Upon seeing this, the surrounding boarmen only dared to steal glances furtively.
They didn't dare make a sound or attract any attention.
"Brother Kuang, I was wrong! I thought she was all alone and would be easy to bully, but I just ate a few fruits! At most, that's worth two gold coins. I'll pay! I'll compensate her five gold coins, okay? I'll even kneel on the ground and apologize to her!"
The boarman was so terrified that he defecated and urinated all over the place!
He knew very well how ruthless Gobu Kuang could be.
Among the three tyrants of the city, he was the most brutal and vicious!
The three tyrants of the city were Gobu Kuang, Gobu Tian, and Gobu Shan.
If Gobu Tian confirmed that someone had violated Lin Tian's rules, they would silently eliminate them.
If you were only skirting the edges, you might still live.
Gobu Shan was relatively reasonable, but if you broke the rules, your death would be terrifying.
As for Gobu Kuang, he was notorious for being brutal and unreasonable.
As long as you violated Lin Tian's rules, there was no room for negotiation—he would just take you out.
The boarman quickly pulled out the gold coins and handed them to the red lizard.
"Please, I beg you, talk to Brother Kuang, forgive me, don't hold me responsible! I'll do anything—be a slave, anything, just please speak up!"
"I… I…"
The red lizard was so frightened that she didn't know what to do.
Gobu Kuang threw her down, watching as the boarman knelt to apologize.
The boarman was crying so hard that snot was pouring out, and his fat body trembled uncontrollably.
He screamed at the top of his lungs, "Hurry up, Big Sis! I'm like this already, please just say something!!!"
The red lizard hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke up, "Brother Kuang, I think we can let it go…"
"Splat!"
Before she could finish her sentence.
A burst of sticky, bright red liquid splattered around the area!
The boarman's body slowly fell, his head was completely disfigured.
It had been smashed to pieces by a single punch.
He probably never expected that even after being forgiven and begging for his life on his knees, he would still die!
All because of a few wild fruits!
This bloody, horrifying scene scared the other boarmen so much that they covered their faces and fled, hiding themselves.
Gobu Kuang swept his gaze around the area and warned, "This is the third boarman to die this month. If your race can't manage itself, we goblins will take over, just like we did with the Black Gorilla tribe…"
The Black Gorilla tribe had once had over a dozen members who repeatedly violated the rules—stealing, robbing.
They especially loved shoplifting.
Some even committed assaults.
Lin Tian exterminated the entire tribe, hanging every single one of them at the city gates.
Even those who managed to flee to other demon empires were captured and beheaded in public.
Such ruthless, yet convincing methods.
This made the city a paradise, a holy land for those demons and subhumans who wanted to live peacefully and make a living.
Even high taxes didn't matter because everything else was guaranteed.
Some were even glad that the goblins were so brutal—it was a good thing.
"Brother Kuang, I will definitely tighten the management of the boarmen. Don't worry, this won't happen again!"
At this moment, a boarman dressed in luxurious yet disgustingly vulgar clothing appeared.
He was the Boarman Chief.
He bent his barrel-like body, struggling to bow as he offered a gold bar.
Equivalent to a hundred gold coins.
But Gobu Kuang, unlike Gobu Tian, wouldn't accept such things.
"Take it away. The best contribution you can make to His Majesty the Goblin is to behave yourselves!"
"Hiss, he's even harder to deal with than the other goblins…"
Watching Gobu Kuang leave, the boarman chief couldn't help but sigh.
At least with the others, you could bribe them.
Gobu Kuang wouldn't give you a chance at all.
…
Troy Empire.
An ancient atmosphere pervaded the place, with its distinctive semicircular huts built from yellow sand.
A land that was the birthplace of heroic legends.
It had produced a powerful figure capable of slaying gods.
The hero's power inherited was mighty and fearless.
Inside the royal palace, in the Hero's Sanctuary.
The Elephant King and the Holy Tree King were gathered together, discussing the matter of annexing the Goblin Empire.
"This Goblin Empire, who would have thought it would become more and more prosperous under such an unconventional management style. When do we start planning?"
The Elephant King could hardly contain his eagerness.
It was like a juicy piece of meat placed right in front of him, within easy reach.
However, the Holy Tree King shook his head, "Haven't you heard? The War Empire was destroyed by those goblins. And, it seems they've allied with dragons and dwarves—it's a bit tricky."
Upon hearing this.
Everyone was shocked, having just learned the news.
An ancient dragon was an incomparably formidable force, and the dwarves were a powerful race with highly valuable resources.
At this moment.
A middle-aged man with dark skin, a lean body, adorned with various gold ornaments, and dressed in Egyptian-like attire, who sat on the throne, spoke, "Hmph, an ancient dragon is just a flying lizard, nothing more. It's not like it's the legendary fire elemental spirit, Salamander.
Now, just mass-produce some dragon-slaying weapons, and we'll be fine."
"Dwarves scare you? Then why even collaborate? With such a rich and precious treasure suddenly within reach, shouldn't you be even more tempted?"
Hearing the contemptuous and dismissive tone of the King of Troy, the two other kings calmed down.
The Elephant King couldn't help but ask, "Then, Your Majesty of Troy, when do you plan to start laying the groundwork?"
"Right now," the King of Troy said with excitement, his hand clenching tightly.
"First, send enough caravans into their territory, make them believe we're really there for trade.
Once we've gathered all the information, the caravan members will infiltrate the Goblin Palace and slaughter all their leaders!"
