Forests Don't Support Idle Goblins

In the pitch-black underground tomb, Charles, holding a torch, walked alone into the depths.

He refused Little Claw's request to accompany him, nor did he go outside the Stone Gate to call Little John and Red Eyes, knowing that this might be a test from the veterans of the Seventh Forest Field Regiment.

Is it a test of his courage? Or a test of his sincerity?

Charles didn't know, but when he saw someone carrying a torch enter, he felt he saw a glimmer of certainty in the eyes of those silent skeleton warriors, though it was just a feeling, since there were only two flickering green will-o'-the-wisps in those empty eye sockets.

The tomb chamber wasn't very deep, and it was noticeably smaller than the stone chambers of the fortress. He didn't walk far before arriving at the innermost part of the tomb chamber.

He descended a flight of steps and came to a small tomb chamber containing only a huge stone coffin and a flag stuck in the coffin lid.

The entire tomb was very clean. Apart from some dust, there were no other plants like spider webs or moss and lichen. This was completely different from the tombs or underground stone chambers that Charles had seen before, where the walls were covered with plants and the corners were covered with white spider webs.

Charles walked to the stone coffin and examined it carefully by the light of the torch. This stone coffin was obviously larger than the one where the skeleton warriors "slept," and it looked to be made of thicker materials. The entire stone coffin was rectangular with sharp edges and corners. There seemed to be some reliefs on the coffin walls, but perhaps due to the passage of time, the reliefs were no longer clear. Charles tried hard to make out that they were carvings praising the achievements of the deceased.

"General, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Charles." Following the principle of not hitting a smiling face, Charles decided to introduce himself first. He wasn't sure if the coffin lid would fly off and a zombie dressed in ancient costume would jump out with its arms outstretched.

"If only I had brought a candle," he muttered to himself, then slowly reached out and tried to touch the sarcophagus.

Nothing had changed. The coffin lid hadn't flown off, there was no rattling sound from inside the stone coffin against the stone walls, and there was no white mist swirling around him. Everything was exactly the same as when he came in.

"It seems that, just as those skeleton warriors said, only they were transformed into undead creatures." Charles turned his head to look at the passage he came from, confirming that he was now safe.

"In that case, let's take a look at that flag." He used his strength to support the coffin lid and climbed to the top of the stone coffin in a few moments.

"I'm sorry, it wasn't intentional," Charles said apologetically. He was standing on the stone coffin with his feet on the coffin lid, which was disrespectful to the deceased.

Ignoring these matters, Charles approached the flag and found that it seemed to be free of dust. Apart from looking slightly old, it was not damaged in appearance.

"It's really strange that a flag can be preserved for over 5000 years," he said, looking the flag up and down.

It's important to know that textiles are very difficult to preserve in underground tombs, unlike metals. And after so much time, this flag doesn't look much different at all.

Charles couldn't help but marvel, and he felt that the cleanliness of the tomb chamber might be related to the flag.

"It's amazing." He stared at the flag, then tried to bring up the panel.

[Item: Black Dragon Banner of the 7th Field Regiment]

[Quality: Epic]

[Purpose: Assault]

[Self-Status: Divine and Immortal Blessing (Permanent)]

[Special Effect: Unite your allies within the banner's coverage area; it will shatter all illusions and deceptions.]

[Note: Forward, forward, forward.]

"An epic item, that's really rare," Charles looked down at the [Abbott's Twin Blades] at his waist, which was only of excellent quality, while Philip's lightweight steel breastplate was at most "superior quality".

"And it was blessed with immortality?" He stared intently at those words. "That must be why the flag is still intact."

Charles reached out and grabbed the flag, unfolding it to try and see the entire flag.

This is a red flag, its color as bright as flame. In the center of the flag is a giant black dragon, flapping its wings and breathing fire, looking incredibly lifelike.

"This flag is huge." He stood on tiptoe and tried several times before finally managing to take the flag down. "Now those skeleton warriors should agree to come with me, right?"

Charles felt that these guys would be very useful if they went back with him. Not only could Agatha learn a lot about the buried history from them, but they were also skilled in battle formations and should be of some help to his team. Not to mention, they could also brew potions with Littleclaw.

