Chương 57: The Funeral

Li Qinwu's face grew cold. Monde had escaped—and as a slave, no less. The matter was egregious and left him incredibly displeased.

"What is the situation? Explain clearly!" One-Ear shuddered and began to speak stutteringly. Not long after Li Qinwu led the troops away, the butler Monde escaped. Somehow, he had managed to secure some grain, stole scraps of Horned-Crocodile leather from the armor-making process, and swiped an axe. With these preparations, he immediately launched his escape, heading west along the river. With Li Qinwu away at war, the burden of managing the tribe fell entirely on One-Ear.

He had to manage the hunting parties, oversee the forge's work, and spend a vast amount of time daily managing the nursery—where the Goblin cubs would easily eat their own kind if not watched closely. In short, One-Ear was burnt out. He had grown thin and hadn't even found the time to "borrow" his favorite wood-rats. On the second day after Li Qinwu's departure, during a routine count of the human farmers, One-Ear suddenly realized one was missing!

He immediately sought someone to question, but because he didn't know the Human Common Tongue, he had no way to communicate with the farmers. He couldn't even ask them who the runaway was. Left with no choice, One-Ear ordered the hunting team to drop their work and pursue the escapee. Originally, he wanted to bring the Kobolds from the tribe along, but since he didn't know the Kobold language either, communication was impossible. The Kobolds wouldn't even know whose scent they were supposed to track.

Thus, the hunting party had to set out alone. Fortunately, the Goblin hunters often caught prey in the forest and had learned some tracking techniques; they followed Monde's trail westward. Eventually, they found an abandoned axe and a large pile of wood shavings by the riverbank, and then all traces vanished. Finishing his report, One-Ear kept his head low, not daring to look at Li Qinwu. Li Qinwu thought to himself that Monde was truly a tough old man.

Over 50 years old with one foot in the grave, yet he was ruthless enough to brave the Monster Forest alone. Furthermore, the old fellow had planned meticulously; knowing he couldn't outrun a hunting party, he stole an axe to build a simple raft and used the crocodile scraps as a disguise to avoid attacks from river predators. He then utilized the Great River to drift downstream directly toward the human world. Though it was unknown if he could make it back alive, one had to admit the old man had some skill.

His timing was impeccable. If Li Qinwu had been present with Miss Hana as a translator, the coordination between species would have made such an escape impossible. Li Qinwu patted One-Ear's shoulder and told him to stand up.

"This is not your fault. You have already done very well. Go arrange for the construction of 100 coffins, then rest for a day. I will handle what comes next." One-Ear finally breathed a sigh of relief and walked away hunched over. Li Qinwu turned to look at Miss Hana, whose face was somewhat pale. She knew what Li Qinwu's look meant. Monde's solo escape was a relief for him, but it left the remaining humans in a position of perceived betrayal.

This decisive Goblin had actually been quite open-minded toward humans, aside from the initial attack on Hardship Village where a few soldiers were killed. Since then, he hadn't touched them. But now that Monde had fled, could this peace be maintained? Amidst Hana's frantic thoughts, Li Qinwu's cold voice rang in her ear: "Miss Hana, go call Young Master Lance here!" This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Hana's heart skipped a beat.

Indeed, how could Lance not have known about Monde's plan! She wanted to say something, but meeting Li Qinwu's icy gaze, the words wouldn't come out. She could only dejectedly fetch Lance. However, when she returned, she brought Knight Leo along as well. Li Qinwu glanced at Knight Leo. Leo shrugged with a helpless expression, as if to say: He was my former leader, after all; I can't just watch him suffer. Li Qinwu turned his gaze to Young Master Lance. In this period, Lance had changed significantly.

His face was tanned, and his body had become sturdier. He no longer looked like a noble scion but rather an old farmer who spent his days in the fields. Seeing this, much of the fire in Li Qinwu's heart dissipated. This guy hadn't caused any trouble since arriving, focusing entirely on farming, as if he had grown accustomed to life here—a model for "reform." Monde certainly would have notified him before fleeing, but Lance's presence here already indicated his stance.

However, the specific handling of the situation would depend on the questioning.

"Do you have anything you want to say to me?" Li Qinwu gave him the right to explain. Lance slowly knelt on the ground, his expression very calm.

"Lord, I am the son of a noble of the Kingdom of Sathos. My family's fief is near the capital; I am the elite of the elite. Lord, the border of Sathos borders the Monster Forest. With your current momentum, it won't be long before you clash with the Kingdom. You need to understand the politics, military, culture, and the composition of the various houses. Only I, who received a noble education since childhood, understand these things." After saying this, he remained silent. Li Qinwu's brow twitched.

Lance was a smart man; he didn't make excuses but directly stated his value. In the vast green wild of the forest, Li Qinwu couldn't find a second core noble. Thus, Lance's value was precious. Knight Leo pleaded: "Lord, I am willing to forfeit my military merits from this campaign. Please spare Young Master Lance's life!" Li Qinwu asked: "Are you sure this is worth it?" Leo nodded helplessly.

"Young Master Lance is my lord, after all. I cannot watch him die. However..." He crouched down to look into Lance's eyes.

"Young Master, after this, we are even. I wish to dissolve the lord-vassal relationship between us, is that alright?" In Lance's eyes, there was 40% bitterness, 30% helplessness, 20% relief, and 10% hope for the future.

"Knight Leo, my family led you to this state, yet you are still willing to do so much for me. I am already very grateful. From now on, you are a free man. Please look after me in the future, Uncle Leo." The two looked at each other and smiled. Li Qinwu spoke: "In that case, I pardon Lance for his crime of non-disclosure. Knight Leo, your merits from this battle are voided." Li Qinwu was exhausted after handling the tribe's miscellaneous affairs.

He returned to his luxury wooden house, took a hot bath, and rested on his beast-hide bed. Before sleeping, he thought about the problems exposed by Monde's escape: the language barrier and the lack of talent.

"The tribe needs a common script!" He wanted to create a script based on the Goblin language. He also planned to teach the merit-earning Goblins mathematics to cultivate management talent. As he thought, he laughed to himself: "Damn, teaching Goblins math. In all the myriad worlds, I must be the only one doing this." Two days later, on a small hillside northwest of the Goblin tribe, five spear phalanxes stood in neat formation.

Li Qinwu stood before the graves and hammered in a wooden sign, carved in the Human Common Tongue: 70 Goblin warriors and 3 Human warriors lie buried here. They died in a conflict during the era of ignorant tribal wars, making outstanding contributions to the security of the region and the future prosperity of the tribe. October 1st, Year 4352 of the Divine Era. Li Qinwu placed a white rose in front of the sign.

Knight Leo whispered to Hana: "Now I know why that old dog Monde fought so hard to return to the human world. This person before us is putting all his strength into pulling a wild Goblin tribe toward nationhood. I think he will succeed within 10 years!" Hana asked: "Your three soldiers' names are also on the tombstone. What are your thoughts on that?" Leo remained silent, his heart filled with extreme complexity.