Deadmeat Saga

Chapter 58 – Investigation team? (Edited)

Exiting the tent, Gerhart looked around and saw the tribe. After three days, the Moonhowl tribe started annexing goblin tribes, adding them to their fold. After converting them and receiving blessings, they will all become at least Hobgoblins.

He also looked to the side and saw several male villagers teaching the Goblin Commanders and Hobgoblins their language and skills, taking on several apprentices. The most prominent change was the builders and woodworkers who taught them how to prepare the wood and build houses. By fall, the tents might switch into wooden houses.

Lacking proper and unrelated males for a long time, the Hobgoblin females took interest in the humans. To begin with, Hobgoblins were already relatively human-like and attractive enough for many men to give a hard pass, but only those desperate enough would consider it. Goblin Commanders looked pretty and human enough, but few men would have the guts since they were tall and muscular like orcs.

While Gerhart 1 was controlling the body and observing the tribe, Gerhart 2 checked the status.

Base Stats:

After absorbing a dozen Hegemons, the Base Stats reached a terrifying level. All stats reached S-grade!

Adult dragons are said to have most of their stats at S-grade, with some above. In other words, his body was now comparable to an Adult Dragon in raw stats. Of course, Adult Dragons had other advantages, such as their superior race and talents, but still, for a measly human to have these stats was more than impressive. He doubted anyone in the kingdom had better Base Stats.

Gerhart also absorbed many talents, including unique talents. He already started ignoring the ordinary talents, focusing on Unique Talents.

New Unique Talents: Herculean Strength, Adamantine Body, Swift as the Wind, Favored of Wind, Favored of Nature, Favored of Earth, Minor Auspicious Creature, Font of Vitality, Indomitable Heart, Platinum Lungs, Adamantium Kidneys, Orichalcum Liver, Mythril Brain, Triple Soul, Ape King, Tortoise King, Elk King, Troll King, Bear King, Boar King, Rabbit King, Chimera King, Horse King, Tiger King, Lizard King, Diamond Antlers,  

{Unique Talent - Herculean Strength: Majorly increases the passive and active Strength and ability to withstand said Strength.}

{Unique Talent - Adamantine Body: Majorly increases physical defense, Greatly increases resistance to Aura, and increases resistance to harmful Magic.}

{Unique Talent - Swift as the Wind: Majorly increases agility, speed, reaction speed, and explosive Strength.}

{Unique Talent - Favored of Wind: Majorly increases affinity to Wind and Greatly increases affinity with the spirits of the Wind.}

{Unique Talent - Minor Auspicious Creature: You are a creature of fertility, prosperity, and luck, and those on your side will see increased success and prosperity in every endeavor. As your body incarnates auspiciousness, others instinctively covet it for various reasons.}

{Unique Talent - Indomitable Heart: Majorly increases the health and defense of the heart, and it can regenerate if not dead.}

Herculean Strength came from an ape type, the Adamantine Body was from a Tortoise, and Swift as the Wind was from a tiger. The ape was no match for Havre, while the tiger was about as fast as Havre without enhancements, but she killed it after reinforcing herself with lightning Aura. The Tortoise was the only Hegemon able to resist her attacks, but it barely lasted three hits.

Three Hegemons also carried the Favored by X, making them much better in their respective element, but that didn't save them from being one-hit-killed by Havre.

Five talents affected the five major organs, making the already hard-to-kill Gerhart even more challenging to kill. It made him wonder how long he could live without rejuvenating his body.

And then there was an iffy one, Minor Auspicious Creature, earned from a white rabbit Hegemon. It didn't make Gerhart lucky himself but rather made others around him lucky. And then there was that last line, making others covet his body.

"Well... hopefully, it won't cause too much trouble." Gerhart 2 prayed.

"Eh, I am sure it would be fine." Gerhart 3 comforted.

"You are making me worry about it even more now." Gerhart 2 warily said.

Casting that thought aside, he checked the time needed to finish awakening his bloodline. It decreased from 21,916 days to only 1,093 days, a significant improvement. It didn't mean it was an immediate improvement. It just accelerated the process by 20 times. If he waits for three more years, this bloodline would completely awaken by itself, far more manageable from sixty years. But he didn't know his level of blood concentration.

"Well, I will know once it fully awakens." Gerhart 2 thought.

"When it does, do you want to talk to Mother Roysa? I want to know who our birth parents are." Gerhart 3 said with some yearning.

"We will see when the time comes," Gerhart 2 said with a frown.

