Chapter 88: Yue Clan Tribe

Chapter 88: Yue Clan Tribe

Li Meng shook his head and raised his hand, stopping Gobu Di from continuing his chatter.

"You've done well on this matter. I'm very satisfied!"

Gobu Di and Gobu Shi, the two big figures, grinned widely.

The praise from their leader filled them with excitement.

Li Meng turned to Bai Ling and the group of Lizardmen elders.

"You have two choices. First, return to your respective tribes, and Goblins will station troops here. Second, merge your three tribes into one. This place will become the headquarters of your new tribe, and the Goblins will withdraw."

Since a new tribe was destined to form, he decided to speed up the timeline by bringing it up himself.

The key to altering the future lay in timing.

Hearing this, Bai Ling showed a look of surprise.

She hadn't expected her master to ask for the merger of the three tribes.

"Master, we need some time to..."

Li Meng raised his hand to interrupt Bai Ling.

"Discuss it here and now. I need an answer. Your choice will influence what I do next."

This made Bai Ling's heart tighten.

Not daring to delay, she quickly turned and began discussing the matter with the elders.

A dozen Lizardmen gathered together, whispering among themselves, arousing the curiosity of the Goblins in the room.

Before long, Bai Ling and the elders reached a decision.

She turned back to face her master.

"Master, we choose to establish a new tribe and name it 'Yue Clan.'"

The words "Yue Clan" made a hint of amazement flash in Li Meng's eyes.

The future simulated in his predictions truly aligned with reality.

"Very well. Prepare the tributes. I will withdraw my troops tomorrow. Additionally, to avoid deaths caused by spoiled food, you will provide the tributes' food from now on. I'll take care of the transportation."

Li Meng wasn't worried about the Yue Clan Tribe fleeing.

The tributes were hostages.

Moreover, the Yue Clan Tribe had nowhere else to go outside the Northern Marshlands.

The Black Mountain Marshlands might seem like a viable option, but the Lizardmen of the Northern Marshlands originated from there.

The Lizardmen's departure from the Black Mountain Marshlands must have been due to some feud with the Black Mountain Tribe.

Unless forced, the Lizardmen wouldn't return to the Black Mountain Marshlands.

Bai Ling bowed her head slightly.

"Yes, Master. I will prepare the tributes."

Over the next hours, Bai Ling busied herself.

Though it was easy to say, preparing the tributes came with numerous challenges.

Throughout the afternoon, the Wooden Stockade Stronghold echoed with the cries of the Lizardmen.

By nightfall, the stronghold finally quieted down.

That night, the stronghold was silent.

The weather was clear, with a full moon hanging in the sky.

Silvery moonlight bathed the earth, dispersing the darkness slightly.

At the door of the largest wooden house, Li Meng gazed up at the full moon.

"Isn't this a bit too cruel?"

Recalling the scene of Bai Ling selecting tributes earlier, Li Meng felt a lingering thrill.

For the Lizardmen, it was a gruesome and heart-wrenching scene.

But Li Meng couldn't empathize.

Instead, he felt a strange excitement beyond words.

The stronger the Lizardmen's negative emotions, the more pleasure he derived.

"Blame your misfortune on encountering a clever Goblin!"

He was a Goblin now, no longer human.

Li Meng had long accepted this fact.

If he had acted like a human, he would have already perished.

"At least you get to live, while I continue to struggle to survive!"

Li Meng refused to yield to the moral guilt of his human consciousness.

He turned from the moonlit doorway and stepped back into the wooden house.

Bai Ling was inside, but he didn't touch her.

Li Meng's self-control was the one thing distinguishing him from other Goblins.

Reproduction and fulfilling desires were fine, but only if necessary.

Without necessity, he preferred to rest.

Time ticked by, and the night deepened.

The next morning, at the break of dawn, the Wooden Stockade Stronghold came alive with noise.

The Goblin troops stationed there began their orderly retreat.

The watchtowers remained standing atop the wooden walls, but the triple-bow ballistae had been dismantled.

While the stronghold could be gifted to the Yue Clan Tribe, the ballistae could not be left with the Lizardmen.

The Lizardmen chosen as tributes bid tearful farewells to their kin.

This parting would last a year before they met again.

As the morning sun rose from the east, the stronghold reached a peak of bustling activity.

A massive group departed through the eastern gate, forming a dark cloud of moving figures stretching across the marshlands.

Soon after, the group dispersed like scattered sand.

Marching as a united force of thousands couldn't meet their food needs, so they had to spread out, hunting as they made their way back to their tribe.

Five days later, the scattered groups gradually returned.

Thus, the Northern Marshlands incident came to a close.

The tribe's development resumed its normal trajectory.

Another day dawned.

On the second morning after returning to the tribe, Li Meng got busy again.

Early that morning, he crawled out from a pile of female Lizardmen.

Bai Ling was no longer there, but the task of reproduction continued.

The Throne Cave Dwelling housed thirteen beds.

Thus, Bai Ling had selected thirteen female Lizardmen from the new batch of tributes.

They were all daughters of elders.

With a creak, the door to the dwelling opened.

Stretching lazily, Li Meng stepped outside.

"Find Gobu Gao and bring him to me!"

The Goblin guarding the door scurried into the forest.

Not long after, noises emerged from the wooden house.

The female Lizardmen inside began to stir, silently picking up their scattered beast-skin skirts to dress.

They felt weak and sore from the previous night's ordeal, with some lying motionless, tails swaying.

"Boss, Boss!"

Gobu Gao's loud calls rang out as he dashed from the forest.

"Gobu Gao, do you remember the place where we harvested wood to build the stronghold?"

Gobu Gao nodded eagerly.

"Of course, Boss! Should we cut more trees there?"

"Yes. Take your offspring and descendants to build a new stronghold there."

The stronghold would be built by the water, featuring a dock.

The Yue Clan Tribe would deliver the tribute food via waterway to the stronghold.

The Goblins stationed there would then transport the food to the tribe.

"The stronghold must be built by the water, with a dock for small boats…"

Li Meng explained the concept of a dock and gave instructions on the scale and design of the stronghold.