The weapons and armor of these kobolds were very crude, making them look like the most destitute refugees in the wilderness.
Coupled with their short stature, thin frames, and ugly appearances, they actually looked somewhat comical.
Their bodies were covered in fine scales, appearing somewhat similar to lizardmen.
However, Zong Shen noticed one detail: almost every kobold had an iron hand-pick about 30 centimeters long hanging from its waist.
The kobolds were chattering in a peculiar tone, "wawa," which was their unique language.
Listening to the sound, it was very much like the barking of puppies.
These ugly little fellows should possess a certain level of intelligence.
At this moment, an elderly kobold with strange paint on its face walked out.
It clutched a rough wooden short staff in its hand, looking left and right as it approached Zong Shen, who was looking down from atop the tall Bajie.
Trembling, it planted the short staff on the ground, placed one hand on its chest, and bowed.
It spoke slowly in a dry, unpleasant voice.
"Cough, cough..."
"Res... respected lord, thank you for defeating those disgusting silk-spitting monsters..."
"You have saved our lives..."
The elderly kobold spoke in fits and starts; it was not very proficient in the human language.
Zong Shen smiled slightly and examined its attributes.
【Aged Kobold Prophet Lv23 (Gray)】
【Race: Cave Creature】
【Magic Damage: 37–40】
【Health Points: 233/350】
【Mana Points: 300】
【Armor: 10】
【Magic Resistance: 15】
【Skills: Flash Lv1 (Consumes 30 Mana, 2-second chant, creates a light orb that lasts for 1 minute to illuminate the surroundings, 5-minute cooldown)
Fireball Barrage Lv5 (Consumes 60 Mana, 2-second chant, fires three small fireballs in succession, each dealing 1.2x magic damage)
Dragon Tongue Lv1 (Mastery of simple Dragon Tongue)
Passive Skill: Mining Mastery Lv5 (Efficiency of gathering ore-type resources increased by 20%)】
(These are a pitiful group. Ten thousand years ago, they were enslaved by dragons, and now they live in various caves. They are very sensitive to minerals and extremely passionate about mining.)
(However, these fellows are very timid, but they absolutely loathe gnomes and spellcasters who act profound.)
"Do you live here?"
Zong Shen quickly scanned the information, committing the important details to memory, and asked.
Upon hearing Zong Shen's question, the aged kobold prophet couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
The willingness to communicate meant that the human before them held no hostility.
It bowed again.
"Yes, my lord..."
"The tribe I belong to... is right in this mine... those hateful web-weavers always treat us as food..."
Its words were intermittent, which made Zong Shen feel a bit uncomfortable.
However, Zong Shen smiled.
"Very well. From now on, you won't have to worry about these web-weavers anymore, because you will become my spoils of war."
Hearing Zong Shen's words, the aged kobold prophet froze.
It did not argue or say anything more; it simply turned around slowly and spoke "wawa" to the kobolds behind it.
All the kobolds were stunned...
"Respected lord... you cannot do this... we are very weak and cannot help you..."
It knelt on the ground, pleading sincerely.
Zong Shen ignored this and gave Colby a look.
Immediately, all the wolf cavalrymen drew their sabers in unison and clashed them together.
A metallic "clang" rang out.
The Dragon-born Ranger also raised her longbow.
The implied threat was self-evident.
"Submit or die; there is only one choice."
"I need you to mine ore for me. Once I have completely cleared out this mine, you will be responsible for mining for me. As long as you submit, not only will I not mistreat you, but I will treat you all equally."
Zong Shen's voice came across calmly.
It was devoid of any personal emotion.
It was as if he were describing a trivial matter.
Hearing his words, the kobold prophet fell silent again, turning its head to translate to the other kobolds with "wawa" sounds.
Among the kobolds, only the wise prophet of the tribe could master the human language.
The other kobolds seemed to become agitated after hearing the old prophet's account and began to argue.
A few minutes later, the kobolds seemed to reach a consensus.
They walked forward together and knelt before Zong Shen.
"My lord, we... we are willing to pledge our loyalty to you!"
The kobold prophet said respectfully.
Zong Shen nodded with satisfaction.
Looking at them, the attributes of all the kobolds were not very high.
They were even weaker than ordinary white-tier monsters of the same level.
Every kobold now displayed a 【Loyalty】 option.
However, it was not high, only 50 points, which was between submission and neutrality.
They would still need to be cultivated properly.
"Get up. From now on, you will be members of the territory, and the glory of the territory will shine upon you."
"In the future, you will surely feel proud of today's decision!"
Zong Shen said passionately.
He was very clear about this kind of motivational chicken soup.
As the saying goes, even if you haven't eaten pork, haven't you seen a pig run?
From school to work, those leaders were the best teachers of motivational chicken soup.
The old kobold prophet nodded busily as if trying to curry favor.
The other kobolds didn't understand, but they just followed the old prophet and nodded...
Zong Shen laughed inwardly.
This bit of deception was very successful.
The territory was short of manpower.
Although these kobolds were not strong in combat, they were perfect for mining ore resources.
These fellows were natural miners.
Zong Shen thought happily.
Next, he began to check the items obtained after wiping out the web-weavers.
【Sharp Forelimbs of Web-weaver ×6】
【Poison Sacs of Web-weaver ×7】
【Tough Web of Web-weaver ×3】
【Lean Meat of Web-weaver ×28】
【Eyeballs of Web-weaver ×18】
These were materials obtained from decomposing the corpses of the web-weavers.
Next were the items and equipment.
【Web-patterned Spider Armor (Green) ×1】
【Tier 2 Market Construction Blueprint ×1】
【Soldier Enhancement Bead (Green) ×2】
【Primary Earth Rune ×1】
【Primary Elemental Crystal ×2】
【Avalon Reputation Book ×2】
Not bad; it matched the drop rate of elite-level monsters. Plus, Zong Shen had the 【Blessing of the Elven Departed】 buff, which, in addition to attack and defense bonuses, also increased the drop rate of rare items by an additional 5%.
However, overall, Zong Shen had discovered that the drop rate of wild monsters in this world was truly very high.
Especially recruitment scrolls; Zong Shen had noticed when hunting that one hundred beasts could drop 6 to 7 recruitment scrolls.
Although they were all Tier 2 soldiers.
But if this situation didn't change, I'm afraid it wouldn't be long before foreign lords like Zong Shen would have the strength to challenge the natives.
However, Zong Shen always felt that things would definitely not be that simple!
(End of chapter)