"The king of this Goblin Empire, is he truly so rude?"
"We've been waiting for nearly three hours.
This is far too disrespectful towards our Giant Elephant Empire!"
"Everyone, please be patient.
After all, we're the ones holding the knives.
Do you really think the fish on the chopping board can escape?"
At a large council table.
Three middle-aged men, each wearing black and gold ceremonial robes and displaying different expressions, were seated.
Some were angry, others had a malicious grin.
But all wore an expression of arrogance on their faces.
Simply put, it was the contempt of the powerful towards the weak.
These three men hailed from the Giant Elephant Empire, with one named Wells.
The Giant Elephant Empire boasted military strength equivalent to that of the War Empire, with a million elite soldiers.
However, with the addition of their mastery over magical puppets, the Giant Elephant Empire was much more formidable in terms of siege warfare.
The second man was an envoy from the Holy Tree Empire, Lepia.
The Holy Tree Empire did not possess great military strength for external wars, but even if two great empires joined forces, they couldn't match it on its own turf.
The concept of a great empire was defined by having a million elite soldiers—troops who were not ordinary soldiers.
These elite soldiers were fully armored, equipped with superior weapons, and were all level 50 or higher.
Their combat power was overwhelming.
The last envoy was from the Heroic Kingdom, the Troy Empire, Eltis.
In the Troy Empire, some people were naturally born with the power of heroes.
It was the only place in the world where mortals could slay gods.
Even a divine nation of demigods dared not provoke them.
A divine nation was an empire established by demigods, like the Republic of Joan of Arc, who had true divine blood flowing through her veins.
Unlike the One-Eyed Owl, who was merely a descendant of a demigod.
Outside the council hall.
Lin Tian rarely wore his golden crown, but this crown had bloody skulls at its edges.
He typically didn't wear it because it was uncomfortable.
But now, as he was meeting foreign envoys in his capacity as a king, he needed to display a certain level of authority.
Behind him stood Alice, Gobu Kuang, Fiona, and other capable subordinates.
Inside the council hall.
Wells of the Giant Elephant Empire was laughing when he suddenly noticed something, and his expression changed slightly.
"He's here, huh?
What a powerful aura from this monster.
This presence is already on par with that of a Demon King…"
"Hmph, no matter how powerful, it's still just a goblin.
It's only managed to seize some land by breeding and growing quickly, taking advantage of the chaos."
Lepia of the Holy Tree Empire sneered in disdain.
They were all aware of the situation with the Holy Church and the Great Tomb.
They believed Lin Tian's success was merely a stroke of luck.
In conclusion, they didn't regard the Goblin Empire as a serious threat.
As for Eltis from the Heroic Kingdom of Troy, the twirling of his curled mustache was as arrogant as he was.
Stroking his mustache, Eltis spoke, "Monsters, in the end, are still inferior, lowly creatures.
Just wait and see how I'll tame him completely."
"Haha, we'll be watching, Your Highness Eltis!"
The other two laughed as they spoke.
Suddenly, a series of shadows loomed large outside the door.
Stretched enormously by the sunlight, they resembled sinister, terrifying demons.
A gust of demonic energy, like a hurricane, blew into the room through the entrance, howling continuously!
It was so overwhelming that it almost suffocated them.
Especially Lepia, the weakest among them.
He couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, swallowing nervously.
"Is… is this really a goblin?"
He had killed many Goblin Kings before.
But he had never encountered anything that exerted such pressure—except a Demon King!
A set of scarlet eyes first caught their attention.
Varying in height.
But each one exuded a surging demonic energy, something to which human genes were extremely sensitive.
When they finally saw clearly, Eltis and the others' expressions grew grave.
These goblins were nothing like the ones they had seen before!
Each one was exceedingly terrifying.
Moreover, why was a lowly goblin standing at the center?
And the key point—this goblin was wearing a crown!
The same goblin that would normally not even warrant a glance now possessed the composure of a ruler.
Its sinister face was filled with the confidence of someone powerful.
From the moment they entered, Lin Tian had not even glanced at them once.
Lin Tian slowly took his seat at the council table and finally spoke, "Gentlemen, why don't we start with some introductions?"
Since they had come to him voluntarily.
Wells and the others obediently introduced themselves.
Each one couldn't help but puff out their chests.
This confidence came from the powerful empires backing them!
Lin Tian, however, remained expressionless.
"Is that so?
If you're so powerful, then why have you come to my empire?"
"Hmph, consider it your honor."
Eltis sneered.
He continued, "The reason we are here is simple: because you destroyed the Sword Kingdom and the Magic Kingdom, we were sent by the Imperial Alliance to investigate…"
As he spoke, Eltis slowly leaned forward, leveling his gaze with Lin Tian's.
His voice dropped to a slow, quiet tone, filled with an unmistakable threat.
The meaning was clear.
They were here to scout and then launch an invasion.
Facing the covetous eyes of three great empires, anyone else would have groveled and begged like a lapdog.
That's why Eltis had earlier stated he could easily control Lin Tian.
There was no panic at all.
