Chapter 306 Newfound Efficiency

As Jacob began his laborious task, the goblins resumed their work with renewed vigor. They gathered around Jacob, their eyes wide with amazement as they watched him transform the massive stone into a batch of neatly cut bricks. The sight of the stone being shaped by such a powerful being made them chatter excitedly and hop around in admiration, their trust in Hermit deepening as they realized he was allied with someone so strong and skilled.

When the first batch of bricks tumbled onto the ground, a horde of goblins scurried towards the fallen bricks like ants swarming a dropped crumb, ready to move them. Their enthusiasm quickly turned to despair as they struggled with the heavy load. Despite having healed somewhat from the brutal injuries sustained in the goblin breeding farms, their bodies were still scrawny and emaciated, far from their full strength. Their attempts to lift the bricks were nothing short of pathetic.

One goblin, arms trembling with effort, wrapped his bony fingers around the edge of a brick and attempted to heave it up. His legs wobbled like brittle twigs, and with a pitiful yelp, he fell backward, the brick barely budging.

Nearby, two goblins tried to work together, each grasping one end of a brick. They counted to three and pulled with all their might, only to smack their heads to each other and collapse into a heap of tangled limbs and defeated whimpers.

Next goblin, smaller than the rest, clutched a brick with both hands, his tiny muscles straining and shaking as he tried to lift it. He wobbled and swayed, his face contorted with effort, but the brick barely budged. He let out a high-pitched, frustrated squeal, his eyes pleading for help.

Another goblin, slightly larger, tried to roll a brick across the ground. He crouched low, pushing with all his might, his legs shaking from the exertion. Sweat dripped from his brow as he groaned and whimpered, the brick moving only a few inches before he collapsed in exhaustion.

A group of three goblins huddled together, each grabbing a corner of a brick. They grunted and heaved, their combined strength barely enough to lift it off the ground. They stumbled and staggered, their faces blushing with strain, before finally dropping it with a thud. They fell into a heap, panting and moaning from the effort.

Even the strongest among them, a goblin who stood slightly taller and broader than the rest, struggled to lift a single brick onto his shoulder. He took a few shaky steps before his legs gave out, sending him crashing to the ground with the brick pinning him down. His pitiful cries echoed around the clearing, a clear sign of their weakened state.

Hermit, desperate to help his fellow goblins, stepped forward. 

"Watch me, everyone! I'll show you the right way to lift and carry these bricks!" that's what he said, his voice quivering with a mix of hope and fear.

He approached a brick, his scrawny frame trembling as he bent down. 

"Bend your knees, not your back," he instructed, trying to recall the advice he'd once overheard.

 "Use your legs to lift."

He wrapped his bony fingers around the rough edges of the brick, gritting his teeth. He took a deep breath and heaved with all his might, attempting to lift it with proper technique but his form was anything but proper. His back arched awkwardly, and a loud crack echoed through the air. The result was immediate and disastrous. A sharp pain shot through his back, causing him to yelp in agony. 

"Ouwies! Ouchies! Oww! My back! My back!" he squealed, dropping the brick instantly. The weight crashed down, pinching his thumb between it and the ground.

He pulled his hand back with a pained cry, his thumb throbbing and swelling rapidly.

 "Ouchies! Not like that, not like that!" he gasped, trying to mask the tears of pain welling up in his eyes. 

Desperate to save face, Hermit attempted a different approach. He crouched again, carefully this time, and tried to hug the brick to his chest. 

"Maybe if we hug it close," he muttered, "we can balance the weight."

With a strained grunt, Hermit managed to lift the brick a few inches off the ground. His thin arms quivered violently under the strain, and his legs wobbled like jelly.

 "See? Like this," he gasped, attempting to take a step forward. But the brick’s weight proved too much for his weakened body. He stumbled, his toes crunching painfully as the brick slammed back down onto his foot.

Hermit let out a piercing scream, "REEEEEEEEE!" hopping on one foot while clutching the other in his hands.

 "Ouwies! My toes! My toes! Wreeee!" he wailed, hopping around in a frantic dance of pain. The other goblins, watching with wide eyes, exchanged worried glances. Hermit's demonstration had only made things worse.

Desperate to regain control, Hermit made one final attempt. He called two nearby goblins to assist him.

 "Okay, together this time," he panted, sweat pouring down his face.

 "One, two, three, lift!"

The three goblins lifted in unison, but the brick barely moved. They strained and groaned, their faces turning bright green with effort. Hermit’s back ached, his hands slipped, and the brick fell from their grasp, landing squarely on Hermit's foot once more.

