Chapter 106: The Boss Just Likes Strange Things
Yue E shook her enormous head.
"Boss, I want to give you something!"
Li Meng patted Yue E's massive tusk and grinned widely.
"Then give it to me. I'll take anything!"
"Wait here, I'll go get it!"
Yue E's enormous body turned and ran toward the deep-water area.
Soon, Yue E dove into the water right before Li Meng's eyes.
Before long, there was a loud "splash."
Yue E's massive form leapt out of the water and landed heavily in the shallows.
She waded through the water and ran over.
"Boss, it's this!"
Yue E opened her ferocious mouth and used her tongue to push out a silver metallic disc.
"This is… a sacrificial plate?"
Seeing what was in Yue E's mouth, Li Meng frowned slightly.
Why would such a thing appear in the Northern Marshlands?
And how did it end up in Yue E's possession?
Li Meng retrieved the sacrificial plate from Yue E's foul-smelling mouth.
"Yue E, where did you find this?"
Li Meng inspected the plate and asked Yue E.
"It was at the bottom of the water over there. At night, my kin would gather around it, but it makes me uncomfortable."
There was an ominous aura emanating from the sacrificial plate, one that stronger beings could sense more acutely.
"Could it be that guy deliberately left it here?"
Looking at the plate in his hand, Li Meng murmured to himself.
The Northern Marshlands were full of swamp crocodiles and swamp crabs.
Though these creatures lacked high intelligence, if they gathered around the sacrificial plate, they might accidentally activate it.
"It seems I need to grow stronger as quickly as possible!"
If he had enough power, he could capture the black-robed figure and interrogate them.
Then, he would uncover their goals and the forces behind them.
"This gift is great. If you find similar items in the future, bring them to me."
The Northern Marshlands were vast. There might be more than one sacrificial plate.
"Boss, this thing is strange. Are you sure you like it?"
Yue E's enormous eyes were fixed on the sacrificial plate in Li Meng's hands.
Li Meng grinned and stowed the plate away.
"I, your boss, love strange things. Alright, go back to sunbathing. I'm leaving now!"
Li Meng began running again across the water's surface, leaving a long-lasting trail in his wake.
Watching her boss's retreating figure, Yue E's enormous body sank into the water.
She closed her eyes and basked in the sunlight.
Her originally dark gray scales gradually turned light red under the sun's scorching rays.
---
The next morning, Li Meng returned to the tribe.
The Pigmen incident was over, and the tribe had returned to its usual routine.
This was the Goblins' time.
Nearly every day, new Goblin newborns were welcomed into the Throne Tribe, strengthening it further.
Likewise, Goblins died daily for various reasons.
Hunting teams continued to expand their hunting territories deeper into the forest on both riverbanks, suffering inevitable casualties along the way.
---
Another day, in the morning.
At the Throne Tribe, within the Throne Cave Dwelling.
"Boss! Something terrible has happened!"
A Goblin's voice suddenly shouted from outside, accompanied by urgent footsteps.
"Bang!"
The sturdy door was violently pushed open.
Gobu Zhang's tall frame trotted inside.
As soon as he entered, he froze in place.
"Boss, I'll… just wait outside!"
Seeing his boss sitting cross-legged on the bed with a female Lizardman in his arms, Gobu Zhang gave a sycophantic smile and quickly backed out, closing the door behind him.
After some time, the sounds inside the wooden house ceased.
Before long, with a creak, the door of the Throne Cave Dwelling opened from the inside.
Li Meng's tall and muscular figure emerged.
"Gobu Zhang, what's got you so flustered?"
Outside the wooden house, Gobu Zhang, waiting anxiously, quickly stepped forward.
"Boss, two of my hunting teams haven't returned for nearly two months!"
Gobu Zhang wore a mournful expression.
Li Meng sat on the steps at the door.
"Where did you send them?"
Gobu Zhang glanced around nervously, pointing northward.
Seeing the direction Gobu Zhang indicated, Li Meng glared at him.
"They probably entered human territory and were dealt with by the humans."
To the north lay a mountain range. Beyond it was human territory.
After two months with no news, it was clear what had happened.
"Those damn humans!"
Gobu Zhang cursed angrily.
"Boss, I want revenge!"
Fuming, Gobu Zhang knelt down and prostrated himself, his rage turning into servile flattery.
Li Meng waved dismissively, impatient.
"They're dead. Let it go. We can always make more. Revenge can wait for another time."
Li Meng was busy strategizing about future plans and had no time for unnecessary trouble.
The tribe lost Goblins daily for various reasons.
Losing two hunting teams was no big deal to him.
"Alright, for now, just stay in the tribe and focus on replenishing the numbers."
Gobu Zhang's initially disappointed expression brightened.
He scrambled to his feet and joyfully ran toward the depths of the forest.
Watching his subordinate's retreating figure, Li Meng shook his head in exasperation.
Goblins were like that—obsessed with food and reproduction, and nothing else.
Gobu Zhang didn't actually care about the lost teams; he just wanted an excuse to stay in the tribe.
To encourage their evolution, Li Meng hadn't allowed even Goblin warriors to remain in the tribe.
Over the course of a year, they spent at least half their time hunting outside.
Glancing westward toward the forest's depths, Li Meng's eyes narrowed.
Now, all he had to do was wait.
Three months had passed since the Pigmen incident.
The Irisis Principality's pioneering army would likely arrive within a year, no sooner than six months.
"It seems preparing for war is the only way forward."
Li Meng turned and reentered the wooden house, his expression cold.
In the coming year, his only focus would be on producing offspring.
Food? Let the Goblins solve that problem.
If they couldn't find food nearby, they would search further away.
No matter the cost, he needed to increase the tribe's forces.
Soon, the tranquility of the wooden house was broken once more and continued for a long time.
Every few days, the female Lizardmen in the Throne Cave Dwelling would be replaced with new ones.
Time passed, day by day.
---
Seven months later, in the Goblin Forest.
It was noon, and the scorching sun hung high in the sky.
Among the mountains, the Goblin River meandered onward.
At the confluence of the main river and a tributary, a massive fleet sailed upriver against the current.
Tall sails rose high, forming a sea of white clouds over the river.