Chương 49: Li Qinwu's Fear

Three days later, the Kobold envoy returned, bringing a two-meter-tall Ogre cub. When Dang-Dang and his family saw the cub, they roared with joy, embracing the child while weeping loudly. Hana translated: "They say 'Mimi' is finally back, and they will never be parted again." Li Qinwu turned to the envoy.

"Where is the other one? Release him, and then we talk about true peace." The envoy gave a forced smile.

"Chief, Lord Dragon-Fang desires peace, but he also needs 'insurance.' The other cub will be well cared for. Perhaps when our peace is proven lasting, he will be returned." Li Qinwu snorted. He understood: a hostage. If the Goblins used adult Ogres in battle, the cub would die. But Li Qinwu didn't care; he believed his phalanx was already enough to crush the Stone Age Kobolds. He dismissed the envoy and headed to the riverside forge. 500 iron spears were now fully equipped.

Iron-Orc was working his apprentices to the bone. Li Qinwu issued new orders: 40 visored iron helmets for his elites and a mass of javelins. He wanted his troops to soften up the enemy with a volley of heavy projectiles before the lines even met. While the army prepared, a system notification flashed: Gobu-Bow has leveled up! [Goblin Veteran Archer (Tier 4)] Stats: Vigor 25, Control 30, Endurance 25, Cunning 25. Skills: Bow, Crossbow, and Athletics all boosted to 200.

The upgraded Gobu-Bow looked like a statue of muscle, his back and shoulders exploding with power. Li Qinwu took him to the fields and pointed at a red-leafed tree 200 meters away.

"Hit it." Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Gobu-Bow took the [Noble Bow] Li Qinwu had gifted him, drew it to his ear, and let fly. The arrow traced a perfect arc and thudded deep into the trunk.

"Excellent! From now on, you are our long-range surgical strike," Li Qinwu praised. Tomorrow was the day of the march. That evening, a grand feast was held. The Goblins gorged themselves on meat, and some even sought "pre-war release" with the Wood Rats in the pens. There was no fear in their eyes—only greed for merit and meat. After the feast, Li Qinwu returned to his hut and locked the door.

"Do it," he said to a nervous Dog-Witch.

"Boss, are you sure? [Fear] doesn't do physical damage, but the hallucinations are a living hell..."

"Don't waste time. Do it!" As the purple-black energy surged into him, Li Qinwu's pupils clouded over. He fell into a waking nightmare. In the vision, he saw an empire. A sprawling nation of monsters stretching thousands of miles. High chimneys, complex irrigation networks, and long caravans moving across the plains. Goblins, humans, Kobolds, Ogres... dozens of races living under one flag. It was a civilizational miracle he had built. Then, the vision shifted.

At the height of this civilization, the "Holy War" began. Human knights, Elven magic, Dwarven hammers, and Orcish rage poured in from all sides. They claimed to "purify evil," yet they burned villages, slaughtered civilians, and executed even their own kin who had joined the empire as heretics. Li Qinwu saw his legions fall like wheat before the "Heroes" and their divine artifacts. He saw the great highways he had built now serving as slaughterhouses for enemy war-beasts.

Finally, atop the ruins of the capital, Li Qinwu clutched a broken sword, looking down at the inferno below. A golden dragon dived from the sky, her eyes full of mockery.

"Vanish, remnant of chaos." The dragon fire washed over him. In the heat and despair, Li Qinwu snapped awake, drenched in cold sweat. He panted heavily, his gaze hardening from confusion into freezing intent. This "fear" hadn't broken him; it had shown him the truth of this world. In a land ruled by gods where "the other" is always an enemy, a moderate peace was a delusion.

"To avoid being slaughtered, one must first become the slaughterer." He stood up and issued the final command to the night outside.

"All units, assemble. Tomorrow, the Magic Forest will have only one voice."