Forests Don't Support Idle Goblins

"Coo coo." A bird chirping sound rang out.

Little John stopped fiddling with the grass and took out the map.

"This is pretty much it." He compared it carefully.

The area lacked head markers, leaving him unsure whether he had actually reached the designated location.

Little John tucked the sheepskin map back into his pocket, took out his water pouch, and took a sip.

"I don't even know what time it is now." He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and screwed the cap on tightly.

Last time, they only said it would be four days later in the morning, without specifying a time, so he could only wait quietly for the other party to arrive.

A rustling sound came from the bushes ahead, and Little John immediately became alert. "Is it coming?"

The bushes parted, and three gray-black wild beasts jumped out.

"Forest wolves?" Perhaps the smoked meat in his backpack had attracted them, and Little John drew his longsword and went on high alert.

As a hunter, he knew the killing power of the forest gray wolf. This beast was about 1 meter tall at the shoulder, and its body length, including its tail, could reach 1.8 meters. Its maximum weight could reach 90 kilograms, and it could easily crush the bones of its prey.

If you encounter a forest gray wolf, running is useless. These creatures are very fast runners and have excellent endurance, capable of chasing you for over ten kilometers. You have absolutely no chance of escaping them.

There's only one way: kill the alpha wolf first.

The alpha wolf in front of them was the largest, with gray-black fur, its eyes fixed on Little John, emitting a low growl.

The other two wolves spread out to either side, preparing to surround him.

"Quickly find a big tree to lean against and protect your back."

Little John, sword in hand, quickly approached a tree so large that one person could not encircle it.

The alpha wolf seemed to understand what its "prey" was about to do, and kept growling, while the other two wolves kept approaching, as if about to bite.

This cunning predator wanted its minions to attack first, then deliver the fatal blow when Little John showed a weakness.

After a standoff between the man and the three wolves for more than ten seconds, suddenly a bowstring snapped, and the alpha wolf howled and ran away.

With a few rustling sounds, a dozen ropes were thrown down from the surrounding trees, and a group of goblins grabbed the ropes and slid down quickly, then howled and charged towards the forest wolves.

Little John stared in astonishment as the goblins "rappelled down with their bare hands," standing frozen in place.

"We meet again." A goblin walked up to him; it was Sharl.

"What are you doing...?" Little John was speechless for a moment.

"Nothing much, just hunting." Charles said nonchalantly, not telling the other party how much time he had spent training these idiots.

"Leader." A few minutes later, Red Eyes and another goblin carried the dead alpha wolf to the two men.

Little John stared silently at the crossbow bolt on the alpha wolf's waist.

The forest wolf was covered in wounds, the fatal wound being the crossbow bolt in its waist, which was almost completely embedded in the root.

He could win against three gray wolves, but at a huge cost. If a gray wolf bites him, it will frantically shake its head and tear at him, and the pain and blood loss may prevent him from leaving the forest.

He scanned the surrounding goblins; there were 14 in total.

Little John couldn't help but feel grateful that he hadn't tried to snatch the longsword directly during their first meeting. There were probably a dozen or so armed goblins lurking in the cave at the time, and if Charles had given the order, he would have been chopped into mincemeat.

Such tricks only appear in the historical stories told by bards.

Mr. Charles is unfathomable, he thought.

"No one's coming to bother us anymore, let's hurry up and make the deal." Charles slung his crossbow over his back and asked, "Where's the merchandise?"

John paused for a moment, then immediately understood what the other person meant, and put down his backpack: "It's all here."

Charles crouched down and opened his backpack.

Hulled rice, dark smoked meat jerky, and crystal-clear fine salt.

He even dipped his finger in a little salt, rubbed it in his mouth, savored it carefully, and then said, "Perfect."

Little John watched as Charles swayed his head and swayed with a look of rapture, unsure of what the other was doing.

Then, Charles shouted, and several packages fell from a tree in the distance with a thud.

John remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he suspected that a crossbow might be hidden behind the leaves, aimed at him.

Red Eyes dragged the package in front of the two of them, and Charles pulled out a piece of paper from it, saying, "This is the new purchase order."

John took the shopping list and quickly scanned the catalog.

"I had 46 silver coins left from last time," he said, of course giving 4 silver coins to the tavern owner.

"That's your commission." Charles waved his finger. "I'm looking forward to seeing you again."

"Still in 4 days?"

"Three days from now, at 9 a.m., you're a little late today."

"Uh, I can't tell the time," said Little John, who couldn't tell the time in the forest.

"I'm sorry, this was my oversight." Charles slapped his forehead.

Then, to John's astonishment, he pulled out a pocket watch.

The surface is rusty, but the hands are still moving.

