Chapter 90 - Framed

Zuo Lang said indifferently, “Don’t forget, you are not who you once were either.Now, not only do you have over a thousand Goblins, but you also have my clan.

No matter how terrifying they are, they are still just one person, one Half-Ogre, who cannot break through your current defenses, provided that you have enough food. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs NoᴠᴇFɪre.nᴇt

As long as you have enough food, you will be able to summon even more Goblins.

By then, you will be the Goblin King, and they will have to bow before you instead.”

The vision Zuo Lang painted made Andy, who was naturally a bit hunched, straighten his back involuntarily.

That’s right, they were no longer that small tribe with just dozens of Goblins.

They were now a large tribe with over twenty Goblin Wolf Cavalry and thousands of Goblins, not much different from the Gnolls of the Blackwell Tribe.

Now, the only thing to do was to rid themselves of the shackles around their necks.

Before, Andy thought the human Leader of the Blackwell Tribe was an exceptionally benevolent lord, letting them trade worthless shiny Crystal Stones for precious food.

Now, he realized that man’s heart was darker than all the Goblins he had met combined.

Those Crystal Stones to humans could buy a cart of food with just one punch, yet he actually needed three punches to exchange for one cart.

This conversation cemented Andy’s resolve.

He patted Zuo Lang’s head, “Good, let us go and meet that human merchant, see if he really has such great ability.

If he is just boasting, let him become your clan’s meal tonight.”

Awooo!

Zuo Lang howled towards the sky.

The Goblin Wolf Cavalry that was active around the Goblin food transport split into two.

Some continued to guard the Goblin food transport, while the others gathered around Andy, about a dozen riders in total.

Zuo Lang, carrying Andy, angled off toward another direction.

Within two kilometers, they reached a trade route and in a small depression by the road, bright lights shone from over twenty parked carts.

Before they could get close, several sharp arrows shot out, halting Andy’s advance.

“I have come as promised,” Andy spoke in his awkward Common Tongue, “Let your master come out and talk.”

“Did you bring the goods?” came a voice from within the caravan.

“Of course.” Andy opened the pouch at his side, and the translucent Spirit Crystal Stones sparkled in the sunset’s reflection, shining brightly.

A merchant emerged slowly from his guarded position among four Heavily Armored Warriors, smiling, “Sorry, but we also operate on the principle of caution.

My goods are here as well.

Not only do we have twenty carts of food, but also two carts of weapons and equipment, specially crafted to fit your size, which is a token of my sincerity and is a gift for you.”

“Are you really that kind-hearted?” Andy was a bit incredulous.

The Human Merchant’s smile grew brighter, “As I said, we aim for long-term business.

This is only the first deal.

As long as you protect your tribe and mines well, our business can continue.

Whatever you want in the future, just say the word, and I guarantee I will get it for you.”

After whispering for a few moments with Zuo Lang, Andy looked up and said, “I want to inspect the goods.”

“No problem.” The Human Merchant, with his Heavily Armored Guards, made way.

“You, go and check if their carts are truly filled with food and weapons,” Andy pointed to the Goblin Wolf Rider closest to him.

“Me?!” The named Goblin Wolf Rider was reluctant, but before he could react, his mount, spurred by a low growl, had already leaped forward.

Nominally, the Goblins were Knights, but when it came to action, they often had no control, led by the mounts beneath them to make decisions.

Fortunately, the Humans just watched him warily and did not attack.

The Goblin Wolf Rider quickly reached the carts and under the cold gaze of drawn arrows, he reluctantly performed a cursory inspection.

Even under the shadow of death, the Goblin couldn’t suppress his trembling, excited shaking.

When he returned to Andy’s side, the excitement was nearly spilling from his ugly face, “Cunning Humans, they didn’t deceive us this time…

It’s all food, I’ve never seen such good food…

Blackwell gives us garbage…

And weapons…

Shiny weapons, I’ve never seen such new weapons…

And crossbows, so many crossbows…”

“Very well,” Andy said with satisfaction, nodding his head, “After we return, I will let you choose a piece from those weapons first.”

Despite his efforts to remain calm, Andy’s expression and body betrayed him; he was in a state of high excitement.

How could he not be?

If the deal went smoothly, their tribe was about to gain enough food for thirty days, plus the portion from the Blackwell Tribe and what they had secretly saved up.

The food they had for their current community in the Spirit Crystal Mine could last half a year.

By the time they had to decide whether to recruit soldiers and buy horses, to continue mining by standing their ground, they had plenty of options to choose from.

As for the Blackwell Tribe, as for that human Gnoll Leader, just let him go to hell.

Only a stupid Goblin would keep taking orders from him.

Andy was no fool; he was smarter than all other Goblins, smarter than that human too.

He was the one destined to become the Goblin King.

“Let us…”

“Look, what is that?”

Just as both sides were preparing to proceed with the trade, several dark, head-sized rocks fell from the sky.

Two landed near the Goblin Wolf Cavalry, and three near the Human Merchant Caravan’s wagons.

Both parties halted their advances and watched the stones that had suddenly descended warily, then eyed each other.

“Look, what’s that in the sky?” A Goblin who happened to glance upwards couldn’t help but shout out loud.

This made everyone around lift their heads and gaze upward.

There seemed to be an abnormal patch of mist in the sky, and at the edges of this mist, a few shadows flickered and disappeared.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Before they could give it much thought,

the five irregularly shaped rocks that had landed started to tremble incessantly.

Just as they realized something was amiss, the trembling crescendoed and the rocks suddenly exploded.

The same stones varied in the power of their explosions.

Two of them were like Ogres letting off a loud fart, lots of noise but not much force, emitting a spray of greenish liquid that didn’t travel far, sparing even the closest Goblins and Humans.

The other three, however, were a different story.

The splattered green liquid reached two to three meters near them, and four to five meters at its furthest.

This green liquid had a strong corrosive property.

It hissed and sent up green smoke when it hit the rocks.

Let alone when it hit flesh and blood.

Especially for the lightly armored Goblins and Zuo Lang, the damage was most devastating, and they howled in pain from the burns.

On the human side, they had fine Armor and the protection of their vehicles, which shielded them somewhat from the acid splash, but they were still thrown into chaos and suffered beyond measure when two of the powerful rocks exploded on their side.

Wherever acid landed, there would inevitably be blurry holes of flesh and blood.

“It’s a Trap, it’s a human Trap; they want to steal our goods, kill them, kill them, all the food will be ours.”

“Kill all these cunning Humans.”

“Howl…

kill all of them…”

In the midst of the Goblin Wolf Riders, angry roars erupted, instantly focusing all the attention of the Goblins and Zuo Lang on the Human Merchant Caravan.

The pain from their burns and their not-so-bright brains prevented them from pausing to consider—why the Human Merchant Caravan, supposedly setting the ambush, suffered attacks that seemed even more severe than their own.

As a Goblin Wolf Cavalry soldier shouted and launched a charge, the rest of the Goblin Wolf Cavalry began to follow.