Chapter 169: Skurg
In less than two years, the entire Goblin Forest will become part of the tribe's territory.
Since the end of the Demon Clan incident, Li Meng hadn't been idle.
He began to develop the textile industry.
Ghost Spider Silk was a good material, and the fabric woven from it was comparable to silk.
The tribe might be barbaric, but Li Meng hoped that it would also become more civilized.
At the very least, their clothing should not be so primitive.
The idle female Lizardmen finally found something to do.
In the Throne Hall, a simple loom was clanking and creaking as it worked.
A female Lizardman was fumbling awkwardly in front of the loom, weaving fabric.
"Well, it's not bad. Gobuda, you did a good job!"
The leader's praise made Gobuda grin obsequiously.
"Boss, what's this thing for?"
Gobuda curiously examined the loom, its wheel spinning steadily.
"It's for weaving cloth. Soon, you'll be able to wear comfortable clothes."
Armor alone was actually not very comfortable to wear.
It would rub against the skin.
Over time, it would cause injuries.
So, the Goblins stuffed animal hides beneath their armor.
Although the hides prevented the armor from chafing their skin, they were very uncomfortable and hot to wear.
"Boss, what's 'clothes'?"
"Clothes are something you wear, made of fabric. They're lighter, thinner, and more comfortable than animal hides."
Gobuda's eyes lit up.
He committed the word "clothes" to memory.
"Go now, and make a thousand more looms like this one!"
Gobuda did some mental math.
One loom was one loom, ten looms were ten, ten sets of ten made a hundred looms.
A thousand looms would be ten sets of a hundred!
Gobuda's face fell, and he turned to leave with a mournful look.
This thing was too hard to make.
Some were assembled so loosely that they had to be remade.
"Vanessa, your Elves have similar things, don't they?"
Vanessa, standing beside Li Meng, looked at the small loom in awe.
She nodded, her face full of admiration as she gazed at Ammon.
"Ammon, you're so clever. You actually managed to make such a simple and compact loom. The Elves do have something similar, but ours isn't this small or convenient. How did you think of this?"
Li Meng grinned and tapped his head.
"Who knows? I just figured it out after a bit of thought."
Ammon's response made Vanessa smile knowingly.
Of course, she knew he was just brushing her off.
But there was no need to dig into it.
"Alright, put this thing away and let the Princesses consorts play with it when they're bored."
Hearing this, the female Lizardman quickly stopped working.
She picked up the loom and hurriedly left.
Stretching lazily, Li Meng strode outside.
Exiting through the main gate, he stood outside, bathed in the scorching sunlight.
"Vanessa, I'm going to the Ogre Mountains. Do you want to come with me?"
Although in the future timeline, he hadn't gone to the Ogre Mountains, Benben had been gone for a year, and Li Meng couldn't wait any longer.
He had to go to the Ogre Mountains to see for himself.
Maybe Benben was in danger and waiting to be rescued.
Vanessa stepped out of the gate behind Li Meng.
"I'll go with you. The Princess consorts can look after things here."
The Princess consorts in the Lizardman tribe all had significant identities.
They were either elders' companions or elders' relatives.
Their status allowed them to manage the female Lizardmen of the Throne Tribe very well.
"Alright, we'll leave tomorrow!"
Time passed bit by bit, and soon the day was over.
The next morning, Li Meng set out with Vanessa, leaving the Throne Tribe.
The two traveled north toward the Ogre Mountains.
---
In the afternoon, among the rolling mountains.
In a valley, two figures could be seen running—one large and one small.
The large figure had green skin and a tall, muscular build.
The smaller one was tall and agile.
The two were Li Meng and Vanessa.
After entering the Ogre Mountains, they traversed peaks and ridges.
Both were strong, so the steep terrain wasn't an obstacle.
"Woof woof!"
Just then, a sound resembling a dog's bark echoed ahead.
The two instinctively stopped.
Slowing their steps, they approached the source of the sound.
As they got closer, they hid behind a large boulder.
"Ammon, it looks like Skurgs!"
Peeking out from behind the boulder, they watched the scene ahead.
In a flat area within the valley, two round, red creatures were biting at each other.
They looked like chubby meatballs, about half a meter in diameter.
They had two legs and ran like dinosaurs.
Their bodies were mostly mouths.
The two Skurgs would sometimes pull apart and then slam into each other.
[Skurg]
[Level: 14]
[Strength: 21]
[Defense: 27]
[Agility: 97]
[Magic: 31]
[Metamorphosis: LV4]
"Woof woof!"
At that moment, one of the Skurgs let out a roar.
It turned and began repeatedly smashing itself against the rocks at the edge of the platform.
After three strikes, something strange happened.
The Skurg seemed to become enraged.
Its entire body turned redder.
Its round body suddenly swelled like a balloon.
Each time it smashed itself, it expanded further.
From half a meter, it grew to two meters tall.
The other Skurg wasn't willing to lose out.
It also began smashing itself against a rock.
After a few strikes, it too grew several times larger.
Seeing this, Li Meng's eyes lit up.
Wasn't this the skill he'd been dreaming of?
Li Meng stepped out from behind the boulder and revealed himself.
"Hey, woof woofs! Come over here, come on!"
Li Meng clicked his tongue, calling them as if summoning dogs.
His sudden appearance startled the Skurgs.
They looked at Li Meng in unison, then became furious and roared.
The arrival of a third party made the Skurgs abandon their fight with each other.
The two two-meter-tall Skurgs charged at Li Meng aggressively.
Seeing them approach, Li Meng grinned.
"Good boys, come here, woof woofs!"
Li Meng walked forward, opening his arms.
Vanessa smiled behind him.
How could mere Skurgs be a match for Ammon?
One Skurg bounced closer to Li Meng.
It opened its giant, tooth-filled mouth and chomped down on Li Meng's upper body.
"Woof woof, your mouth stinks!"
With Li Meng's upper body in its mouth, he held his nose in disgust.
The Skurg's teeth clamped onto Li Meng, but they didn't hurt him at all.
The Steel Body skill had toughened his skin.
It wasn't easy to break through his defenses.
Li Meng grabbed the Skurg's teeth with both hands.
He pried its mouth open effortlessly.
Then he kicked it in the belly with his right foot.
"Argh!"
With a loud thud, the Skurg flew through the air, howling as it went.