Chapter Forty-Seven: On the Journey

Late at night, at the Forward Camp, Mr. Dexterous was reporting his surveillance findings to Sun Licheng.

“In short, their hymns and war dances are all manipulations of rules, or rather, variants of magical arrays. I believe they can be deciphered,” Mr. Dexterous explained, pointing at the light screen.

He had recorded the entire process of young Kristina singing hymns and the goblins performing their war dance after dinner, and, using his large brain for analysis, arrived at a conclusion that greatly pleased Sun Licheng.

“Excellent. This means that in the future, when we encounter other races, we can use this method to communicate. But what’s with Vor turning into a bear goblin?” Sun Licheng asked.

Mr. Dexterous pondered for a moment before replying, “When I was in the Goblin Empire, I heard that some warriors underwent mutations, becoming much stronger and larger. Perhaps this war dance can awaken that bloodline? But I’ll need to study it further.”

“Can I become a bear goblin?” Sun Licheng pressed.

“I’m not sure. We’ll only know once the war dance is fully deciphered,” Mr. Dexterous replied.

“Alright, then stay here and continue your research while finishing the construction of the Forward Camp. I’ll take Wolf King and Doggy Meat to Silver Moon Tribe, and leave the little wolf-rabbits in your care. Keep things low-profile here; I’ll come back as quickly as I can.”

Sun Licheng began assigning tasks to Mr. Dexterous, preparing to visit Silver Moon Tribe with Vor and the others. That place was closer to civilization; he hoped to obtain more information.

The next morning was bright and sunny. Sun Licheng rode Wolf King, pulling the four-wheeled wagon and set out with Vor and the others.

He had prepared many gifts for this visit: pottery, bronze ware, cassava cakes, and plenty of salt.

Seeing him so thoughtful, Isidor—whose face had been gloomy—finally brightened. No matter how much he disapproved of Sun Licheng, as long as it strengthened the tribe, he was pleased.

Because of the wagon, they couldn’t cut through the forest and had to follow the riverbank.

All along the way, the women sat in the wagon, singing mountain songs joyfully.

They were delighted, and their gazes toward Sun Licheng grew even more fervent.

He hadn’t expected that, out of habit, letting the women ride back in the wagon would be their first taste of what it meant to be a gentleman. Compared to the boorish men in the tribe, Sun Licheng’s standing in the women’s eyes rose by another twenty percent, and their fiery songs never ceased, so direct that even he, a grown man, felt his cheeks flush.

“Normally, I wouldn’t be interested in goblins. Yet now—what’s happening? Is it because of this body? I’m behaving like an immature boy,” Sun Licheng wondered privately, not noticing Kristina’s cheeks puffed in anger.

“You scoundrels! I forbid you from seducing Brother Sun Licheng. He’s mine!” Kristina nearly bit through her silver teeth in fury at the women’s boldness, while Vor could only shake his head.

“Ah… Sun Licheng is a fine young man, but he will leave eventually. Kristina, as the Saintess, how can you abandon the tribe?” Vor worried for his daughter.

Nearby, Isidor, old in body but youthful in heart, was jealous of Sun Licheng’s popularity with women, his face growing darker.

Although their group was larger, all the slowest walkers—the women—were now in the wagon, so their return was much faster than Vor’s original journey. In just one day, they covered more than half the distance.

The next morning, they were about to leave the riverbank; Silver Moon Tribe lay not far ahead.

By now, Sun Licheng understood some of Silver Moon Tribe’s predicament. Vor had brought over sixty strong warriors, hampering the tribe’s production. Not only had the alliance failed, but they’d consumed much food.

To give a good impression, Sun Licheng decided to hunt a giant black fish, hoping to win Silver Moon Tribe’s favor.

Everyone agreed wholeheartedly. A giant black fish weighed nearly a thousand pounds, enough to feed the tribe for a while.

Amid the women’s shrieks and the men’s cheers, Sun Licheng rode Wolf King toward the place where the black fish gathered.

In the river, giant black fish occasionally broke the surface, their sharp teeth gleaming in the sunlight. These fish could charge onto shore like crocodiles, bite their prey, and drag them back into the water. Dominant and ferocious, they were the river’s overlords.

Sun Licheng wandered with Wolf King for a while, chose a clearing, then approached the riverbank. He took a large lump of bait from his leather pouch and tossed it into the water. Made from animal offal and cassava flour, these meatballs were irresistible to the black fish. Soon, three black fish were thrashing in the spot where the bait had landed.

One meatball was certainly not enough for three fish. Quickly, one black fish swam toward the shore. In the water, it moved like a torpedo—so fast that Sun Licheng would never have dared approach without Wolf King.

When the black fish drew close, Sun Licheng decisively threw another bait near the shore, then turned Wolf King toward the distance.

With a splash, a black fish charged ashore with its mouth wide open. Its speed was so great that it slid along the bank like a hovercraft, then slapped its fins and chased after Sun Licheng.

On land, the black fish was no match for Wolf King’s speed. After a short chase, it gave up and began wriggling back toward the river.

This was the opportunity Sun Licheng had been waiting for. He squeezed his legs; Wolf King circled around, then charged from behind toward the black fish.

Sensing danger, the black fish tried to crawl faster, but it was too late. Sun Licheng hurled a sharp bronze javelin.

This specially designed javelin had a mechanism at the tip. Once it pierced the prey, pulling the rope attached to the tail would trigger five barbs to spring out, making escape impossible.

After much practice, Sun Licheng’s javelin skills were highly refined. With Wolf King’s charge and his own strength, the javelin struck deep into the black fish’s tail. The experienced Wolf King immediately ran backward; Sun Licheng’s rope went taut, the five barbs popped out, and the fish was hooked.

Wounded, the black fish thrashed desperately, unable to dislodge the javelin.

Victorious, Sun Licheng shouted loudly, and Wolf King began dragging the black fish away from the river. Out of water, even the mighty black fish was no match for Wolf King’s strength. Soon, it was hauled away from the riverbank, leaving a trail of blood and water.

Once at a safe distance, Sun Licheng had Wolf King drag the fish further, then dismounted and readied his heavy crossbow. By now, the black fish was exhausted, a lamb awaiting slaughter. Sun Licheng pulled the trigger, and a sharp bolt struck its head. The fish convulsed twice, then lay still.

Not far away, the watching goblins erupted in cheers at Sun Licheng’s success. Several women rushed toward him, making Kristina stomp her feet in frustration.

Faced with the approaching women, Sun Licheng turned and fled, provoking even louder laughter from Vor and the others, while Isidor’s face grew darker still.

Amid the merriment, they loaded the giant black fish onto the wagon and left the river.

“Sun Licheng, once we cross that hill, we’ll reach our tribe. I expect my mother will greet us at the gate,” Vor said, walking beside Sun Licheng. He had already sent someone ahead to notify the tribe, and they should have arrived by now.

“Mm, I can hardly wait,” Sun Licheng replied.

Humans are social creatures—even as a goblin, integrating into a group is instinctive. Now, about to enter civilization, Sun Licheng found himself a bit excited.

Crossing the hill, a large encampment appeared before Sun Licheng’s eyes.

The camp was built at the foot of a mountain, surrounded by long wooden walls, within which sat hundreds of—well—grass huts, arranged haphazardly.

“It seems Silver Moon Tribe is in a dire state,” Sun Licheng remarked, realizing things were much worse than he’d expected.

At that moment, Isidor strode proudly to Sun Licheng’s side and proclaimed loudly, “This is the oldest tribe of the Lunar Alliance, the pride of the Silver Moon Goddess—Silver Moon Tribe!”