Chương 36: Poisoning

Haocai soon returned with a large quantity of Red Poison Berries. Li Qinwu then dispatched hunters to capture prey of all sizes, bringing them back to the camp. Li Qinwu ordered the berries to be crushed into juice. Using small knives, the Goblins made small incisions in the abdominal cavities of the carcasses and stuffed the potent Red Poison juice inside. Once the "seasoning" was complete, the carcasses were strung together. Li Qinwu summoned Dog-Witch.

"Take twenty Kobolds and deliver this meat to the Kobold tribe. Leave immediately after the delivery. When you return, I'll count it as military merit. Food, housing, female Kobolds—take your pick!" Dog-Witch's eyes instantly curved into crescents, and his tongue lolled out in excitement.

"Woof! Mission guaranteed, woof!" Dog-Witch and his twenty subordinates set off toward the Kobold stronghold with the tainted meat. Li Qinwu hoped these toxic offerings would sow chaos and thin the enemy ranks as much as possible. After watching Dog-Witch depart, Li Qinwu called Knight Leo and the seven human soldiers to his side. He pointed at the Horned Crocodile light armor, axes, and wooden shields laid out on the ground.

"Here is your chance to shed your status as slaves. Take up these weapons and fight for me. Help me defeat the Kobold tribe, and I will grant you your freedom." Knight Leo exchanged looks with his men before stepping forward.

"Chief, if we help you defeat the Kobolds, can you truly release us from slavery and grant us a proper status?" Hana, who was translating, froze and looked at Leo in confusion. The knight gave her a helpless look; they truly had nowhere else to go. After hearing the translation, Li Qinwu asked, "You don't wish to return to the human world?" Leo let out a bitter laugh and shook his head.

"There is no place for us there anymore. Rebels are reviled even in neighboring kingdoms. Compared to that, staying with you offers a chance to carve out a high-ranking position through martial force." Li Qinwu was pleased with the man's pragmatism.

"Very well, Knight Leo. I appoint you as the squad leader of these seven humans. Lead them on my flank. Upon our victory, I will grant you land so you can live the life of a human landlord. Now, go to Te-Ouk and get a set of heavy armor! As for the consequences of betraying me... you wouldn't want to know." Meanwhile, Dog-Witch led his team across mountains and valleys until they reached a colossal banyan tree.

The tree was massive; it would take more than twenty people holding hands to encircle its trunk, and it stood over fifty meters tall. However, its branches were entirely devoid of leaves, bare and skeletal, crowded with black crows. The entire tree was a deathly ashen gray. Within a one-kilometer radius of the tree, nothing grew, as if some form of corruption permeated the area. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

As he led his team past the great tree, Dog-Witch stole a glance at it. As a follower of the Cursed Dragon, he sensed something profoundly ominous about the thing. He urged his troops to pick up the pace, and they soon crossed into the Kobold-controlled hunting grounds. Here, forest paths appeared—hunting trails carved out by Kobolds over years of use. On these trails, Dog-Witch's team moved much faster, reaching a massive cluster of settlements just before nightfall. A vast number of Kobolds were active here.

Some slept in dug-out burrows, while others had pitched crude animal-hide tents. Had Li Qinwu been here, he would have been surprised to see that the Kobolds possessed pottery! Many Kobolds had lit bonfires with ceramic pots set over them, stewing a messy concoction of various meats. The meat, unbled and unwashed, was boiled without seasoning, filling the air with a wretched, gamey stench. However, a closer look revealed that pottery owners were the minority; most Kobolds still ate their meat raw.

It was unclear if this was due to low production or a preference for raw food. Upon entering the village, Dog-Witch swallowed hard, feeling the tension rise. Li Qinwu had told him the meat was stuffed with a lethal fruit juice—one bite was essentially a ticket to reincarnation. Poisoning his former employer was a terrifying prospect; if caught, he'd likely be beaten to death! Nevertheless, Dog-Witch bolstered his courage and marched inward.

The village was a cacophony of barking, filled with the smell of blood, excrement, and the musky odor of dogs. The ground was a giant landfill of sewage, feces, broken bones, and scraps of Elves and Goblins. As Dog-Witch's team carried the meat through the settlement, countless Kobolds stared with crimson eyes, many looking ready to snatch a piece. When one Kobold reached out a filthy claw to steal some meat, Dog-Witch snorted coldly.

He raised his bone staff, chanted a quick incantation, and unleashed a weakened version of the Fear Hex. Purplish-black energy coiled around the thief. The Kobold shrieked as a dark mist filled his eyes, and he collapsed, screaming in terror at the horrific visions plaguing his mind. This display cowed the others, who quickly retreated. Just as Dog-Witch was about to continue, a squad of tall, powerful Kobolds clad in bone armor stepped forward.

The leader, wielding a stone hammer, pointed it at Dog-Witch and barked, "Shaman! Why do you strike your kin? Explain yourself!" Dog-Witch maintained his arrogant facade.

"This wretch tried to steal the meat I am offering to Chief Dragon-Fang. I used my sorcery to teach him a lesson!" The bone-armored Kobold nodded.

"Your reason is sound. You are innocent!" He then turned to the moaning Kobold on the ground.

"You stole from the tribute. You are guilty!" He swung his hammer down with a sickening crack, crushing the thief's skull instantly.

"Follow me," the guard said to Dog-Witch.

"I will escort you to deliver the tribute." Dog-Witch followed him to a tent area. The ground here was black with dried blood and grease. Usually, tribute meat was displayed here, but currently, the tents were empty. Dog-Witch intended to drop the load and run—committing a crime made him nervous—but the guard's next words froze him in place.

"You are the first to deliver tribute this month. You are eligible to meet Lord Dragon-Fang personally and present him with the choicest cut!" Dog-Witch, who had been desperate to flee, paused. His beady eyes darted around as a bold thought took hold. The Goblin Boss rewards merit fairly. If I give the poisoned meat to Chief Dragon-Fang and kill him, will the Boss reward me with ten female Kobolds?

At that thought, he rubbed his paws together, his eyes curving into crescents as he let out a wicked, "Jie-woof-woof-woof!" laugh.