The goblin settlement was being run with remarkable efficiency under Murkfang's capable leadership, the goblin proving that experience and wisdom could accomplish what raw strength sometimes couldn't. They had transformed into a genuinely self-sufficient society in ways that would have seemed impossible just months ago under Byung. The ore they mined from the expanded tunnel systems now had practical usage—they'd established proper forges, learned metalworking techniques, created tools and infrastructure that elevated their entire civilization.
The goblins were working constantly, the settlement buzzing with productive activity from dawn until well past dark. The sounds of hammers on anvils, of ore being processed, of construction filled the air with purposeful noise. But more impressively, they had produced significantly more weapons than there were goblins to wield them, creating surplus inventory that ensured they would never run out regardless of future conflicts.
