"A non-disclosure mission?"
Gauss had a hint of hesitation on his face.
From the tone of the other party’s words, it seemed related to his recent large-scale goblin slaying.
So, is it a special commission related to goblins?
If that’s the case, he was somewhat interested, but...
Without knowing the specifics of the commission, he certainly couldn’t agree easily, no matter how high the reward.
Though he was quite skilled at slaying goblins, honing his reconnaissance and killing techniques through many commissions, what if the target to be slain was a Goblin King, or a Goblin Hero, powerful individuals like those? With his current strength, he was far from being able to handle those powerful goblins.
The Goblin King, also known as the Goblin Monarch, is a top-tier individual that only appears in large goblin tribes.
The Goblin King can command numerous goblins, and aside from being far stronger than ordinary goblins, it is also accompanied by many elite, Extraordinary, and even Lord-level goblins.
In addition, they possess superb abilities in commanding and deploying troops, and they grant special bonuses to the goblins under them.
In fact, most Goblin Kings start at the Lord level, comparable to Silver Level Adventurers among humans, 11-15 level Professionals, and some individuals ruling over super-large goblin tribes can even break through to higher tiers.
As for Goblin Heroes, they follow a different path from Goblin Kings. They focus on individual enhancement, with extremely strong individual combat power. They are often strong Lord-level, and there are even Legendary Level Goblin Heroes recorded, making them one of the pinnacles of power among this vast green-skinned race.
It is worth mentioning that some Goblin Heroes with combat power far exceeding that of the Goblin Kings sometimes obey the king’s orders.
As for other routes, more top-tier subdivided races may emerge, but their numbers are even rarer.
This is the terrifying aspect of the goblin race.
Due to their massive numbers, even though the vast majority of goblins are bottom-tier monsters, as long as there is a sliver of possibility, they can rely on their top-grade reproductive and birthing capabilities to produce a small number of exceptional individuals.
And these exceptional individuals can provide shelter for the lower-tier goblins, which in turn continuously give rise to more goblins.
In the most recent centuries-old demon war, it was these super massive goblin kingdoms hidden deep in the Demon Territory that continuously supplied a large amount of "manpower," cooperating with other demon races and, under the command of the Demon King, once completed the suppression of humans along with the Elves and Dwarves.
In the end, it was thanks to Hero Roland, hailed as humanity’s strongest and the light of the empire, leading his warrior squad deep into the Demon Territory, overcoming obstacles to reach the Fallen Court, finally slaying the Demon King, that the war finally came to an end.
The high-level powers in this world indeed possess the terrifying strength to reverse the situation.
Of course, after Hero Roland was injured and retreated, with the war ending and many situations arising, that over-spec warrior squad has already disbanded.
Between different races and nations, there are inherent conflicts of interest and friction.
Trying to form such a team that can move freely across the Dark Continent and the Demon Territory is unlikely in the short term.
Gauss was momentarily lost in thought.
And the old gentleman thought he was pondering pros and cons and scheduling, so he patiently waited for Gauss’s response.
Gauss returned his attention to reality, looking at the Advanced Councilor of the Guild, and softly said.
"Currently, my squad is still in a rest period, so I might not be able to make an immediate decision. If it’s not inconvenient, could you provide me with some basic information, so I can discuss it with my team members and then make a decision?"
The Advanced Councilor nodded.
"About a month ago, a geological exploration team responsible for surveying the mineral veins near the ’Obsidian Trail’ in the border mountains lost contact." The old man’s tone became very serious.
"The Guild subsequently dispatched a search team led by a Level 5 Warrior to investigate."
He paused.
"The search team has only found traces of large-scale goblin activity deep within the Obsidian Trail, with organizational skills and scale far exceeding ordinary goblin tribes. Unfortunately, these monsters withdrew and concealed themselves exceptionally well, leaving only a talisman engraved with the [Blackfang] totem and no other valuable traces."
Blackfang?
Gauss suddenly seemed to recall hearing a familiar term.
"Yes, Blackfang." The old man nodded. "One of the five major goblin tribes, the Blackfang."
With his prompt, Gauss quickly recalled the information he had read in books.
The five major tribes are the most populous five super massive goblin kingdoms in the Dark Continent.
They are the Blackfang, skilled in harnessing beasts, possessing many followers and exceptional mobility. The Wolf Cavalry goblin army is the famous image of this tribe.
Apart from the most numerous Wolf Cavalry, there are also Rat Cavalry, Winged Beast Flying Cavalry, and so on.
Each tribe is a complete and organized goblin kingdom, with clear distinctions between King and Priest, craftsman, officer soldier, civilian, and slave.
The Blackfang tribe is the best at raiding and relocating among the five major tribes, having destroyed many towns during the demon war.
"After the war ended, didn’t the five major goblin tribes already retract their forces back into the depths of the Dark Continent?" Gauss asked in confusion.