Forests Don't Support Idle Goblins

There's always a story waiting for you to uncover.

"The Kingdom of the Feathered Serpent," Green Skin said, head bowed. "I was driven out by this goblin kingdom."

"Feathered Serpent?" Ciel gently patted the armrest of the high-backed chair. He had never heard of this kingdom, nor had any goblins mentioned it to him. "Were you all driven out of that kingdom?"

"Yes, the goblins in the Evilthroat Army all come from the Kingdom."

"Do you remember anything from that kingdom?" Ciel asked calmly, looking at the goblin before him.

"It's a big place. There are many stone houses in the forest. Some goblins live in those stone houses, and some live underground," Green Skin said, tilting his head back and trying to recall everything that had happened. His memory wasn't particularly strong, and goblins weren't very intelligent either, so the information he could say was limited. "In the middle of the place, there's a very large, multi-story building. Inside lives the god that the goblins worship."

"A god worshipped by goblins?" Charles narrowed his eyes, instinctively understanding what it was—an evil god.

"Are there many goblins living there?" He tried hard to recall the continental map in his memory. Many maps did not draw this part of Nightmare Forest very clearly, but they would basically draw a lake in the center of the forest. That was Lake Darren, and the Darren River, which flows through Giraffe Town, originates from that lake.

The name Darren also has an ancient meaning, said to be derived from the language of dragons, meaning eternal sleep.

"So, this goblin kingdom might be near Lake Darren." Sharl glanced at the green-skinned creature in front of him, who was still trying to remember. "If its name is Feathered Serpent, does that mean that evil god was a feathered serpent?"

"You've all been driven out, so this Feathered Serpent Kingdom must be full of powerful goblins," he tapped the table lightly a few times, trying to interrupt the other person's recollection, "There should be quite a few bear goblins living there."

Greenie didn't answer the question immediately. Instead, he tilted his head and thought for a few seconds. "Everyone here isn't very strong. They're just ordinary goblins, and some of them can't even beat me. There aren't any bear goblins in the kingdom, not a single one."

"No?" Charles tapped the table slowly. "There's no reason for that. If this kingdom worships an evil god, then there should be many evil gods blessing it. Once a goblin is blessed by an evil god, it will be born as a bear goblin."

Remembering the goblin bear he and his three henchmen had killed with hallucinogenic mushrooms and red-ringed serpent venom, whose ability [God's Blessing] had now been permanently bestowed upon the troll grass, how come there weren't any goblin bears in this Feathered Serpent Kingdom? Charles was momentarily confused. "Are you sure you're not mistaken? Not a single one?"

"I...maybe, maybe there is," Green Skin said, looking somewhat bewildered under Sharl's persistent questioning. But he quickly added, "I've never seen one, and I've heard some goblins say that if a newborn goblin is a bear goblin, it won't pass the faith selection."

"Faith screening? So the goblins in the Evilthroat Army didn't pass the faith screening?" Charles smiled slightly; the faith in this evil god sounded quite pure.

"Yes, none of us passed, so we were all kicked out." Qingpi nodded.

"How do they select them? Do they need to touch some kind of stone, or do they need to do a blood test, or do they need to stand in front of a mirror?" Xia Er thought of almost every method he had read in novels before, such as testing spiritual roots, bloodlines, and Dao foundations. He really wanted to know how this Feathered Serpent Evil God would do it.

"We," Qingpi thought for a moment, "will draw lots."

"Hmm? Is it drawing a fortune stick, no, a fortune stick of faith?" Charles asked with great interest.

"I don't know. I just drew a small wooden stick from the priest's hand, and I drew the one with the red tip." Qingpi said, lowering his head. He felt that from that moment on, he had embarked on a "path of misfortune."

"Just sticks?" Charles asked, somewhat surprised. "Aren't those sticks anything special, like they glow, have a smell, or are they just pure white?"

"No, but the priest did pluck a branch from the tree next to him," Green Skin nodded and said.

"This..." Charles rubbed his temples. "What kind of faith selection is this?"

"How often is this screening conducted, and how many people are screened at a time?" He sighed softly and asked again.

"I don't know the exact time," Green Skin said, fiddling with his fingers for a moment before saying, "It happens every now and then. I've passed the screening several times before, but I don't know how many people were screened. I only know that I was running in the forest with a group of goblins when I was caught by the goblins, but there were more of them than two goblin toes."

"That means there will be a screening every once in a while," Sharl tapped the table a few times, "and quite a few people will be screened out, including some goblin cubs."

This doesn't sound like a selection process, but rather population control. Xia Er analyzed what Qingpi said in his mind, "It feels like this evil god kingdom is consciously controlling the overall population. Once the number of goblins exceeds the limit, they immediately drive away some of the members."

