Forests Don't Support Idle Goblins

"But I've heard of a city that can float in the air." Vivian stared intently at the arcane archmage Afif, hoping to hear some new answer from him.

Afif smiled slightly, then turned to look at Victor beside him, "That fantasy travelogue?"

"Yes," Archmage Victor nodded, "he's become a bit obsessed."

"You know that travelogue?" Vivian asked in surprise, then she remembered something, and the joy on her face faded.

"I gave him that book," Afif said, raising his chin and pointing to his "old nemesis," Victor, whose pink bow tie swayed with the movement. "I didn't expect that old guy to be so obsessed, but you are."

"I'm just curious," Vivian said, taking the book "Spencer's Fantasy Travels" from a bag under her cloak and placing it on the table. "I just want to know if there's a quick way to learn arcane magic in the Tower of Babel."

"Give up, child," Afif glanced at the book on the table, reached out and picked it up, stroking the cover. "In the thousands of years of history of the Sorcerer's Guild, there has never been a record of a Grand Mage with this kind of travel experience. And you should know how much energy it takes to keep a city floating in the air."

"If such a city really existed, I would prefer to call it..." Afif paused, looking at the title on the cover.

"Castle in the Sky?" Vivian immediately voiced her thoughts.

“No, it’s the City of Gods, or rather,” Afif didn’t open the travelogue, but placed it back in front of Vivian, “or rather, it is a miracle in itself.”

"A miracle?" Vivian raised an eyebrow. This answer was somewhat unexpected. She had heard the Church of the Four Gods preach miracles of the main god before, but those were stories of the dead being resurrected and the weak slaying demons. To be honest, after reading many magic books, she already knew that there was some suspicion of "cheating" behind these deeds. For example, the story of the weak slaying demons was actually a powerful magical infusion that changed the physical attributes, allowing the weak to defeat powerful demons. But now that Archmage Afif said that the floating city was a miracle, it surprised her.

"You're right. If a city could float in the air without falling or falling apart, it would indeed be almost a miracle." After thinking for a few seconds, Vivian understood what the other person meant. She hadn't considered the problem from this angle before, and now it seemed that the record in that travelogue might really be a fantasy novel.

"Alright, little Vivian, put it away," Afif pointed to the books on the table. "These fantasy books can be somewhat helpful for mages in constructing magical models."

"Yes, thank you." Vivian put the travelogue back into the purse at her waist.

"No need to thank me. If you want to express your gratitude, you can sell me that bag of Red Bull," Afif said with a hearty laugh, glancing at the brown cloth bag on the table.

"Ahem," Archmage Victor, who hadn't spoken before, coughed, and Afif glanced at him and said, "Why are you coughing? That thing isn't yours, it belongs to Vivian."

Then he turned to Vivian with a kind smile on his face, "Little Vivian, could you ask your friend to find a way to get some more of this? If possible, I'd like to personally handle the cultivation of it."

"I'll pass on your message." Vivian immediately stopped the teacher next to her, who was glaring angrily with his beard puffed out.

"Anna was really something back then..." the old mage Victor muttered bitterly, while Afif just smiled smugly and finished the last sip of "Red Bull" in his glass.

…………

In the Nightmare Forest, south of Lake Darren, a five-story stone building stands out abruptly amidst a vast expanse of lush trees.

It was a square "stone tower" with a large base and each level gradually decreasing in size. The surface of the stone tower was covered with various vines and green plants, and there were even a few saplings rooted in the huge stone bricks.

On the south side of the stone tower, a huge hole connects to the interior, where a green-skinned goblin wearing a gray robe and a headdress adorned with bone pieces staggers into the tower.

He walked slowly, his white bone staff tapping against the stone bricks. Behind him, a few goblins stood outside the cave, their faces showing some panic, as if there was something dangerous inside.

The goblin slowly descended the mountain, the torches around him illuminating his slightly aged face. If Sharl were here, he would be very surprised, because it is rare to see an old goblin in the forest, or rather, very few goblins live to such an old age.

With the sound of the bone staff striking the stone bricks, the old goblin had already ventured deep into the underground part of the stone tower. He forced his head up and opened his somewhat cloudy eyes. Before him was a huge underground space, and from the depths of the dark cave in the distance came the sound of scales rubbing together.

"Great Feathered Serpent God, your offering is ready!" the old goblin shouted, his voice echoing through the underground space. In response, two yellow "lights" suddenly shone in the darkness.

"Hiss." A hissing sound came from an animal, and then the two "yellow lights" swayed over. As the lights grew brighter and bigger, it became clear that they were a pair of huge eyes.

"Why are you so late this time?" A cold voice rang out in the underground space. The owner of the huge eyes came to the old goblin. It raised its head, revealing a huge snake head covered with green scales in the light of the torches beside it.

"Please forgive me," the old goblin said, bowing deeply as he gripped his bone staff. "There were some problems during the selection process, but they have all been resolved. Your offering is outside."

The feathered serpent stared at the goblin who remained bent over, its enormous yellow pupils already taller than the goblin itself. "Hiss," it hissed, sticking out its tongue, seemingly savoring the air around the old goblin, or perhaps threatening it and asserting its superior status.

In the end, the feathered serpent did nothing but swim forward, its huge body passing by the goblin, its scales scraping against the ground with a "rustling" sound.

"I'll spare your life." The cold voice came again, causing the old goblin to bend down slightly once more. He gripped the bone staff tightly in his hand, the knuckles of his thin hand clearly visible.