Bastard, Let Go of Me!

"One, two, one! One, two, one! Hiss..."

Under such commands, Kazvito led the Lizardfolk Warriors in laps around the mountain where the bunker was located.

A Hobgoblin Knight, having just finished a round of combat training, watched them from afar. They chatted quietly in Goblin language, their expressions relaxed, even bursting into laughter at times, clearly mocking the training of these "juniors."

The things these Lizardfolk were training now were indeed things the Hobgoblin Knights had practiced before: stances, marching in formation, jogging in formation – the basics of military training. They still practiced these, though for a slightly shorter duration, dedicating more time to combat training.

Yes, this was what Landen had taught Kazvito. Unlike Hogg, Landen wasn't giving him everything at once but planned to do so in batches. After all, Kazvito's pitiful loyalty couldn't compare to Hogg's full loyalty. Moreover, despite both being intelligent races, Kazvito's learning ability was worlds apart from Hogg's. If he were given everything at once, he wouldn't understand it himself, let alone train other Lizardfolk Warriors.

Furthermore, Landen had another reason for doing this. During the few military trainings he had attended in the past, he had once asked the instructor a question: "Are these things like standing at attention and marching in step really useful?"

The instructor had told him very seriously that these things were very useful, even important. This training wasn't about physical qualities like strength or stamina, but about the mind.

It was about perseverance; it was about resilience; it was about absolute obedience!

At the time, the instructor told Landen that physical fitness was secondary to becoming a soldier, or a good soldier, because it could be improved through exercise. Mental fortitude was the primary factor determining these qualities.

If a person couldn't even endure these basic training drills, they didn't even have the qualifications to become a soldier. Only someone who could not only endure such training but also internalize it into instinct had the qualifications to become a good soldier.

Therefore, when training the Hobgoblin Knights, Landen had implemented this system. Perhaps some specifics were different, but the essence and the intended outcome were the same. Landen had also decided that anyone who wanted to become a soldier under him had to undergo this training. Even veteran soldiers, if they couldn't pass these drills, would be unhesitatingly eliminated.

The Hobgoblin Knights didn't gloat for long before disaster struck them. Unfortunately, they ran into Hogg, who was returning from Magra Cave. As a strict leader, Hogg was immediately displeased to see the Hobgoblins not training but idly watching others train and laughing.

After dealing with each of the Hobgoblins, she assigned them even more training. Watching them grudgingly go to train, Hogg turned back to the bunker with satisfaction.

"My Lord, I'm back!" Hogg excitedly pushed open the door and entered the Lord's office.

Among everyone, only Hogg and Avina had the privilege of entering without knocking. Seeing Hogg enter, Landen stopped looking at the Lord System, tossed aside the book he was pretending to read, and smiled, "It's good you're back. I've been waiting for your good news."

Hogg casually dropped the bag, almost as tall as she was, onto the ground. She ran to Landen, performed a standard bow, and said sternly, "Hogg has not failed her mission. All those Bear Hobgoblins have been reformed. Furthermore, I have taught them the Planting Technique, and they can now try working in the fields."

There was no need to report this from so close. Landen immediately understood Hogg's meaning. He raised his hand, patted her head, and praised, "I knew it. Anything I entrust to you will be done without error and done exceptionally well."

"Hehe," Hogg chuckled foolishly. Suddenly, she jumped up and pointed at the bag by the door, exclaiming, "Right, my Lord, I brought someone back!"

Landen had already noticed the conspicuous bag long before Hogg mentioned it. When Hogg dropped it, the bag clearly moved and made a faint sound. Landen knew then that it contained a person.

Hogg skipped over and nimbly untied the rope at the mouth of the bag, revealing the person inside. She said, "This guy was snooping around near Magra Cave. I found him and brought him back."

He... or rather, she, must have been knocked unconscious by Hogg and stuffed into the bag. The fall had woken her up, but she was clearly still disoriented. After a couple of groans, she raised her head.

Hogg had also been quite rough with her, not only chaining her hands and feet but also gagging her mouth with cloth. The large wad of cloth stuffed into her mouth distorted her face, almost tearing her mouth open.

Although her face was obscured, it didn't prevent Landen from discerning her identity.

This was clearly a female Dark Elf with an incredibly hot figure. Her form-fitting leather outfit offered little defense, looking more like an external fashion item, with cutouts everywhere, revealing what should and shouldn't be revealed, only barely covering the crucial parts. She wore a beautiful belt around her waist, adorned with many clasps and hanging various small items—potion bottles, scrolls, small throwing knives, and some items Landen didn't recognize. On her hip hung a leather whip, made from some unknown hide. The whip had peculiar natural patterns, and its tip was connected to a metal spider, complete with legs and compound eyes surrounding its body, lifelike. The unique metallic sheen indicated that it was mixed with many rare and precious metals.

A priestess of the Spider Queen Ros, and a relatively rare combat priestess at that! Even if her strength wasn't high immediately after taking up the profession, she could hold an important position in her family and was likely a significant heir to the Matriarch in the future.

Landen recognized her profession at a glance.

"I didn't expect my humble territory to attract such an important figure," Landen smiled slightly. He walked over and unceremoniously took everything from her belt, especially the Spider Head Whip. After taking it off, Landen immediately threw it into the farthest corner and said to Hogg, "Remember, from now on, when you capture someone like this, just restraining them isn't enough. You must disarm them of all dangers."

As he spoke, Landen reached out and removed the large wad of cloth from her mouth. He asked with a smile, "Alright, tell me honestly, Miss, why did you come to my territory? And which family do you belong to?"

After all this commotion, the female Dark Elf had fully woken up. Before Landen's words even fell, she shouted, "Philip Isis Landon, you scoundrel, what are you doing? Release me at once!"