"Yue'e, is it still nearby?"

  Yue'e's massive flided through the surrounding waters.

  "Probably not, I 't se anymore!"

  Li Meng looked down at the Dark Elf beside him.

  He reached out and poked her cheek.

  It felt a bit slippery and soft.

  Time slowly passed, and the noise from the Bck Mountain tribe tinued for a long time.

  It wasn't until the su in the west that the Bck Mountain tribe finally quieted down.

  The day, in the m.

  In the southern waters of the Aral Tribe.

  A white shadow fshed beh the shimmering water.

  Looking towards the water's surfaot far to the south.

  A vast sheet of white ice was visible.

  A massive s crocodile king was sunbathing on the ice.

  At the edge of the ice sat a tall green-skinned figure.

  "Ah!"

  Li Meng yawned.

  His sturdy legs spshed the water.

  Last night was very quiet; the fleeing Bck Robe did not return to rescue his panions.

  The Bck Mountain tribe was also very quiet.

  Li Meng looked down slightly at the water in front of him.

  A white figure fshed beh the surface.

  A somewhat round white Lizardman head emerged from the water.

  "Boss, it's over!"

  Li Meng looked up, gazing towards the distant Bck Mountain tribe.

  "After such a otion, there shouldn't be many people left."

  Bai Ling nodded slightly.

  "At its peak, the Bck Mountain tribe had about sixty thousand people, with camps of all sizes scattered throughout the Bck Mountain S. Now, there are less than thirty thousa, aerday's upheaval killed nearly three thousand Lizardmen in the chaos."

  Standing up, Li Meng stretched his stiff back.

  "Bai Ling, I'll leave things here to you. There's no rush for the tribute; send it over in half a year."

  The throribe couldn't aodate three thousand female Lizardmen.

  It would take six months fe-scale expansion work.

  Although the number is a bit high, a little more wouldn't hurt.

  The three thousand Lizardmen couldn't all be used for breeding.

  Some could be assigo weave bs.

  Weaving bs requires delicate handiwork.

  Female creatures are more suited for this work.

  As for the three thousand male Lizardmen, they were easier te.

  Assign some to the Iron Cave, and the rest go fishing to prepare military provisions.

  "Boss, are you going back?"

  From the boss's words, Bai Ling could sehis.

  Li Meng turned and walked towards Yue'e.

  Once beside Yue'e, Li Meng climbed onto her back.

  He hoisted the Dark Elf lying on Yue'e's bato his shoulder.

  Then, carrying the naked Dark Elf, he leaped off Yue'e's back.

  "Bai Ling, Yue'e will stay here. If you enter untrolble danger, leave with Yue'e."

  Bai Ling nodded slightly.

  Bai Ling uood the meaning behind the boss's words.

  Apart from himself, the boss didn't care about the lives of other tribesmen.

  If necessary, the boss would have him abandoribesmen and escape alone.

  "If there's any news, let Yue'e inform me. She swims fast. When Yue'e isn't around, be smart. You're a Lizardman, and the area around Bck Mountain is full of deep waters. It's easy to escape by diving into the water."

  Saying this, Li Meng turo Yue'e.

  "Yue'e, I'm leaving Bai Ling to you!"

  Yue'e waved her short, sturdy hand.

  "Boss, don't worry, I've got this!"

  With a grin, Li Meng said no more.

  Bai Ling was a very special Lizardman.

  It would be a shame if he died due to carelessness.

  After some instrus, Li Me off.

  He sprinted northward.

  Wherever he passed, a long-sting ice path was left oer's surface.

  Watg the boss's figure fade into the distan the water, Bai Ling remained silent.

  "Hey, little one, isn't the boss impressive!"

  Yue'e murmured, scratg her itchy scales with her short hand.

  Her huge eyes stared ily at the boss's reg figure.

  "Uh... I guess!"

  Bai Ling smiled awkwardly, unsure how to respond to the spirit beast.

  "Why would the boss take a liking to you weak Lizardmen? I just don't get it!"

  Yue'e yawned.

  She turned over and tinued sunbathing.

  The spirit beast's pi Bai Ling speechless.

  pared to humans, s Lizardmen are indeed weak.

  In the past, there was the Goblin, a barbarian simir to monsters, at the bottom.

  But now, Goblins o longer be sidered weak.

  "The boss wants me to look after you, so I'll help you out. If you enter danger, just shout 'Yue'e.' Remember to use the Goblin nguage, or I won't uand."

  "I... I got it!"

  Bai Ling turned and dived into the water.

  Her graceful figure glided along the water's surface towards the tribe.

  And so, Li Meng used Bai Ling to ge the future once more.

  ------

  Northern forest by the Goblin River.

  Throribe.

  Early in the m, Li Meng carried the Dark Elf out of the southern forest of the throribe.

  "It's the boss, the boss is back!"

  The Goblins on the wooden wall spotted the boss emerging from the forest.

  The wooden wall erupted in noise.

  All the Goblins stared fervently at the tall green-skinned figure outside, like dogs who hadn't seen their owner in months.

  "What's that the boss is carrying on his shoulder?"

  "Don't know!"

  "It's dark, doesn't look tasty!"

  "But it smells good!"

  "Yeah, yeah, smells great."

  Listening to the Goblin underlings' excmations on the wooden wall.

  Li Meng, carrying the Dark Elf on his shoulder, grinned.

  "Hmph!"

  At that moment, the Dark Elf on his shoulder let out a soft "hmph."

  Her tightly closed eyes slowly opened.

  "Thud!"

  The movement on his shoulder prompted Li Meng to deliver a swift chop to the back of the Dark Elf's neck.

  The Dark Elf's eyes rolled back, and she passed out again.

  After five days, this was already the seventh time.

  The day after leaving Bck Mountain S, the Dark Elf had woken up.

  To keep the Dark Elf pliant.

  Li Meng could only physically knock the Dark Elf unscious.

  In the wastend outside the wooden wall, Li Meng quied his pace.

  He hurriedly ehe throribe through the south gate.

  Returning to the throribe, Li Me straight to the throne cave.

  In the wooden house, Li Meng roughly tossed the Dark Elf onto the bed.

  "Take good care of her, don't wake her up, I'll be back soon!"

  Faced with the boss's instrus, the female Lizardmen in the room quickly nodded.

  Several female Lizardmen hurried over to the unscious Dark Elf.

  Li Meng turned and strode out of the wooden house.

  Outside the door, Li Meng paused briefly.

  "Where's Benben?"

  Li Meng didn't see Benben outside the house.

  The Goblin he asked shrank its neck.

  "Boss, Benben is in the Iron Cave, it's beehese days."

  Benben in the Iron Cave?

  Without saying more, Li Meng hurried away.

  Leaving the wooden house, Li Meed the tribe through the east gate.

  It wasn't until two hours ter that he returned, carrying a rge bamboo barrel.

  xx34810