Chương 30: The Home is Taken

The march had lasted two days, and the pace was agonizingly slow. The main issue was the humans in the party—their endurance for long-distance trekking in a rainforest was abysmal. They required frequent breaks and were highly susceptible to local elements. While jungle insects were a mere nuisance to goblins, a single bite could be fatal to a human. On the second day, a farmer fell severely ill from a toxic sting, forcing Hana to stay by his side, channeling low-level healing spells to keep him alive.

Furthermore, the nighttime humidity was a silent killer. Goblins could sleep directly on the damp earth, but the humans woke up with agonizing body aches and chills. Not wanting his "high-value assets" to break down, Li Qinwu ordered the pace to be cut in half. He had his troops craft simple wooden bed frames to keep the humans off the ground at night, huddled around the fires. By the third morning, they had barely covered half the distance. However, as they crested a ridge, Li Qinwu's nose twitched.

He caught a familiar scent on the wind—goblins, and many of them. We aren't near the tribe yet, he thought. Why are there so many goblins here? Did a hunting party wander this far out? Wary, Li Qinwu ordered his troops into a combat formation. They pushed through a dense thicket into a clearing, where they found nearly a hundred goblins. They were in a pitiful state—wounded, exhausted, and wearing expressions of utter defeat.

"One-Ear! What are you doing here?" Li Qinwu barked, recognizing the leader of the group. One-Ear looked up, and seeing Li Qinwu followed by a sea of well-equipped, disciplined goblins, he burst into tears. He scrambled forward and collapsed at Li Qinwu's feet, clutching his leg.

"Boss! Waaaah! Our home is gone! It's all gone!" Li Qinwu's heart skipped a beat. He hoisted the crying goblin up by his collar.

"Calm down! Tell me exactly what happened!" Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"It was the Kobolds, Boss! They attacked us!" During Li Qinwu's absence, One-Ear had followed his instructions to clear land and plant potatoes, even managing to grow the population to 500. But their steady growth had been shattered. The Kobold tribe to the east had launched a sudden, overwhelming offensive. Usually, Kobolds and Goblins were evenly matched, but these Kobolds had brought a terrifying secret weapon: Ogres.

These five-to-six-meter-tall giants had acted as living siege engines, obliterating the goblin defenses in a matter of hours. One-Ear had led the few survivors west, hoping to find Li Qinwu and deliver the news. Li Qinwu rubbed his chin. He didn't care much for the original huts, but the threat to his territory was unacceptable. If he wanted to expand, the Kobolds had to be erased.

"How many Kobolds? And how many Ogres?" One-Ear scratched his head.

"There were as many Ogres as there are fingers on a hand. And the Kobolds... there were more of them than our entire tribe." Five Ogres and about 300 to 400 Kobolds. Li Qinwu glanced at his own force: 19 Hobgoblins in crocodile-leather armor with iron axes and crossbows, and 300 disciplined newborns equipped with two-meter iron-tipped spears and wooden shields. They would shred Kobolds in a fair fight, but Ogres were a different story." Within three meters!" Hana appeared beside him, her face sour.

Li Qinwu ignored her mood.

"Do you know anything about Ogres?"

"Ogres are low-intelligence, high-power monsters," Hana replied, professionally reciting her knowledge.

"Adults stand 5 to 6 meters tall. Their skin develops a stone-like crust that grows harder with age. They have incredible regenerative abilities—they can even regrow limbs. They have high physical and magical resistance. They usually live in family units of five to seven."

"Do they have any weaknesses?"

"They're slow and stupid," Hana shrugged.

"And they're very protective of their families. Some human mages capture Ogre infants to lure the adults into pits to drown them for magical materials... Why are you looking at me like that?" Li Qinwu stared at her with a look of pure judgment.

"You humans are truly devious."

"I'm just an apprentice! I've never done it!" Hana protested. Li Qinwu coughed and turned back to his maps. Capturing an infant was unlikely—the Kobolds probably already had that leverage. He would have to win with raw power. Since his current weapons couldn't pierce Ogre hide, he needed something heavier. A Ballista, Li Qinwu thought. With an iron-tipped bolt. That should be enough to puncture through those walking boulders.