Green Monster Epic

Chapter 63 Bad News

The goblin Jack's reconnaissance mission went very smoothly. As a professional advanced lurker, he even had the confidence to traverse thousands of miles alone. Naturally, he was full of confidence in a mere kobold tribe. Allen had told Jack everything he knew about the Bonecrusher tribe. Although the leader was a mysterious spellcaster, Jack didn't need to fight, just to scout quietly. It would be extremely difficult for others to discover him.

“There aren't many people in this tribe. Why are you so afraid?”

Having stayed in the Thunder tribe for a long time, Jack looked down on a tribe with a total population of just over one hundred. After returning, he looked at Allen with a frivolous gaze.

“They don't have many people, but our tribe has even fewer. In fact, the ten warriors I brought out this time are the greatest combat power of my tribe. The remaining warriors who stayed behind in the tribe are only about six or seven. Including the females and cubs, the total population of our Greenwild tribe is not even as large as the number in the current team.”

Previously, Allen rarely revealed news about his tribe. Apart from mentioning his background during late-night talks with Master Oscar, Jack and the others were still full of mystery about the tribe Allen mentioned. However, now that it wasn't far from the tribe's location, Allen didn't need to hide anything. Anyway, when Jack and the others arrived at Green Lake, they would naturally see the tribe's scenery.

“……”

Not only was Jack a little surprised, but Philip, who was following Allen, was also dumbfounded. This meant that the master they were following might not even have the ability to protect them, these slaves.

Originally, they thought that with a wise and intelligent chief like Allen, his tribe should at least have some strength. Who would have thought that the situation was so unbearable, even afraid of a kobold tribe with just over a hundred people? When Philip was a manor lord in the human principality, he had more than a hundred servants and farmers under his command.

“Forget it, forget it. Anyway, I won't stay in your tribe for long. I don't care how you deal with these kobolds. Let me make it clear first. If a battle occurs when passing through their territory, I won't help you kill the enemy. My little body is no match for kobolds.”

Although Jack himself was an advanced professional, his professional skills were more inclined towards self-preservation. It was indeed difficult for him to face a level 6-7 warrior head-on, so he simply clarified it with Allen in advance, lest he be blamed by the other party later.

“Okay, if a battle really happens, it's none of your business. Just protect yourself.”

Allen nodded, then asked with concern, “Did you find out the kobolds' information clearly?”

“Are you underestimating me?”

Jack glared at Allen unhappily, then娓娓道来 (wěiwěi dào lái - explained slowly and clearly) the information he had scouted.

“I circled around this kobold tribe and counted the population. There are about 130-150 people. There are also about 30 goblins, 2 hobgoblins, and more than 10 gnoll servants.”

“I roughly estimated that the number of warriors in their tribe should be around 40. But according to common sense, that shouldn't be the case. Kobold warriors of this size should account for at least half of the total population.”

“Oh, when we protected the human caravan through the kobold camp before, we designed to eliminate nearly 30 kobold warriors.”

Allen quickly reported the situation he had forgotten to mention, and the puzzled Jack suddenly understood.

“That's right then.”

“I also saw the kobold leader you mentioned. The other party should be very old. He walks unsteadily and looks like he will fall with a gust of wind. However, spellcasters have always been mysterious. The strength of their physical fitness cannot be used to determine their strength at all. Only when you really fight can you see clearly. I don't have much advice for you.”

“I understand.”

Allen had felt the power of a large fireball spell from the kobold leader from a distance, and he was still a little scared. He would never underestimate the other party's strength.

“Oh, right. When I was scouting in their tribe before, I heard them discussing whether to occupy a camp with a lake. It seems like you told me that there is a lake near your camp. Could they be talking about your camp?”

Jack seemed to have just remembered something and mentioned it casually, but seeing Allen's changing expression, it seemed that the worst outcome had occurred.

“What did they say?”

Allen was uneasy. There were only two territories with real lakes in this area. One was Green Lake, which Allen and his people had just snatched from the gnolls, and the other was Rapid Current Bay, not far west of the Bonecrusher tribe. Since the other party was talking about occupying territory, it was naturally impossible to be talking about Rapid Current Bay, which they already owned. The only remaining possibility was Allen's Green Lake.

“I didn't pay much attention. I just listened casually. It seems like they said that they had captured a camp some time ago, and then they had some disagreements about whether to send people to occupy that territory.”

Jack waved his hand and told the truth as he knew it.

“……”

Allen was at a loss. He had worked so hard to bring his people to buy such a large batch of supplies, and he had also coerced a group of goblins back. He was originally high-spirited and wanted to expand the strength of the tribe, but before he could even take action, it seemed that the entire tribe had been wiped out. The psychological blow to Allen was imaginable.

But thinking about it carefully, this matter was not without warning. Allen and Regis and the others had shot and killed dozens of warriors from the Bonecrusher tribe in the pit. As revenge, the kobolds would naturally carefully investigate the surrounding forces, first to find their missing tribesmen, and second to take advantage of their remaining strength to clear out a group of threatening forces in the surrounding area, creating conditions for their tribe to recuperate.

The kobolds had seen Allen and the others following the human caravan north, so the first thing they would retaliate against would definitely be their own tribe. As the saying goes, it's better to kill the wrong person than to let one go. And having lost the ten most elite warriors plus Allen, the strongest combat force, how could Stone and the others who stayed behind in the tribe be a match for the Bonecrusher tribe, which had 40 warriors plus a mysterious spellcaster?

Allen had vaguely suspected this before departure, but he held a fluke mentality in his heart, thinking that since he had taken most of the warriors away, perhaps the other party would let Stone and the others go because they saw that his tribe was old, weak, sick, and disabled and posed no threat. Now it seemed that Allen had thought too beautifully. The tribe where he had lived for 18 years had probably disappeared in this wilderness.

“Here are 3 gold coins. One is the reward for asking you to scout the Bonecrusher tribe before, and the remaining two are to ask you to help me make a trip to Green Lake to see if there are still people in our tribe by Green Lake.”

Allen's face was solemn, and he took out 3 shiny gold coins and handed them to Jack, saying with a pleading expression.

“Okay.”

Jack was quite sympathetic to this compatriot. Although he had no intention of participating in the common battles in the wilderness, he didn't mind running errands for this compatriot for such a simple reconnaissance mission and doing his best.

“Thank you.”