Chapter 53: Second Tier Excellence
After conquering this goblin tribe, the first thing Karen did was not to tally the spoils, but to interrogate the goblin chieftain he had captured.
He ordered several second-tier undead to seize the goblin leader and pin him in a corner of the mine, while he himself concealed in the shadows, questioning in the goblin tongue with a haunting voice. Though Karen had never studied the art of interrogation, this instinctive method proved exceptionally effective.
In the dimness, with several sinister, powerful undead—mere skeletons now—staring him down, the eerie voice emanating from nowhere, every element assailed the goblin chieftain's nerves. Clearly, this particular leader was not possessed of a strong will, and fear quickly overtook his mind; whatever Karen asked, he answered without resistance.
Karen's main and most pressing concern was simple: where were the corpses of the past goblin chieftains? This mattered most to him. Even without second-tier strength, he could still merge, but possessing it made things far easier, allowing him to forge more powerful undead.
He had previously searched the goblin burial grounds, but found no corpse to his satisfaction, leading him to suspect there was another tomb, perhaps hidden within the mine itself.
His suspicion proved correct; the goblin tribe had placed the bodies of their former chiefs and prophets in the mine. They believed this would ensure their ancestors’ blessings and a steady flow of mined ores.
Karen was quite pleased with this answer, but did not rush to seek out the secret chamber. Instead, he continued his systematic interrogation.
His further questions concerned the state of the Goblin Forest and the tribe’s social circle. He needed to know what external contacts the tribe maintained, especially regarding the gnomes.
Karen remembered clearly: the ore mined by goblins was typically sold to the gnomes in exchange for daily necessities.
Karen was well aware that his territory would inevitably be exposed one day, but the later that happened, the better. Thus, he needed to understand these networks fully, so he could minimize the risk of the goblin tribe’s destruction being discovered too soon.
The information from the goblin chieftain satisfied Karen. This tribe was far more withdrawn than he had expected, rarely venturing outside, spending the entire year focused on mining. Only when they lacked food or supplies did they carry iron ore to another goblin tribe some fifty or sixty miles away to barter, otherwise never leaving their settlement.
With the intelligence he now possessed, Karen judged there was little risk of exposure in the short term after wiping out this goblin tribe.
However, the chieftain’s mention of that other tribe drew Karen’s attention; it was an extremely important clue.
“Didn’t you say all goblin ores are sold to the gnomes? Why, then, do you deliver them to another goblin tribe? Are you deceiving me?” Karen’s icy question filled the already terrified goblin with dread.
“Great one, Green Song would never deceive you! That goblin tribe simply purchases iron ore on behalf of the gnome lords.”
Karen narrowed his eyes, “What is the name of that tribe? How large is it? What is its population? And how strong are they?”
The development of Karen’s territory depended on the Goblin Forest, so he fervently hoped no powerful force lurked within it, for that would be detrimental to his progress.
The goblin chieftain, sensing Karen’s seriousness, dared not hide anything and answered truthfully.
According to him, that tribe was called the Black Iron Mine Tribe, named for the most precious mineral they produced. As for population and strength, the chieftain was not certain. After much description, he could only offer vague impressions of its size and power.
Karen was dissatisfied, but there was nothing to be done; he could see the chieftain was genuinely ignorant, not deliberately withholding information.
Afterward, Karen interrogated the remaining goblins. When he had gathered enough intelligence, he dispatched them swiftly, one by one, as a series of system notifications chimed.
...
[Ding, you have successfully slain the Goblin Chieftain (Second-tier, Ordinary), gaining 200 personal energy and 100 territory energy!]
[Ding, you have successfully slain the Goblin Mage (Second-tier, Inferior), gaining 100 personal energy and 50 territory energy!]
...
Karen glanced at the flood of notifications, and seeing how dense they were, decided to ignore them. Judging by the time, Little Green outside should have finished slaughtering the three hundred goblins by now.
He then opened his own attribute screen as well as his territory’s, knowing that the harvest of personal and territory energy would be recorded there.
...
Karen
Age: 16
Race: Human
Strength: Tier 1 (Excellent) (3122/1500)
...
Karen (Lord)
Territory: Unnamed
Territory Level: 2
Territory Energy: 11,160
...
This time, Karen had truly reaped a rich harvest. Not only had his personal energy soared past three thousand, but his territory energy had, for the first time, surpassed ten thousand.
With this much energy, his territory would surely rise to Level 3.
Moreover, Karen’s gains were not limited to personal and territory energy. On Little Green’s side, after sacrificing hundreds of hearts, its power had exploded.
...
Goblin Hunter of Bones (Green Shade)
Type: Bone
Strength: Tier 2 (Excellent) (8000/8000)
Intelligence: Above Average
Skill: Bone Claw lv7 (Active skill, increases attack power by 450% and inflicts severe poison)
Skill: Weapon Mastery lv3 (Passive skill, enables rapid proficiency with all weapons)
Talent: Power of Sacrifice lv2
Power of Sacrifice: A special talent born from merging mysterious energies.
Talent Effects:
Effect 1: Can strengthen itself through sacrificing hearts. (Now on cooldown, cooldown time: 90 days!)
Effect 2: Can activate the Sacrificial Rune to increase combat prowess.
Effect 3: ???
...