Lin Lei's Powerful Military Might

Three days later, on a barren hill ten kilometers south of Crouching Dragon Ravine, Lin Lei was reviewing his troops.

The season had shifted from summer to autumn, yet the sun remained scorching, baking the army assembled at Lin Lei's feet without mercy.

The Goblins and humans stood in separate groups. Except for the few soldiers who had visited Green Goblin Town, most were unaware that there was an affiliated force at Crouching Dragon Ravine, and they viewed the Goblin troops with a mix of curiosity and disgust.

The sickly green skin of the Goblins always made humans feel uncomfortable and fearful, a sensation amplified to the extreme by their fanged mouths and oversized pupils.

Fortunately, the first lesson every soldier learned was to control their emotions and obey orders, so they did not cause a disturbance despite the Goblins nearby.

In fact, only the first few rows of human soldiers could see the Goblins; most were blocked by their comrades, forced to stare straight ahead at the back of the person in front of them.

The human soldiers maintained excellent discipline. In contrast, the behavior of the Goblins was a complete mess. Not to mention the giant boars ridden by the Goblin Cavalry, which snorted incessantly as they paced back and forth, some even defecating on the spot.

The other Goblin Spearman and Goblin Infantry were equally restless, as if they were infested with fleas, unable to stay still for a moment.

The performance of the human race pleased Lin Lei: the neat and orderly infantry phalanxes, the tall and mighty cavalry units, and the archer squads clutching their longbows.

But when he looked at the Goblin troops, Lin Lei began to regret holding the review.

In his previous life, Lin Lei had been an ordinary person with no authority to inspect troops. Now that he finally had a respectable army, he had wanted to indulge in the thrill of being a commander and taste the feeling of power.

The way the Goblins were lined up made Lin Lei, who suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder, extremely uncomfortable.

Furell, the Bugbear standing beside Lin Lei, noticed his master's discomfort, but as a member of the Goblin race, he had no idea it was because of his own kind.

The Lord was in a bad mood, and Furell dared not ask, nor did he dare speak.

"Allen, let the troops begin the hunt."

Lin Lei did not blame Furell for his lack of control over his subordinates; he simply announced the start of the operation.

He knew there were many differences between Goblins and humans. If he wanted to truly earn the devotion of the Goblins, he had to learn to respect them and understand their customs, rather than demanding they meet human standards.

"Waaagh..."

The human soldiers and Goblin soldiers surged into the deep, dark forest like two torrents of black and green. The air was filled with the Common Tongue and the Goblin language as corporals, sergeants, and centurions shouted orders, directing the formations for attack and defense.

Once the sweep began, Lin Lei left the hill. Riding Red Hare and clad in his Ice Blue Armor, he arrived at the front lines of the offensive.

Unlike his usual solo charges, he was now surrounded by guards at the insistence of his subordinates, even though his own strength meant they could provide no real protection.

Red Fire did not follow Lin Lei. As Lin Lei's strength continued to rise, Red Fire had slowly fallen behind; its Silver-tier strength was becoming less and less useful compared to Lin Lei's Gold-tier power.

Furthermore, because Lin Lei had emptied his coffers to conduct this sweep, Crouching Dragon Ravine had no defensive forces left, so he had left Red Fire at the Lord's Mansion to protect Aierlan.

Lin Lei's strength would surely increase further in the future, and while Red Fire would also improve, it would be too slow and too low. In Lin Lei's mind, it would eventually be left behind as a companion and guardian for his family.

"Puchi!"

Lin Lei, one with his horse, effortlessly sliced his blade across the neck of a Thunder Flame Tiger. Enhanced by the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, the hide of the Silver-tier magical beast was like tofu under a kitchen knife—smoother than Dove chocolate.

The Thunder Flame Tiger collapsed in resignation. This was the twenty-second magical beast Lin Lei had slaughtered, and the only one so far to last ten moves against him.

After Lin Lei moved on, soldiers quickly followed to hoist the scattered carcasses of the Thunder Flame Tigers onto the wagons trailing the army.

They were the logistics guard, mostly composed of new recruits with low strength who had recently enlisted. Placing them in the logistics guard not only reduced unnecessary casualties but also eased the pressure on the combat soldiers.

Lin Lei's individual performance for the morning was remarkable, with thirty or forty magical beasts becoming ghosts under his blade.

Of course, this number was nothing compared to the entire army. In one morning, the human soldiers had killed at least eight hundred magical beasts, and the Goblins had killed nearly five hundred.

The beasts Lin Lei had slain didn't even amount to one-twentieth of the army's total tally.

Lin Lei was quite satisfied when he heard the report. An individual's power is always limited; even a very strong person, unless they reach the level of being able to turn the world upside down single-handedly, will eventually find their strength insufficient.

