Chương 99: Mad Love

"Ah~ A majestic lion, the bravest and most intelligent existence within the pride, who rendered illustrious military exploits for his kin. The pride idolized him, considering him one of the most valiant lions in a century. Yet, the lion shone too brilliantly, provoking the jealousy and wariness of the Pride King, until he was driven out to the boundless green wilderness""How could a lion who had tasted the flavor of power easily let go?

The lion once thought of rebellion, but perhaps because the Pride King's lackeys were watching him closely, or perhaps because he still harbored affection for the pride and did not wish to see life devastated, the lion chose forbearance."

"But fury is an objective reality; if it cannot find a normal outlet, it will warp the personality!"

"The lion's disposition underwent a drastic change. He became tainted with the sin of greed, madly plundering wealth, his soul supplanted by tyranny as he violently struck down those who offered loyal counsel."

"The lions gathered around him had their hearts utterly broken and deserted him. Even the lioness and the cubs left, leaving the lion entirely a solitary figure."

"Loneliness, like a maggot in the bone, drove the lion into the abyss. He madly attacked every single prey he could lay eyes on, his ferocious name striking dread into people, until..." The ghost arrived before a tightly shut room, gesturing for Li Qinwu to open it. Li Qinwu used a long spear to pry the door open bit by bit. Once he confirmed there was no danger, he pushed the door completely open.

"Until the arrival of the cheetah~~" Li Qinwu looked into the room. It was an exceptionally neat space, complete with a writing desk, a wardrobe, a vanity table, and handmade plush toys; it looked just like a lady's boudoir. Right in the center of this lady's boudoir sat a luxurious down-feather bed, and lying upon it was a cheetah-beastman whose eyes were devoid of spirit. She lay quietly on the bed with the blanket drawn up to her chest, one of her hands shackled to the headboard by an iron chain.

Her soulless eyes stared blankly at the ceiling like a living corpse, her mouth merely opening and closing as she murmured something. Li Qinwu possessed excellent hearing, and having already learned translation magic, he could make out the meaning of the cheetah-beastman's murmurs: "My child, do not harm my child..." The ghost flew to the bedside, gazing at the dazed cheetah-beastman dancer as he continued to narrate the story in a sympathetic tone.

"The poor little kitty cat, arriving at the worst possible time by the side of the most unsuitable lion, was torn to shreds in the blink of an eye!" Utilizing some method, the ghost condensed a bit of mist. The mist simulated a majestic lion, which pounced upon the cheetah, mauling her into a mad frenzy. The cheetah possessed a slender physique and was no match for the robust lion, easily becoming riddled with wounds all over her body.

"The lion could not make the cheetah pregnant, so he wished to claim the cheetah's heart. But with the cheetah so deeply harmed by the lion, how could her heart possibly belong to him? The lion flew into a violent rage, torturing the cheetah with even more cruel methods, even going so far as to slaughter the other cheetahs, leaving her a solitary figure as well."

"He believed that this way, the cheetah would have no one left but himself, and he would be able to claim her heart. But harm cannot earn love; the cheetah harbored nothing but dread and hatred for the lion!"

"The more the cheetah hated the lion, the madder the lion became. In the end, the lion even invited mages over, torturing the cheetah until she was on the verge of death, only to use magic spells to restore her to health!" Li Qinwu walked to the bedside, looking down at the cheetah-beastman dancer lying on the bed. The emaciated and weakened state he had imagined did not manifest; the cheetah-beastman dancer bore no wounds whatsoever on her body.

Her complexion looked extremely ruddy, and the fine fur on her face had been meticulously groomed, appearing exceptionally smooth. The ghost's voice continued to echo.

"The lion believed that he loved the cheetah. He did not wish to harm her; as long as she submitted, he would bestow all of his love upon her—at least, that was what he himself believed."

"Yet, the cheetah was incredibly unyielding. No matter what kind of cruel punishment she endured, she never once submitted; she held nothing but hatred for the lion."

"The lion discovered this fact within the cheetah's eyes, which drove him completely mad. Why wouldn't the cheetah submit?!"

"He conceived of a new method to torture her—a method distinct from physical torment, a far more cruel approach. It was a form of torture specifically developed to exploit a creature's instinctual drive to protect its offspring." Li Qinwu took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. He understood; he understood everything completely. No wonder there were so many Goblin cubs. Observing Li Qinwu's expression, the ghost knew he had already realized what had occurred, and he let out a sigh as well.

"The poor cheetah, continuously giving birth to children, only to watch them be slaughtered. The maternal instinct exists within any creature, and an attack directed at this vulnerability struck right at her heart. However, the cheetah did not submit as the lion had envisioned; instead, she went directly insane."

