Forests Don't Support Idle Goblins

"Lila, didn't you go into the forest?" Jules closed his eyes and relaxed, while a girl behind him massaged his shoulders.

"I didn't go. The goblins in the entire winter forest edge area have almost disappeared." Lila shook her head. "I feel like that cleanup scared them all away."

"No, everything in the forest may be missing, but goblins will never be missing," Jules smiled, correcting Lila's thinking.

"Yes, Uncle Jules." Lila nodded. "I've seen powerful goblins with my own eyes."

At this point, Jules did not answer, but sighed.

Seeing this, Lila realized she had said the wrong thing. "I'm sorry, Uncle Jules."

"It's nothing, it's just fate playing tricks on us." Jules waved his hand dismissively.

"But if you had gone with Philip back then, things might not have turned out this way."

Jules chuckled softly, patted the girl's hand on his shoulder, and then sat up straight. "There aren't that many 'what ifs' in this world. Since I took the initiative to apply to the Earl to assist Young Master Philip, I have to bear the risk of failure."

"But at the time, you were escorting goods to Torch City," Lila argued, clearly unhappy with what had happened to her uncle.

Jules smiled and shook his head, then gestured for Lila to pour him a glass of water. "Sometimes things are just like that. Maybe I should be more glad I didn't go into the forest with the young master, otherwise..."

"No," Lila interrupted Uncle Jules as she poured water, "you'll be alright, God will protect a good person like you."

"A good person?" Jules gave a wry smile. "I bet a lot of people are criticizing me right now."

"Is it because of the tax increase?" Lila placed her water glass on the table and looked at her uncle with concern.

"Where's Luna?" Jules didn't answer, but changed the subject.

"Probably looking for something delicious or fun to eat on the street again." Lila sighed softly. There was nothing she could do about her carefree younger sister.

"When do you plan to go back into the forest?" Jules picked up his cup and took a sip.

"Let's wait a while longer. I heard at the Ear Cleaner's Tavern that many adventurers will choose to return to Goat Horn Town after spring. If we enter the forest now, we are likely to encounter monsters. I think it's better to wait until there are more people, so we can find suitable people to team up with."

"I know there's no way to persuade you. You people from the Abbott family are all like this, stubborn," Jules said, holding his cup with both hands. "Just like your father back then."

"My father..." Lila pursed her lips and fell silent.

"That guy," Jules closed his eyes, thought for a few seconds, then looked up at the ceiling, "wouldn't have come into the forest with me if it weren't for you guys."

"us?"

"That's because you were still young, and your mother had already passed away. Abbott wanted to get a better promotion, and an ordinary guard could only raise you, but couldn't give you a better future." Uncle Jules put down his cup, then looked up at the graceful young girl in front of him. "So many years have passed in the blink of an eye, and you've all grown up so much."

"What exactly happened back then?"

"Back then?" Jules thought for a moment, "There was a rumor that there was a mine in the forest, and adventurers saw kobolds inside."

"Kobolds?" Lila frowned.

"Yes, now that you're an adventurer, you should know about kobolds. They live underground and their hobby is digging around. But these creatures, which are about half a person's height, have a very sensitive nose. You often find some good things in their mines."

Uncle Jules waved his hand to stop Lila from asking any more questions and continued, "The Earl also heard the rumor. He didn't take it seriously at the time, but your father thought it was a good opportunity. If he really discovered the kobold mine for the Valentine family, he might be promoted directly and would most likely become a minor nobleman in the future."

"So, he invited you?"

"Yes," Uncle Jules smiled wryly, "but we underestimated the forest. We thought we could handle it with ease, but we still ran into a monster. Your father said, 'I'm the one who dragged you into this. Now I'll hold it back. You run! Lila and Luna are in your care from now on.'"

Lila fell silent, her hands trembling slightly. She had already anticipated this outcome, as similar experiences were frequently heard among adventurers.

Looking at the dejected Lila, Jules sighed softly, "Are you really not going to reconsider? Although I'm far away from Black Lion City, I still have connections. I can arrange for you to join the guards and serve as a guard for the Earl's ladies."

"I..." Lila managed to utter just one word, but couldn't finish the sentence.

"Okay, I understand," Uncle Jules waved his hand. This kind of conversation had happened many times before, and both sides were already used to it. "I only have one request: be extremely careful. If things go wrong, run immediately. You and Luna should be able to save yourselves."

Thinking of all her past experiences, Lila bit her lip. She had never told Uncle Jules about the dangers she had faced. She always spoke casually about what she had found or the various teammates she had met.

"I know, Uncle Jules." Lila nodded emphatically.

"Actually," Jules paused, "now is indeed a good opportunity. The Count has already negotiated the cooperation. In the future, his army and guards will be expanded, and he will also have to guard against enemy assassinations of his family members. The demand for female guards will also increase significantly. If you join now, with your uncle's connections, you will definitely get ahead quickly."

"Is it starting?" Lila was taken aback.

"Why do you think the Earl would throw me into Gieshorn?" Jules chuckled.

"Isn't this taking my anger out on you, or banishing you?"

“Then you underestimate these old nobles. Of course, there’s a bit of sentimentality involved, but,” Uncle Jules tapped the documents on the table, “he needs someone trustworthy to help him guard the rear. Black Lion City is garrisoned, but compared to that, Goat Horn Town is adjacent to Nightmare Forest, where strange things are more likely to happen.”

