely reached the man's shoulder, creating an undeniably intimidating presence.

"He is Nomad Rank."

"Hm?"

The guard, expecting a response from Keith, became skeptical of the goblin's significance due to his silence.

Just as the guard began to question Keith's stature, a woman with chains binding her hands stepped forward, her voice breaking the tension.

The guard narrowed his gaze at the Dark Elf slave, his voice laced with venom as he reprimanded her.

"How dare a slave interrupt me?"

Thalrexia, who had already foreseen the impending conflict—where the guard would challenge Keith to a duel, dismissing the notion of his Nomad Rank—had spoken in Keith's defense.

Yet, the guard's cruel words sent a shiver down her spine, and her heart sank in terror.

She trembled, her eyes wide with fear, until the familiar figure of Keith appeared before her, the sunlight glinting off his green skin.

"Mind your words, Human," Keith declared firmly, glaring at the guard with the same intensity he had directed toward Thalrexia.

There was no hint of sympathy in his expression, and the man's ego visibly faltered under Keith's piercing gaze.

The guard's jaw clenched in response to the goblin's bravado, though he quickly paused when he caught a signal from one of his comrades.

"Woman? I see," the guard muttered, then turned towards the young man who had instigated this entire debacle—clearly, the son of the mayor.

The guard had no choice but to assert, "Accept his conditions; fairness must be practiced, especially from you, as you are the son of the mayor."

"What?! Why should I care what anyone else thinks! I AM THE SON OF A MAYOR!!!" the young man yelled, his face flushed with visible anger.

He was clearly irritated by the guard's insistence that he consider the opinions of others, particularly those he deemed beneath him.

Not even his father had ever told him how to act.

"You..."

The bearer of the challenge was clearly in a dilemma.

Recognizing his own rank, he understood that offending a mayor's son wouldn't pose a problem for the umpire.

However, if they were to lay hands on someone of the nomad ranks—identified as a special merchant caste known for having diplomatic ties for business in new territories—there was a very real chance that the merchant guild would withdraw its investments from the human empire and instead focus on the nearby dwarves, who were already advancing too rapidly.

"This duel is null," the guard declared, regaining his composure.

As he spoke, the contract dissolutely vanished into thin air.

Clearly, there was a situation, as his declaration implied.

It was mostly a response to the orders given by his superior, who was mixed in with the crowd.

"WHAT!"

The young man was visibly shocked to hear that the duel he had instigated was nullified by a guard.

This only served to fuel his anger.

But when he glanced over at the steadfast bearer, irritation washed over him as he realized that his father would scold him if he said anything against these imperial figures.

Clenching his fists, he shot a glare toward the goblin and mumbled something under his breath before storming off, barking, "FOLLOW ME!"

With that command, two slaves at his side obediently followed behind him.

'Kill me?', Keith pondered, having read the young man's lips as he muttered a threat.

He understood that Matt had finally fallen into a trap—a trap where their paths would inevitably cross again, and sooner rather than later.

But for now, he pushed those thoughts aside and turned his attention to the guard.

"And you, leave this place too," the bearer directed at the goblin, his gaze turning formal as he knew full well that they would have to deal with the ensuing hassle from the mayor following this incident.

Though the recklessness of the mayor's son was a significant factor, the goblin also bore some blame for not accepting the duel instead of prioritizing the safety of a slave.

"Yes, I will," Keith replied sharply.

"And make sure that none of my fellows even set foot in this biased shithole again."

Upon hearing the man's insinuation of the word "kill," he quickly deciphered that the young man probably believed he belonged to the merchant guild.

Considering the VIP status associated with the guild, it wasn't difficult for him to conclude that his attire spoke of wealth and influence.

In this scenario, he recognized his own importance and wielded it in his favor, warning the gathered throng, noting the flicker of anxiety that spread through them.

"Let's leave, wife," Keith then said, gripping Thalrixia's hand firmly before leading her away.

He had deliberately created a scene, ensuring that everyone witnessed how a rich man was withdrawing his investments due to the provocation of the mayor's son.

While he could only gauge the extent of its impact, it was clear that his actions would indeed carry weight.

By referring to Thalrixia as his wife, he was crafting a distinct image of himself in public eyes; they might not know his name yet, but they would remember the goblin who called a slave his wife.

To put it simply, if word spread that a goblin had clashed with the mayor's son, it could easily be any member of the goblin race and would soon be forgotten.

In the future, if he aspired to gain fame and popularity among the people—though not of his identity just yet—he needed them to talk about how that goblin's wife was offended by the son of the mayor, who then dared to provoke a warning about withdrawing his people from the town.

In the end, people just need a subject of gossip.

It doesn't matter which race or society they belong to.

Considering they are civilized and smart enough to communicate, they will create a topic of entertainment on their own.

The impact of his words would be true in the future, considering that those in power always try to use it for their own good.

If the mayor of the town were to engage in corruption, or if anyone of higher rank caused changes in the market, then most probably the first name that would come up would be that of the goblin who was offended by the mayor's son.

A free publicity which would then be boosted by those in power, as they would try to save their own reputations and use him as the cover, which he exactly wanted.