Chương 26: Hana Duranyin, Within Three Meters!

Li Qinwu judged that the time was ripe. Seeing no sign of surrender from the humans, he picked up another wooden arrow, ignited it in the brazier, and drew his bow. It would be a pity to burn this fort down, he thought. It could serve as a granary. But if they wouldn't yield, he had no choice but to raze it and rebuild. Just as he was about to release the string, he heard the human soldiers on the ramparts shouting frantically, trying to catch his eye. He looked over.

The soldiers were stripping off their armor and unbuckling their swords, tossing them down to the base of the wall. Next came the farmers, throwing down their axes and hoes. Finally, Hana stepped forward. She traced the magical sigils on her staff one last time before resolutely casting it down. Knight Leo struggled out of his plate armor and tossed it aside. He spent a long moment gripping his massive greatsword before finally letting go.

He knew that from this day on, the companion that had seen him through countless battles no longer belonged to him. Seeing the pile of weapons growing below, Li Qinwu let out a booming laugh. He climbed down from the tower and barked at Gob-Spear, "Gob-Spear! Send men to secure the weapons!" Gob-Spear complied, leading a team to collect the spoils. Deprived of their tools and steel, the humans were now nothing more than lambs ready for the slaughter. Minutes later, the gates creaked open.

The humans shuffled out of the fort—men in front, followed by women shielding three small children in the center. Li Qinwu did a quick head count: 73 men, 21 women, and 3 children under ten. Satisfied, Li Qinwu waved his hand. Goblins rushed forward with grass ropes to bind their hands. Some humans instinctively moved to resist, but they were immediately met with leveled spears and crossbows, the goblins letting out predatory, guttural growls. Once the men were secured, the goblins moved to the women.

Some goblins began to get out of hand. Their breathing grew heavy, eyes reddening with lust as they laughed and tugged at the women's clothes while binding them. The women shrieked in panic.

"Goblin leader! You broke your word!" Hana screamed at Li Qinwu.

"You said you would protect us!" Li Qinwu glanced over, drew his longsword, and pointed it at the goblins harassing the women.

"Disobeying military orders... kill them!" You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. The Hobgoblins surged forward. A dozen goblins were cut down on the spot, their dying screeches filling the air. The human women huddled together, trembling in shock. Li Qinwu scanned the crowd of his newborn soldiers. They all shuddered and lowered their heads.

"In this place, my word is law! It is absolute!" Li Qinwu said coldly.

"What I forbid is forbidden. What I command must be done even if it kills you! Those who violate this... die!" The goblins didn't dare utter a sound. Li Qinwu sheathed his sword and waved another group forward. This time, no one dared to make a move beyond their task. Hana let out a sigh of relief, looking at Li Qinwu with a strange curiosity. This goblin was odd—his aura was nothing like the chaotic, filthy monsters surrounding him. He felt less like a beast and more like a human.

Li Qinwu had a wooden chair brought out and sat down. He looked at Hana.

"Tell your people to kneel. Show submission to their supreme master!"

"You!" Hana's face flushed with indignation. Knight Leo tugged at her sleeve, nodding toward the surrounding goblins. Realizing they were prisoners, Hana translated the command. The crowd looked at the leveled spears and knelt in the dirt. Li Qinwu beckoned to Hana.

"You. Over here." Hana backed away, clutching her chest.

"M-My name is Hana... Hana Duranyin."

"Good, Miss Hana. From today on, I appoint you as my personal translator. Whenever I say 'Within three meters!', you are to drop everything and stand by my side. If you don't, I'll kill your people. Now— Within three meters!!" Hana shook. Stand next to this monster? She was terrified he would pounce on her at any moment. She froze.

"Hmm?" Li Qinwu pulled out a hand-crossbow and aimed it at the kneeling Lord Lance.

"Wait!" Hana shouted, scrambling over to stand beside him. Being surrounded by goblins made her skin crawl. Li Qinwu grunted in satisfaction and addressed the crowd.

"Listen up! I am the Goblin King, Qin Shi Huang! In my kingdom, only the valuable survive. Knowledge is the highest value. Now, tell me: who among you is an expert in smelting, mining, or blacksmithing? Step forward!" He nudged Hana with his elbow to translate. She complied, disgusted. An old man and a youth shuffled forward on their knees.

"Lord Goblin... my son and I are blacksmiths. We know how to forge blades, build blast furnaces, and we know a bit about finding iron and coal." Li Qinwu was ecstatic. SSR-tier talent! He pointed at them and roared at his tribe, "From now on, these two are core members of the tribe! Anyone who harms them dies!" He personally helped them up, untied them, and had them stand aside. Then he looked at Hana.

"Within three meters!" Hana reluctantly stepped closer.

"Tell them," Li Qinwu said, "Work hard for me, and their lives will only get sweeter." Hana's lip curled. He sounded exactly like a greedy merchant from the capital making empty promises. Next, Li Qinwu identified experts in brewing, carpentry, papermaking, and leatherworking. Finally, he looked at the seven professional soldiers and the 1. 9-meter-tall Knight Leo.

"What can you do?" Li Qinwu asked. Leo puffed out his massive chest.

"I can fight! I am a knight!" He expected to be made a general since even blacksmiths were being promoted. Instead, Li Qinwu waved him off dismissively.

"This guy and his soldiers go to the bottom tier. Send them to shovel manure and dig ditches. They don't know a damn thing. What the hell are you so proud of?"