Forests Don't Support Idle Goblins

"Try it on a monkey and you'll see." Agatha stretched out her long, slender fingers, pinched the bottle of medicine, and put it back on the shelf.

Charles chuckled, glancing at the rat leaping and bounding in the cage beside him. The rat was now a whole size bigger, with increased strength and agility. He even thought that if he caught it in a mousetrap, it could use its hands to support itself on the trap and push up and down, turning it into a piece of exercise equipment.

"Okay, I'll have them catch a few monkeys." Charles nodded, but he knew that monkeys were not easy to catch now. He had caught quite a few before to use for climbing the swaying trees, but now as soon as the goblins approached the monkey area, they would shake the branches and squawk and curse in a very unpleasant way.

He felt that these monkeys were somewhat ungrateful. He had been doing his best to maintain the stability of the monkey troop, and those who willingly fell into the trap were all nearly adult male monkeys. If he captured them, the monkey king would not be challenged, and there would be no fighting among the monkey troop.

In the end, he only captured half of the monkeys in the troop.

"You continue studying the ancient runes, I'm going to check on the goblins." Charles smiled and left.

He said goodbye and headed towards the underground river platform. On the way, he saw something hanging from the bottom of a small wooden house on the stone chamber wall.

These wooden houses were made by toy makers that Charles contacted through Mary. They were miniature, exquisite dollhouses. These wooden houses had four or five floors. Except for the dolls, they were fully equipped with tables, chairs, beds, cabinets, bowls, and boxes. They were just the right size for the little fairies, and hanging them on the wall saved space.

There are already seven or eight wooden houses hanging on the wall, and there are still many orders to be placed. I believe the toy makers will be busy until next spring, by which time these little fairies will no longer need to live in thatched huts.

Charles walked over and saw that what was hanging below the wooden house was actually Sancho, who was bound by a thin rope and hung there as a "public display".

"What happened? Did your father punish you?" Charles asked with a smile.

"Mm." Sansio nodded.

"I didn't say anything." Ciel said with an expression that said it was none of my business.

"It was my own fault for being so talkative. I shouldn't have told the chubby boy. He promised me he wouldn't tell, but I didn't expect it to get out so quickly." Shan Xiao sighed regretfully.

"See, I told you not to tell anyone." Charles flicked his finger, and Sansio, who was suspended by the rope, swung back and forth.

"I just couldn't hold back the fact that I've accomplished such a feat," Sansio said, pacing back and forth as if he were on a pirate ship at an amusement park.

"So your father tied you up here?" Charles flicked the wrist again.

"It's my mother, stop playing it!" Sansio shouted.

Charles laughed heartily, ignoring the little fairy's threat, flicked a few more times, and then turned and left.

There was something he didn't tell Sansio: he saw a status on the other person's panel that appeared after this incident.

[The Tree People's Favor: Your courage is praised by the Tree People, your wisdom resounds in the forest on the breeze, and from now on, your natural magic will grow at a much faster rate than before.]

"This brat has actually turned misfortune into a blessing in disguise," Charles chuckled softly.

He soon arrived at the underground river platform, where White Hair and several female goblins were preparing lunch.

Charles glanced over and saw Nine Fingers lying on the shore, with a small pot not far away, probably containing White Hair's new recipe.

Upon seeing this, he quickly moved a few steps to the side, moving away from Nine Fingers.

In the corner sat a large iron basin, now filled with animal entrails.

Charles looked around, then took out a small bronze bell from the bag behind him, the one Agatha had told him to use to summon Lupus.

"Clang, clang," Charles rang the bronze bell.

A black rift appeared, and the Astral Hound sprang out and sat down in front of Shire.

"Eat quickly, your master isn't here," Charles said immediately. He and Lupus had hidden behind a rock to prevent Agatha from looking for him.

Lupus buried his head in the iron basin and devoured the offal.

Ciel knew that dogs were social creatures, loyal to their owners but also respecting the strongest members of the group. Ciel knew he couldn't replace Agatha as her master; he just wanted to see if the Astral Hound would consider him a "dog king," since he was constantly providing food for Lupus.

If things really go as he wants, and Lupus becomes his loyal "subordinate," he can grant the ability [Lust] to the Astral Hound, and then just wait for Lupus to bring back a family from the Astral Plane.

"Eat more, hehehe." Charles smiled brightly.

He'll have to check on Bucktooth later. Yesterday, Ciel bestowed the [Natural Wind] upon Bucktooth, and he doesn't know if it's awakened yet.

"That guy is so smart and eager to learn, there shouldn't be any problems. We can have him take some goblins to take care of the tree people, and we can have a stable food production next year."

