Chapter 15: Beast Pen and Breeding Room
"Gobuka, you did well. You’ve earned the right to reproduce. Go ahead!"
Here, Gobuka was the only big Goblin.
The higher the evolution level of a Goblin, the faster their offspring grow.
If they wanted to grow the population quickly, Gobuka's genes were indispensable.
Gobuka's face lit up with joy.
He looked at the female Ground Mice in the beast pen, drooling.
"Boss, I… I'm going!"
Gobuka let out a strange cry and eagerly rushed toward the beast pen.
Meanwhile, the other Goblin underlings looked at Gobuka running into the pen with envy.
Li Meng grinned and leisurely turned to leave.
Although it was a bit hard to watch, Li Meng was already used to it.
However, he wouldn’t participate himself—after all, he wasn’t entirely a Goblin.
Goblin reproduction was understandable, but as humanoid, he needed a humanoid female for him to accept it.
"Everyone, follow me!"
While Gobuka was busy reproducing, Li Meng led the Goblin underlings to start building a breeding room.
Compared to the beast pen, the breeding room had to be somewhat more comfortable.
The forest winds were freezing, and without a more enclosed environment, they might freeze to death.
Due to a shortage of manpower, building the breeding room took a full five days.
On the fifth day, a large wooden hut appeared in the forest.
The hut was constructed by stacking and binding various sizes of branches.
A big tree served as the main support structure.
It resembled a giant barrel.
The roof and outer walls were covered with dry leaves to enhance its sealing properties.
"Finally, it’s done!"
Looking at the somewhat crude breeding room in front of him, Li Meng nodded with satisfaction.
It was their first time building a wooden hut, and achieving this level was already impressive.
Though small, it was adequate for now.
If necessary, more could be built later.
Moreover, with some simplifications, such huts could be converted into comfortable Goblin dwellings.
At this moment, Gobuka came running over.
"What’s got you so happy?"
Seeing Gobuka’s excitement, Li Meng asked curiously.
Gobuka chuckled, puffing out his chest proudly.
"Boss, it seems like all three female Ground Mice are pregnant."
Li Meng’s eyes brightened with interest.
"Let’s go check it out!"
Then, Li Meng and Gobuka headed to the beast pen.
Before long, they arrived outside the pen.
Li Meng curiously observed the female Ground Mice inside, chewing on leaves.
There were quite a few of them—at least a dozen.
Among them, the bellies of three female Ground Mice were noticeably larger.
It had only been five days, yet their bellies were already so prominent.
If these three litters were born smoothly, they could produce at least thirty Goblins.
"Take those three pregnant female Ground Mice to the breeding room and take good care of them!"
Gobuka nodded and gestured to the underlings behind him.
Over ten Goblins climbed over the fence into the pen and grabbed the female Ground Mice by their ears.
The Ground Mice squealed and struggled as they were dragged out of the pen.
"Also, take this one, this one, and this one to the breeding room!"
Pregnant Ground Mice exhibit abnormal states.
The Goblins grabbed four more female Ground Mice by their ears and left the pen.
"Gobuka, is there enough food nearby?"
The biggest factor affecting the Goblin population was food supply.
With ample food, the Goblin population could swell to tens of thousands in just a few years.
"Boss, there are plenty of Ground Mouse burrows. Their scent is strong."
Ground Mice were the most common magical beasts in the forest.
In the natural world, they occupied a similar ecological niche to Earth’s mice.
However, relying solely on Ground Mice for food wasn’t feasible.
As the tribe’s population grew, their food demands would also increase.
To secure enough food, they would have to expand their hunting grounds.
Expanding hunting grounds would inevitably lead to encounters with other savage tribes in the Goblin Forest.
The ultimate result of such encounters was war.
In the depths of the Goblin Forest, battles between Goblin nests were a common occurrence.
Many Goblin nests used such battles to cull their own populations, balancing numbers with the hunting grounds.
Although food wasn’t an immediate concern, it would eventually become the tribe’s greatest development challenge.
Just then, Gobuda came rushing over.
His face was full of excitement, and his gaze at the female Ground Mice in the pen was purely greedy.
Standing before Li Meng, Gobuda patted his chest.
"Boss, I’ve evolved into a Big Goblin!"
Li Meng scrutinized Gobuda.
Not only had his attributes doubled, but his physique had become more robust.
His height had grown to 1.7 meters, giving him a powerful appearance.
Gobuda’s gaze was fixed on the female Ground Mice in the pen, drooling.
Seeing Gobuda’s lustful expression, Li Meng chuckled.
Reproducing was an instinct for Goblins.
Li Meng patted Gobuda’s shoulder, granting him the right to mate.
Gobuda cheered and leaped into the beast pen without hesitation.
Li Meng glanced at the pen, where Gobuda excitedly harassed the Ground Mice, then smiled wryly and turned to leave.
The tribe couldn’t rely solely on Gobuka’s offspring.
Otherwise, Li Meng would eventually face rebellion from his underlings.
The only solution was for Li Meng to produce his own offspring within the tribe.
He didn’t mind reproducing; he minded the choice of mate.
Even if the mate wasn’t human, it had to be at least humanoid.
Near the beast pen, Gobuka glared at Gobuda harassing the Ground Mice with disgust.
If she had known this guy could evolve into a Big Goblin, she would’ve eaten him long ago.
"Hmph, I’ll eat you sooner or later!"
A flash of malice crossed her eyes as Gobuka turned and left.
Gobuda seemed to sense Gobuka’s killing intent.
Confused, he glanced at her retreating figure.
But his lust soon overpowered his thoughts, and he focused on reproducing.
The next morning, Li Meng started another busy day.
The Goblin underlings were divided into three groups.
One group went hunting.
Another stayed in the tribe, building hut nests.
The last group followed Li Meng north toward the barren mountain.
In the northern forest, seven Goblins walked cautiously.
They sniffed the air as they moved.
Their keen sense of smell allowed them to distinguish various scents.
Suddenly, one Goblin stopped.
Its action immediately caught the attention of the others.
The other Goblins paused and turned their gazes toward it.
Li Meng crouched down and lifted a stone from the grass.