The Elephant King pondered for a moment before nodding.
"No problem. I will dispatch my most elite troops. What about you?"
"I'll send in the Holy Tree Warriors," the Holy Tree King responded.
"They are children chosen by the Holy Tree, raised to harness its power from birth. Their strength is beyond question."
The two kings then turned their attention to the King of Troy.
In response, the King of Troy scoffed.
"Hmph, I will send the real Trojan Heroes to infiltrate the Goblin Empire.
With the strength I'm providing, don't you think your forces might be a bit insufficient?"
"Trojan Heroes?! All of them? My god!"
At that moment, the faces of the two kings lit up with joy!
Led by the King of Troy's daughter, the Trojan Heroes consisted of ten individuals, all top-tier warriors brimming with combat power and blessed with the strength of heroes from birth.
With them involved, the outcome was almost certain.
Victory was assured!
The King of Troy looked at the other two kings with a cold gaze.
"In that case, I'll take 80% of the spoils. The two of you can split the remaining 20%. Any objections?"
"You! Your Majesty of Troy, isn't that a bit too much? After all, my Giant Elephant Empire is a superpower…"
"And my Holy Tree Empire has stood for a thousand years, surviving countless trials by other empires. Don't we deserve some respect?"
Both kings were visibly displeased.
Taking 80% of the Goblin Empire's wealth was simply too outrageous!
The King of Troy immediately countered, "Your Giant Elephant Empire is only known for its puppet magic, which is useless in siege warfare. Your contribution is negligible.
The Holy Tree Empire might be strong in local battles, but we're the ones sending in elite forces. You need to understand that."
"I'll send out Persephia then!"
The Elephant King gritted his teeth, visibly furious.
Persephia was a genius puppet mage from the Giant Elephant Empire, the only one in a hundred years to comprehend the ultimate puppet rune.
She was arguably the most valuable asset of the Giant Elephant Empire.
Seeing the stakes, the Holy Tree King also hardened his resolve.
"I'll send the Holy Tree Spirit, Wendy. Is that enough?"
The Holy Tree Spirit was the incarnation of the Holy Tree itself.
It was the first time in a thousand years that the Holy Tree had manifested into a spiritual form, capable of directly channeling the tree's power.
Since its true form was the Holy Tree itself, it was incredibly powerful, although it hadn't yet fully matured.
But once fully grown, the power it would wield was unimaginable.
The King of Troy snorted, "Should have said that sooner. But I still get 40%, and you two can split 30% each."
"Why?! Saxis is just as valuable to me as your heroes are to you—I even consider her like my own daughter!"
The Elephant King finally lost his temper, cursing in frustration.
The Holy Tree King also protested, "I'm taking on significant risks! Wendy is only a sixteen-year-old girl in terms of mentality, and if something happens to her in the Goblin Empire, the Holy Tree itself could be destroyed. And you still want 40%?!"
The King of Troy shrugged indifferently.
"Fine, if you're so upset, go ahead and take the Goblin Empire on your own. I'm out, okay?"
"You! How dare you claim to be a kingdom of heroes when you're so despicable!"
The Elephant King gritted his teeth, seething with both anger and helplessness.
The King of Troy laid it out plainly, "It's simple: either we go through with this, or you leave.
Securing such a rich prize as the Goblin Empire will rely heavily on the intimidation of the Trojan Empire to keep other empires at bay.
So why shouldn't I take 40%?"
At this point, the full scope of the Goblin Empire's wealth and internal affairs wasn't yet widely known.
But it was sure to draw more attention from other nations in the future.
Even if they managed to conquer it, the Goblin Empire was destined to become a highly prosperous place.
This was due to their advanced agricultural techniques and management strategies.
These factors would inevitably spark disputes and power struggles.
Moreover, their agricultural techniques were closely guarded secrets, making them difficult to replicate or steal.
It was certain that others would try to seize them.
"Forget it. Once we've secured that fat piece of meat, it won't really matter if we lose a percent or two.
Too much money without a place to spend it is just a waste anyway," the Holy Tree King finally relented.
After all, as the King of Troy had pointed out, they would later need the 'Hero's Power' reputation to deter other nations.
That title carried significant weight and deterrence.
Satisfied with the final agreement, the King of Troy laughed heartily.
"Alright then, let's start preparing! We'll take down the Goblin Empire as quickly as possible!"
With that, they all parted ways.
They began inventorying their goods and resources, determined to make the pretense of trading as convincing as possible.
They wanted Lin Tian to truly believe they were there for business, not to arouse any suspicion.
…
In the blink of an eye, ten days passed.
Lin Tian had fully dealt with the matters concerning the War Empire.
The ruined areas in the Eastern and Southern Districts were now perfect for the Yeti Tribe to inhabit.
He summoned a large number of snow spirits, tasking them with continuously producing Snow Crystal Stones.
These were then funneled into large-scale magic arrays to keep them operational.
Of course, there were also small, quickly deployable magic arrays set up.
He had also transported a large number of goblins from the main city to live and breed in this area, with newly trained subordinates overseeing their activities.
The large number of humans being raised served perfectly to produce and cultivate new goblins.
As long as the food supply remained sufficient in the future, producing two to three million goblins a year would be an easy task.
"Finally done!"
Looking at the completed work, Lin Tian wiped the sweat from his forehead.
The soft glow of the distant sunset cast its light over the scene.
It was truly beautiful.