Chapter 40: Endure Hardship and Seek Revenge
“Bai Ling, tell them to send the tribute population to the White Scales Tribe in three days.”
Bai Ling nodded, then turned to walk toward the Gray Scales Tribe leader.
The two exchanged some words briefly.
Before long, the Lizardman turned and dived into the water, swimming away into the distance.
“Gobuqiang, retreat!”
Taking two steps forward, Li Meng grabbed Bai Ling's hand as she returned to his side.
He pulled her up onto Benben’s hand.
Benben stood up and placed his leader onto his shoulder.
Sitting on Benben's shoulder, Li Meng forcefully pulled Bai Ling into his embrace.
Both hands tightly gripped Bai Ling’s waist and hips.
“What... are you doing?”
Bai Ling’s face filled with panic as she struggled.
However, to her despair, she found herself unable to move.
The hands on her waist and hips locked her body firmly in place.
“No, please, not here!”
The strange sensation beneath her beast skirt made Bai Ling realize what this goblin intended to do.
Her face showed a pleading expression.
Her kind was watching from not far away.
As the High Priest, how could she endure such humiliation?
“Retreat, return to the White Scales Tribe immediately!”
At Gobuqiang’s order, the goblins on the ice began to turn and withdraw.
Seeing their leader on Benben's shoulder bullying the female Lizardman, the goblins wore greedy expressions.
Some even drooled.
“Ah!”
A scream rang out, and Bai Ling, straddling Li Meng’s lap, wore a face full of resentment.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Li Meng buried his ugly head into Bai Ling’s soft chest.
“How hateful, how detestable!”
Not far away, the Lizardmen witnessed everything.
Gray Scales threw back his head in a mournful cry of rage.
His face twisted with hatred, his heart filled with extreme fury.
Around him, the elders clenched their fists, their bodies trembling.
Their High Priest had been turned into a breeding tool by the goblins.
“Hateful, so hateful!”
Many Lizardmen lowered their heads, unwilling to watch.
Others, unwilling to accept this, slapped the water in anger to vent their frustration.
“Chief, let’s fight them!”
“Yes, fight!”
The Lizardmen, filled with righteous indignation, all turned toward the Gray Scales Tribe leader.
Faced with the furious and expectant gazes of the young members of his tribe, Gray Scales hesitated.
Ultimately, his expression darkened, and he waded toward the direction of his tribe without a word.
“Everyone, return!”
“Chief!”
Some Lizardmen wanted to speak further, but Gray Scales silenced them with a glare.
The chief's authority forced the reluctant Lizardmen to follow in silence.
The elders, too, wanted to speak but hesitated.
Though they didn’t know what the chief and Bai Ling the High Priest had discussed, the goblin retreat gave them a sense of relief.
---
Later, in the chief’s wooden house in the Gray Scales Tribe:
“What? I won’t agree! I absolutely won’t agree! Chief, you’re handing our people over to the goblins as breeding tools!”
The elders looked at the chief in disbelief.
They couldn’t believe the chief would agree to submit to the goblins.
Elder Huigu roared at Gray Scales.
Gray Scales faced the elders’ angry gazes with a blank expression.
“Do you think the Gray Scales Tribe is stronger than the White Scales Tribe?”
The chief’s question rendered the elders speechless.
Among the three major tribes of the marshlands, the White Scales Tribe was the strongest.
Not only did they have a large population, but they also had Bai Ling, the High Priest.
“The White Scales Tribe was defeated by the goblins. How can we possibly fight them?”
Faced with the chief’s gaze, the elders lowered their heads.
Elder Huigu wanted to say something but ultimately remained silent.
“Bai Ling, the High Priest, told me herself. In last night’s battle, all the White Scales Tribe’s able-bodied men were killed by the goblins. Only women and children remain. If we want revenge, we must first avoid direct confrontation. Pretending to submit to the goblins will buy us time to seek help from the Black Scales Tribe. A direct fight would only lead us to the same fate as the White Scales Tribe. We will have our revenge, but not now. We must preserve our strength for the future.”
Revenge!
The chief’s words caused the elders to clench their fists.
Their eyes burned with hatred for the goblins.
To avenge their losses, they had to endure the humiliation of submission.
“Chief, I’m afraid the tribe won’t accept this easily.”
Huigen looked worried, fully aware of the uproar this news would cause.
Gray Scales glanced apologetically at his wife, seated nearby.
“I will lead by example and become the first tribute.”
At these words, the elders’ expressions shifted.
Elder Huigu let out a bitter laugh and shook his head.
“There’s no other way. If we don’t become the tribute, we can’t explain it to the tribe.”
The elders exchanged glances, nodding in unison.
“Chief, we will bear this burden together.”
Faced with their determined gazes, Gray Scales felt comforted.
If only he became the tribute, the elders would bear the tribe’s resentment.
But if both the chief and the elders became tributes, the tribe would understand their intentions.
Soon, the chief led the elders toward the Black Scales Tribe.
---
Three days later, in the White Scales Tribe:
At noon, the marshlands were bathed in the blazing sun.
Compared to the morning’s bustle, the White Scales Tribe was now much quieter.
Looking toward the tribe, the wooden walls showed many goblins playing and laughing.
Inside the walls, the tribe seemed relatively calm.
Early that morning, nearly half of the hunting teams had gone out to hunt.
Goblins had no habit of storing food. They ate wherever they went.
Goblins didn’t consume much; a full meal could sustain them for three days.
In front of the largest thatched hut in the tribe, Gobuqiang looked ingratiatingly at Benben, who sat by the door.
“Well... I want to see the boss!”
Hearing the noises coming from inside, Gobuqiang’s eyes flashed with envy.
Benben lowered his head to look at Gobuqiang, staring silently.
Feeling Benben’s gaze, Gobuqiang awkwardly smiled, took two steps back, and sat down obediently.
Meanwhile, in a corner of the room, two figures, one green and one white, overlapped.
Bai Ling was pinned beneath Li Meng, unable to move.
Her hands tightly gripped the wooden planks, her eyes filled with humiliation and hatred.
At that moment, Li Meng’s body trembled and collapsed weakly onto Bai Ling.
After a while, Li Meng got up and sat beside Bai Ling.
Looking down at her belly, he reached out and gently stroked her slightly bulging abdomen.
“It seems you’re pregnant.”
Though his voice was quiet, Bai Ling heard him.
Though she couldn’t understand the goblin language, her "Mind Speak" skill translated the meaning.
Her body trembled, and a trace of fear flashed in her eyes.
“Giving birth to goblins is relatively easy. It won’t hurt,” Li Meng said.
The size of goblin infants depended on the size of the mother’s body.
If the mother was a Ground Mouse, the goblin would be very small, ensuring the mother could give birth safely without dying during labor.