Chapter 180: New Clothes and the Great King
Li Meng sat by the bedside.
His gaze fell upon the female Lizardman.
"Where is Vanessa?"
Faced with the king's gaze, the female Lizardman shook her head.
"I... I don't know!"
Li Meng didn't press further.
He lay back on the bed and patiently waited.
Staring at the ceiling, Li Meng's expression carried a hint of contemplation.
The next event in the timeline involved the arrival of a messenger from the Demonic Race.
The arrival of the messenger would trigger the event of traveling to the Demonic Race's stronghold fortress.
Following that would be cooperation with the Demonic Race to attack the Irisis Principality.
The Demonic Race's goal also seemed to be the human crystal.
After all, the timeline's final outcome ended with the destruction of the crystal.
"If the Demonic Race's target is the 'crystal,' cooperating with them might be worth considering," Li Meng mused inwardly.
If humanity was indeed the culprit behind the emergence of the "Sea of Death," Li Meng didn't intend to remain idle.
When he gained enough strength, he would act.
He would launch a war aimed at destroying the "crystal."
Humans could survive, but the crystal had to be destroyed.
This world was beautiful and worth protecting.
Slightly turning his head, Li Meng glanced at the female Lizardman by the bedside.
"What's your name?"
Seeing the king suddenly look at her, the female Lizardman quickly lowered her head.
"Great King, my name is Hei Lili!"
The Lizardmen's naming convention was indeed peculiar.
Male names consisted of two characters.
Female names, however, had three.
"Are you from the Black Scales Tribe?"
Hei Lili shook her head.
"Reporting to the Great King, I am from the Black Mountain Tribe!"
Hei Lili's response was within Li Meng's expectations.
After all, the Black Mountain Tribe's tribute population was incredibly vast.
Eighty percent of the tribute in the Throne Tribe came from the Black Mountain Tribe.
In the following time, Li Meng chatted casually with Hei Lili.
He asked about the Black Mountain Tribe.
He also inquired about the lives of the tribute in the Throne Tribe.
To put it simply, the Goblins of the Throne Tribe were now his bloodline descendants.
Smarter, stronger, and more obedient.
The tribute lived relatively safely in the Throne Tribe.
Although Goblins had an innate desire to reproduce.
The survival-of-the-fittest instinct was deeply ingrained in them.
Ordinary Goblins, even if a female was placed before them.
Would not have thoughts of reproduction but would greedily devour the female instead.
The reproductive desire of Great Goblins was also low.
Only Goblin warriors exhibited a strong desire to reproduce.
Because of the rules set by their leader, the Goblins of the Throne Tribe wouldn't harm the tribute.
As long as they stayed within the Throne Tribe, the tribute enjoyed relative freedom.
The tribute's managers weren't Goblins either.
Instead, they were selected female Lizardmen from the tribute to handle management.
After all, Lizardmen and Goblins couldn't communicate effectively.
In summary, as long as the tribute conducted themselves properly, their lives weren't at risk.
When the rotation period arrived, 99% of the tribute would return home.
The remaining 1% were female Lizardmen who died from various causes.
After all, most living beings couldn't escape the curse of aging, illness, and death.
Before nightfall, Vanessa finally appeared.
"Ammon, try the clothes I've prepared for you!"
Vanessa walked into the bedchamber with a group of female Lizardmen.
Li Meng curiously got out of bed.
Seeing the king rise, the female Lizardmen dared to approach.
Vanessa smiled as she stepped forward to dress Ammon.
After a while, Li Meng, who had been stark naked, was finally clothed.
"Ammon, how is it? Do you like it?"
Li Meng lowered his head to examine himself.
He spread his arms and turned in a circle.
A long robe made of spider silk, paired with a pair of shorts.
There was no denying it—the outfit felt extremely comfortable to wear.
The smooth spider silk fabric brought a cool sensation to the skin.
"Snap!"
Li Meng snapped his fingers.
A two-meter-tall ice wall rose before him.
Looking at his reflection in the ice wall, Li Meng grinned.
The style of the robe was decent.
However, seeing a Goblin in such attire felt odd.
After all, Goblins were typically seen bare-chested and bare-bellied.
Such a sudden shift to civility naturally felt a bit strange.
"Hmm, not bad!"
Li Meng snapped his fingers again.
The ice wall shattered into crystalline fragments that fell to the ground.
"Vanessa, do you have equipment that can freely resize itself?"
Li Meng turned to Vanessa, inquiring with interest.
Vanessa understood what Ammon wanted.
She smiled softly and nodded.
"Ammon, the Dwarves possess such technology. They can shrink Mithril equipment but can't enlarge it. It's said that a certain type of rune grants the ability to shrink items."
Hearing this, Li Meng's eyes lit up.
If he had equipment that could freely shrink, he could transform at will.
"Vanessa, where are the Dwarves?"
Seeing Ammon's expectant expression, Vanessa hesitated.
Her reaction caused Li Meng's brow to furrow slightly.
"Is it far?"
Li Meng asked uncertainly.
Vanessa nodded lightly.
"Most Dwarves are concentrated in the Storm Mountains, located at the northwest edge of the Augus Continent. Even aboard the fastest floating ship, it would take more than half a month to reach."
Traveling on a floating ship for over half a month?
At that moment, Li Meng realized just how vast the Augus Continent was.
Even at a speed of 60 kilometers per hour, the slowest floating ship covered over 1,440 kilometers a day.
Over half a month meant nearly 30,000 kilometers.
Li Meng sensibly dismissed the impractical idea.
He had initially thought of sneaking into the Storm Mountains to abduct some Dwarves.
But such a long round trip might take years.
He wasn't foolish enough to undertake such a venture.
"Vanessa, let's sleep!"
With that, Li Meng stepped forward and scooped Vanessa into his arms.
Vanessa blushed lightly and gave Ammon's chest a soft punch.
"Ammon, it's not dark yet!"
Li Meng grinned, placing Vanessa on the bed.
"No problem. When we wake up, it'll be light again!"
Having traveled tirelessly through the Ogre Mountain Range for days, both were physically and mentally exhausted.
From Vanessa's face, Li Meng could discern a trace of fatigue.
When he said sleep, he meant it.
On the bed, Li Meng didn't trouble Vanessa.
Instead, he held her soft, delicate body and fell into a deep sleep.
Being held by Li Meng, Vanessa turned slightly, gazing at Ammon's face up close.
Although Ammon had shrunk his body, he hadn't reverted to a Great Goblin's physique.
He lacked the sharp, oversized nose of Great Goblins.
Nor did he have their pot belly.
While his face remained ugly, it was far more tolerable than a Great Goblin's.
As she watched, a hint of bewilderment flickered in Vanessa's eyes.