Punishment

In front of Avril, Lin Lei was a gentle and handsome brother, but in front of his subordinates, he was a cold, iron-blooded monarch.

The next day, at the Crouching Dragon Ravine barracks, Lin Lei sat in the center of the viewing stand, watching Lin Yu and the several soldiers kneeling behind him.

"My Lord Baron, the time has come."

A guard at his side whispered a reminder.

"Good, then pass the order to Lin Yu and let him begin. I want to see how he executes these fellows."

Lin Lei narrowed his eyes as he spoke. Looking down from above, even though the kneeling soldiers had their heads bowed, he could still recognize familiar traces.

Indeed, most of them were veterans who had followed him out of the Flower Territory.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The drummer at the side struck the Black-Veined War Drum with force. All the surrounding soldiers stood in formation, watching Lin Yu. Allen was also standing by the side of the ring, watching the scene with cold eyes.

"Tias, Kui Xingfeng... after investigation, these individuals have repeatedly oppressed the common people, extorted money, and treated military discipline as nothing. Those with lighter offenses shall receive fifty lashes, while the rest are to be beheaded in public to uphold the prestige of the army. I now declare that this sentence is to be carried out immediately."

As Lin Yu announced the punishment for these soldiers, those who had originally thought this was just a formality and that they wouldn't face severe consequences were thrown into a panic.

Some collapsed and wailed, some stared blankly, some accepted their fate calmly, and others begged Lin Lei for mercy. The various facets of human nature were all on display at once.

Watching their behavior, although Allen was angry at their lack of integrity, his eyes still turned red, and Luo Ji even pleaded for them beside Lin Lei.

After all, they were brothers who had come out together; both Luo Ji and Allen shared a deep bond with them.

Lin Lei's own clothes were dampened by sweat, and he kept his eyes tightly shut, refusing to look at the cruel scene. Even though he had seen too much bloodshed, he still could not get used to such sights.

"Haa."

Accompanied by the sound of heavy blades striking cervical vertebrae, the pleas for mercy came to an abrupt end. Lin Lei let out a breath; he did not want to see what followed, so he returned to the council hall accompanied by Allen and Luo Ji.

"The will to fight for a cause is stronger than a body of steel. These brave warriors did not die in battle but fell to crime. This is a tragedy and a warning to us all. From now on, I do not wish to see such things happen again. You two must strengthen the ideological education of the soldiers."

"Yes, My Lord Baron."

Allen and Luo Ji answered in unison.

"Now, with the development of Crouching Dragon Ravine, the army can no longer be as mixed as it was in the beginning. I have decided to reorganize and redistribute the duties of these soldiers."

Lin Lei said, his head bowed in thought.

"First, the soldiers will be divided into three legions: one Bronze Legion and two Silver Legions. Soldiers at the bronze level will be assigned to the Bronze Legion, and when their strength reaches the silver level, they will be promoted to the Silver Legion. The silver-level soldiers will be evenly distributed between the two Silver Legions. I intend for Lin Yu to serve as the commander of the Bronze Legion, while you two will serve as commanders of the Silver Legions."

"Each legion will be equipped with four types of units: infantry, cavalry, engineers, and archers. The Silver Legions will also be equipped with the newly purchased Dwarf Musket to enhance their combat power. Once our training of mages in the territory matures, we will add embedded mages to improve our adaptability. The Bronze Legion will mostly serve as the garrison for Crouching Dragon Ravine, responsible for patrolling the territory, hunting down thieves and murderers, and handling civil disputes. The Silver Legions will focus primarily on training, and secondarily on large-scale combat missions, such as repelling large-scale monster invasions or engaging in wars with other territories. Of course, besides these three main legions, Green Goblin Town will have its own armed forces, and Blackwater Wharf—the new town Furell is building—will also have its own local City Defense Department."

Lin Lei laid out his entire plan in one breath.

"Thank you, My Lord, for your trust and promotion. We will certainly not let you down."

Allen and Luo Ji, the two prospective legion commanders, were overjoyed and immediately struck their chests to pledge their loyalty.

"Alright, go down and get started. Remember to notify Lin Yu."

"Yes, we take our leave."

Allen and his companion exchanged a glance and left the council hall, rushing to the barracks to begin competing for the best talent.

As partners, they were very familiar with each other and knew that whoever was fast would get the best, and whoever was slow would lose out. If they were too slow, the good soldiers would be snatched up by the other, and their own legion would surely be lackluster in the future.

Blackwater Wharf was now a scene of bustling activity. Trees of all sizes, dirt mounds, and rocks had been cleared away, and hundreds of tents made of thick cowhide—sturdy and with decent defensive properties—were scattered across the open ground.

Soldiers of all kinds were working all around, including both Goblins and humans. Migrating residents were also being transported here one after another to prevent the area from becoming overcrowded too quickly.

"Lin Shuang, what do you think of this location? I feel it would be excellent for building a wharf."

Furell pointed to a bay not far away and spoke to his partner.

