The adventurer at the bottom is fantasizing again.

"An expeditionary outpost? What's that?"

Piper was confused.

Lorraine crept closer to the torch and began to carefully read the text in the adventurer's handbook:

"The Kobold Expedition Outpost is a military exploration unit that has broken away from the main tribe and is conducting independent operations in unknown territories."

"Typically, a veteran leads the team, which is equipped with dedicated spellcasters and several engineers. Their mission is to establish outposts in new areas, assess the value of resources, and pave the way for the main tribe's migration or expansion."

He took out the map and examined it carefully.

This abandoned mine is located in a very remote area, surrounded by forests and mountains. It was abandoned because the mine had been exhausted.

The only place around that could be considered a resource is... Shallow Beach Town?!

hiss...

So this team originally planned to establish an outpost here before invading Shallow Beach Town?

Lorraine felt as if the two of them had prevented some major event that was about to happen.

"Let's recover our strength first, then find the source of the stench. If there really is an incubation chamber, now is the best time to solve it," he said earnestly.

"Okay," Piper replied without hesitation.

The two sat down and ate some more dry rations, but the surroundings were so smelly that the halflings could hardly sit still for long.

"Pip thinks we should go now," he said earnestly.

"I think so too."

The torches he had brought earlier had all burned out, so he had Piper smash down a few wooden strips from the wooden frame, and with a strong will, he used magic to relight them.

The wooden strips were somewhat damp and had not been soaked in grease, so they could only burn barely, and the faint light they emitted could only reach the ground.

They walked in from where the scale sorcerers had appeared.

The smell grew stronger, and a sticky substance began to appear on the ground beneath our feet, making a "pop" sound when we lifted our feet.

"This is disgusting," Piper said with disgust.

Lorraine cut a piece from the coarse linen cloth that was used to wrap his rations and stuffed it up his nose, which made him feel a little better.

He nodded in agreement, saying, "The kobolds probably used foot bath water that had been fermenting for a hundred years to incubate the eggs."

"Ugh... please stop talking."

The two gradually walked into a mine tunnel. Lorraine cautiously waved the wooden stick back and forth, observing the surrounding environment.

The mine tunnel walls were covered with a layer of dark yellow substance, like mud or some kind of secretion.

"I feel like we're walking inside the large intestine of some creature," Lorraine commented sharply.

"Pip thinks you should shut up," the halfling protested.

Not long after we left, the stench in the air almost solidified, and the temperature gradually rose.

A large hole appeared in the side wall of the mine tunnel, and the two carefully walked in.

"This is it!" Piper sobbed, his mouth shut.

Lorraine nodded and carefully observed her surroundings.

The kobolds had carved a large hall out of the rock wall. The light from the wooden planks completely obscured the boundaries of the space. The ground was covered with a thick layer of dry grass and wood chips, which felt soft and spongy underfoot.

At the far end of the hall, a circle of stones was piled up against the wall, forming a semi-circle.

The stone was covered with the same dark yellow stuff as before, filling all the gaps, like the kind of kiln used for roasting chicken.

"Smash it, be careful."

Lorraine pointed to it.

Piper seemed to have been waiting for a long time; he quickly swung his hammer and swept it horizontally.

"Thump—"

The stone was sent flying by the hammer, crashing into the rock wall not far away and leaving a small crater underneath.

The pit was also lined with a layer of dry grass, mixed with some feathers and broken bones, and the stench was coming from above.

Seventeen grayish-white eggs lay quietly on the hay. They were about the same size as the ostrich eggs from Lorraine's previous life, with some dark brown markings on their shells.

"What should we do now?" Piper was at a loss.

Lorraine pondered for a moment.

On the Adventurers' Guild's acquisition list, kobold eggs are classified as "alchemy materials" rather than any valuable items.

A fresh, uncracked kobold egg is worth about 5 silver coins.

After all, this thing isn't anything rare. Kobolds lay eggs like chickens, they lay them in broods.

Seventeen eggs, if sold all of them, would be worth about four gold coins, but the problem is, they can't take them all out.

First, there are too many eggs and they are too big. Second, the eggshells are as thin as paper, and they will break easily if you bring them back from so far away.

He made a decision quickly.

"Take one back and show it to Haif to prove that this kobold group is an expeditionary outpost. Smash the rest."

"OK."

Lorraine picked up the nearest egg, carefully wiped off the slime, and held it in her hands.

Piper cracked the remaining eggs one by one, and Lorraine even tried kicking one open.

Whether it was because there was no hostility or because the egg, as a living being, had not yet fully developed, it did not receive any system notifications.

The two then returned to the hall where the fierce battle had taken place. Lorraine stuffed his backpack full of burlap and carefully placed the egg inside.

"Alright, let's see what we've got this time!" He clapped his hands and looked at the corpses on the ground.

The short man plopped down on the tracks, saying weakly, "You pack up, Piper needs a rest."

Lorraine didn't stand on ceremony. Piper seemed completely indifferent to the distribution of the harvest, perhaps because in the halflings' minds, the team's resources were all shared.

Perhaps this explains the rumors that halflings like to steal; they don't even know what stealing is, they just take what they need.

He first walked to the Dragon Shield Guard, picked up the scale shield that had fallen to the ground, and examined it closely.

Dragon Scale Round Shield

Equipment type: One-handed shield

Quality: Excellent (Green)

Weight: 4.8 kg

Diameter: 18 inches

Durability: 17/45

Equipment effects:

[Flame Impact]: The shield absorbs some fire damage and provides a boost to the next impact.

[Hold the Line]: When in a defensive stance, physical damage from the front is reduced by 50%.

Remark:

"Flame, grant me strength!"

— Dragon Shield Guardian Krix.

......

This is a round shield covered with dark reddish-brown scales, with a single wooden board on the back, bound with two leather straps as handles.

Lorraine weighed it in her hand and thought the weight was just right.

However, the scales on this round shield were already somewhat crooked, and the whole thing was also somewhat deformed from being hammered.

"Are you using a shield, Piper?"

"Have you ever seen a barbarian use a shield?"

He went back to the blacksmith to fix it, changed the handle size, and it would be usable... He put it aside with satisfaction.

Then there's his broadsword, which is quite ordinary and doesn't even look as good as Sauron's.

[Kobold One-Handed Broadsword]

Equipment type: One-handed sword

Quality: Rough (gray)

Weight: 3.2kg

Length: 28 inches

Durability:22/28

......

It's worth about five or six gold coins, which is not bad.

Lorraine estimated the price with just a quick glance at the attributes.

He fumbled around for a while and managed to peel off the guard's hard leather armor.