Forests Don't Support Idle Goblins

"The next year?" Charles leaned back in his chair, holding a cup of tea in his hands. He was drinking chrysanthemum tea from the archipelago, which tasted even better with a little honey added.

"Yes, I overheard their conversation a few times in the inner room of the reception room." Yunxia took a sip of the honey water in the wooden cup in front of her. "It's very sweet, and tastes good."

"Thank you for the compliment, but this honey certainly can't compare to what you get at the Earl's mansion." Charles looked at the little fairy hugging the wooden cup. She had just had the chains removed from her ankles and still seemed a little out of sorts.

"No, it's already very good," Yunxia pointed to her chest where her heart was, "It's sweet here."

Charles smiled and nodded, then asked, "Do they have any other schemes? I mean, besides preparing to go to Torch City to curry favor with the nobles of the capital?"

"No, that's all." Yunxia lowered her head to think, and a few seconds later, she shook her head.

"I roughly understand." Charles swallowed a mouthful of tea, then looked at the table in front of him, where there was a piece of paper with a somewhat hastily drawn route to the fortress.

This route map was probably drawn by the escaped member of the Storm Brotherhood. Charles couldn't be sure if the Earl's mansion had a copy, but he guessed it probably didn't. The paper on this route map was rough, had a strange smell, and several black fingerprints on it. Given Philip's personality, if he had a route map drawn on clean white paper that smelled of perfume, he would never choose to carry this dirty one with him.

"Something's going to happen in the Kingdom of Fran." Charles put down his teacup, crossed his arms, and leaned back in his chair, contemplating the future situation. "The old king is getting on in years, and it looks like the second and third princes are vying for the throne."

King Edmund IV of the Kingdom of Fran is now quite old. In his youth, he was a womanizer. He has three sons. The eldest prince's mother was the sister of the Grand Duke of the North, but she died young, which led to the eldest son being neglected and becoming somewhat unruly.

The second prince's mother also came from a prominent family, which led to some struggles over the succession to the throne. Twenty years ago, the second prince's mother was found dead in her bed from poisoning. Someone accused the eldest prince of hiring someone to kill her, but all the evidence pointed to the eldest prince, and the old king had no choice but to order him to be imprisoned forever.

"They were definitely framed," Charles scoffed. "An old trick of the nobility."

After the old king remarried, he had a third prince. The third prince's mother's family was not very powerful, but now it seems that she also has some ideas.

"A poodle." He recalled his memories of his interactions with the Third Prince, a "classmate" who loved to show off and always liked to flaunt himself in front of girls. Not everyone liked him, but there were some sycophants who surrounded him. "What was his name again? Theodore."

On the contrary, the second prince had a very good reputation among the nobles and ministers. When Charles was studying in Plantagenet City, he often heard people mention him, and they all spoke of him with admiration.

"Both sides are trying to seize the throne." He twirled his thumb around, his mind filled with more thoughts about his family's tragedy. "I don't know which side coveted our family's territory, but they directly accused us of treason. Sure enough, the saying 'possessing a treasure is a crime' can happen anywhere."

However, he did hope that the Kingdom of Fran would fall into chaos. He didn't want to take advantage of the situation, since if they sent out a knightly order, he and his men would be overwhelmed. He just wanted to take advantage of the chaos among the various factions so that he could develop his own power base in the forest. "Ideally, I could get that old bastard Valentine to move around and stop him from always loitering on the edge of Nightmare Forest."

"By the way," after analyzing the intelligence, Sharl looked at Yunxia, ​​who was tasting honey water, with great interest, "are you settling into your accommodations here? It's completely different from where you used to live on the ground."

"Very good, safe."

"That's good." Charles was relieved. He had just been dragged to the Red Bull by Sancia and witnessed Yunsia cast the Natural Wind spell. After removing the chains, the powerful magic caused many Red Bull mushrooms to grow continuously on a single mycelium. This ability was equivalent to that of more than a dozen little fairies.

With Yunsia's help, the growth of the Red Bull mushrooms will be even more promising, and with the blessing of the earth and the god of life, Red Bull powder will soon be produced stably.

Goblins no longer need Red Bull to power them, but this stuff is actually quite good when mixed with a little honey and water.

"Is there really no way to sell them?"

"Charles," Agatha called out, coming to the table. "I've seen all that equipment. It's of excellent quality. The armor is made of fine lightweight steel and has been given magical protection."

