Smooth development

Crowe: "Yes, you saw correctly. I saw it too."

Ludinan remained silent, but his desire to escape began to waver again. Perhaps staying here to teach the goblins wasn't such a bad idea after all. This thought crossed his mind, mainly because he imagined what would happen if Goblo's palm strike landed on him.

'My head would probably fly off,' Ludinan thought, growing more terrified the longer he looked at Goblo.

Unbeknownst to Goblo, his simple act of renovating the enclosure had a profound impact on the four humans he had brought back.

By the end of the day, Goblo had only managed to implant all the logs into the ground and fill some gaps with stones. Fortunately, the goblins' hunting efficiency had improved significantly. In just one day, they managed to hunt 25 first-tier magical beasts.

Once the goblins grew stronger, Goblo could potentially lounge at home every day while still earning a steady income of magic crystals.

It wasn't until the third day that Goblo finally completed the enclosure. The new pen was much larger, so they captured more horned sheep, bringing the total to 97. They had nearly wiped out the local population of these creatures. Goblo chose horned sheep because they were docile, produced daily milk, their wool could be used for clothing, and their gestation period was only two months. Plus, they were the most abundant creatures near the camp.

After finishing the enclosure, Goblo planned to capture some wild cattle as the second type of livestock for the territory.

Time flew by, and another week passed. Through his and the tribe's efforts, the camp now had over a dozen small cabins, and most goblins were equipped with wooden swords. Additionally, the camp now housed three types of livestock: horned sheep, white cattle, and wild chickens.

The goblins' diet had improved significantly, with daily access to fresh milk, eggs, meat, and wild fruits. Everyone was visibly growing stronger. Although life was busier than before, none of the goblins complained.

However, things weren't entirely smooth. Goblo noticed that while the enclosure was much sturdier, the lack of a roof allowed black eagles to swoop down and snatch a horned sheep or chicken occasionally, which annoyed him greatly.

Moreover, with their bellies full, some goblins began to develop inappropriate thoughts. Despite Goblo's previous warnings, their gazes toward Vivi and Rosetta grew increasingly brazen, as if they might pounce at any moment.

A few goblins had actually lunged at Rosetta, but Goblo intervened in time and severely punished the offenders. Those goblins were still recovering in the cave, unable to do anything else.

After this incident, Goblo realized that goblins were creatures driven by strong desires and couldn't be overly suppressed. So, a few days ago, he issued a decree allowing goblins to freely pursue romantic relationships—but only after training hours.

However, due to the actions of the lower-ranking goblins, the four humans in the camp grew increasingly uneasy.

Although Rosetta was the one who had been attacked, she was mentally resilient and hid her unease, even comforting Vivi. With Rosetta's reassurance, Vivi's emotions gradually stabilized.

Listening to their conversation outside the cabin, Goblo nodded in satisfaction. These two girls were emotionally stable and could be spared.

Then he glanced toward the direction of the two men's cabin. He wasn't sure about Crowe's thoughts, but Ludinan definitely couldn't stay any longer.

Goblo had recently noticed that Ludinan had been familiarizing himself with the camp's layout, clearly planning an escape. If he tried to escape a year later, Goblo wouldn't mind. By then, with his current rate of improvement, he would likely reach leader-level strength. With his skill proficiency, he could easily handle elite-level opponents, giving him the ability to protect himself.

But for now, exposure was too dangerous.

'I'll find an opportunity to deal with him,' Goblo thought silently.

Meanwhile, inside the cabin, as Goblo had suspected, Ludinan was watching his leg heal and already plotting his escape.

"Crowe, my injury is almost healed. Let's discuss how to escape, shall we?"

"Are you insane? Don't you know how strong the chieftain is? He could turn us into paste with one strike."

"I know, but have you forgotten the way those goblins look at us? Those disgusting green creatures, they want to..." Ludinan trailed off, but Crowe understood his meaning.

Recently, even the female goblins had been eyeing them with desire. Being stared at by such ugly green creatures was indeed nauseating.

Seeing Crowe waver, Ludinan pressed on, "I've noticed that while the valley seems to have only one exit guarded by goblins, the deeper parts of the valley are completely devoid of goblin activity. There might be a way out there."

After Ludinan finished speaking, Crowe looked at him in disbelief, only to see madness in his eyes. It was then that Crowe finally understood.

Although they hadn't been in the valley for long, Ludinan's constant injuries, the presence of monsters everywhere, and his fanatical devotion to the church made it impossible for him to accept living alongside these creatures. His mind had been tormented, and under the dual pressures of physical and mental strain, Ludinan had gone mad. He no longer wanted to live—he just wanted to escape.

As he thought this, Ludinan pulled out a cross and began praying in the corner of the room.

Seeing Ludinan's state, Crowe didn't try to dissuade him. Survival was the priority now. As long as they lived, there was still hope of escape. Besides, Goblo had treated them fairly well, providing for their basic needs.

'Escaping into the depths of the valley? That's insane,' Goblo thought, listening to their conversation. He had expected a better escape plan from them.