Celeste fell into deep thought.
She had to construct the simplest possible trading model.
A model that even this group of goblins, whose math skills were stuck at the "counting on their toes" stage, could instantly understand.
This would be an unprecedented cross-civilization exchange.
With the plan conceived, she emerged from behind the tree, displaying no aggression.
The goblins' infighting came to an abrupt halt.
They immediately spotted this uninvited guest, panic-stricken as they raised their motley collection of primitive weapons, aiming them at the "Big Guy" who had suddenly appeared.
Threatening screeches of "ga-ga" and "woo-woo" emanated from their throats.
Yet their bodies were honest, huddling together in a display of fierce-looking but inwardly cowardly behavior.
Celeste remained expressionless, slowly raising her empty left hand with her palm forward—a universal gesture indicating "no malice."
Next, she picked up a bee needle with her right hand.
That needle glinted with a cold metallic luster.
She deliberately slowed her movements, placing the bee needle on a flat stone in front of her with an almost ritualistic solemnity.
She placed one, pointed at the bee needle, and then pointed at herself.
She placed a second one and repeated the action.
She placed a third one and continued.
The goblins tilted their large heads, their greenish faces filled with confusion, chattering away:
"Ga? Shiny?"
"What is the Big Guy (referring to Celeste) doing?"
"Arranging stones?"
When the fifth bee needle was neatly laid out on the stone, Celeste felt this "pantomime lesson" should be enough.
She cleared her throat and, in a voice she considered most peaceful but was actually devoid of emotion, uttered one word: "Trade."
Then, she pointed at the rickety wooden castle and made a "bring it here" gesture.
Then, she pointed at the five bee needles on the ground.
Finally, she pointed a finger at herself.
The logic was clear, the intent explicit: I, use these shiny things, to trade for the things in your castle.
The goblins went quiet for a moment, seemingly using their computing power—which did not exceed 5—to decrypt this complex "body language encrypted communication."
The goblin holding a small wooden stick who looked slightly older (let's call it "Stick-Stick") mustered the courage to shuffle forward two steps.
Its gaze swept greedily over the shiny bee needles on the ground, then it strained its neck to look up at Celeste.
This "Big Guy" was too tall; those smooth and powerful body lines stirred up intense struggle and resistance in its mung-bean-sized eyes.
The temptation of the shiny things was great.
But the appearance of this strange creature was truly hard for it to accept.
It turned back and began a heated discussion with its companions in "ga-woo-ji-li."
"Trade! Shiny! Pretty!"
"No! Big Guy too tall! Ugly!"
"Right! Ugly! And clumsy! Waste of materials!"
"Color is ugly too! Not green at all!"
The discussion reached a stalemate. Stick-Stick the goblin seemed to think the problem lay in the "offer."
There weren't enough shiny things!
It spun around, faced Celeste, and first extended one finger, pointing at her.
Then, it wildly opened, closed, and reopened its hands, making vague "woo-woo-ah-ah" syllables with its mouth.
Finally, its short little hand pointed forcefully toward the castle.
Goblin-speak translation: You (one), give us many, many (countless) shiny things, and we will give you the things in the castle.
But to Celeste, this spasm-like sequence of movements was no different from some mysterious shamanistic rain-dancing ritual.
Celeste: "..."
She had thought her own communication method was abstract enough, but she had not expected the other party to be the founding master of the abstract school.
She decided to upgrade her communication strategy.
She first pointed at the five bee needles on the ground, then made a huge circle with her hands in front of her chest to try and express the concept of "many," before pointing at the castle.
Stick-Stick the goblin looked at her "big circle" and froze for two seconds.
It suddenly seemed to have an epiphany, nodded vigorously, and then extended two fingers!
Celeste felt a surge of joy; it was working!
It understood!
The next second, she saw Stick-Stick the goblin holding up two fingers, jumping up and down in front of her, pointing at the castle, and excitedly screeching "ga-ga."
The smile on Celeste's face froze.
Two fingers? What did that mean?
She would not give up, gesturing that "big circle" again, emphasizing "many, many" with a heavier tone.
The way Stick-Stick the goblin looked at her changed.
In its mung-bean-sized eyes, disgust was practically overflowing.
It lowered its fingers and, once again, scrutinized Celeste from head to toe with a gaze that could only be described as picky.
From her tall, slender figure to her healthy Wheat-colored skin, and then to that face which blended the charm of an older sister figure with the air of a salted fish.
Finally, it shook its head vigorously.
It abruptly raised that little wooden stick, pointing it straight at Celeste.
