Chapter 10: Rafting Across the River
Although it was unclear what the boss wanted to do, his orders had to be obeyed.
Gobuka turned around and pointed at a group of goblin underlings.
"Go find some deadwood and bring it back!"
The goblin underlings exchanged glances, then turned and ran into the depths of the forest.
"The rest of you, use tree bark to make ropes."
Tree bark ropes were a common tool for goblins.
"What are you standing around for? Hurry up and get to work!"
Under Gobuka’s reprimands, the goblin underlings trembled, turned around, and ran swiftly into the forest.
Soon, the goblins were busy on the riverbank.
From time to time, goblins dragged various sizes of deadwood out of the forest.
A large pile of deadwood quickly appeared by the riverbank.
"Strange, how could goblins be ambushed by a human adventurer team?"
Standing on the riverbank, Li Meng gazed at the turbulent river, lost in thought.
The *Life Simulation* information about human adventurers made Li Meng concerned.
Goblins survived in forests filled with magical beasts due to their keen sense of smell.
Even upwind, they could judge whether an area was safe from the residual scent of magical beasts.
It was almost impossible for humans to ambush goblins.
Goblins could detect humans from far away.
"It seems I need to change my route!"
He couldn’t follow the predicted future path from *Life Simulation*.
Otherwise, his life might be in danger.
"Boss, is this enough?"
Gobuka walked over with a flattering expression.
Li Meng turned to look at the pile of deadwood on the riverbank.
"Not enough. Keep collecting!"
With over sixty goblins, the raft needed to be large.
The river was too rapid, so the raft couldn’t be too small.
Li Meng walked toward the pile of deadwood.
"You, you, you, and you—use the bark ropes to tie these logs together, one by one, without overlapping!"
On the riverbank, Li Meng began directing the goblin underlings to build the raft.
"You need to tie it for it to be sturdy. Got it?"
"Idiot, not like that—."
"Come here, I’ll show you again."
The goblins were slow learners, which frustrated Li Meng.
Fortunately, Li Meng was a patient person.
Under his repeated teaching, the goblins finally understood how to tie the logs.
Time passed bit by bit. As the sun set, an entire day slipped away.
On the riverbank, a rudimentary raft began to take shape.
The long night passed silently as the goblins snored in their sleep.
Early the next morning, under Li Meng’s scolding, the goblin underlings resumed their work.
By the afternoon, the raft was finally completed.
"Good, everyone’s here, right?"
Looking at the ten-zhang-long raft in front of him, Li Meng nodded in satisfaction.
Although it looked a bit ugly, that didn’t matter.
Li Meng had only one requirement for the raft—that it floated.
Gobuka glanced at the goblin underlings.
"Boss, everyone’s here!"
"Then let’s start crossing the river!"
Li Meng stepped onto the raft.
"Come on, spread out to both sides and push the raft into the river!"
To make it easier to push the heavy raft into the water, Li Meng had deliberately chosen a gentle slope during its construction.
The goblin underlings quickly spread out, grabbing the pull ropes.
At Li Meng’s command, the goblin underlings exerted their strength.
The heavy raft shook slightly and began to move slowly.
Its speed increased, moving faster and faster.
"Alright, get on quickly!"
Seeing the raft sliding into the water, Li Meng urged the goblin underlings.
The goblins scrambled onto the raft in a panic.
Fortunately, no one fell into the water, and they all made it aboard.
With a loud "splash," water sprayed everywhere.
The raft successfully entered the river.
The swift current carried the raft downstream.
Li Meng grabbed a thick pole and pushed it into the water at the front of the raft.
The river was deep—nearly five meters down to the riverbed.
Amid the rushing water, Li Meng struggled to steer the raft toward the opposite bank.
The raft drifted several kilometers downstream before finally reaching the far side of the river.
At a section with calmer waters, Li Meng shouted, dropping the pole and jumping into the river.
The goblin underlings grabbed the pull ropes and jumped into the water.
The large raft was slowly dragged ashore bit by bit.
They stopped only when half the raft was onshore and could no longer be moved.
"Secure it properly—we’ll need it on the way back!"
Li Meng, not trusting the goblins, personally tied a bark rope to a large tree on the riverbank.
"Boss, you’re so smart!"
Gobuka had never thought of crossing the river this way. It was much easier than swimming.
"Let’s go, move out!"
The goblin hunting team quickly entered the forest again.
Before long, the team found itself in a valley.
"Boss, I smell something unpleasant—it’s lizardmen!"
As they walked, Gobuka made a new discovery, sniffing the air at the front of the group.
At this point, they were less than three kilometers into the forest.
Li Meng also detected a faint scent of decay.
"Are lizardmen strong?"
Gobuka looked around warily and nodded.
"Very strong. They like to live in swamps. Any creature that enters their swamp is killed."
"Sometimes they leave the swamp to hunt magical beasts. Many hunting parties have encountered them. Even though they don’t like goblin meat, they kill goblins on sight."
The *Life Simulation* didn’t predict any encounters with lizardmen.
This suggested they wouldn’t run into them.
"Let’s go around them!"
The rotten smell came from the left front, likely a swamp connected to the river.
The goblin team changed direction, heading northwest.
"Boss, boss—it’s a Gale Rabbit!"
A short while later, Gobuda ran toward Li Meng with an excited expression.
"Boss, Gale Rabbits are delicious. Let’s catch it!"
Gobuda looked at Li Meng expectantly, drooling.
Li Meng’s eyes brightened. He had been waiting for a Gale Rabbit and didn’t expect to find one so soon.
Li Meng nodded at Gobuka.
Gobuka grinned, drool dripping from his mouth.
"Hunt! Hunt! Gale Rabbit! Gale Rabbit!"
Although his words were disjointed, they excited the goblin underlings.
The goblins slowed their pace and spread out to the sides.
They had already caught the scent of the Gale Rabbit.
In the dim forest, dozens of goblins cautiously fanned out.