Thinking of this, he immediately asked Qingpi, "What do the goblins in this Feathered Serpent Kingdom eat?"

"Tubers, bird eggs, bird meat, rats, frogs, big insects..." Green Skin began counting on his fingers the things he had eaten before, "Sometimes there was also rabbit meat and some other prey."

"So this really is a traditional goblin recipe," Charles chuckled, shaking his head. He figured this must be a large goblin tribe, just living together in one place. Once this vast hunting ground couldn't accommodate the excess population, groups of goblins would be periodically cleared out. "Then why don't you just leave?"

"It's dangerous outside, and there's no divine protection," Green Skin said immediately.

"So, the feathered serpent protected these goblins? Was it for free?"

"Quetzalcoatl protects us, and we need to draw lots to decide who will sacrifice themselves."

"Sacrifice?" Charles chuckled. "It's like feeding the snakes with your own body."

"Yes..." Qingpi lowered his head again, and his voice gradually faded away, as if one of his companions had drawn that damned sacrifice ticket earlier.

"This so-called Feathered Serpent Kingdom not only requires drawing lots to feed the serpents, but also drives away a group of goblins every now and then. So it should have a fixed number of goblins. Moreover, it seems that their lifestyle is different from that of the goblins around the forest," Sharl leaned back in his chair again, analyzing the information Greenskin had given him. "They seem to have broken away from the primitive cave tribes and have developed a certain degree of sociality."

This group of goblins has developed a certain level of sociality, which is completely different from the goblins who would lie down and sunbathe after eating. Previously, Sharl trained his subordinates by giving them Red Bull and two meals, but the goblins of the Feathered Serpent Kingdom should quickly become familiar with his tribal management model.

"Perhaps all the goblins in the southern part of Nightmare Forest whose ears are constantly being cut off by adventurers come from this kingdom," Charles smiled. "Thousands of goblins, or even tens of thousands of goblins, that would be wonderful."

He longed to annex the entire Feathered Serpent Kingdom, so that his subordinates would possess a sufficiently powerful force. He would then find a way to arm them, and once the country of Fran was in chaos next year, he could finally leave the Nightmare Forest.

"I could also be the leader of the Feathered Serpent Kingdom, a ten-year-old fan who came uninvited," he chuckled a few times, "but this evil god Feathered Serpent is a bit difficult to deal with, after all, it is already an evil god."

"Let's think about this carefully," Charles sighed. "To learn so much information all at once, it's like a goblin sent from heaven."

The conversation paused for a few minutes as Charles pondered, but he quickly recalled what the goblin in front of him had said earlier. Looking at the less reserved green-skinned man holding a cup, he asked, "That 'traitor' who ran away before, what's his name, Three-Scarred? Do you think he can successfully return to the Evil Throat Army?"

"I don't know," Qingpi shook his head. "We were all tied up with ropes at the time, but I think I saw him carving things on some trees."

"Probably some markings." Charles narrowed his eyes. This might expose the centaurs. If this guy manages to run back, the Evilthroat Army will definitely advance south.

"They must be coveting that goblin kingdom just like me, otherwise they wouldn't be constantly capturing and gathering the expelled goblins on the outskirts," he said, his gaze fixed on the green-skinned man in front of him. "If these guys knew that I not only have centaurs here, but also other usable combat equipment, they would definitely come to attack me."

"It's a bit troublesome, but still manageable. After all, those skeleton warriors are training them now, using a combination of close and long-range positioning, so they're not too afraid of those crazy red goblins," Sharl said, sizing up the green-skinned creature. If the slave soldiers of the Evil Throat Army he mentioned were as physically strong as him, they would be easy to deal with. "And there are also skeleton warriors to fight with. Although there are only 12 of them, they are not afraid of those guys' bites. If all else fails, I can ask the treants for help."

The mother tree had given him a bright green leaf as a token of gratitude, and he had kept that leaf carefully. "But I only have three chances, so I'd better not use it if I can avoid it. Besides, that three-scarred goblin might be scared away."

He took a sip of tea, then smiled and called over Nine Fingers, instructing him to take the Green Belt away and settle it. He then called over another goblin to question him and gather more information.

"When Duan Ya returns, we need to intensify patrols in the north; we don't need to worry about the south for now."

…………

Meanwhile, in the bushes to the north, Goblin Scar bared his teeth and peered out. His body was covered in wounds from thorns, clearly indicating that he had been in a very sorry state during his escape.

"There are goblins here, and they can even control those giant ants?"

The latest chapter is packed with exciting plot twists! Come check it out!