After taking a few deep breaths, her pale face improved slightly. "They're all good stuff, but they smell awful."

"Let the goblins refresh a few more times, they'll eventually wash it off." Charles said apologetically, quickly pouring Agatha a cup of tea.

"However, they are all engraved with the family crest of a black lion's head, which is troublesome. No one in Giesecke & Swan will buy them or modify them." Agatha picked up her tea to test the temperature, then took a big gulp.

"That's a problem, we'll just have to keep it for now." Charles didn't have any other choice. He really liked Philip's armor; the workmanship was excellent, the materials were superb, and it even had beautiful patterns. But he figured if he wore it, it would probably turn into an oversized "iron skirt."

"By the way, what about that young master from the Valentine family? Have you dealt with him?" Agatha asked, frowning. "There must be a body on him, and the Earl's mansion has probably already found him."

"Don't worry." Xia Er glanced at Yunxia, ​​who was drinking honey water. While she was meeting with her family, he had already led his men to transport the 21 corpses to the ant's nest through the portal.

He led his men in a hurry, piling the corpses at the entrance of the Spider Canteen, placing Philip's at the very bottom, believing that the two races were probably having a great time fighting over them.

"I've put him in the best place."

…………

In the study of the Earl's castle in Black Lion City, the elderly Earl Valentine impatiently interrupted his subordinate's report, "It's just a matter of missing a tax collector; we can just hire another one. What's the Adventurers' Guild in Goat's Horn up to?"

"They reported that a large number of goblins have appeared in the forest and may raid the surrounding villages in winter," a clerk said, bowing as he held up the report.

"Useless indeed, can't even handle mere goblins." The count, with his fine goatee and gaunt cheeks, tapped the table with his fingers. "Tell them I understand."

"You just imposed a winter defense distribution tax on the territory. If goblin raids occur now..." the scribe tried to explain the current situation.

"Hmph," Count Valentine snorted, "send a letter to Philip, informing him to deal with those goblins before he returns."

"What a bunch of useless fools." He slammed his fist on the table. More important matters needed his attention now. "That shipment of gold coins must have set off by now. Has there been any reply from the Third Prince yet?"

"My lord, not yet."

"Once Philip returns, we'll arrange for a convoy to go to Plantagenet. You should check our supplies again in the next few days and report back to me as soon as possible. Winter is a good time to train the soldiers."

"Yes, sir."

"Has that guy still not been caught?" Valentine glanced at the report on the table, which included a portrait of Ricardo and the results of the investigation into his escape from the dungeon.

"I'm sorry, sir, the security forces are conducting a full-scale manhunt for this person, but so far there has been no news."

"I told Philip long ago to be careful of these rats in the gutter, but he still got fooled," the Earl said with a hint of disappointment. "Well, it's good that he handles it himself; he'll gain more combat experience, which will be beneficial for the future."

"That kind of trash opponent is perfect for him to practice against." Valentine stroked his goatee, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Suddenly, he felt a strong palpitation, as if someone had ripped a piece of flesh from his heart with a knife. The intense chest tightness made it difficult for him to breathe, and the dizziness only exacerbated the discomfort.

"Your Excellency, what's wrong?" The clerk immediately noticed that the Earl was in trouble and quickly stepped forward to help him.

"I'm fine." Count Valentine pressed his chest and took several deep breaths to calm himself down. He didn't know why he was suddenly like this.

"Knock, knock, knock," came a rapid knocking sound. At the count's signal, the clerk quickly went to open the door.

"My lord, the Church of Earth and Life has arrived. They demand to see you immediately," a guard said anxiously.

"Let them in."

Before long, two people dressed in high-ranking church robes entered the study. They bowed deeply and said, "Your Excellency, we have just sensed that your son Philip is in danger and his life may be coming to an end."

"What did you say?" Valentine jumped up from his velvet chair and walked a few steps to the church staff member, glaring at him angrily.

"The magic has reacted; your child may..."

"Impossible! My child may have left Black Lion City, but he had at least 20 guards with him. How could something have happened to him?" Valentine stared wide-eyed at the church personnel. "Who did it?"

"Uh, a natural death, no signs of a murderer."

With a loud bang, Count Valentine kicked a velvet chair away. "I don't believe it."

"That's true." The church staff member bowed again.

"Obodo, immediately issue my order to summon the Knights," Valentine said through gritted teeth, emphasizing each word. "I will find him myself."

"I will definitely tear the murderer to pieces."