The village had a small farm of hares. Hares… I remember them. They were our most favorite catch before I was reincarnated as a dungeon master. Well, luckily this time I do not need to go through the torment of trying to catch them, but rather I am trading some shiny stones for them.

“How many hares do you have here?”

“There should be around 120 in this farm.”

“Do you mean there are more farms?”

“Yes, there are multiple. We have three other hare farms. Hares multiply fast. Even faster than goblins. However, it is better for them to live in the forest and not in the village. That way they grow bigger, faster. Easier to sustain them as a food supply that way.”

So, goblins procreate at an above-average rate. I can at least infer this from the goblin chief’s words. Also, even if we receive some hares at the end of this trade, it seems like I will need to build a farm on the outer world rather than inside the main dungeon for them to multiply faster. Our population is much larger than that of this village. I should at least pay close attention to our food supplies.

“I understand. So how many hares do you have in total?”

“I would say around 600.”

“Do you have any other livestock animals? Something that gives milk?”

“Yes, we do. You are lucky. We have goats and cattle. But we cannot trade the cattle.”

“I see then, no worries. How about the goats? Would you be able to trade them?”

“Yes, and we would be happy to trade them. Our main food source is hares. We use goats’ fur and pelts for clothmaking, but by now we must have finished enough clothes to last until the next generation. Hahaha.”

Winter might be approaching, and I have not thought about that yet. Goat fur would not only come in handy in case of a harsh winter but would most likely be our only option to protect ourselves against the cold. Well, that is if we go out. I extended the dungeon to the outer world, but the residents are all in the underworld, better protected by the threat of cold. Still, if I decide to expand the residence areas to the outer world as well, or even to trade with this village of goblins or other villages I hope to find in the future, winter clothing is a must. Hare pelts are not that protective against cold anyway.

“We are also looking to buy some information about the outer world, and this forest. Do you know of any nearby villages?”

“Well, well… There are some other goblin villages in this forest, but they are scattered around the area. I can prepare a map for you if you wish to learn their places but that would be costly.”

Costly huh. I try not to pop out a smirk, even for a second. I bet I can get enough shiny stones in an hour within the dungeon to buy 100 of those maps that you are going to prepare. For now, I nod to approve.

“Yes, that is an information we would like to buy. Also, what do you know about the world outside this forest.”

“Nothing much I can give you about that. This forest is located near southern border of Phyrria Empire. There is another kingdom to the south of here, but we do not know of its name. This forest, to be fair, is very isolated. Also, we are monsters. It is dangerous for us to leave here. I, for example, never left this forest in my entire life. Nor did any of the goblins who live here. It is too risky.”

“I understand.”

Initially, I was also planning to ask for some seeds, but I have not seen a single trace of agriculture around here. Well… I will get what I can. Hares, goats, and some information. Maybe the other goblin villages will have something more to offer. Surely, though, this is a good start. All these for a pile of shiny stones – they did not even ask for the tools! A good deal indeed.