Here, everything was sharp, loud, and unpredictable. Humans moved in and out of squat wooden houses, their voices booming, laughter echoing, dogs barking, and somewhere, a child shrieked with glee. Lanterns hung from crooked poles, casting pools of golden light that seemed to chase away the darkness but also made every shadow deeper and more menacing.
He pressed himself lower, trying to become just another lump in the grass. This is insane, he thought. I was an office worker last month. Now I'm a goat on a spy mission. He almost snorted, but caught himself. No need to draw attention. "I need to focus, my life and reward depended on it. 'Cough' Bojo's life depended on it."
He crept closer to the houses. From inside the farm, it had looked like just a row of buildings, but now, up close, it was clearly a village, way more houses than Lin had expected. Real roofs, smoke curling from chimneys, the faint smell of something cooking. For a second, he just stared. This is a whole world out here.
Lin kept low, belly almost brushing the ground, and edged toward the house where the most noise was coming from. Human voices echoed out loud, overlapping, but all he could hear was gibberish. Words that made no sense, just a jumble of sounds.
No time to waste. He focused, willing his system to help. Instantly, a tingling sensation swept through his skull. A crisp, emotionless system notification flashed across his vision:
───[Language: Human – Activated for 1 hour]─────
The world shifted. The jumble of human voices, which had sounded like a flock of angry geese, suddenly snapped into focus. Words, phrases, even jokes, he understood them all. It was dizzying.
Lin blinked, trying to adjust. So this is what a cheat skill feels like. Not bad, system. Not bad at all.
He crept closer to the village, hugging the shadows, and found himself near a rickety tavern. The place was alive with noise, laughter, the clink of mugs, and the low hum of gossip. Lin slunk beneath an open window, ears flicking at every new sound.
Inside, a group of villagers sat around a battered table, mugs in hand. Their faces were flushed, their voices loud and careless.
"We've captured so many goats this time. What do you think the lord wants with them all? We never see them again," grumbled a man with a bushy beard, swirling his drink.
"Probably some kind of experiment. Or maybe a ritual. Who knows?" slurred another, his words thick from too much ale.
A woman snorted. "Ritual? More like a feast. You know how they are with their fancy parties. Besides, we've only been here for a few days. What do we even know?"
Another man leaned in, lowering his voice. "I've heard something bold. What if the lord, " He hesitated, making a crude gesture with his hands.
The woman recoiled, disgusted. "What the hell is wrong with you? That's sick. Why would a noble bother with goats like that? If he wanted company, he could have any girl in the county."
"Hey, I'm just saying. We don't know anything about the lord or his servants. We barely know the guards. Besides, who cares, as long as we get paid at the end of the month? Living with your family and getting paid for basically doing nothing, can't complain."
He leaned in, lowering his voice. "But let me clear up one thing. This is what I heard from one of the guards: the lord really is doing experiments on the goats. Supposedly, he's trying to help them evolve."
The table erupted in laughter as someone joked, "Evolve? What, is it going to sprout wings and fly away?"
After that, the conversation veered into weird territory. Lin, pressed for time, didn't stick around. He'd already heard what he needed. Now he knew where Bojo was, and there was no time to waste.
He edged away from the window, careful not to rustle the barrels stacked nearby. His mind raced. The "Lord's Place", which had to be where they were keeping Bojo. But where was it? He scanned the village, trying to spot anything that looked grand or important.
He crept through narrow alleys, dodging stray chickens and weaving between piles of crates. The sights and smells overwhelmed him, roasting meat, sour ale, the tang of sweat and woodsmoke. Every step felt risky.
He was about to move closer when a low growl froze him in place. A dog, big and shaggy, padded out from behind a barrel, nose twitching. Its eyes locked onto Lin, and for a moment, time stopped.
Lin's mind went blank. Don't move. Don't breathe. Maybe it'll go away.
The dog sniffed the air, came closer, and pressed its nose almost to Lin's side. Lin squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for teeth. Instead, the dog snorted, sneezed, and turned away, seemingly bored. It trotted off, tail wagging, more interested in a discarded bone than a trembling goat. Lin didn't stay in that spot for another second; he moved immediately.
Lin crouched low in the thicket, belly pressed to the damp earth, heart thumping so loudly he was sure the dog could hear it. The Leader's Place loomed ahead, a sprawling estate walled in stone and iron, lanterns flickering along its perimeter. He'd expected something grand, but this was ridiculous, more palace than farmhouse, with banners fluttering from the rooftops and a pair of statues flanking the main gate. Human taste, Lin thought, was always so extra, not interested in those kinds of things. He always preferred a simple village life.
He watched as guards paced the grounds, their armor glinting in the moonlight. Some carried spears, others strange rods that pulsed with blue light. Servants moved in and out of side doors, arms full of crates and baskets. Lin caught a whiff of something sweet, fruit, maybe, or wine. There were even glowing symbols etched along the walls, pulsing softly, like magical wards.
He scanned the estate, looking for patterns, for anything out of place.