Forests Don't Support Idle Goblins

The exciting chapter "Chapter 192 New Developments" is now available online. Click to read it first!

"Looking for goblins?" Little John scratched his head, asking somewhat strangely, "Aren't there plenty of those in Nightmare Woods?"

"No, I'm looking for a special group of goblins." Sophia glanced at the priest who had already walked a few meters away, ignored him, and continued, "Those goblins are very powerful; they were able to defeat the druids who defected from the Church of Earth and Life."

"Oh, that sounds ridiculous," John said calmly.

Sophia sighed softly. "I wasn't wrong. They are indeed different from the goblins you adventurers kill. I got this information from my 'friends' in the forest."

"Do you have other friends in the forest?"

"Yes," Sophia nodded, then waved her hand in the air, "but they can't tell the goblin's specific identity, they can only tell me generally that it's a goblin."

John raised an eyebrow. He watched as a sparrow fluttered its wings and landed on Sophia's finger on the roof. The sparrow chirped at her, and after a while, Sophia smiled and said, "It says you just counted what you had on you around the corner."

John glanced at the sparrow. He had indeed counted his gold coins before meeting the priest, mainly because he was afraid the priest would raise the price again. But now it seemed the priest hadn't raised the price; he just didn't have any.

"That's a great idea," he said, watching the sparrow fly away, then turning to ask, "Is it magic?"

"Hmm, low-level magic from the Church of Earth and Life." Sophia withdrew her hand, put it to her mouth, and yawned. "How about it? I don't know anyone here in the Northern Earl's Territory. You're a friend, so if you agree to help me, I can help you coordinate those holy waters."

"This..." Little John was speechless for a moment. He knew who the other party was looking for—his boss, Charles. But Charles desperately needed that holy water right now. After thinking for a moment, Little John could only nod and agree: "Okay, I'll keep an eye out for you."

"If you and your teammates encounter those goblins, remember not to harm them." Seeing the other nod, Sophia immediately stated her request. "They are different from other goblins; perhaps you can communicate with them, and they might even be able to defeat evil fallen druids. I think we can have a good talk with them."

"Talk to goblins?" Little John made a face on purpose. "Those guys just yell and charge at us waving clubs."

“My ‘friends’ said these goblins are different,” Sofia said, shaking her head with a smile. “They’re very rational, and they don’t seem to like catching birds to eat.”

John's lips twitched slightly. He thought to himself, "They really don't catch birds to eat anymore; they're eating smoked fish rice bowls every day now." But he still said, "Okay, I'll keep an eye out for you. You know I know some adventurers in Giraffe Town."

"Then thank you very much." Sophia waved her hand, turned around and left with the words, "Let me know immediately if you have any news. You can send me a letter through the merchant guild. Remember not to get into any conflicts with those goblins."

Little John watched as the other person yawned and left. The priest from before had also vanished without a trace. "This is a bit troublesome. The holy water is controlled by that Earl Valentine, and now the only way to get the holy water is to go back and ask the boss."

Just as he was pondering what to do next, a commotion arose from the entrance of the Church of the God of Earth and Life not far away. Little John frowned and looked over, only to see a group of armored guards walking out of the church. Those guys were all wearing light steel armor with black stone patterns engraved on their chests.

"Are these the Earl's guards?" Little John quickly stepped back to avoid a conflict with the guards.

These guards escorted several horsemen away from the church, with the most powerful man in the area, Count Valentine, leading the way.

As the Earl's steed moved slowly along, pedestrians on both sides of the street made way for him, bowing and saluting him. Little John was among them, but he hid in the crowd, stealing glances at the Earl of Valentine, who was dressed in an elegant nobleman's suit and had a longsword with a gold hilt hanging at his waist.

"They look respectable, but who would have thought they're such greedy nobles?" Little John curled his lip and lowered his head again. Ever since he paid several overcharged taxes and killed the tax collector who had humiliated him and Mary, he had no respect for these nobles. "They're not even as good as my boss. He's the King of the Forest."

Just as John was muttering to himself, a man dressed as a civil servant came running from a distance, shouting loudly, and his actions attracted the attention of passersby on the street.

"Silence, scribe," Earl Valentine said, sitting upright on his horse, trying his best to maintain his dignity in front of his subjects. "Don't make such a racket, or people will think the goblins are attacking the city."

Those around him laughed at the lord's "humorous remark," but Little John looked up and scanned the guards. "If I rented a house near the Earl's castle beforehand, set up a teleportation array in the basement, and then had the worker ants dig a tunnel connecting it to the castle, you wouldn't be laughing then."

However, his mutterings clearly went unnoticed by those around him. Under everyone's gaze, the clerk leaned closer to the count and whispered a few words.

"What did you say?" The Earl of Valentine, who had been so composed just moments before, now frowned, looking as if he'd swallowed a fly. "Are those two letters in my study right now?"

"Yes, Your Excellency," the clerk nodded.

"Everyone, speed up, back to the castle!" Earl Valentine shouted, urging his horses on. He then galloped through Black Lion City, and the guards also ran quickly.

A commotion erupted in the street, with many people exclaiming in surprise. Listening to the murmurs around him, John slowly took a few steps forward, trying to get closer to the front row to see if anyone had heard what the clerk had just said.

"I wonder what news has made Valentine so nervous that he's even started riding around Black Lion City," he said, squeezing through the crowd and approaching a few citizens who were gathered together and discussing the matter.

"What did you hear just now, Your Excellency?"

"Yes, tell me quickly."

"I didn't hear very clearly either," one of the men surrounded by several people said hesitantly. "I only heard the clerk say..."

"Speak quickly."

"There's been a new development regarding Master Philip's death."