"Join me..."


    "Aaaah!!"


    "Become my..."


    "Aaaah!!"


    "Soldier..."


    "Aaaah!!"


    Li Qinwu''s face darkened. This idiot was completely unresponsive, just screaming nonsense.


    "SHUT UP!!"


    His roar instantly silenced the goblin. Satisfied, he was about to lay out his recruitment terms when the whelp started wailing even louder.


    "Goddammit!"


    The noise was unbearable. Enraged, Li Qinwu unleashed a flurry of slaps—WHAP! WHAP! WHAP!—until the goblin collapsed, dazed.


    Grabbing its throat, Li Qinwu glared into its yellow eyes.


    "From today, I''m your boss! You obey me, or I''ll slap you to death! Understood?!"


    The goblin nodded frantically, pure terror in its eyes.


    Li Qinwu released it and checked the ?Prisoner Management screen. The recruit option still wasn’t available.


    "What the hell? He surrendered! Why can’t I recruit him?"


    In Mount & Blade II, prisoners could be recruited over time—especially low-tier ones like this Level 0 whelp. It should’ve been instant.


    "Not enough pressure, huh?"


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Li Qinwu grinned darkly. Time for ?advanced persuasion tactics.


    "FIRE DRAGON FRUIT COMBO!"


    He punched the goblin square in the face, sending it sprawling with a bloody nose.


    "WAR STOMP!"


    A jump-kick to the chest knocked the wind out of it.


    "HEARTBREAKER KICK!"


    A final stomp to the gut made it vomit bile.


    "O-Okay! Boss! You’re my boss now!"


    Li Qinwu checked the menu again. ?Still no recruit option.


    "Still playing games with me?"


    He spotted a flicker of cunning in the goblin’s eyes.


    "Oh, you little shit!"


    Rope in hand, Li Qinwu looped it around the goblin’s neck and tossed the other end over a tree branch.


    "Let’s go kite-flying!"


    He yanked hard. The goblin’s feet left the ground, choking as it clawed at the noose. Its face turned purple, legs kicking wildly.


    After ?30 seconds of aerial acrobatics, Li Qinwu dropped it and performed makeshift CPR.


    "Submit, or we go again!"


    The goblin scrambled back, eyes wide with ?pure, unconditional fear.


    "I’m your boss now. Disobey, and it’s Fire Dragon Fruit for breakfast every day!"


    This time, the ?Recruit option finally appeared.


    [Recruit Goblin Whelp: Cost - 5 Denars]


    [Remaining Denars: 18]


    [Daily Upkeep: 1 Denar]


    "Shit, running low on funds."


    In Mount & Blade, unpaid troops would desert once morale dropped too low. His current morale was ?60—barely acceptable. More food variety would help.


    Untying the goblin, Li Qinwu tested his control.


    "Sit."


    It sat.


    "Roll."


    It rolled.


    "Slap yourself."


    Two loud ?SMACKS echoed.


    "Build a fusion reactor."


    The goblin stared blankly.


    "Ah. Only follows orders it understands."


    Still, this was ?better than expected—a fanatically loyal soldier for just ?5 Denars. With ?18 slots left, he could build a small suicide squad.


    Handing the goblin a boar tusk, Li Qinwu demonstrated spear-making:


    <ol>


    <li>Carve a straight wooden shaft.</li>


    <li>Bind the tusk with tree resin.</li>


    <li>Fire-harden the joint.</li>


    </ol>


    The goblin—now dubbed ?**"Spear-Gob"**—mimicked perfectly, producing a serviceable weapon.


    "Huh. Maybe goblins aren’t just cannon fodder."


    Legends said goblin tribes evolved ?scarily fast—starting with sticks, then stone tools, eventually forging iron and even magic weapons if left unchecked.


    Li Qinwu watched Spear-Gob proudly brandish its spear.


    "This species... might be more dangerous than I thought."