That old man was none other than Zolt, the dean of the Puppet Academy of the Giant Elephant Empire.
He was also Persephia's instructor, which is why he was so concerned.
Seeing that Lin Tian was relentless, Zolt felt both hatred and helplessness in his heart. This was an open scheme against them.
The only way to break the stalemate was to give up this juicy piece of meat.
But since they had already made a grand entrance into the Goblin Empire, how could they bear to let such a close prize slip away?
"Have you made up your mind? If you're not going to contribute something, then please leave," Lin Tian said, eyeing Persephia's slim waist up and down.
It could only be described as a delicate beauty, making his heart itch with desire.
These people were not your typical superficial beauties.
That's why Lin Tian was somewhat interested.
Zolt and the others paced back and forth anxiously, but they couldn't come up with any solution.
In the end, Persephia slowly stepped forward.
"Teacher, the Empire has invested much time and money in nurturing me, so let me repay it this time."
"You… sigh! Since you feel that way, I have nothing more to say," Zolt turned away, sighing.
As Lin Tian wrapped his arms around her fair and slender waist and walked toward the house, the surrounding subhuman monsters were filled with envy.
But they were also puzzled.
"This shouldn't be the case, right? They're from a great empire, with such a large caravan; any monster empire would be eager to have them settle in."
"Yeah, why would the Goblin King dare to make such an outrageous demand? This is simply…"
"And what's even more confusing is that they actually agreed! What kind of terrifying magic does this Goblin Empire have to attract people like this?"
As the coquettish sounds came from the house, everyone's blood boiled with envy, jealousy, and hatred.
The One-Eyed Owl couldn't bear to look.
"That kid… I didn't think he was that kind of person. Hmph, you all have your fun, I'm going for a drink!"
"Damn, I'm so jealous I could die. That brat gets to enjoy two earthly treasures in a row! Doesn't he fear exhausting himself?"
Osius and Grugia cursed under their breaths.
Gobu Kuang chuckled.
"Don't underestimate our boss."
After a long time, Lin Tian appeared alone, still full of energy.
Zolt and the others rushed forward anxiously.
"Where's Persephia?! Why hasn't she come out?"
"Go in and help her out yourself. The rest of you, get into the city quickly, you've wasted enough time," Lin Tian replied.
They saw Persephia wiping away tears, being carefully helped out, barely able to walk.
After entering the city and getting some distance, Zolt gritted his teeth and said, "Don't worry, child, we will personally take down these goblins! We'll restore your dignity and avenge you!"
"Sob… Teacher, I… I want to go live with my mom in the countryside after this. I don't want to be a puppeteer anymore…" Persephia cried, her face streaked with tears.
In the distance, Sara and the others walked over, looking puzzled at the scene.
"What happened to you? How did you get into the city from that damn goblin?"
Zolt sighed.
"Same as you, unfortunately. Poor Persephia."
"Sigh, I can only say you were too foolish. You didn't need to make such a big sacrifice."
Sara sighed as she returned to her caravan.
Seeing what Persephia went through, she felt fortunate to have escaped, at least keeping her body pure.
Lin Tian continued to guard the city gate, surprised to find that his attributes had increased, now soaring to 9,700.
It seemed the goblin's abilities hadn't disappeared after all.
As long as he completed the mating process with powerful beings, once the upper limit was reached, his attributes would increase.
The stronger the partners he encountered later, the greater the boost.
"Great Goblin King, these women are yours to choose from!"
At this moment, people from the Holy Tree Empire approached, showing great respect.
Three tall, slender, coldly elegant women stood before him, awaiting Lin Tian's choice.
The leader was the Holy Tree Warrior Captain, a big sister type, wearing silver-green light armor, with green curly hair as enchanting as an elf's.
Her name was Luna, with a combat power of 12,000.
Though the tree spirit had been born decades ago, its intelligence was low, so it couldn't be the leader of this mission.
After all, for the Holy Tree, it still had a long growth period ahead.
Lin Tian examined them.
Each one was quite outstanding, with a unique temperament.
Their tight vests revealed fair skin, and their fitted trousers perfectly accentuated their long legs.
But Lin Tian's real target was the tree spirit.
From the ant people's intelligence, he knew that the Holy Tree Empire had sent out a tree spirit, so naturally, he wasn't interested in these people.
At this moment, Luna noticed that Lin Tian seemed to be searching for something and instinctively moved closer to the goods behind her.
Because of this movement, Lin Tian's eyes locked onto a carriage covered with green canvas.
He asked, "What's in that carriage? Open it up and let me inspect the goods."
Luna's face flashed with a trace of panic.
"Goblin King, these are all specialty products from the Holy Tree Empire inside—like tree leaf clothing, delicious plant roots, and so on."
"If you don't inspect the goods, you can't enter the city. Don't you know that? What if there were dangerous items hidden inside?"
Lin Tian spoke coldly, his tone clearly conveying his impatience.
The faces of the Holy Tree warriors turned grim, unsure of what to do.
Clinging to a glimmer of hope, Luna moved to open the goods in the carriage behind.
But Lin Tian pointed directly at the one in front.
