Reincarnated as a random race, of course I got goblin.

Chapter 49 - Arrival of Fall

The next morning, autumn has arrived in full force. Nearly every single tree in the forest has started to shed their leaves, the ground colored like fire as the occasional gust of wind gathers the leaves into heaps. 

I'm wandering about near the grove, taking in the sights and helping my Servants gather the fallen fruits that litter the forest floor, still dimly glowing an intense cyan color, though the fruit itself has turned a more dull shade of blue. 

Inspecting one of them, this information is shown:

*Maiden-Pear*
*The fruit of the Maiden-Hair plant. Little is known about this plant, except that it spontaneously appears growing on trees in areas with high ambient Magic, having a symbiotic relationship where the Maiden-Hair absorbs excess Magic from its host, preventing the host from Overcharging on Magic, causing the wood to crystallize, killing the tree. Edible, though great care should be taken not to eat too many, as the fruit contains high amounts of Plant elemental Magic, and can cause Magic Overdrive with excessive intake.*

So it seems the flowers weren't part of the trees, but a plant that appeared when I raised the ambient Magic levels. In addition to the Maiden-Pears and assorted kinds of nuts made by the trees themselves, we hunt Myconoids, strange walking mushrooms that look eerily human shaped, with stubby legs and arms.

*Myconoid*
*A Life and Death aligned Sprite that appears in areas of natural decay, particularly in areas with high Magic concentrations in the fall. Their presence causes mushrooms to appear in great numbers. Comes in two types, the Lesser Myconoid, and Greater Myconoid, though both forms belong to the same species, merely being different growth stages. The Lesser ones are zealously guarded by the Greater, and many a Hunter has been knocked out cold, if not killed instantly, by the impressive power of the Greater's punches. Once an aggressor has been dealt with, the Lesser embed themselves into its flesh, using it as nutrients to grow. Otherwise, both kinds feed on various kinds of detritus in their environment. Once winter arrives, the Myconoids die in spectacular bursts of spores that then hibernate until the conditions of their growth are met. The bodies of Myconoids that die like this instantly transform into nutrient rich soil.
The flesh of the Lesser Myconoid is considered a delicacy, however, as it grows into a Greater, the flavor degrades and the flesh turns hard and rubbery, making it more suitable as material for shock-absorbing parts in machinery once it has been preserved properly.*
*Rank: 2 Stars (Lesser), 4 Stars (Greater)*

Since they just started appearing, there's only Lesser ones around. Even this young, they're easily the size of a small child, meaning only a few are needed to feed everyone. I decide against killing any of them myself, since I'd like to check out the Skills of a Greater in case there is a difference.

The Osseous Slime rides around on top of my head. It's busy building its skeleton using the bones it ate yesterday, so it's sluggish and slow, though still able to keep atop my head as I move about. I eagerly look forward to seeing the form it chooses to build itself into. It does perk up when I look closer at a dead Myconoid, but once it determines that there are no bones, it loses interest.

The Jotun are all busy buttering up their chosen partner, scrambling to get the nicest looking Maiden-Pears or other edibles to gift to them. Seems it's the Gyger's choice to pick, all the Jotun can do is make themselves out to be caring partners. I wonder how Goblin courting differs from this...

Huldr is looking a bit forlorn, seeing as she's the odd one out. She'd be able to have children with either a Jotun, Ogre or Hobgoblin, perhaps even a Nokk, but since as far as I know there are no Ogres or Hobgoblins in the area; the Nokks aren't interested (I checked); and the Jotun seem to all be pairing up with the Gyger; she's got no options.