Free Web NovelChapter 118: Chapter 102: Pure-blood Cat Girl
Vanguard Army Camp, Central Tent.
"You’ve all received the news, I presume?" the Headhunter Race leader of the Vanguard Army asked, looking at the goblin and Lizardman leaders who had come for the meeting.
"We have!" the goblin and Lizardman leaders confirmed.
"Why have you summoned us?" the Lizardman leader asked, confused.
After the secret meeting, while the Vanguard Army was being assembled, scouts had been dispatched to find the Undead. They all knew the Undead’s fortress could move and wouldn’t just wait in one place for them.
However, while the Undead had been located, the Vanguard Army had not yet finished assembling. Of the expected twenty thousand troops, only a few thousand had arrived. More Warriors were still on their way.
The Headhunter Race leader grinned, revealing sharp teeth. "I was thinking, why don’t we go over and take a look?"
"Yes, yes! Let’s go! We might even be able to defeat the Undead!" the short goblin leader immediately chimed in. The goblins behind him began to clamor in agreement.
"We should wait for more Warriors to arrive before making any plans." The Lizardman leader shook his head. ’This isn’t what we agreed upon. It’s not a good idea for us to act on our own like this.’
"Tch, cowardly Lizardman." The Headhunter Race leader snorted with disdain. "We can take our men over to scout them out first. I’ve heard there aren’t many Undead. We might just be able to defeat them."
"Panok, we didn’t ally just to defeat the Undead. We allied to completely annihilate them. Don’t you understand that?" the Lizardman leader said coldly, glaring at the Headhunter Race leader with his vertical pupils.
"You’re too cautious to be a leader in the Vanguard Army, Momonai," Panok said mercilessly, his face a mask of ridicule.
"Say what you will. I will not allow the Lizardman Warriors to participate in this operation. Do as you please," the Lizardman leader, Momonai, said with steady composure, ignoring Panok’s taunts.
"What about you, shorty? What do you think?" Seeing that he couldn’t sway the Lizardman, Panok turned his attention to the goblins.
The goblins, who had just been clamoring for a fight, now fell silent. Their eyes kept darting toward the Lizardman. They were hesitating.
Goblins are a Race that bullies the weak and fears the strong. They had been clamoring to fight the Undead only because they had the Lizardmen and the Headhunter Race as their "big brothers" to lead the way. Now that the two big brothers were fighting, they decided to wait and see.
Besides, instinct told them that going to the Wraith Mountain Range with the Headhunter Race was probably a bad idea. The Headhunters weren’t as trustworthy as the Lizardmen; they might even eat the goblins for food halfway there.
"What, you think I’m wrong too?" Panok’s face darkened. He rubbed his fingers together lightly, his tone threatening.
"Ah? Uh, we... we... we think..." The goblin leader turned to look behind him, only to find that the other goblins who had come with him had all lowered their heads, clearly having no intention of looking at him. ’It’s impossible to get any help from this lot.’ "We think... you’re right, but Momonai also has a point."
With no support from his companions, the goblin leader didn’t dare offend either side and could only force himself to be evasive. He was already starting to regret attending this meeting.
"So, are you going or not?" Panok glared, a cold light flashing in his eyes. The chill in his voice nearly froze the goblin leader solid.
"We... to go... or not to go?" The goblin leader felt a palpable killing intent, and cold sweat dripped down his forehead. He stammered incoherently, his dull yellow eyes trembling. Unable to withstand the pressure, he lowered his head. "We’ll go."
"Hahaha... I knew you goblins weren’t cowards, unlike certain underdeveloped, cold-blooded, four-legged snakes." Panok burst out into satisfied, arrogant laughter, full of triumph and swagger.
’Does the goblins’ choice matter? Is it crucial? Who cares how a bunch of cannon fodder chooses? Their fate was sealed from the beginning, anyway.’ Momonai merely glanced at the goblin leader, neither showing anger nor speaking.
"Go tell your people to pack up. We need to get on the road as soon as possible, before the Undead can react." Panok commanded the goblins without restraint, as if they were his own subordinates. Then he walked over to Momonai, leaned in close, and said in a vicious, chilling voice, "You coward. You can just wait here for the others. Wait and see how we annihilate the Undead."
"Mm, okay. I wish you a triumphant return," Momonai said, looking up. His smile didn’t reach his eyes as he met the jab head-on, showing no weakness.
About an hour later, the Headhunter Race set out with the goblins. There were 6,000 in total: 5,000 goblins and 1,000 from the Headhunter Race.
Although the goblins were unwilling to go looking for trouble with the Undead alongside the Headhunter Race, they were even more afraid that the Headhunters would turn on them and kill them on the spot.
Fortunately, the journey to the forbidden land—the Wraith Mountain Range—would take several days. They could try to stall for time and see if Momonai would arrive with more of the Vanguard Army.
...
The setting sun sank below the horizon, painting the sky a bloody red.
Weary birds returned to their nests, and Minotaurs returned to the Bone Plate Platform in twos and threes, carrying their day’s haul. One of the Minotaurs brought back something special: a small, feisty creature, baring its teeth and claws.
"Let me go!"
"I’m warning you, I’m very fierce!"
"I’ll bite you!"
"You big dumb oxen!"
The Minotaur paid no mind to the little one’s shouting, simply carrying it by the scruff of its neck and presenting it to Mumu.