He wasn't sure what would happen once his bloodline fully awakened, but it might alert his birth parents, or worse, their enemies, somehow. And when it did, they might come over to pick him up OR assassinate him. He was also unsure of the internal situation of this family, making his future shaky and full of uncertainty.

Meanwhile, Gerhart spoke with Qold, who finished offering the Chimera.

"Qold, since all the Hegemons in the forest are dead, it is time for me to return to the village," Gerhart said.

"Of course, Warchief. But I would like to come with you." Qold smiled and made her request.

"Oh? Why?" Gerhart curiously asked.

"The goblins are respecting me less by the day. I fear it has to do with my demonification." Qold sheepishly said.

Gerhart casually checked her status, and indeed, she lost her Goblin Leader talent. By now, she was barely a Goblin anymore, only retaining vestiges of her heritage. The goblins couldn't respect her anymore and only listened to her because of her status as an Envoy.

"And also, my demonification will soon be complete. When that happens, I will be your Familiar. I want to stay as close as possible, in more than one way~." Qold flirted, hugging Gerhart's body while caressing his chest.

"Hmhm~. Fine, you can come." Gerhart smirked while grabbing Qold's elastic rear.

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With Qold leaving the tribe, a new Envoy had to control the tribe, so Gerhart made Tivnirx an Envoy. He, Havre, and Qold then departed together with their wolves.

By sundown, they arrived at Elkington Village.

"So this is a human settlement, hah?" Qold said, wearing an unadorned dress while looking around with interest. She couldn't continue wearing her tribal clothes in a civilized village.

"This place is tiny. You should see what the city looks like." Gerhart smiled.

"That would be interesting." Qold smiled back.

"But to do that, you must wear proper clothes and look human," Gerhart said.

"Oh, I can look human," Qold said as her body changed.

Her green skin turned caramel-colored, her verticle purplish eyes turned human and dark brown, her tattoos faded, and her non-human features receded inside her body. She suddenly became a tall and seductive human beauty that make men swoon.

"Not bad, right?" Qold smirked, striking a pose, her chest nearly bursting her shirt.

"Nice. I can't tell the difference." Gerhart appreciatively said, liking the change.

"It is indeed hard to discern any difference." Havre nodded.

With the new look, the trio was about to enter the village when they suddenly noticed a platoon of men at arms riding toward the gates, about 30 of them. Among them was Wolfgang, who accompanied the surviving caravan guard to town.

"Those are Marquise Freeperd's men." Havre narrowed her eyes as she spotted their coat of arms.

"Marquise Freeperd controls the borders, right?" Gerhart asked.

"Yes. Marquise Freeperd guards the border with the Nehan Kingdom." Havre nodded.

"Did they come to investigate the death of the merchant convoy?" Qold asked.

"Most likely, yes. The death of a merchant convoy, especially one coming to our village, is not a light thing." Havre said. "We hoped that having one of the villagers return to explain the situation would alleviate it, but they wanted to confirm. After all, the said merchant is a kingdom agent."

"If we knew this village held such weight, Crird would have built his forces for another decade." Qold pursed her lips.

"No point in thinking about it. We must convert those men to avoid spreading news about the changes here. Qold, it is your time to show your skills." Gerhart smiled at Qold.

"Hoho... With pleasure." Qold grinned, her eyes flashing purple.

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In the platoon of men at arms, there were three knights, two male, and one female, each leading ten men at arms. The two male knights led ten men each, while the Dame in her mid-twenties led ten female riders. Although less common, talented female warriors often became soldiers. Leading them was also a bulky and hairy man in his late twenties.

"Don't you find it weird that our lord sent three of us on this investigation mission? I mean, the caravan guard and that villager said everything was fine." Sir Reimund, a young and pointy-nosed knight, said, disgruntled.

"For the 7th time, Sir Reimund, we are not to question our lord's orders." Dame Magdalene, a pretty female knight in her mid-twenties with her dirty blond hair in a military crew cut, frowned.

The third knight, in his fifties with white sideburns and a greying mustache, stayed quiet while looking around.

"Sir Huidemar. Sir Reimund. Dame Magdalene. We arrived at the village." Wolfgang respectfully said, feeling bitter in his heart.

His mission was to go with the caravan guard and convince the local lord everything was fine. He expected only one knight at most. Who would have thought they would overreact and send three knights and their men at arms?

"Good. Our men are tired. Have the villagers prepare us an area to set up ten- Wait, what is that?" Dame Magdalene was about to continue speaking when she saw the towering statue over the village walls.

"Er... It is our village idol, Miss Dame." Wolfgang said, pursing his lips.

