Chương 56: Blessing of the Earth Goddess

Upon hearing that the Ogre cub had been found, Li Qinwu was overjoyed. Was the quest from the Earth Goddess not finally complete? He immediately had Dog-Witch lead the way. They arrived at a cave where the entrance had been sealed with boulders, leaving only a small air vent at the very top. Dog-Witch pointed at the cave and said:"While tracking Dragon-Fang earlier, I caught a very strong scent. It smelled just like the Ogres in our tribe, so I suspected Dragon-Fang had hidden the cub here!"

As Li Qinwu approached the entrance, he indeed smelled a heavy stench similar to that of an adult Ogre. He felt somewhat relieved; since the entrance was blocked by rocks, Dragon-Fang hadn't even been able to kill the cub before fleeing. With a wave of his hand, the Goblins swarmed forward to move the stones. When the entrance was cleared, an Ogre cub about 2. 5 meters tall lying on the ground came into view. Li Qinwu was stunned by the sight. The child was so starved he was nothing but a skeleton.

His massive head formed a stark contrast with his frail body, looking like a giant lollipop.

"Drag him out!" Li Qinwu had his men pull him out of the cave. The cub was so weak he could barely stand; another few hours and he likely would have starved to death. Li Qinwu quickly retrieved monster meat from his storage and stuffed it into the cub's mouth. Smelling the blood and meat, the cub began to chew voraciously. After finishing a piece, the glazed look in his eyes regained some spirit, and he looked at Li Qinwu with longing, sensing a familiar scent on this "little green guy."

Li Qinwu brought out more meat and kept feeding him. The cub consumed an amount of food that would have filled nearly a hundred Goblins, and his skeletal frame filled out visibly to the naked eye. Having replenished his energy, the Ogre cub sat on the ground, looking at Li Qinwu with curiosity. Li Qinwu reached out and rubbed the cub's large bald head; the cub didn't resist, instead letting out a silly laugh. Li Qinwu summoned Hana:"Tell him his parents and grandparents are with me.

Tell him to follow me, and I'll take him back to his family." Hearing the translation, the Ogre cub danced with excitement and stood up on his own, obediently following behind Li Qinwu. Seeing the kid occasionally gnawing on his fingers or scratching his backside without a hint of trauma from his imprisonment, Li Qinwu thought: This kid is remarkably thick-skinned. With all matters concluded, Li Qinwu led the army back. A few days later, they returned to the Goblin tribe.

Li Qinwu returned as a king, bringing back a large number of beast-skin tents and female Kobold prisoners, throwing the stay-at-home Goblins into an ocean of joy. Many Goblins felt that while wood-rats were good, the furry Kobolds seemed quite nice too—they'd have to find a chance to "borrow" one. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Li Qinwu ordered two days of rest, after which they would bury the fallen and reward military merits.

After the ranks dispersed, he took the Ogre cub to the riverside forge. When Dang-Dang saw the child, he let out a thunderous roar and ran over to embrace the cub, wailing in relief. The scattered Ogre family was finally whole. Suddenly, a system notification chimed in Li Qinwu's ear: [Ding! You have completed the Earth Goddess's quest: Rescuing the Ogre Family! Experience +1000, All Attributes +5, Earth Element Affinity, Natural Ogre Favor, Ogre Language Proficiency.] Li Qinwu's body suddenly erupted with a series of crisp, cracking sounds. His height shot up significantly, and his muscles swelled a full tier. His physique reached the level of 3 Nuo, and his surging power filled his entire body—his total strength was likely 7 Nuo or even 6 Nuo! He clenched his fists, feeling a grip strength that could likely crush a man's hand. He compared his height with Hana, who was 1. 7 meters tall; he was now more than a head taller than her.

His height had likely reached two meters, similar to Dragon-Fang. Furthermore, he felt a strange affinity when standing on the ground, with endless power surging from the earth into his body. This was the Earth Goddess's blessing; he could likely run a hundred kilometers straight without getting tired! His mind became even clearer, and his proficiency in the Ogre language allowed him to understand Dang-Dang's family's nonsensical roars and gestures without Hana's magical translation.

His five attributes now stood at: Vigor 22, Control 5, Endurance 5, Cunning 5, Social 5, Intelligence 10. Iron-Orc cautiously approached for instructions:"Lord, the battle is over. Shall we continue producing spearheads?" Li Qinwu suppressed his smile:"Next, we will have a long period for development. Put spear production aside for now. Prioritize agricultural tools: hoes, axes, sickles, and saws. Pull up the production capacity for these." He pointed at the huddling Ogres.

"Forge pickaxes suited for their size, the kind that can perform deep-soil excavation." He felt that Ogres were the advanced productive force he needed. With the right tools and deep plowing, crop yields would double, and he could enter "mass-production mode" for his army! He ordered Iron-Orc to build more furnaces, waterwheels, and bellows, and to train more talent. After Iron-Orc left, One-Ear approached, his eyes shifting and his expression panicked.

Li Qinwu asked:"My Executive Vice-Chief, what do you have to report?" One-Ear's body trembled slightly, and he fell to his knees with a thud.

"Boss, while you were away at war, some humans escaped... I... I sent men to chase them, but they didn't bring them back..."