This was why Lin Lei did not focus solely on his own cultivation, but instead chose to develop his own forces.

If he wanted to, he could kill endlessly, constantly gaining card-draw opportunities, obtaining new hero cards, and growing stronger. But even if he reached the level of the three giants of the Burning Legion, so what? He still wouldn't be able to deal with the overwhelming numbers of Infernal and Felguard soldiers.

Lin Lei was very satisfied with the current development of his territory, even if his own growth was hindered by it.

"Hoo."

Red Hare exhaled a breath of cold air, lowering the surrounding temperature, but it still could not quell the heat rising within Lin Lei.

Eight hours had passed since the sweep began in the morning. The soldiers' pace had slowed, and even Lin Lei, with his Gold-tier strength, felt waves of exhaustion. Even a man of iron would struggle with such prolonged hacking and slashing, let alone a man of flesh and blood.

Lin Lei knew it was time to end it and let the weary soldiers rest. If they continued like this, not only would the efficiency of the sweep plummet, but tomorrow's operations might also be affected.

Moreover, Lin Lei had seen with his own eyes that more and more soldiers were being injured, losing their usual reaction time to danger.

Thinking of this, Lin Lei did not hesitate and spoke to the guards beside him.

"Tell everyone to stop the sweep and prepare dinner. You can forage on the spot and roast some magical beast meat for food. Today's sweep ends here."

"Also, tell them not to lower their guard. Post more sentries tonight and strengthen the perimeter. We are in the forest, and danger is everywhere."

"Yes."

The guards rode off in a hurry to notify each squad. Looking down from above the forest, the two great dragons that had been slowly advancing came to a halt. Soon, campfires of all sizes appeared, and the sound of meat sizzling and dripping fat filled the air.

"Not bad."

Lin Lei, having washed the blood and grime from his body by the river, sat by a campfire and critiqued the beast meat in his hand, which was roasted crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

As a noble and the supreme commander of the army, he still had some privileges, such as the salt and chili powder carried by his guards.

With the addition of various seasonings, the Magic Rabbit meat, already firm and tender with a fresh texture, tasted even better than before.

Although the Magic Rabbit meat was delicious, Lin Lei did not overindulge. After eating a piece or two, he began to walk among the soldiers to inspect the state of his troops.

Lin Lei first arrived at the campfire of the human squad. Most of the soldiers were nursing wounds, yet they roasted the beast meat with joy. In this world, being injured was nothing worth boasting about; it was simply a part of daily life.

Upon seeing Lin Lei arrive, every soldier appeared visibly moved. For a lord, a noble of such high standing, to be so close to his soldiers made the men, tormented by pain, feel a sense of happiness and the warmth of being cared for.

Lin Lei had always believed in the inherent goodness of human nature; he treated his soldiers well, and he did not believe they would fail to remember his kindness.

When Lin Lei arrived at the Goblin troops, the Goblins reacted to his presence with indifference, though they were particularly excited by the sight of Furell, who was by his side.

This made Lin Lei even more determined to establish schools for these Goblins and guide them toward rational thinking.

When Lin Lei reached the Council of Elders, the Goblin mages reacted in all sorts of strange ways, though on the whole, they were more inclined toward Lin Lei.

The Goblin mages were intelligent individuals who understood how to weigh pros and cons. They knew the importance of Lin Lei, a human baron, and with merchants from Crouching Dragon Ravine beginning to enter Green Goblin Town to trade goods, they had tasted the benefits of human society and naturally no longer held much resistance.

"Elder Vix, how are you feeling? I heard that this afternoon you and the other mages took down a den of silver-ranked Earth Demon Bear. You weren't injured, were you?"

Vix lowered her head and bowed, expressing her gratitude.

"Thank you for your concern, Lord. Although this old one is aged, my body is still sturdy. These bear cubs are no match for me."

"That is good. And what about the casualties among your Green Goblin Town soldiers today?"

Lin Lei shifted the topic and asked.

"With the weapons and armor provided by you, Lord, the casualties of our warriors have been greatly reduced compared to before. Today, we only lost three Goblin Spearthrowers who couldn't dodge in time; the rest only suffered minor flesh wounds, nothing serious."

"Mm, that is good. I won't disturb the Elders' meal any longer, I shall take my leave."

Lin Lei did not stay with the Elders for long and continued to inspect the Goblin squads one by one. By the time he had finished checking on the force of over a thousand men, the moon had already risen to the center of the sky.

Returning to the tent his guards had set up for him, Lin Lei opened his system to take a look. His rank experience had reached eighty-four percent. If there were no accidents, after tomorrow's sweep, he would be able to earn a chance to draw a prize.