Chapter 359: Reunion with Bai Ling
"Boss didn't turn into a bird; he just gained the ability to fly."
Benben nodded, half understanding.
She glanced back toward the volcano's crater.
"Boss, she's still there."
"From now on, she's not an enemy. She's my subordinate now."
The dragon became Boss's subordinate?
Benben scratched her head.
"Boss, are we not eating dragon meat anymore?"
"Not for now. Maybe another time."
"Oh!"
Benben turned and began descending the mountain.
Wangwang opened her mouth as if to bark, but quickly closed it, afraid of disturbing the dragon at the volcano's crater.
She obediently followed behind Benben.
---
Five days later, Li Meng returned to the Throne Tribe.
"Has Bai Ling arrived?"
Outside the throne hall's doors, Li Meng encountered Gobu Mo.
After returning to the Throne Tribe, Li Meng had sent someone to the Black Mountain Marshlands to summon Bai Ling.
Judging by the time, she should have arrived.
Gobu Mo, blocking the door, quickly stepped aside and knelt with a sycophantic smile.
Though the king now appeared human and small enough to crush with one hand, his aura had grown more terrifying.
Just standing near him made Gobu Mo feel like he couldn't breathe.
"My king, she arrived two days ago!"
Li Meng cast a brief glance at Gobu Mo.
In just three years, Gobu Mo had evolved into a Goblin King, a miraculous feat among goblins.
Now, Gobu Mo's figure was nearly five meters tall.
As Li Meng's offspring, such talent was unsurprising.
Still, not many of his offspring managed to evolve into Goblin Kings—so far, only a handful.
With time, perhaps more Goblin Kings would emerge.
Without stopping by Gobu Mo, Li Meng entered the throne hall.
---
In the palace's upper chambers, within a private bedroom...
"Chieftain! Chieftain!"
A Lizardmen maid hurried into the bedroom.
The sound of creaking echoed within.
At the loom in the corner of the room, a white-scaled Lizardmen was weaving cloth.
For Bai Ling, weaving was a pastime.
She enjoyed the sense of accomplishment that came when spider silk transformed into finished fabric.
"The king has returned!"
The words "the king" made Bai Ling's body tremble slightly.
She stopped working the loom and stood up.
The maid was about to say more when someone entered the room behind her.
Hearing the movement, the maid turned pale and quickly stepped aside, kneeling on the ground.
Li Meng walked past her, gesturing lightly.
"You may leave."
The maid hastily rose and hurried out, not forgetting to close the door behind her.
"My... my king?"
Bai Ling stared at the unfamiliar human before her, hesitant.
If he weren't the king, the tribespeople wouldn't have shown him such respect.
But the king was a goblin—how had he become human?
"This is something I gained during my travels. What do you think? Do you like how I look now?"
With a soft smile, Li Meng spread his arms.
"Bai Ling, come here. Let your king hold you."
Blushing slightly, Bai Ling hesitated before stepping forward and into his embrace.
Feeling Bai Ling's soft and slender body, Li Meng grinned.
Though her scales were cool to the touch, her core was warm.
Her temperature was lower than a human's, but Bai Ling was far more delicate and smooth.
Li Meng had always been fond of the albino Lizardmen in his arms.
Unfortunately, she was the only one of her kind in the entire swamp-dwelling Lizardmen tribe.
His dream of mass-producing albino Lizardmen had been shattered.
"Bai Ling, you've always wanted a normal child, haven't you? Now, I can give you one. A child like your own kind—one who can nurse from you and receive your love. A child who won't see you as just food or a breeding tool but as a true mother. They'll be strong, inheriting some of my talents, and will protect you in my stead."
Since obtaining Bai Ling, she had borne countless goblins for him.
Many times, Li Meng had noticed her longing to show motherly affection toward the goblin children.
But each time, the goblins' reactions left her disappointed.
Li Meng never stopped her from trying, but he observed silently.
To other intelligent races, goblins were indeed incomprehensible creatures.
Hearing his words, Bai Ling's expression shifted.
She looked up at him, her face full of hope.
"My king, is this true?"
"Of course. But the child will stay in your womb for a long time—at least two years before it's born."
Bai Ling shook her head, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"My king, treat me the way you used to."
Bai Ling's unexpected boldness made Li Meng grin.
In all these years, she had never been this forward.
Li Meng wasted no time, lifting her in his arms and striding toward the large bed.
Blushing deeply, Bai Ling's tail swished rapidly, betraying her excitement.
Before long, the peace of the bedroom was broken.
Outside the door, the Lizardmen maids perked their ears, listening to the sounds from within.
Exchanging glances, their faces turned red.
Though they too had borne goblin offspring, the act with goblins was hardly an experience.
For goblins, reproduction was purely mechanical.
It ended before they even had time to react, often leaving them unsatisfied.
Some even resorted to comforting each other afterward.
---
As the night deepened, the bedroom finally grew quiet.
The Throne Tribe was not shrouded in darkness.
With the spread of rune magic tools, the fire crystal rune lamps had become commonplace.
Looking out over the tribe, the glowing lamps resembled streetlights, with the brightest concentrated on the outer wooden walls.
They formed a protective halo encircling the Throne Tribe.
---
In the royal bedchamber, under the gentle light of a rune lamp...
Bai Ling lay lazily on Li Meng's chest.
"My king!"
"Hmm?"
"I like the way you look now."
"Bai Ling, so you're a shallow looks-obsessed person too?"
"Looks-obsessed? My king, what does that mean?"
"It means someone who likes beautiful things."
"Then yes, I'm looks-obsessed."
Feeling the warmth of his chest, Bai Ling's gaze softened.
She could feel her attitude toward the king changing in subtle ways.
In the past, she had submitted to him out of necessity.
To protect her tribe, she had no choice but to become his breeding tool.
After giving birth to goblin after goblin, she had fallen into despair.
She had no idea when this cycle would end.
But despair was a luxury she couldn't afford.