With a howl of agony, Hermit collapsed to the ground, clutching his foot and moaning pitifully. His fellow goblins rushed to his side, their attempts at lifting the bricks forgotten in the face of Hermit’s misery.

Realizing he needed to change his approach, Hermit decided to carry the brick on his back. He enlisted a few other goblins to help lift it onto his hunched shoulders. With great difficulty and much straining, they managed to position the brick. Hermit stood up, his knees trembling under the weight. He took one, two, three shaky steps before his legs buckled. With a muffled cry, he collapsed face-first into the mud, the brick pinning him to the ground with the weight of a mountain. The sight was nothing short of disastrous - Hermit lay trapped, mud all over his face, unable to move under the crushing load.

At that moment, Suzuka noticed the chaotic scene and her hand found her forehead in a dramatic facepalm. Her eyes narrowed as she approached the group of goblins, who were now gathered around Hermit, their faces a mix of concern and confusion. 

"What in the world are you doing?" she sighed, her voice filled with annoyance.

 "You’re supposed to be working, not horsing around!"

She walked over to Hermit, who was still pinned under the brick, and with a single effortless motion, she grabbed the brick and tossed it aside as if it weighed nothing. The goblins gasped, their eyes wide with awe at Suzuka's might.

Suzuka pulled Hermit to his feet, shaking her head in disbelief.

 "Look," she scolded, "I know you goblins like to do silly stuff, but I can't watch you anymore. You're going to hurt yourselves, and if you get hurt, the work will stall."

She pointed a stern finger at Hermit. 

"If you want to have some fun, please do something safer than playing with the bricks. You can break a bone or two with them. You need to be careful and set an example for the others. By messing around like this, you're making a bad example. What if they start mimicking your silly idea of carrying the bricks with your bare hands? That’s just dumb."

Suzuka gestured towards the wheelbarrows and carts lying unused nearby. 

"I gave you all the tools you need. Why not try using them? It’s much easier and safer. Now, get back to work, and do it right this time!"

The goblins, including Hermit, nodded sheepishly, their faces flushed with embarrassment. They shuffled off to gather the wheelbarrows, eager to prove they could work efficiently and safely.

With Suzuka's stern guidance still ringing in their ears, the goblins regrouped and formed teams of four. Each group approached the bricks with newfound possibilities. They eyed the wheelbarrows with a mixture of wonder and excitement, realizing that what once seemed like impossible burdens were now manageable tasks.

Carefully, the goblins lifted the bricks and placed them into the small, goblin-sized wheelbarrows. The wheelbarrows could fit two bricks at a time, which seemed like a miracle compared to their earlier futile attempts. As they began to push the loaded wheelbarrows, their eyes widened in disbelief at how effortlessly the bricks moved.

"Look at this! It's like magic!" one goblin yelled, his voice filled with awe. 

Another goblin, pushing alongside him, nodded vigorously.

 "I can't believe how easy this is!" he shouted, his face alight with joy.

The wheelbarrows rolled smoothly over the even ground, making light work of what had seemed like an insurmountable challenge. The goblins chattered excitedly among themselves, their previous misery replaced by an infectious enthusiasm. They began to sing cheerful work songs, their spirits lifted by the simplicity and effectiveness of the wheelbarrows.

"One, two, three, lift!" they chanted in unison as they placed bricks into the wheelbarrows, their coordination improving with each load. The groups moved in a rhythmic dance, passing the wheelbarrows back and forth, filling and emptying them with practiced ease.

What had once been an ordeal that left them sweaty and gasping for air now seemed like a child's game. The goblins were giddy with the realization of their newfound efficiency. They could hardly believe that these once unmovable objects now yielded to their meager might, thanks to the wheelbarrows.

"Goblins are strong!" one cried out, his chest puffed with pride as he pushed a wheelbarrow laden with bricks. Another goblin, watching the ease with which his comrades transported the bricks, clapped his hands in delight. 

"We are unstoppable!"

Their minds were blown by the simplicity and genius of the wheelbarrow, an invention that transformed their struggle into triumph. They worked with renewed vigor, their bodies moving in unison as they transported brick after brick.

The goblins, driven by newfound excitement, moved with a speed and efficiency that defied their usual clumsiness. They formed a line that stretched through the clearing, each goblin eager to get their little grubby hands on the precious bricks. They transported the bricks so fast that Jacob, despite his earth magic, could barely keep up with their demand. The goblins moved with such energy that it seemed as though they were a swarm of ants.