Lin Shuang had originally been a squad leader. Ever since Furell led the tribe to surrender, he had been promoted by Lin Lei to be Furell's adjutant. He usually explained human customs and taboos to him, and Furell was very friendly toward him.

Over time, the two became good friends across racial lines, and they would always listen carefully to each other's opinions.

The place Furell pointed to was a U-shaped coastline. Using the sound of stones dropped into the water to measure, the depth was quite high; it was more than enough to dock large ships. There were no jagged rocks protruding on either side, nor were there any other difficulties for construction.

"It is indeed suitable. I compared it to the bay location the Lord gave me, and it is very similar to the place you pointed out. I assume this is the spot the Lord mentioned, so let us settle on this."

After discussing the general direction of the wharf, Lin Shuang began to analyze the smaller details with Furell, not taking the task entrusted by the Lord lightly in the slightest.

"Chief, the tribesmen and the humans have started fighting."

Suddenly, a Goblin Boar Rider ran in, looking flustered as he spoke.

"What? Take me there at once."

Furell immediately stopped his work and looked at the messenger with a serious expression. Lin Shuang also looked up at the newcomer; he was equally concerned about such sensitive issues between the races.

Led by the Boar Rider, Furell brought Lin Shuang and his group to the scene of the brawl.

"Everyone, stop right there! You lot, get in there and pull them apart!"

Furell roared, his tone brimming with fury, much like an enraged lion.

Following his orders, the onlookers quickly pulled the twenty or thirty people in the center apart.

Looking at the crowd, each one bruised and swollen, bleeding, and groaning in pain, both Furell and Lin Shuang wore grim expressions.

"Give everyone thirty lashes each. No dinner tonight. The honor guard, carry out the sentence."

"I see you lot have nothing better to do with all that excess energy, so you can just stay in bed and go nowhere."

Furell did not ask for the sequence of events, nor did he need to. As a Goblin, if he punished the humans, the human officers and soldiers would surely be dissatisfied and act in defiance, making it difficult for him to carry out the work assigned by the lord later.

If he punished the Goblins, his reputation among his own kin would plummet, and he might even be branded a "Goblin traitor." Caught between a rock and a hard place, he knew that a balanced punishment was the best approach.

Furell, Lin Shuang, and the others had arrived in a hurry, and they left just as hastily.

"Lin Shuang, you say this is just the beginning, yet the conflict between the Goblins and the humans is already surfacing. If a major problem arises in the future, I don't know how I will answer to the Baron."

Furell lacked his usual decisive air in handling matters, his low voice betraying a lack of self-confidence.

"Brother, do not worry. All beginnings are hard. It is inevitable that many conflicts will erupt between Goblins and humans at first. This is well within the Lord's expectations. The Lord has long since ordered us to conduct more ideological work among the soldiers. Surely, there will be no barriers in the future, and we won't see so many problems as we do now."

Lin Shuang smiled and patted Furell, who was half a head taller than him, offering comfort. His bright words were filled with confidence in Lin Lei.

"I hope so. Let's not dwell on these matters; let us continue discussing the city defense layout..."

Furell said, forcing himself to perk up.

At this moment, while the humans were busy with construction on the coast, pairs of blood-red eyes on the nearby sea surface were watching the human camp, the light in their eyes filled with bloodthirsty and ferocious intent.

In Green Goblin Town, at the town square, a large group of Goblins was gathered around a central bonfire. Great Elder Vix stood before the other Goblins with a group of elders.

"Great God of Invention, God of Fur, the time has come for our Goblin race's annual promotion ceremony. I now declare the ceremony officially begun. All Goblins who are about to break through to the Bronze rank and those about to break through to the Silver rank, step forward and stand before the flames."

As soon as she finished speaking, forty or fifty Goblins stepped out from the crowd; most were rankless, while a few were Bronze Rank 5 warriors.

"There are a third more people this year than in previous years."

A Goblin watching from the crowd remarked.

"Indeed, thirteen more than last year. It seems our tribe's strength has greatly increased again."

A Goblin behind him chimed in.

"It seems that being under the humans isn't such a big deal after all; the tribe's strength has actually grown because of it."

"Hey, what do you mean by that? Have you forgotten you are a Goblin, thinking of yourself as a human?"

An elderly Goblin suddenly spoke up, scolding the young Goblin who had spoken earlier.

"You old geezer, do you know how to talk? What do you mean I forgot I am a Goblin..."

"Maintain silence during the ritual."

Hearing the commotion in the crowd, the Great Elder stomped her staff and spoke.

Following an ancient incantation, the thousand-plus bones placed in the fire gradually melted, and green flames erupted from the bodies of every Goblin undergoing the ritual.

The intensity of the flames in the bonfire began to shift.

Vix and the elders manipulated the casting of the spell, and fine beads of sweat began to appear on their foreheads.

"Puff!"

As the first Goblin successfully raised his aura to the Bronze rank, the remaining Goblins began to break through one after another, like a domino effect.