In no time, recruitment notices spread across the entire continent!
However, the Zerg Empire, located in a very remote area, remained unaware of this news.
Within the Goblin Empire, countless demi-humans and monsters hurriedly lined up, eagerly awaiting impregnation and then mass-producing soldiers.
In every tavern, heated discussions were taking place.
"The Goblin King has gone mad! He's even opened up reproduction to all races. It costs two gold coins to deliver one adult goblin soldier! And that's just one, most births are at least triplets, which means six coins!"
"Damn it! Why was I born male? I can't reproduce! In just half a year, they can make what we earn in a year, and without working at all."
Many people drank their ale, chatting about the situation.
A black-furred monkey demi-human smugly laughed and said, "I'm making a killing, hahaha! I've got seven wives! They can all take advantage of this to make a fortune!"
Hearing this, everyone around was filled with envy and resentment!
"How are there so many female Dark Three-Tailed Monkeys? Even an ugly bastard like you has seven wives!"
Someone grumbled, clearly displeased.
The black-furred monkey smirked and said, "So what? My wives earn money to support me. Do you have that?!"
Among the demon races, many didn't care about ethics or morals.
They were thrilled to have their wives go out and make money.
"So, what's the king planning? Spending so many gold coins to mass-produce goblins? Isn't the Human Empire practically wiped out?"
The black-furred monkey scratched his head in confusion.
"You don't know? I've got inside information. His Majesty Lin Tian has been imprisoned by the Zerg Queen as her 'star wrath,' and Gobu Yue and the others are preparing to rescue him!"
Everyone's eyes lit up.
"What! The queen's star wrath? That's insane!"
"You idiot! That's not the point! The Goblin Empire is about to declare war on the Zerg Empire!"
"No way! War with the Zerg?! Can… can we even stay here? The Zerg army numbers at least a hundred million! And each Zerg soldier is a formidable high-level fighter!"
"This might be an opportunity, though. When the time comes, if we join forces… heh heh heh…"
Upon hearing this news, some were excited, some were shocked, and others saw an opportunity.
All had their own plans in mind.
In the middle of the tavern, a headless knight, emanating a dark aura, clad in rusted black armor, spoke up.
"Join forces? I'm interested. The females are off producing soldiers—what do you males plan to do? Just watch?"
"Who are you?"
The fire lizard demi-human who had mentioned an opportunity asked cautiously.
Before the knight could respond, the tavern owner chimed in, "You guys are clueless! He's been here a while, and none of you recognized him. This is Lord Gegard, a Demon King-level figure!"
"Gegard?! The ancient knight Gegard?! Why have you been resurrected as a monster?!"
The fire lizard demi-human was shocked, utterly incredulous.
Because Gegard had once been human.
But now, like Veronica, he had become one of the undead.
Gegard smirked coldly and poured his drink over his neck. Instantly, there was a sizzling sound.
"Uh… doesn't that hurt? Maybe you should stop drinking the alcohol…"
A nearby monster couldn't help but ask.
This wasn't drinking—it was like pouring alcohol on a wound. It had to hurt.
Gegard ignored him and explained, "My bones were originally buried beneath this place, but with so many monsters gathering here, I absorbed the demonic energy. By some twist of fate, I was resurrected as one of the undead."
"Lord Gegard! Please give your orders!"
The fire lizard immediately knelt, clasping his hands in respect.
This knight, even in life, had been a one-man army. Now as an undead, his power was beyond imagining.
The others, after a brief moment of hesitation, all knelt down and clasped their hands.
"We'll follow you! Let's carve out a new world together!"
"Very good. The Zerg Empire, huh? Back when I was alive, the Zerg Queen was just a little bug. Who would've thought she'd become the most powerful empress in the wilderness…"
Gegard mused, rising slowly.
A wave of majestic power surged from him, shaking the entire tavern, making dishes clatter.
His aura was so overwhelming that the low-level monsters could hardly breathe.
Sweating heavily, the fire lizard glanced around and said, "So, Lord Gegard, are you planning to help the goblins attack the Zerg? Or will you assist in rescuing the Goblin King?"
This was the question on everyone's mind.
Upon hearing this, Gegard looked at his sword.
"What do you think I'll choose?"
As a knight, there was only one thing that truly mattered: 'protection.'
"I think… you intend to swoop in and reap the benefits, just like the cunning goblins who grew by scavenging the aftermath of battles between empires and the Church…"
The fire lizard was feeling smug when suddenly, his entire body twitched slightly.
His pupils contracted sharply and then dilated as his head fell to the floor, rolling a few times.
No one had even seen it happen, but Gegard had already drawn his sword.
Though Gegard's entire body seemed on the verge of rusting away, his sword remained pristine, untouched by blood.
"I believe you now understand my intentions. Those who choose to follow me, come along."
Gegard slowly walked out the door.
The faces of the people behind him were filled with fear and shock!