"Idol? To which god would a small village in the middle of nowhere deserve a grand statue perhaps only found in the main temples of the great gods?" Sir Reimund frowned and inquired.

"The Great God of Conquest," Wolfgang said.

That was what Hope instructed. Sometimes, it was better to tell the truth than lie since lies had holes.

"Heresy! I have never heard of such a god before in the pantheon! It must be a dark god!" Sir Reimund angrily said and grabbed his sword, about to unsheath it.

"Boy! Leash your zeal." Sir Huidemar, who stayed quiet until now, frowned and chastised.

"But sir-" Sir Reimund was about to retort.

"No buts, we are not inquisitors, but knights serving our lord. We are here to help, not make things worse and outstay our welcome. When the time comes, we will give a proper report and let our lord make judgment." Sir Huidemar calmly said.

"... Yes, Sir." Sir Reimund respectfully, albeit reluctantly, said, letting go of his sword hilt.

Sir Huidemar was a senior knight, his mentor, and a C-rank powerhouse close to B-rank, so he held him in high esteem.

"Mister Wolfgang. Go and inform your chief to meet us." Sir Huidemar instructed.

"Of course, Sir Knight." Wolfgang bowed and rode inside the village.

"Do we enter? Or camp outside and away?" Dame Magdalene frowned and asked in a low voice while looking at the receding figure.

"I doubt they will take action against us unless they are suicidal. Besides, do you prefer spending a second night in the open?" Sir Huidemar asked back.

If something happened to them while investigating, then a mere platoon would be the least of Elkington Village's problems. The border guard might send a whole army. Even if the villagers somehow had powerful mind-controlling sorcery, such spells were temporary unless performed for weeks and months. And who would find such a high-level magician in this remote village? The thought never crossed their minds.

A more likely scenario would be a mad preacher instigating the villagers to attack and capture them, and that was already a stretch.

"But I want to know more about how they built that massive statue. It is as tall as the city walls!" Sir Reimund frowned and said.

"We will find out soon enough." Dame Magdalene said as she saw Wolfgang leading two people over.

One was a young man in his mid-twenties, and another was a beautiful mouse-type beastkin barely 18. Seeing them, the knights couldn't help but frown.

"Wolfgang! We told you to bring the village chief. Not his son and a slave girl." Dame Magdalene frowned.

"But Dame Magdalene, he is our village chief, Asher Elkington. And this is our Holy Envoy, Hope Farrington." Wolfgang helplessly said.

"Him? He is a young man! And that is a beastkin slave. You dare call a vermin a Holy Envoy!? Insulance!" Sir Reimund shook in anger.

A cold light flashed in Asher's, Wolfgang's, and Hope's eyes. However, they did not act on their feelings.

"Well, I am the village chief here, Asher. I received my youth back through the blessing of the Great God of Conquest. And this is the Holy Envoy, Hope. I would advise you to pay her proper respect." Asher coldly said.

"Lies! Evil treachery! I ought to—"

"REIMUND!" Sir Huidemar roared, making Sir Reimund shiver and turn pale.

Sir Huidemar sighed and turned to Asher, "Forgive the overzealous boy, Mister Asher. He grew up in a sheltered environment and has yet to learn how the world works."

He then turned to Hope and nodded, "Greeting, Holy Envoy. Forgive our disrespect. We are only here on a mission to investigate the attack on the convoy and aid you if needed. We already confirmed your safety and will leave tomorrow at dawn."

"Apology accepted, Sir Knight. You are free to set up camp in our village. Outside our walls is not safe." Hope said.

"Thank you. That is all we ask for." Sir Huidemar saluted.

"Follow me, Sir Knights." Asher led the knights and their escort inside.

Minutes later, Gerhart and his group arrived at the gates, where Hope waited.

"Gerhart! You're back!" Hope rushed over and hugged him, her tail swishing from side to side.

"Haha... Hello, Hope." Gerhart smiled and hugged her back before kissing her.

"Mmm* I missed you." Hope gently said.

"I missed you too," Gerhart whispered back.

And then Hope looked at Qold. "And this must be Qold, I presume?"

"Nice to meet you, my senior. I am indeed Qold." Qold smiled and lowered her head to show respect.

Qold understood that, in the hierarchy, she was inferior, both in power and closeness to Gerhart. She shouldn't try to exert superiority over Hope, or she might suffer. Such concepts are well-understood in both goblin and demon society.

"Hello! Just call me Hope. Let's get along." Hope's smile brightened when she saw Qold showing her proper respect.

"Okay, girls. Let's go to the house." Gerhart said.

"Okay." The three women nodded.