"But fortunately, even amidst the suffering, a glimmer of dawn remained." The ghost pointed beside the cheetah-beastman dancer beneath the blanket, where a protrusion could be seen. Li Qinwu pinched the corner of the blanket and slowly lifted it, revealing a Goblin nestled in the embrace of the cheetah-beastman dancer. It was a Goblin missing 70% of the skin across its body, lacking ears and a nose, and missing portions of its facial muscles so that its teeth were exposed.

Li Qinwu closed his eyes, feeling a sharp pang in his heart. Losing the blanket, the severely disfigured Goblin felt the cold and opened his eyes, looking toward Li Qinwu in bewilderment. This was his first time seeing such a powerful fellow clansman, and the Goblin instinct to revere the strong was triggered.

Yet, growing up in such a deformed environment seemed to have brought about a change in this Goblin as well; he did not display submission like the other Goblins, but instead stood up, spreading his arms to block the space between Li Qinwu and the cheetah-beastman dancer.

"Do not... harm... my mama..." Li Qinwu wore a face of utter astonishment. Were these words a Goblin should say, or an action a Goblin should take? He subconsciously reached out his hand, intending to pick up this Goblin for an inspection, but the other party believed Li Qinwu was going to harm the cheetah-beastman dancer. The cub actually pounced forward to grab Li Qinwu's hand, then bit down hard on the gauntlet, chipping his own teeth in the process.

The ghost began circling the bed, his semi-transparent eyes staring dead at Li Qinwu, refusing to miss a single trace of emotion on his face. In his view, Li Qinwu was just like this Goblin who had grown up in a unique environment—both possessed immense research value.

"Which child of the cheetah is this one? There were too many, I can no longer remember. So, why wasn't this child slaughtered by the lion like his other brothers?" Looking at this Goblin who was madly gnawing on his gauntlet, Li Qinwu followed the ghost's lead and asked, "Why?"

"Because..."

"Ah! My child! My child! Do not harm my child!!" The previously dazed and catatonic cheetah-beastman dancer suddenly erupted, scooping up the Goblin in one swift motion and pulling him tightly into her embrace.

"Child, my child!!"

"Mama..." The two held each other tightly, leaning into one another, using their own bodies to protect each other. The ghost wanted to continue explaining the reason why this Goblin survived, but Li Qinwu spoke up himself.

"Because this child triggered the cheetah's maternal instinct, and she submitted to the lion. She pleaded, begging him to spare this child. Seeing how much the cheetah cared for this child, the lion felt he had gained another means to threaten her. Thus, he left this child alive, torturing him in order to force the cheetah's submission; this child became a tool to torment the cheetah." Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. The ghost spread his hands.

"Ah~~ A clever Goblin." Li Qinwu stared straight into the ghost's eyes.

"Now then, take me to see this so-called lion." The ghost smiled, floating out of the room to lead the way ahead. Li Qinwu stepped out of the room and pulled the door shut. Before the door closed entirely, he saw the cheetah-beastman dancer cradling the Goblin, beginning to hum a ballad from the Beastman Realm, seemingly trying to coax her child to sleep. The door shut, and Li Qinwu followed the ghost down a long corridor. At the end of the corridor was a large door carved with a lion crest.

The door was left ajar, and the angry cursing of a man immediately drifted out, punctuated from time to time by the sounds of smashing objects. The ghost arrived beside the large door and made a gesture of invitation.

"Welcome to the exhibition, the lion's den~~" Li Qinwu pushed open the large door, exposing the so-called lion's den. This was a massive circular space. Propped against the walls were many decorative swords and blades, and multiple maps hung upon the walls, smeared with a cluster of arrows indicating the marching directions of military forces. In the center of this circular space sat a massive round table, occupying nearly 80% of the area.

Atop the table was a simulated sandbox world map of this world, marking the spheres of influence of the four human nations, the elves, the dwarves, and the beastmen. Upon the sandbox lay numerous chess pieces representing infantry, cavalry, mage regiments, and other specialized military branches. Directly opposite the main door, a massive portrait hung on the wall, depicting a man of valiant and heroic bearing. The man wore a red military uniform adorned with a string of medals.

His gaze was piercing, staring directly out of the painting; anyone viewing this portrait could see a surging vitality within the man's eyes! Beneath the portrait was a luxurious sofa chair, and seated upon it was a man. That man was morbidly obese, his entire form bloated into a sphere. He was also exceptionally unkempt; his hair and beard had not been tended to for unknown years, growing immensely long and tangled together, with all sorts of tiny creatures scuttling through the hair.