"Start with the first one."
Thump!
Luna felt a surge of panic and, steeling herself, could only signal with her eyes.
The other two women began to walk towards Lin Tian, attempting to make physical contact.
However, rather than launching an attack, they started to flirt.
They kissed deeply, touched him, and breathed heavily, showing the utmost intimacy.
They were all children chosen by the Holy Tree, and it was only under the guidance of the Holy Tree that they had gained their current status, position, and power.
Thus, for the sake of the tree spirit, they were willing to sacrifice everything!
However, Lin Tian had no interest in them.
From the very beginning, his target had been the tree spirit, which was why he had been making things difficult for them.
If he could obtain the tree spirit, his strength would surely increase by a thousand!
Such a great opportunity could not be missed.
"Step aside, I'm conducting a serious inspection. Are you hiding dangerous items, trying to slip through unnoticed?"
Lin Tian questioned sternly.
"If you're hiding dangerous items, I'll confiscate them immediately and have you all expelled!"
His words frightened the two women, who quickly denied it.
"No, no."
They then looked towards Luna with a troubled expression.
With no other choice, Luna gritted her teeth and pulled back the canvas covering the goods.
Inside was a girl in a white dress, her eyes dreamy, happily munching on fruit.
Noticing everyone staring at her, she blinked curiously and looked around.
"What's wrong, Sister Luna?"
"It's nothing, Miss… Dimiru," Luna quickly explained with a nervous smile.
"Goblin King, as you can see, there are no dangerous items here. She's the daughter of our empire's merchant guild president, here just for a visit."
Lin Tian's gaze immediately locked onto the delicate girl, and his expression changed!
She looked sweet and harmless, but her combat power was the highest!
[Holy Tree Spirit Lv100
Race: God
Profession: None
Title: Seedling of the World Tree, Protector of All Things, Spirit of the Holy Tree…
Health: 2000
Strength: 900
Defense: 789
Skills: Power of the Holy Tree (can use the power of the Holy Tree itself, creating magical attacks)
Equipment: None
Overall: 15,000]
Her combat power was almost on par with Joan of Arc, the demigod!
Lin Tian found it incredible.
Although her stats were so low, her ability to use the Holy Tree's power made her combat power absurdly high!
If she continued to grow, how powerful would she become?
As expected of the divine race!
And this was just a seedling grown from the World Tree's spread across the world.
How strong must the World Tree itself be?
However, based on the intelligence reports and her seemingly clever but low-intelligence gaze, it was clear that she wasn't very bright yet.
Even though her combat power was high, there were ways to deal with her.
It was like giving a monkey a machine gun—hitting a target would still be a challenge.
He had to take advantage of this moment and find a way to engage with her.
The attribute boost would be unprecedented!
Lin Tian quickly said, "Alright, the goods are fine. But I really like this girl. The usual deal, understood? Since you've been honest, I'll reduce your tax by 20% and arrange the best spot for you."
However, Luna and the others hurriedly waved their hands.
"Your Majesty, although she appears mature, she has some intelligence issues. You absolutely must not engage with her."
"Yes, yes, yes! Who knows, she might suddenly bite you, and she's extremely uncooperative."
The Holy Tree warriors chimed in one after another.
But Lin Tian remained adamant.
"It's fine. You don't understand goblin abilities. Resistance is futile. I've already given you leniency, and yet you still don't appreciate it? Don't blame me if I lose my patience."
Hearing this, the group exchanged glances.
They were deeply conflicted.
Although they served under the king, this mission was carried out under his orders.
But it was the Holy Tree that granted them power, status, and dignity.
Both sides were not to be betrayed.
Moreover, the Holy Tree King placed great importance on this mission.
If successful, the Holy Tree Empire could secure its position as a top-tier empire.
They wouldn't even fear a demigod nation.
Yet despite all this, Luna could not allow the Holy Tree Spirit to be defiled.
"Goblin King, I truly cannot accept your request. I'm sorry, but we will leave now."
"What? Captain… I mean, Guild President, are we really leaving?!"
"What will we say when we return?"
"We've brought all these goods here, and now you're just going to leave?"
The Holy Tree warriors were either silent, questioning, or agreeing with the decision.
After all, everyone had a different standpoint.
Some held the Holy Tree as the most sacred, while others believed the king was the greatest.
Yet, there were those who thought neither was truly great.
To them, their own future was what mattered most.
But as the Warrior Captain, Luna chose the Holy Tree.
"I'll take full responsibility for any punishment when we return. Let's go!"
Even if it meant being dismissed, stripped of her status and position, it was still better than personally delivering the Holy Tree Spirit to the goblins.
"Wait! Captain, I don't agree with this decision. You have to realize that if we go back, we'll lose everything!"
"That's right! I've struggled so hard to climb out of that rotten, stinking slum to where I am now, and you want me to go back? To go back to those days of not having enough to eat or wear?"
"Goblin King, you can take whatever you want, as you please!"
At this moment, a few warriors voiced their discontent, their expressions cold.
Compared to their own futures, the Holy Tree meant nothing to them.
What mattered most was that being defiled wasn't the same as being killed.