Obey or Perish

Landen had seen the might of the Hobgoblin Knights more than once. After all, both hobgoblins and Rock Lizards were extremely common creatures, and the training methods for Hobgoblin Knights had long since spread throughout that world. As a result, Hobgoblin Knights had become one of the essential troop types for many lords.

However, in this world, this was truly the first time Landen had seen Hobgoblin Knights in action. Because of the terrain in particular, the hobgoblins had performed almost perfectly. The shock was far greater than anything he had witnessed before!

Back at the opening of that narrow path, Landen had taken everything in. He let out a long breath and muttered to himself, "They really are the troops I created. They're incredible!"

Avina, who had climbed up after Landen, rolled her eyes slightly behind him. In her mind, she added a new label beside the one calling Landen "lecherous"—"smug."

At the same time, however, the young woman was sighing inwardly. They really are amazing. Whether it's those Hobgoblin Knights or... the lord!

The first battle had lasted less than a minute, from the moment the Mind Flayer sought out its target until every Lizardfolk had been captured. Most of that time had been spent on the Mind Flayer catching the bait and then luring the Lizardfolk into chasing it. This battle could therefore be called a lightning-fast victory.

The first step of what Landen had named "The Great Operation to Rescue the Lizardfolk People" had been accomplished perfectly.

Though it was only the first step, it had also been the decisive one. Of Landen's entire plan, this was the only step containing any unstable factors. The Lizardfolk might not have been attracted by the Mind Flayer, for example, or the Hobgoblin Knights might not have been strong enough to deal with the first wave of Lizardfolk.

Of course, now it seemed that none of these were problems anymore. And naturally, neither were the steps that followed.

"Are they all tied up?" Landen left the narrow path and arrived at the battlefield, which had already been cleared.

All the Lizardfolk had been tied up. To Landen's delight, not a single one had died. Only one had suffered serious injuries, caused by a Low-tier Black Iron Hobgoblin Knight. Ever since changing classes, the knight's strength had improved by leaps and bounds and was now approaching Mid-tier Black Iron. This had caused a slight deviation in his control over his power, so the hammer blow had landed with excessive force.

However, the injury was limited to flesh, skin, and bone. His internal organs had not been harmed, and it was not difficult to treat. Landen therefore did not blame him.

Seeing all the Lizardfolk lined up and tied together, Landen waved his hand grandly. "Back to camp! Time to eat and rest!"

Although he was eager to return and inspect the Experimental Field, some things could not be rushed. After capturing the Lizardfolk, Landen led everyone back to camp instead of pressing his advantage. He only sent a few Dark Elves out to continue scouting.

"My lord, the Lizardfolk have organized a second search, but they still haven't found anything," Ibaka reported.

"Hmm, got it. Have the Lari Brothers continue scouting. You, Mikhail, and Dedmond go get some rest first." Landen nodded.

The moment they rested, more than half a day passed. This time, Big Lari was the one who returned to report.

"My lord, the Lizardfolk have organized a fourth search. They've thoroughly searched the area within several kilometers of the camp. Their chieftain came out this time as well!"

The Lizardfolk chieftain was a Lizardfolk Warrior far larger than ordinary Lizardfolk, with the strength of Black Iron Peak. He was easy to recognize, and Landen had specifically ordered everyone to keep an eye out for him.

"Oh? He finally came out. Looks like he's really anxious. But that makes sense. Nearly a third of his people have been missing for two days, and they've searched everywhere nearby without even finding a corpse. It would be strange if he weren't anxious."

Landen tossed aside the fish head he had gnawed clean, clapped his hands, and stood up. "All right. It's time to meet this chieftain. Let's go!"

With nearly a third of their kinsmen missing, the nerves of every Lizardfolk in the camp had been stretched to the limit. Thus, when Landen and his party arrived outside the camp, they immediately caused a huge reaction.

A horn sounded. Almost every Lizardfolk in the camp dropped what they were doing, grabbed weapons or anything that could serve as one, and rushed out. Pair after pair of murderous eyes fixed on Landen and the others.

The Hobgoblin Knights and the Mind Flayer were nowhere to be seen, and even the Dark Elves were missing the Lari Brothers. Only Hogg, Avina, and three Dark Elves were accompanying Landen.

Yet Landen showed no fear as he looked across the distance at the Lizardfolk facing him.

"Hiss! Who are you?" A Lizardfolk took two steps forward and glared fiercely at Landen, asking in the Underworld Common Tongue, heavily colored by a Lizardfolk accent.

"You don't recognize me? We should have met not long ago," Landen said. "My name is Landen. I'm the lord of this place."

"Hiss! Landen... hiss, hiss. The lord? I remember now. I have indeed seen you before, you useless... lord." The Lizardfolk let out a mocking laugh.

"Useless? If I were useless, how could I have captured several of your kinsmen in one stroke?" Landen sneered.

His words drew dozens of blade-sharp gazes. The Lizardfolk glared at him with an even colder expression and asked, "Hiss, you... you said what? You... you're the one who cap... cap..."

"That's enough. Stop showing off your pathetic Underworld Common Tongue. Go call your chieftain out. Only he has the authority to decide this matter!" Landen impatiently waved his hand.

"Hiss, enemy... damn you!" The Lizardfolk clearly refused to be intimidated. He leaned forward slightly and tilted the stone spear in his hand, assuming a fighting stance.

"What? You want to kill me? Are you sure?" Landen looked at him as though he were an idiot, then waved his hand again.

The first wave of his hand had expressed his attitude. The second wave, however, issued an order.

At once, several Hobgoblin Knights herded several Lizardfolk into the nearby stone forest. The Mind Flayer had also already leaped onto a stone pillar and clamped onto a Lizardfolk's head, its tentacles writhing incessantly as if they would pierce in at any moment.

"Hiss! Enough!" A deeper voice rang out from within the camp. Immediately afterward, a tall, powerfully built figure walked out. His stature, far surpassing that of ordinary Lizardfolk, and the metal ring worn around his head both identified him as the Lizardfolk chieftain—Kazvito.

"State your purpose, Dark Elf!" His Underworld Common Tongue was far better than that of the previous Lizardfolk. He looked coldly at Landen as he spoke.

"My purpose is simple. Submit to me and become my people. Otherwise, perish." Landen spread his hands, then pointed at the Hobgoblin Knights. "If you don't believe me, you can try."