A sense of aesthetic superiority rooted in its racial genes made it puff out its little chest.
It used all its strength, and with a tone like a judge, roared out that not-so-fluent common language word by word:
"Ugly! Too ugly!"
The fat goblin next to it immediately followed suit, pointing at Celeste's straight, slender legs, and screamed in addition: "Ga! Legs so long! Like a stupid flightless bird!"
The scrawny goblin proudly poked its own green skin and compared: "Woo! Color is ugly! Not green at all!"
Another goblin disgustedly gestured at her silhouette: "Clumsy! Not petite or agile at all! Ugly to death!"
All the goblins seemed to resonate, reaching a supreme aesthetic consensus, and jeered in unison:
"Tall, clumsy, ugly-colored Big Guy!"
"No trade! We don't trade with ugly monsters! Ga-ga-ga!"
They seemed to unanimously agree: this "Big Guy," from height and build to skin color, failed to meet the core aesthetic standards of the goblin race—which were "short, agile, and green"—and thus belonged to the category of "hopelessly ugly," so they flatly refused to trade!
Even if she brought out shiny things, it would not work!
Celeste: "..."
She felt a rush of blood "buzz" right up to her crown, and she could almost hear the sound of her sanity snapping.
In this life and the last, she had received all sorts of evaluations, but to be so comprehensively and decisively labeled as "all-around ugly" by a group of goblins whose average height did not reach her waist, who were as green as moldy potatoes, and whose aesthetic standards were bizarre to the point of being outrageous...
This was nothing short of cross-dimensional humiliation!
If you can't bear it, there is no need to bear it!
"I... am all-around ugly?"
Celeste's voice was terrifyingly low, and the pink staff in her hand emitted a faint "creak" due to her excessive grip.
This was clearly a standard figure and skin color that was healthy, sunny, and possessed both strength and beauty!
Selene was dumbfounded listening from behind the tree.
Looking at her sister's figure and appearance, which definitely counted as outstanding among humans, and then hearing the goblins' triple combo of "tall, clumsy, ugly-colored," she could not hold it in and let out a short gasp.
She quickly clamped her hand over her mouth, trembling all over from holding back her laughter.
Stick-Stick the goblin had no awareness that disaster was imminent, still waving its little wooden stick there, attempting to educate this "ugly" creature on the supreme aesthetics of the goblin race:
"Must be short! Must be green! Must..."
Its words were frozen there forever.
Because Celeste moved.
No warning, no incantation.
The ground beneath her feet seemed to shake!
"Aesthetic Correction Fist (Staff), reporting for duty!"
The pink staff tore through the air, carrying the thunderous wrath of its owner whose dignity had been trampled, transforming into a streak of pink brilliance.
Fast! Accurate! Ruthless!
It struck precisely on the foreheads of every goblin that had just opened their mouths to mock her!
"Bang!" "Ga (voice crack)!"
"Thump!" "Woo (choked)!"
"Whack!" "Ji (abrupt stop)—!"
The movements were as swift as the wind, the force as steady as a mountain, perfectly interpreting what "the combination of strength and beauty" meant (as unilaterally determined by Celeste).
The world was instantly quiet.
All that remained were a few green-skinned little runts on the ground, rolling their eyes, with exaggerated bumps rising on their heads at a visible speed, having completely fallen into darkness.
And the points increased on her bracelet.
Celeste leaned on her staff, her chest heaving rapidly from rage.
She poked the lead Stick-Stick goblin who had called her "ugly" with the tip of her staff, her voice laced with ice shards, bursting out through gritted teeth:
"Say it again? Who is ugly?"
[Ding! Due to being judged as "all-around ugly" by inferior beings using bizarre aesthetic standards, you flew into a wrath and used absolute strength to perform a physical aesthetic correction, creating extreme cognitive dissonance and dramatic joy, joy value +233! Host, your "Appearance (physical) Defense Battle" was magnificent! Aha is rolling on the floor laughing at this cross-species aesthetic conflict!]
Celeste glared fiercely at the Void, too lazy to bother with this system that loved to watch the chaos unfold.
She looked at the unconscious goblins on the ground, then at the crooked, aesthetically devoid castle, her eyes icy.
"Negotiations have broken down."
She announced, her voice carrying a hint of murderous intent.
"Initiating the final plan—"
"Zero-dollar shopping."
Selene jumped out from behind the tree, looked at her sister's dark and stormy expression, forced back her laughter, raised her shield, and loudly echoed:
"Sis! Charge! Let these short-sighted green-skinned potatoes witness what real 'tall, big, and mighty' means! Let's 'procure' all their good stuff!"