"General, I don't know your name, but I think your determination to defend the Holy Kingdom is still there. I may be the only remaining inheritor of the Holy Kingdom's history in the world, although I don't know what the Holy Kingdom is all about." Charles climbed down from the stone coffin and stood beside it, speaking his request to the deceased inside. "However, I promise you, I will find a way to unearth this glorious era buried in the dust of history and let it be known to the world again."

He placed the torch on the ground and began to fold the Black Dragon Banner. "So I'll take this banner with me first. This doesn't count as tomb raiding; I think it should be considered inheritance. After all, digging up my ancestral grave shouldn't be a big deal."

"If you disagree, just knock on the coffin wall, and I'll hang it back for you right away." Charles folded the battle flag, then waited a few seconds. "It seems you agree."

After saying that, he picked up the torch, spread the black dragon battle banner out in his hand, turned around and walked out of the tomb. "I'm leaving. Thank you."

…………

"Elton, will that, uh, little orc mutant, manage to get our flag?" a skeleton warrior asked.

The twelve skeletons sat around the stone coffin, gazing into the depths of the dark tomb.

"Probably not," Elton chuckled. "After all, our banner has been blessed with immortality by the high priest; any ordinary person who touches it will be paralyzed."

"He's just a goblin. Although I sensed the Holy Kingdom's aura on him, he shouldn't be able to take the banner." Elton looked into the tomb chamber, then stretched out his skeletal hand to touch the stone coffin beneath him. "These guys don't seem to be able to wake up. Sigh, I remember the bastard under my ass still owes me a drink."

"Hahaha, me too. This guy still hasn't paid me back the money he lost to me while playing cards." A skeleton warrior laughed and tapped the stone coffin beneath him.

"What do you guys think?" Elton waited for everyone to finish laughing before continuing, "I want to go out and see the world. From what he said, this world is already more than five thousand years in the future, and people have forgotten the history of the Holy Kingdom. I want to go with him to find our glorious Holy Kingdom and let the world be amazed by its greatness."

"Eldon, what if, I mean what if, the Holy Kingdom really disappeared?" a skeleton warrior asked.

Elton fell silent, looking at his hands with his green ghostly eyes. Then he said, "If the Holy Kingdom really disappears, I will rebuild it. We are all people of the Holy Kingdom, we belong there. I will build house after house until my magic can no longer support it, until my skeleton is scattered and my soul returns to the Nether Sea. But as long as I can still move, I will keep building."

Hearing his words, the skeleton warriors fell silent. Soon, one of them laughed and said, "Elton, what else can you do besides wielding a knife to kill monsters? When it comes to building houses, I'm the real expert. Back in the City of Races, I built my own house with my own hands."

"You're just a helper." The other skeleton warriors started undermining each other, but Elton quickly joined in.

As they talked, the atmosphere became less tense, and gradually, these skeleton warriors were inclined to leave the tomb and see the world 5000 years in the future.

"We can split into several groups. Some people will stay here, while others will go out with Sharl. We'll change shifts after a while," Elton said, making plans with everyone. "Even if that goblin can't meet our requirements, everyone can still follow the rules we use during training. That way, it won't be considered a breach of our oath."

"Yes, that's a good idea," the skeleton warriors chimed in.

Just as they were discussing what would happen outside, a light suddenly appeared deep inside the tomb. A goblin carrying a torch slowly walked up from the underground passage. He walked slowly and calmly, and the light from the torch gradually illuminated the dark underground tomb.

He had a large stack of things draped over one arm, his gaze calmly fixed ahead, the torchlight reflecting in his eyes, creating a vibrant, dancing light.

As he approached, the "patter" of his footsteps grew louder, and the light, which had started as a tiny spark, gradually transformed into a blazing torch. When he reached the midst of the skeleton warriors, the bright light enveloped their originally gray and thin skeletons, giving their bones a warm glow, and their green will-o'-the-wisps turned orange-red under the torchlight.

"I'm back," Charles said with a smile.

Elton looked at the stack of textiles on the other man's arm; the colors and patterns on them were familiar to him.

He was shocked and it took him a long time to react.

"Welcome back, hope of the Holy Kingdom," Elton declared loudly.

"No, not just me," Charles calmly surveyed the skeleton warriors before him. In the torchlight, they didn't seem so terrifying anymore. "We all are."

"Please come with me." He raised the flag in his hand and smiled as he looked at these "hopes rising from the grave."