"We agree! Actually, we just wanted to test you, that's all. Please, don't be so impulsive!"
Lepia's face looked worse than if he'd eaten something foul.
He had a look of utter grievance.
Their original intention was to negotiate a deal.
Who could have known they almost played themselves into a corner?
Eltis also gritted his teeth, swallowing his pride.
"Goblin Majesty, it's fine if you don't station your troops, but isn't a 70% tax rate a bit too high…?"
"Whatever, we have millions of magical creatures and beastmen passing through here daily.
If you don't want to do business, plenty of others will." Lin Tian responded.
There were many empires out there, and recently, he had received numerous letters from human empires seeking cooperation.
But these three tried to rely on the strength of the empires behind them to try and strong-arm Lin Tian.
Upon hearing this, the three could only grit their teeth and nod.
"Your Majesty, you're ruthless. We admit defeat."
Lin Tian smiled with satisfaction.
"Very well, your trade caravans are welcome to enter.
Also, if other empires want to come, please inform them."
"Then, Your Majesty, we'll take our leave now.
We'll definitely pass on the message." Lepia spoke cautiously.
He didn't even dare to look directly at Lin Tian.
Goblins were far more terrifying and brutal than they had imagined!
Lin Tian nodded lightly.
The three of them, as if injected with adrenaline, fled the place frantically.
Wells, being supported, fumed with rage and resentment.
"What about my leg? Damn goblins! I will annihilate them for sure!"
"Don't be hasty.
The empire's strategy is to take over this country perfectly.
Later, the empire will capture that guy so we can vent our anger properly." Lepia said helplessly.
He also harbored deep hatred for Lin Tian.
But they still needed to slowly infiltrate strong individuals into the Goblin Empire without triggering an external war.
They just needed to slaughter the upper echelon of Lin Tian's goblins.
Unlike human empires, the Goblin Empire didn't have a multitude of noble families or royal relatives.
When a king died, members of the royal family could become the new king.
Or nobles would vie for the throne.
But in the Goblin Empire, if the upper echelon was wiped out, they could just install a puppet on the throne.
The country would barely change.
Wells gritted his teeth.
"Hmph, goblins.
Sooner or later I'll have your legs and arms chopped off!
Did the empire say how long it would take?"
"Not sure.
Maybe a few months at most, or as soon as within a month." Eltis replied.
Only then did the three of them leave.
Watching their figures recede into the distance, Lin Tian's lips curled into a slight smile.
Though he hadn't heard their conversation, he could guess their intentions from the earlier talk about stationing troops.
"Planning to kill me and take over?
Hmph, I'll make sure to play with you all thoroughly, starting with the Giant Elephant Empire." Lin Tian said.
Although he didn't understand much about war strategy, he was very good at pushing others to their limits.
He immediately began hiring spies.
He prepared to carefully investigate the internal situation of those three nations.
Among the beastmen, some of the insect tribe members could control insects and understood various insect languages.
So they often trained insects to eavesdrop on information and then sold it.
An insectoid beastman with antennae resembling those of an ant approached the Goblin throne room.
"Your Majesty, this task you've given is very challenging and difficult.
It requires ten thousand gold coins."
The information from three empires was indeed complex and difficult to obtain.
But ten thousand gold coins were still affordable for the current Goblin Empire.
Just as Lin Tian was about to agree, the ant person continued,
"But for the sake of the friendship between our insect tribe and the goblins, this job will be free.
Furthermore, our Queen Ant welcomes you to visit the Insect Tribe Empire anytime."
The Insect Tribe Empire?
Lin Tian was slightly taken aback.
That empire was known for its immense strength.
The insect tribe was even better suited for development than the goblins.
The Insect Tribe Queen was now apparently the Ant Queen, who could continuously produce insects that evolved into various professions.
They were diligent and hardworking, and even if starved to death, they wouldn't betray their cause.
Thus, the Insect Tribe Empire was one of the strongest among the monster empires.
Its reputation far surpassed that of the Troy Empire.
Lin Tian smiled slightly.
"Very well, I'll visit Queen Ant when I have the time."
For now, everything was proceeding according to plan; it was just a matter of time before the results came.
He then continued to flip through the "Goblin Chronicles," trying to find a way to evolve himself.
But after reading the whole thing, it mostly talked about the evil nature of goblins and how to deal with them.
There was hardly anything on evolution.
"The ancient dragon might know, and I almost forgot, I still have that core dragon crystal!"
Lin Tian suddenly remembered.
He called for Xiao Huan, preparing to make a trip to the World Tree.
It had been a long time since he'd seen Little Black.
He wondered how much that guy had grown, and there was also the Flame Dragon Mother to consider.
That dragon she birthed—how much has it grown?
But just as he passed by the Dragon Slayer Guild in the War Empire, Lin Tian decided to go down and check out the situation.
Perhaps have a drink and relax since there was no urgency.
The biggest threats were only the three great empires, after all.
And he already had a plan to dismantle them.
