Forests Don't Support Idle Goblins

"Teacher, please try this." Vivian respectfully placed a cup of yellowish-brown drink in front of her teacher.

"Have you finished sweeping the magic tower?" The long-bearded old mage in a blue robe glanced at his apprentice and the cup on the table.

"I've finished half of it," Vivian said cautiously. Ever since she used her teacher's savings to buy Uncle Musa a boat and a cargo, she had been punished by her teacher to clean the magic tower every day.

"When can I go to Nightmare Forest?" She stood in front of the teacher with her head down, fiddling with her hands in front of her, while secretly glancing at the teacher, just like a child who hadn't done her homework but wanted to go out and play.

"You're quite capable, managing merchant ships." The old mage sneered. He had a lot of savings and didn't really mind Vivian spending that little bit of money. He was just afraid that she would be too aggressive and expose herself. After all, Torch City was in chaos right now, with several factions desperately trying to gain benefits. If anyone discovered a wanted criminal from the Melo family, they would definitely do everything in their power to capture him.

"Teacher, I was wrong," Vivian immediately whispered, admitting her mistake.

"Are you sure your brother is in Nightmare Forest?" The old mage sighed, picked up the cup on the table, and took a sip.

"Yes, I tried divination again yesterday, and it showed that I'm still in the Nightmare Forest." Vivian immediately looked up and answered. She felt that her teacher's attitude seemed different today, and she might agree to her request.

"Your current strength is not enough to fulfill your ideas." The old mage shook his head, took another sip of the yellow drink in his cup, and found that it tasted quite good.

"But I'm already a mage apprentice, and besides," Vivian said anxiously, "my brother has been missing for a long time, and I recently heard that many adventurers have died in Sheephorn."

The old mage did not speak immediately, but quietly looked at his student. After a few seconds, he said, "Is it your family's captain of the knight guard? I think his name is Musa, right?"

"Yes, it's Uncle Musa." Vivian knew who her teacher meant was gathering information for her, so she nodded. "He also brought this drink back, saying it's a specialty of Giethoorn, called something like 'Red Bull'."

"He is a trustworthy person," the old monk said slowly, nodding. "The drink tastes quite good too."

"Then teacher, am I...?" Vivian asked tentatively after hearing the teacher's answer.

"No way." The old monk finished his Red Bull in one gulp and said decisively.

"But my brother..."

"Your brother will be fine. I just spoke to that old bastard Afif a few days ago." The old mage held his cup, deliberately ignoring his anxious disciple.

"I have already used divination, teacher."

"It's not divination," the old master turned to his disciple, a helpless look in his eyes, "it's prophecy. Your brother will not be in any danger for the foreseeable future."

"Really?" Vivian's eyes widened immediately. She knew that the arcane mage Afif's divination spells were always accurate, and her own current arcane magic skills were far from being able to learn divination.

"Yes, I've suffered quite a loss trying to help you," the old mage said with a smile, his teeth even clenching slightly as he spoke. "That old bastard, I haven't even settled the score with him yet, and he dares to ask me for an exorbitant amount."

"That's great, thank you, teacher." Vivian bowed deeply. Hearing this news relieved her a lot, but more than that, she wanted to see her brother Charles standing in front of her.

"Sigh," the old mage said, looking at the lingering worry on his disciple's brow. "In a while, I will personally take you to the City of Goldflowers to see Afif. There you can ask him about arcane magic and have him make a prediction for you."

"Wouldn't it be dangerous to go to the capital?" Vivian blinked her bright eyes, looking at her teacher hopefully.

"With two high-ranking archmages guarding you, what could possibly happen?" The old mage chuckled, completely disregarding his disciple's words.

"Also," he thought for a moment, then earnestly instructed his disciple, "never think of sneaking out and going to the Nightmare Forest; it's not safe there."

"Not safe?" Vivian asked, puzzled. "Isn't the Nightmare Forest just a bunch of goblins? Can't a few fire arrows take them down?"

"No, it's not goblins. If it were just goblins, no one would care," the old mage said seriously, looking at his disciple. "Someone is conducting experiments in the forest, biological experiments."

"A biological experiment?"

"Hmm," the old mage turned his head and glanced at the bookshelf beside him, "Someone is delusional about permanently solving the problem of the plague, but his approach is too radical and completely disregards human life. He has now been expelled from the Spell Union."

"The Spell Union? Is that the highest magical alliance made up of high-ranking archmages and high-ranking warlocks?" Vivian exclaimed. "If that's the case, that person is incredibly powerful."