From a distance, it truly gave off the impression of a lion's mane. The fat man wore a military uniform with a few medals pinned to it, identical to the one in the portrait. However, this military uniform was utterly incapable of concealing his massive body; worn on him, the uniform looked like a small waistcoat, and the portion beneath his armpits was completely torn open. Li Qinwu led his men into the circular space.

The musket Goblins entered behind him and fanned out around the circular sandbox, their muskets pointed directly at the man across the table. The man seemed to have gone mad, completely indifferent to the Goblins walking into the room. His eyes peered through the tangled hair, staring fixedly at the sandbox as his mouth murmured, "The 3rd Regiment advances north, the 5th Regiment should maneuver toward the southwest, the 12th Regiment needs to penetrate to the enemy's rear..."

As he spoke, he adjusted the little flags on the sandbox with his hands. The ghost circled the sandbox, unleashing heartless mockery from his mouth as he turned.

"The lion of yesteryear! The military genius of the kingdom! To actually end up in such a state amidst a power struggle—tragic! Lamentable! Laughable! Ku-ku-ku-ku-ku!" Count Cali offered not a single shred of response to the ghost's mockery. Instead, he concentrated on staring at the sandbox, adjusting the little flags, launching offensives with a non-existent army against non-existent enemies.

The ghost flashed a malicious smile toward Li Qinwu, floated above the sandbox, and cried out in feigned alarm while pointing at a certain location.

"Lord Marshal! This is bad! The enemy has launched an attack from this direction! Lord Marshal! What should we do!!" This voice seemed to rouse Count Cali's consciousness. He looked toward the spot the ghost pointed at and roared, "Dispatch the 3rd Regiment there! The 3rd Regiment consists of battle-hardened heavy infantry; they will crush all enemies!!" Count Cali yanked up a flag and jabbed it into the location of the ghost's finger. The ghost continued to bellow, "Praise be to you, Lord Marshal!

You have defeated the enemy, but the enemy has launched another attack from this direction!!" The ghost pointed in another direction.

"What! An offensive on two fronts! Despicable scoundrels! Quickly dispatch the 12th Regiment there. The 12th Regiment is light cavalry; their mobility is immense, they will surely be able to save the day!!"

"Lord Marshal! Your art of command has saved us! But a new enemy has launched another attack from this direction, that direction, and that direction as well!!" The ghost was like a wicked villain playing a game of leading troops to war with a madman, and this madman truly believed himself to be a marshal, beginning to deploy troops in thin air. Li Qinwu watched this scene with cold eyes, finding it both surreal and pathetic.

Under the ghost's guidance, Count Cali played to his heart's content, his "grand army" dispatched to the north, then dragged to the south, finishing a battle in the west only to launch a surprise attack in the east. Finally, the ghost let out a cry of feigned astonishment.

"Lord Marshal!! You have defeated all enemies!! You have unified the four nations of humanity! This is an exploit that only the Hero King, Donovan Akusisa Thasos Resamond, could achieve! You have rivaled—no! You have surpassed the Hero King! The ministers request that you ascend the throne, Your Majesty! Your Majesty!!" Count Cali's eyes turned crimson and his face contorted. He slammed his fists against the edge of the sandbox table one strike after another, roaring madly, "Yes! I... We!

We shall ascend the throne! Pass Our decree—from this day forth, We are the joint ruler of the four nations! Whoever disagrees shall be slaughtered down to the last man!!"

"Your Majesty!! You have successfully scaled the pinnacle of power! White doves are released, flower petals are scattered, and the people are chanting your name!! They are singing praises of the new King!!" Count Cali burst into hearty laughter, gazing at the sandbox as though a monarch reviewing his kingdom. But the ghost's praising voice suddenly turned into terror.

"Heavens, Your Majesty!! The beastmen have launched an offensive!! They want to slaughter us all and plunder our wealth!! What should we do!!" Count Cali's face shifted violently as he bellowed at the top of his lungs, "Our regiments!! Dispatch all of Our regiments over there!!"

"This is bad, Your Majesty!! The dwarves have also launched an offensive!! They wish to occupy our fertile territories!!"

"Our regiments can handle it!! They can handle it!!"

"Your Majesty!! A crisis of national doom!! A crisis of national doom!! The elves question your legitimacy and have launched an attack against you!!"

"We can cope!! We can cope..." Count Cali yanked up a cluster of flags, pushing them to the locations where the "enemies" invaded, then yanked the flags up again, tossing them in front of another squad of "enemies." Because the sandbox was massive, Count Cali could not reach certain positions; he simply climbed atop the sandbox, running back and forth on it to personally lead the "troops" on an expedition, leaving him drenched in sweat from exhaustion. Finally, the ghost shouted, "Your Majesty!!!

You have successfully routed all enemies!!! You have unified the entire world!!!"