This time, without any hesitation, he rode Xiao Huan directly to the outskirts of the city, transforming into his human form as 'Andy' and preparing to take a look inside.
However, when he arrived at the familiar outskirts of the city, there was no noise coming from within.
Silently, he entered the city, only to find it in utter disarray.
There were many soldiers present—clearly from the War Empire.
At least tens of thousands of them.
Lin Tian concealed his presence, furrowing his brows.
"What happened here?"
He quickly made his way to the Dragon Slayer Guild to investigate the situation, but he was stunned.
The Dragon Slayer Guild had become nothing but ruins.
There was nothing left.
Only scattered debris remained.
Many soldiers patrolled the city, indulging in their merriment.
"Could it be that the War Empire turned against us because we killed Patrick last time?
But that doesn't seem right.
Those people should've at least maintained some semblance of decorum."
Lin Tian didn't dwell on it for long and hurried out to mount his dragon, trying to search for clues.
By all reasoning, the One-Eyed Owl and the others shouldn't have been wiped out.
If they couldn't win, they would have known to escape.
Soon, he arrived at Oakwood Forest.
He sought out the Ironhorn Chief to ask for information.
But the Ironhorn Chief was unaware as well.
"I haven't been paying attention to that side of things, given the distance.
But I did hear about your extermination of the Landau family—I'm deeply grateful!"
He only wanted to live a peaceful life with the remaining members of his tribe.
"However, I did see a lot of humans from your side heading toward the mountains."
The Ironhorn Chief suddenly recalled.
Lin Tian's eyes lit up.
"Good.
If you want a more peaceful life, there's a Goblin Empire to the south.
I can offer you protection there."
"Really?!
If I get the chance, I'll definitely check it out!" The Ironhorn Chief responded with excitement.
Without delay, Lin Tian headed toward the mountains.
To be honest, he was a bit worried about those guys.
Though most of them weren't exactly good people, they always rose to the occasion when trouble arose.
If they could join the Goblin Empire, that would be the best outcome.
Soon, he saw a group of refugees camped by a river in the mountains.
"A dragon!"
"Everyone, get back to the camp!"
"Why is there a dragon here?
Could it be from the War Empire?
Don't go back to the camp, run!!!"
The refugees scattered in fear.
A member of the Dragon Slayer Guild, 'Luen,' quickly stepped forward.
"Everyone, hide behind the shelters.
I'll take care of this dragon!"
"Buddy, don't you recognize me?"
Lin Tian jumped down and spoke, recognizing the man.
They had crossed paths before.
It was Luen who had carried Grugia and the others to the Red Rose Inn.
"You're that rookie?!
Why are you here, and why are you riding a dragon?!"
Luen exclaimed in surprise, but his expression suddenly darkened.
Lin Tian couldn't help but ask,
"Buddy, what happened to the Dragon Slayer Guild?
Where are Big Sis and the others?"
"Brother, the Dragon Slayer Guild… it's gone!
Everyone's dead!
Big Sis was also captured and is now in the guild's dungeon…"
Luen's face was full of grief and anger, and he was nearly sobbing.
He continued,
"Just about ten days after you left, the War Empire's Landau, who hadn't died, launched a surprise attack with a large number of soldiers under the guise of revenge.
We had no chance to resist.
Big Sis surrendered to save Osius, Grugia, and the others!
I only managed to escape with some of the residents thanks to the cover provided by a few brothers."
At this point, tears streamed down his face.
He recalled the tragic scene of the One-Eyed Owl being captured.
"Big Sis… was pierced by several black iron spears.
We don't even know if she's still alive.
Brother, you should leave now.
It's not safe here either.
They'll likely find us soon."
Hearing this, Lin Tian's expression grew heavy.
He hadn't expected Landau to survive even after being reduced to a skeleton.
But for Landau to have such military strength, it was undoubtedly tied to Alexander of the War Empire.
The grudge between Patrick and Grugia was clearly a personal one, as was the feud with the Landau family.
Yet, a great empire would stoop to such pettiness.
"Buddy, take these people to the Ironhorn Tribe below.
They'll protect you." Lin Tian said with a furrowed brow, his tone grave.
Luen was taken aback.
"Huh?
The Ironhorn Tribe?
How could they…?"
"Let's go!"
Without further delay, Lin Tian led the group down the mountain.
When the Ironhorn Chief learned of the situation, his face was filled with rage, and he snorted with anger.
"Hmph!
The Landau family, our feud isn't over yet!
What do you plan to do?"
"Give me some time.
I'll make them understand what true despair is."
Lin Tian's eyes were filled with murderous intent.
Luen, standing nearby, felt an inexplicable chill in his heart.
"R-Rookie, what—what's going on here?"
He couldn't understand why Lin Tian was so familiar with the Ironhorn Chief.
Moreover, Lin Tian now seemed like an entirely different person.
"Brother, stay here and wait for me.
I'll handle the situation with Big Sis and the others."
After saying this, Lin Tian mounted his dragon and headed back to the Goblin Empire.
He was preparing to gather reinforcements.