Chapter 31

Nothing better than the smell of barbecue and the feeling of indisputable victory in the morning. The sun is high in the sky and a smile that's just as bright as on a certain king's face. Kane was very happy and how could he not be? The kobolds surrendered and he did not lose a single man. Only one goblin was wounded after tripping over its own feet. After the kobold surrendered Kane gave them an offer to serve him and they readily agreed. Most creatures in this forest respect the strong and Kane wouldn't haven't any other way. His army would keep growing and soon no one would stand in his way.

The chief of the kobolds was actually really old but he seemed to know how the circle of life worked. He lead the negations with Kane and was the one to convince his tribesmen to join Kane. He was actually very smart and knew it would be better to join Kane than being killed off. And he knew about the mine and its worth. Kane was happy because the chief gave him a rundown of what the mine head. It was full of common ores like iron and copper but had things like steel and other metals from this world. Some would be very useful. Kane had a feeling that this is worth more than a gold mine. It would serve him perfectly.

Kulbo the kobold chief was very helpful and Kane would make sure to reward him at a later date. Kane had some men start to fix up the camp and reinforce it to make it stronger. He did not want anyone to take the mine from him. He would make sure the camp becomes as strong as a garrison and as productive as a modern-day factory. Another good thing about goblins reproducing very fast and a lot are that he could make them a large workforce. They may not be strong but they are many and together can be as strong as a troll. Plus Kane and the Romans will be able to help by using some very nice inventions to help. Kane already knew that Annius had knowledge about the Romans' cranes. These cranes would be built to help- do some heavy lifting.

Kane also planned to use the kobolds as scouts, hunters, guards, and soldiers. They were good with the spear and could be useful for his forces and for the kingdom. It was a shame that the kobolds did not reproduce as much as goblins.

Kobolds were also primitive and only had stone tools and weapons. They wore almost nothing but furs covering their little brothers and sisters. Kane would have some proper weapons made and maybe some custom armor too.

Kane and Kulbo made a few plans for the kobolds before Kane left to head back to the Iron Rose Kingdom. He had accomplished a lot but still needed to do more. He wanted more troops and he was tempted to summon more dwarves. They were good at smithing, mining, and fighting so they would help out a lot. He would talk to Rubyminer about it later. It was a shame that no dwarves lived nearby.

Back at the castle, Kane updated Alfred on the recent events. Alfred informed him of some other scout's reports. Some wargs have been found and would soon be captured for breeding and taming. Other goblin tribes had been found and either destroyed or conquered. Alfred also reported that a merchant had reached out to conduct business with the new king. This interested Kane a lot and he told Alfred to set up a meeting tomorrow.

Kane was tired and sore so he decided to call it a night. He ate dinner and went to bed. The only shame was that he did not have a bath. Eventually, he wanted to make a spa but that could be left for the future. For now, stretching and massaging his muscles would have to do.