"You should check the time when you get back; it might not be very accurate." Charles handed over the pocket watch. "Want me to show you how to use it?"

"No, no need." Little John took the pocket watch woodenly.

He could imagine the other person pulling out a short sword, wild fruit, or even a dead rat, but he never expected the other person to pull out a pocket watch.

A pocket watch—a product of the civilized world, costing several tens of gold coins. Little John only ever saw the tax collector take it out when he was collecting taxes.

This is like you're starving and you see a rat on the roadside, then it drags a stove and frying pan out of its hole, puts a steak on it, and asks you how well-done you want it.

This is insane! Little John thought to himself, "Shire, you should quit this goblin job and go to the bank's VIP lounge in town and ask your clients, 'Sir, do you have a big funding gap?'"

"And this too." Charles pointed to a package next to him. "These are tender branches of Redthorn. They're from a collection list left here by someone else. Could you deliver them for me? The purpose of the bounty is listed in the purchase order."

Someone else's gathering order? Little John was puzzled. Were there other adventurers cooperating with Mr. Sharl? Was I not the only one?

"Yes, Mr. Charles, here is the collection commission I received." He took out a form from his pocket and presented it with both hands.

"Let me see. The gathering task: Bluethorn leaves, 10 silver per kilogram. The bounty is also from Virtini, the owner of the 'Undying' Pharmacy." Charles put away the list. "No problem, I'll give it to you at 9 a.m. in three days."

John nodded.

"Is there any news you want to tell me?" Charles asked with a smile.

"Mr. Charles, the adventurers are discussing the disappearance of the entire adventure team. Some think it was the work of monsters, while others think it was the work of goblins," Little John said, staring at Charles.

John had initially thought it was Warcraft, but after seeing the goblins rappel down with their bare hands and snipe with crossbows, he realized that goblins could do it too.

"You don't need to call me Mr. Charles. If you prefer, you can call me Boss."

"Boss..." John repeated hesitantly.

"Any further news?"

"Yes, boss, an organization called the Storm Brotherhood will be coming here after winter."

"The Brotherhood of Storms?"

"A mutual aid organization formed by adventurers. The membership standard is to reach the Iron-level adventurer. There are also a few Bronze-level adventurers in the organization. This time, they are here to select new members."

"Oh, that's good news." Charles nodded, smiling, and asked, "Anything else?"

That's all for now.

"Alright, that's enough for today. You should get at least 1 gold coin in commission this time. Also, I suggest you rent a mule next time."

"Okay, boss." John's voice trembled slightly.

"By the way, have you ever heard of the Tower of Babel?"

"No," John replied after a few seconds of thought.

…………

Charles watched John walk away, the smile gradually fading from his face.

"We've learned two important pieces of information." This is quite a gain.

He believed that the death of the entire adventurer party was most likely the work of the Direclaw Bear. The goblin's gruesome chest wound was shocking, and the monster must have some ability to directly control a party, otherwise someone would have escaped.

However, when the Deinonychus attacked the former leader, it managed to escape with its men. What was the reason for this?

Although Charles had some doubts, it did not stop him from deciding to increase preventative measures.

The second piece of intelligence is even more important: the Brotherhood of Storms is coming.

Charles had never heard of the Storm Brotherhood, but he knew that adventurers formed such mutual aid organizations to explore together.

Adventurers who join such organizations can more easily improve their combat abilities and earn more money.

These organizations also had many dealings with the nobility, and Charles had records of commissioning them to do things in his memory.

Joining such an organization requires competition.

"No wonder these adventurers still frequently enter and leave the forest even with the presence of the Deinonychus. So that's the reason."

These adventurers need to save up money to buy better equipment in order to improve their strength and join the Brotherhood.

Moreover, they are only trainee members after joining the guild. To become full members, they need to obtain the Black Iron Adventurer Badge.

That's a certificate issued by the Adventurers' Guild to adventurers. The conditions for obtaining it are that the team successfully hunts a mid-level magical beast, the team size cannot exceed 4 people, and no one can die.

There's some room for maneuver here. If you have enough money, you can hire 20 healers to help your team defeat the monster.

It sounds funny, but some people actually do this, and some bronze-level adventurers even accept these commissions to help others clear monsters.

Black Iron adventurers can take on higher-level quests and accept high-priced commissions from merchants or nobles, making them highly sought after by lower-level adventurers.

The Storm Brotherhood's upcoming personnel selection is like a shot in the arm for these adventurers.

Not to mention, the Brotherhood itself will also come and raid the forest.

"There won't be any peace and quiet after winter sets in." Charles instructed his men to carry the backpacks and leave with the gray wolf.

"The things we need to do later are more important."