…………

"Can't I really meet your boss?" The archipelago merchant Salmu looked at the order form in his hand. "Although you have indeed finished supplying those healing potions, you've now ordered half a ship's worth of honey. I want to discuss this with them in person."

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Salmu, neither of them are in Gieshorn," Mary said apologetically.

"That's such a shame," Salmu sighed.

"Would you be willing to accept this order for half a ship's worth of honey?" Mary asked politely.

"I accept, but I have a request: everything must be paid for with healing potions, and I'd like a buy-10-get-2-free offer." Salmu looked up at Mary, anticipating her reply.

"This price?" Mary hesitated for a moment. Her boss, Charles, had told her that he could offer a 30% discount if the customer placed a large order. "Sure, I can specify that in the order contract."

Mr. Salmu was slightly taken aback; he hadn't expected the other party to agree so readily. However, since the words had already been spoken, he couldn't take them back and had no choice but to agree to the price.

For him, this price was very profitable. If he weren't responsible for finding the young master, he would have liked to make a few more trips.

"You need to prepare the goods as soon as possible. I hope to be able to discuss the details with your boss in person next time I come." Salmu signed the contract and stamped it with his seal.

"Okay, I'll pass on your message," Mary said with a slight bow.

"Ding-a-ling," the door to the alchemy workshop was pushed open, and a lean adventurer walked in. "Excuse me, do you still offer a buy-10-get-1-free deal on healing potions?"

"Yes, how many bottles do you need?" Mary asked with a smile.

"Take 11 bottles." The adventurer took out coins from the pocket at his waist.

"Are you heading into the forest?" Mr. Salmu asked with a smile, sizing up the other person.

"Ah, yes." The adventurer glanced at the other person and answered instinctively.

"Winter is here, it should be much safer in the forest now," Salmu asked.

"No, not at all," the adventurer shook his head and sighed. "It's been quite dangerous lately; I don't know where a bunch of goblins came from."

"Goblins?" Salmu asked with great interest.

"Yes, a large group of goblins, gathered together, would be difficult for a small adventurer team of four or five to deal with."

Mary calmly packed her things, but listened attentively to their conversation.

"Aren't goblins easy to deal with? I've heard many adventurers say they can wipe out a whole goblin nest with ease," Salmu said with a smile, looking at the somewhat dejected adventurer.

The lean adventurer tapped the counter and said loudly, "These goblins are strange. They seem to be able to anticipate our arrival and then charge at us all at once. There's also a goblin ghost among them, which is very difficult to deal with. I heard that quite a few people have been killed. The guild has already reported this to the Earl's Mansion."

"Didn't the Storm Brotherhood already clear out the goblins once when they came before?" Salmu said.

"Don't even mention them. They've vanished without a trace, like they've evaporated into thin air. I heard the security team is searching for them everywhere, and people in the ear-cleaning tavern are saying they went into the forest and were killed by some powerful monster."

"A powerful monster?" Salmu raised an eyebrow, quite curious.

"Of course, some say they encountered a group of beholders, others say they ran into a large group of mind flayers, there are all sorts of rumors, anyway, it's a monster that people like us who kill goblins every day wouldn't dare to touch." The adventurer shrugged and spread his hands.

"Speaking of which, I have an old friend whose child also became an adventurer. I don't know if you've met him, but he's very tall, with blond hair, green eyes, and a handsome face..." Salmu smiled and gestured to describe Charles Mello's human appearance.

"Uh, I don't really remember. You know, there are a lot of adventurers, and I may not have met them all," the adventurer said, waving his hand.

"Alright, sorry to bother you, thank you for satisfying my curiosity." Salmu bowed slightly.

"No, no, it's nothing," the adventurer quickly replied.

"Hello, here's your healing potion." Mary quickly handed over the goods after the two finished their conversation.

Soon, the adventurer and Salmu left the "Undying" alchemy workshop one after the other. Mary glanced at the door through the glass, then took out her notebook from the counter.

"A large group of goblins has appeared on the outskirts of the forest, including a goblin ghost. This group of goblins has already killed many adventurers."

"The Adventurers' Guild has already reported this information, and the Earl's Mansion may send someone to handle it."

"Also, the security forces are searching everywhere for the Brotherhood of Storms. I suggest not selling those equipment for now, or moving them out of the territory."

After writing it down, she thought for a moment and then wrote down Salmu's order details on the paper.

"Ding-a-ling," the workshop door was pushed open, and another customer walked in.

Do you have any healing potions here?

Mary closed the notebook, smiling as she looked at the client in front of her. The client was very strong, wearing exquisite armor, with neatly combed blond hair, completely different from ordinary adventurers. Moreover, a black lion's head was carved on the chest of his armor.

"Yes, how many bottles do you need?" Mary asked politely.