"We... We have unified the entire world?"

"Your Majesty!!! You have left a glorious and heavily inked stroke in the annals of history!!! Posterity shall never be able to surpass you!!!"

"We... We... Guhahaha!!!"

"Your Majesty!!! The bards are singing of your deeds; your name shall become a household word!!!"

"Excellent!!! Excellent!!! Bestow heavy rewards upon them for Me!!!"

"Your Majesty!!! The Elven Queen wishes to marry you!!!"

"Hahaha!!! Granted!!! Let her be Our Queen!!!"

"Your Majesty!!! The people intend to erect a statue of you cast in solid gold!!!"

"Very well!!! Very well indeed!!! Scour the entire nation's gold for Me!!!" The room was filled entirely with the shouting of the two, warped emotions flooding the underground passage. Count Cali was excited to the absolute limit, so much so that due to excessive excitement, the blood vessels in the corners of his eyes ruptured, shedding tears of blood. Yet this was not the entirety of the madness. The ghost who toyed with human hearts pushed the madness to its absolute peak.

"Your Majesty!!!! Your exploits are unprecedented and unrepeatable, and all praises in the mortal realm are incapable of expressing your achievements. Therefore, the gods intend to reward you..." Count Cali's entire body tensed up.

"What? Reward me with what?"

"Reward you with..."

"Speak!!!! Speak!!!! Reward me with what!!!! Speak quickly, or else it is a capital offense! I will slaughter everyone associated with you, speak!!!!"

"Reward you with..." The ghost extended a finger to point at the ceiling, as though the gods were massed there.

"Reward you by allowing you to become a god!" Boom! Count Cali felt his mind completely explode. His entire body shuddered violently like an epileptic patient, and he even lost control of his bladder due to excessive excitement. Blood sprayed wildly from the corners of his eyes, white foam spewed from his mouth, and his eyes stared dead at the marble ceiling, his vision seemingly piercing through matter to truly behold the gods arriving to receive him.

Seeing him like this, Li Qinwu unconsciously raised his head to look as well, only to confirm that there was nothing but marble above. The mad screaming of the man and the ghost subsided, and the air fell into a hush; this bout of madness seemed to conclude right here. The ghost's floating body slowly descended, his eyes filled entirely with mockery and malice. His semi-transparent lips pressed against Count Cali's ear.

"It is merely a pity that all of this is nothing but your hallucinations before death, Count Cali~~" Count Cali's pupils violently contracted to the size of pinpricks. He turned his head stiffly toward the ghost, his face entirely filled with horror.

"What... did... you... say..."" Ku-ku-ku-ku-ku ~~" The ghost pointed toward Li Qinwu.

"Count Cali, you are about to die, ku-ku-ku-ku-ku ~~" Count Cali turned his head toward Li Qinwu, suddenly discovering that a crowd of Goblins surrounded him.

"Ah! Who are you! Goblins? Where did these monsters come from! Guards! Guards!" Frightened, this fellow tumbled down onto the sandbox. The sandbox emitted a resounding thud, and several chess pieces were even sent flying.

"Guards!! Guards!! There are monsters here!! Roll over here and slaughter these monsters, aaaaah!!" He attempted to draw a sword, but where the hell did he have a sword; the leather belt meant for hanging a sword had long since been tossed to who-knows-where because of his obesity. He crawled and rolled down from the sandbox, retrieving a decorative bow and arrow from the wall, then attempted to draw the bow. Li Qinwu raised his hand cannon.

"Enough! A warped performance, truly unseemly. Kill him!" Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang! The musket Goblins moved the items from the basement up to the surface. Book after book, chest after chest of gold, various utensils, and strange magical materials made for a dazzling display. Especially the gold; the quantity was immense, filling dozens of chests, and when the sun shone upon it, it glittered brightly. Two musket Goblins carried a stretcher, placing it beside the chests of gold.

Atop the stretcher were the cheetah-beastman dancer and her child—the severely disfigured Goblin. This was this Goblin's first time coming up to the surface. Looking at the sun in the sky, he asked, "Mama, what is that?" The cheetah-beastman dancer tilted her head, narrowing her eyes slightly as she gazed at the sky.

"That is the sun."

"Mama, what is the sun?"

"The sun is... something that can make a person feel warm..." In the distance, Li Qinwu looked at the pile of treasure, biting his lip and doing his utmost to suppress his wild ecstasy, which caused his face to crumple into the shape of a chrysanthemum. Miss Hana beside him believed he was excited due to capturing a massive amount of gold, but Li Qinwu's gaze had never once left the cheetah-beastman dancer and her child. Li Qinwu felt that he had found the greatest treasure of this campaign.

This treasure proved that Goblins were capable of love too!