It was the Fire Lizard King—he was a twelfth-tier monster! Yet he had been slain in a single blow!
They hurriedly followed after him.
For Gegard, this land had been what he defended during his life, and naturally, he would choose to stand on Lin Tian's side, especially since it was Lin Tian who had revived him.
As for the fire lizard, he killed him simply because he wanted to—there was no need for any further reason.
…
Meanwhile, Alice, along with Gobu Kuang and others, led an army of a million toward the remaining human city-states, preparing for forced conscription.
They were not offering any gold coin rewards.
Every town and village was required to meet the prescribed quota of soldiers, or face total annihilation.
By their estimates, they would conscript about ten million people.
In two months, they would be able to produce around thirty million goblins.
Even with the help of the monsters from Goblin City, it would still take another two months.
Then, they would need time to train and strengthen the soldiers.
It would take at least six months to declare war, but that was still much faster than the original estimate of a year.
Gazing at the long line of people waiting for impregnation, Gobu Kuang spoke with a heavy heart, "There are so many people. It seems like we don't have enough food. They can barely feed themselves."
"Don't worry. We still have plenty of food reserves from last year. We'll just distribute it to them when the time comes."
Alice replied calmly.
Gobu Tian chuckled, "Boss, you're amazing! I didn't expect that you had stored up so much food just for this critical moment!"
"Of course!"
Gobu Shan added with a grin.
…
In the Dwarven Kingdom, the atmosphere in the royal hall was oppressive.
Everyone had learned of Lin Tian's imprisonment in the Zerg Empire, where he had been turned into the star wrath.
Bill wore a solemn expression.
"Your Majesty, that kid Lin Tian has never mistreated us. He helped us return to the surface. What do you think…"
Before he could finish, Adele rose from her throne.
She commanded, "Use every resource we have to forge more war machines, and summon all craftsmen to create new, more powerful magical tools. We must rescue him from the Zerg Queen's captivity!"
No sooner said than done.
Everyone sprang into action immediately.
Especially now, with the population of the Dwarven Kingdom having doubled or tripled due to the large number of mixed-blood dwarves, both mining and forging could proceed at a much faster pace.
The production of magical tools could be completed far more quickly.
In half a year, they would be able to craft ten thousand items.
Before, they could barely produce a thousand.
…
On the other side, the Flame Dragon Mother had taken the news back to the ancient dragon clan.
Little Black, Scar, and the others had all readily decided to help without hesitation.
The Flame Dragon Mother looked at the five-hundred-meter-long red dragon flying through the sky and nodded.
"No matter what, he is Spark's father. Even if we have to risk the future of our clan, we will help."
Spark was the mixed-blood ancient dragon born from her and Lin Tian.
Like Little Black, Spark had an incredibly fast growth rate and immense destructive power.
His entire body appeared to be cloaked in flaming armor, and he had a pair of long, green horns.
His eyes were clear and lively, constantly moving around.
He flew across the sky, chasing birds or driving away the beasts below.
Even though he had only hatched a few months ago, he had already grown to five hundred meters in length.
In half a year, he would likely reach adulthood.
What pleased the Flame Dragon Mother the most was not just Spark's rapid growth, but his incredible strength.
Even though fire elemental dragons could perform complex techniques, they usually just breathed fire.
But Spark possessed a variety of fire elemental skills that went far beyond what was typical for a fire dragon.
It was a level of control over the fire element that fire dragons could never hope to reach.
"Scar, don't you think Spark looks a lot like a certain creature?"
The Flame Dragon Mother said, her eyes filled with pride as she watched the vibrant, playful flames that surrounded Spark in the sky.
Scar paused for a moment, unsure.
"I'm not sure I understand…"
From behind, the deep voice of the resting Calamity Thunder rumbled, "Fire Elemental Spirit, Salamander…"
"That's impossible! How could a goblin and a dragon give birth to a Fire Elemental Spirit?"
Scar exclaimed in disbelief.
Elemental spirits were typically born from their respective elements, such as the Wind Spirit, Sylph, which was the embodiment of the wind.
Other elemental spirits, like Light and Dark Elementals, couldn't be the result of reproduction.
The Flame Dragon Mother rolled her eyes.
"You misunderstand. I only said they look alike. Salamander has existed since ancient times."
The ancient period was roughly two thousand years ago.
The antiquity era was around seven thousand years ago.
Anything further back than that had no records.
"I've seen the overwhelming power of Salamander's fire element in battle, but it doesn't compare to the variety of fire element skills that Spark possesses. Perhaps, one day, he could even surpass Salamander…"
The Flame Dragon Mother smiled.
The surrounding dragons had complex expressions.
There was no doubt about Salamander's battle prowess—it far surpassed that of any dragon present.
If Spark could surpass Salamander, it would mean that their branch of the dragon lineage could return to the ancient dragon's ancestral home.
The dragons remained silent, their eyes filled with hope.
…
A star wrath is a homonym for sex slave in Chinese, both "xing nu".