Wells and Lepia both brightened at this.
"Bang!"
Especially Lepia, who was now emboldened, slammed the table and said, "We've traveled a great distance, and there's not even a cup of tea or coffee?"
"Hmph, lowly beasts will always be lowly beasts.
They try to mimic us humans, building empires, but they'll never truly become human, hahaha!"
Wells mocked with a sneer.
Immediately, Gobu Kuang's fists clenched, producing crackling sounds!
Lin Tian raised his hand to stop him, showing a wicked yet friendly smile.
"Gentlemen, have you ever heard that the last enemy envoys who came to negotiate with me were all eaten alive?"
As he finished speaking, several goblins licked their lips.
"You dare?!
Even during wartime, one must never kill the other side's envoys…"
Eltis said coldly.
But Lin Tian looked down with a contemptuous smirk.
"You're amusing.
You've just said I'm not human, yet you're trying to threaten me with human moral principles?"
"Boss, I think strong ones taste the best when roasted.
I bet their flavor is quite good."
Gobu Shan chimed in, as the evil bone in his hand slowly morphed into a sharp bone spike.
A chilling, scraping sound echoed.
Suddenly, Lepia began to feel uneasy.
They seemed to have almost forgotten—they were dealing with monsters, the most savage and terrifying goblins!
Wells, too, felt a flicker of fear because he knew these creatures were capable of doing exactly what they threatened.
Eltis, though not about to back down, was no longer so quick to boast.
Lepia hurriedly interjected, "Wait, Goblin King, we were just joking.
We've traveled a long way merely to discuss cooperation with you."
"Speak."
Lin Tian scoffed, curling his lips in disdain.
They were scared off after just a few words.
He had thought they were big shots from powerful empires.
Lepia continued, "The rapid growth of the Goblin Empire in such a short time is something we've all witnessed.
However, for us great empires, conquering cities and territories is no longer meaningful.
Long-term economic development is what's most important now.
So, we intend to send trade caravans to do business in the Goblin Empire.
That's all there is to it."
Other monster empires were too far away, making trade caravans impractical.
So, they planned to establish trade relations here.
Hearing this, Lin Tian pondered for a moment.
This request was acceptable, considering that the goods would eventually end up in his own cities.
But then Wells added, "Goblin King, there's more.
When our merchants trade here, they should be exempt from taxes.
And for the safety of our merchants, we would also need to station troops to protect them."
"Indeed, this is the decision of our imperial congresses."
Eltis chimed in, emphasizing the words "imperial congresses" heavily.
It was a threat, not a proposal.
Their true intention was not trade but colonization, gradually weakening and then taking over the Goblin Empire.
They wanted to make money and, in the end, claim the empire as their own.
Upon hearing this.
Lin Tian gave a signal to Gobu Tian, his eyes brimming with murderous intent.
Gobu Tian slowly approached Lepia.
"W-What are you doing?"
Seeing the sinister and eerie goblin, Wells felt a pang of anxiety.
Suddenly!
Gobu Tian pulled out a void dagger and sliced off Wells' thigh, sending blood spurting everywhere!
Lepia and Eltis recoiled in shock.
"What are you doing?!
You lunatics!!!"
"Hurry, stop the bleeding!
Why did you attack him?!"
Wells clutched his leg, trembling in pain.
"Save me!
I didn't bring any healing potions!"
Seeing this, Lepia quickly poured some Holy Tree sap on his leg.
The wound healed rapidly, but his leg was definitely lost.
The Holy Tree sap was a specialty of the Holy Tree Empire, known for its strong healing properties and its ability to dispel control effects.
All three men were still in shock, retreating to the back of the hall, eyes full of fear.
Lin Tian's cold voice echoed throughout the hall.
"I haven't even lost yet, and you're already proposing all these unequal treaties?
Hmph, do you really think I'm some soft target, easy to manipulate?"
Their thinking—it aligned perfectly with the mindset of Western bandits.
Taxes, demanding land, and stationing troops.
While Lin Tian was cautious in his development, he wasn't so lowly as to agree to this.
Even if the three great empires united, he wasn't afraid.
At worst, he could release Veronica and take them down together.
And with the corpses of a few hundred thousand elite soldiers, he could rebuild in less than three months.
That was the unique resilience of goblins.
"You!
What are you planning to do?!
Don't act recklessly; we represent three great empires!"
Wells stammered, his voice trembling, eyes wide in terror.
Lin Tian calculated and said, "If you want to send trade caravans to our empire, that's fine.
But the tax rate will be 70%, and there will be no stationing of troops.
Agree to these terms, and you can leave.
If you don't agree…"
"And if we don't agree, what then?"
Lepia swallowed nervously as he spoke.
He already knew the answer deep down.
He never expected a mere goblin to be so terrifying, with such sharp words.
From the moment they entered, Lin Tian had them firmly in his grasp.
He didn't give them any chance to turn the tables!
Who would dare to threaten him with the three great empires now?
The consequences would be the same as what happened to Wells.
At best, they might lose a leg; at worst, they'd lose their lives.