"Yes, very strong, only slightly weaker than your teacher, me." The old mage finished speaking and raised his head slightly.

Vivian looked at the teachers in front of her and secretly sighed. They were all quite old, yet they were still comparing themselves to each other. However, she immediately caught the key point in the teacher's words: "Solve the plague? Isn't the plague incurable?"

"Yes, this person wanted to use various toxins to stimulate the body in order to fight against the plague." The old mage raised his hand, and then several lines shimmering with blue light outlined several creatures in front of the two of them. "Unfortunately, he failed, lost many lives, and one of his breeding grounds was destroyed by Valentine, the border count of the Kingdom of Fran."

"I see," Vivian nodded and said, "but if it can really solve the problem of the demonic plague, it should cause a sensation throughout the entire magical world."

"First of all, the plague is incurable," the teacher said, flicking his finger. The few creatures that had been drawn exploded into starlight and fell away. "Secondly, if someone really solves the plague, he will indeed be grateful to all magicians, but he will also become the subject of research for many magicians or sorcerers."

Upon hearing her teacher's words, Vivian suddenly remembered hearing that some dark sorcerers would extract people's souls and study their memories and past in an attempt to find what they wanted.

"You're right." She hugged herself, feeling a chill.

"Alright, now that you know, don't leave the magic tower for the time being. Focus on practicing your shaping magic." The old mage waved his hand at his disciple with a stern face, and then Vivian was blown out of the room by a gust of wind.

With a "bang," the room door slammed shut, and the old monk's voice came from inside, "Don't forget to deliver food to Mamadu."

Vivian stuck out her tongue. The orc boy was locked in the basement by his teacher and was making clay statues as instructed by the teacher. He was not allowed to leave the basement until he had made enough statues.

She knew this was the teacher punishing Mamadou while simultaneously training his earth element coordination.

"Okay, I'll take him some food later," Vivian called out from outside the door, then turned and walked down the stairs.

"Thank goodness, my brother is safe in the future, so I can rest assured," she said, patting her chest and letting out a soft sigh. "But I can let Uncle Musa go to Girthtown again. I didn't expect that the last voyage would actually make a lot of money."

Vivian smiled, recalling how her brother used to laugh at her for losing all the funds in her "White Shell" trading company.

"And this 'Red Bull' looks pretty good; the teacher seems to like drinking it." She brewed a large cup of yellow Red Bull powder for the old master, which Uncle Musa had told her was a local specialty given to him by a merchant from Giethoorn when he met him before.

"Next, I need to seriously study magic. After worrying for so many days, I need to get a good night's sleep first," she said with a smile, cupping her face in her hands.

As night fell, an aged yet spirited voice echoed within the magic tower: "Vivian, don't sleep, get up and continue your magic practice."

"No, teacher, I'm so sleepy."

"What's wrong? Drink a Red Bull you made, and you'll find that you have the energy to communicate with the elements again."

"But teacher, I want to sleep."

"Don't sleep. On the path of magic, one either progresses or regresses. Now that we have such a good thing to keep you alert, how can you slack off? Go and make yourself a Red Bull."

"Teacher, there's no Red Bull left, not a single drop."

"Here you go, this is my deposit slip. Tell Knight Musa to buy more, a lot more."

"No, teacher."

…………

"No, I've already told you everything."

In Black Lion City, in a dark alley, Ricardo was tightly bound by an astral serpent.

"It's not easy to find you," Alma said with a hint of mockery, concealing herself in her black cloak. "Not only are you exceptionally vigilant, but you also find those unnoticed corners to hide in every few days."

"If it weren't for my summoned beast constantly searching for your scent, you might have actually managed to slip out of Black Lion City."

"Spare me, please," Ricardo gasped, feeling the python tighten its grip.

"Tell me what you experienced in the ruins?" Alma asked calmly.

"Didn't I tell you everything? It was Master Philip who asked me personally back then," Ricardo said haltingly.

"I am not from the Earl's mansion." Alma shook her finger, and the python tightened its grip even more.

"I'll talk, I'll talk," Ricardo struggled to say, his neck was wrapped tightly, and he couldn't shout at all.

Soon after, he recounted his entire experience with the Brotherhood of Storms.

"A fruit that explodes?" Alma exclaimed, interrupting Ricardo's narration.

I'm currently reading Chapter 138, "Red Bull's First Commercial Use," and I'm completely engrossed in it.