"So, taxes have increased now?" Lila glanced at the documents on the table.

"Sigh," Jules sighed upon hearing the girl's words. He and her father had both worked their way up from the bottom. They had met as adventurers in the early days, and he knew how difficult life was for ordinary people. "The taxes are indeed excessive. They have been increased several times now, and I know many people are already complaining."

Seeing her uncle's worried expression, Lila pursed her lips and suddenly remembered something. "I've heard that with such high taxes, some people have still opened new workshops."

"The '89 Suns' children's clothing workshop?" Jules smiled. "I know, I even signed the relevant documents."

"I heard they're still recruiting all sorts of female workers there, and there are already hundreds of people working in the workshops." Lila's tone was quite surprised. Now, many women from the villages around Giethoorn have come here, wanting to work and earn money.

“Backed by the ‘White Shell’ Chamber of Commerce,” Jules tapped his fingers on the table, “and that chamber of commerce is owned by the church, so the tax rate it collects won’t be too high.”

"The church? I heard that workshop can produce more than a dozen children's clothes a day."

"Yes, a group of Holy Knights from the Church of War stayed at the Moonlit Inn before. For some reason, there was a problem with the bill, but the White Shell Merchant Guild paid for it, and even paid more." Uncle Jules raised his hand and rubbed his temples. "And I also heard that this merchant guild successfully obtained a loan of 30 gold coins from the bank."

"30 million?"

"Yes," Jules nodded. "The people behind the Chamber of Commerce wouldn't be able to get such a large loan if they didn't have a deep partnership with the church. After all, banks aren't stupid."

"No wonder they're still recruiting." Lila stuck out her tongue. She was only now realizing the power of the "White Shell" Chamber of Commerce; she had originally thought it was just an ordinary chamber of commerce.

"White seashell? What white seashell?" The door was pushed open with a "bang," and a girl walked in carrying a cloth bag.

"Luna, where have you been again?" Lila asked reproachfully when she saw the person who had come.

"Sister, fried cassava fries, you have to try them!" Luna skipped over to the other person, holding up the bag in her hand. "I don't know how they make them, but they don't have that awful oily smell at all, instead they're very fragrant and crispy."

"No," Lila waved her hand, but the bag was already in front of her, so she had no choice but to reach out her fingers, pick up a cassava fry, and put it in her mouth. "Hmm, I must say, it's really good."

"Uncle." Luna then brought the bag to Jules, who smiled and picked up a small cassava fry. "It's really good. I think it's even better than what I had in Black Lion City."

"I wonder how they did it. This 'White Shell' Chamber of Commerce must have some special methods." Luna held a thick cassava fry in her hand, her eyes fixed on it.

"Is this one of theirs too?" Lila finished her own, twirled her fingers, and walked over to grab another one.

"Yes, it's right outside their chamber of commerce. They're recruiting workers and selling things at the same time." Luna's eyes were fixed on her sister's fingers. Only when she saw her sister pick up a not-too-thick cassava fry did she feel relieved and continue eating the one in her hand.

"It seems they have quite a few businesses." Jules picked up a handkerchief and wiped his fingers. "That puts my mind at ease."

Seeing Lila's questioning gaze, Uncle Jules smiled and explained, "This shows that the Church values ​​this area highly. If something bad really happens in the forest and affects Goat Horn Town, the Church of War will not stand idly by. The Holy Army will come back to deal with the danger."

"Danger? What danger?" Luna asked, her cheeks stuffed with food, her words muffled.

"There's no danger. The goblins have stormed into Gynt's Horn. Keep eating," Lila, the older sister, said irritably.

…………

"Is it really 7 silver coins a day?" a simply dressed village woman asked cautiously.

"Yes, yes, 7 silver coins." Across the table, an old man dressed neatly but with disheveled hair said irritably.

The top of his head was already bald in the middle, but his scalp shone with the light of "wisdom".

"I want it, how do I do it?" the woman asked in a low voice with a forced smile.

"Sign here, then go inside." The old man impatiently pushed a piece of paper over, his hand being a prosthetic metal limb. "If you can't sign, a fingerprint will do."

"Hello, if you'd like to work here, you can come inside and take a look first." A young woman in a long skirt walked over and politely led the village woman to the warehouse in the back to see the relevant information.

As yet another "potential female worker" entered the warehouse, Mary calmly said, "Mr. Martial, you're scaring them away."

"Miss Mary, I want to reiterate that I am a magical craftsman. I should be busy at my workbench, not here facing them." The old man stubbornly frowned.

"I know, Mr. Martial," Mary sighed, "there's no other way but to ask you for help."

"But I'm already thinking of a way. I should be able to find someone to replace you soon. When that happens, I'll definitely prepare the best wine from Giethoorn for you."

"Those ale?"

"No, it's a special red fruit wine brewed by the tavern. It's very rare, and not many people have the chance to drink it," Mary replied with a smile.

"In that case," old man Martial raised his hand and rubbed his chin, "it's not impossible."

"Hello, are you hiring?" Another simply dressed rural woman approached. Similar to the previous one, her clothes looked somewhat worn, with frayed edges and torn seams. She looked travel-worn, clearly having traveled a long way.

"Yes, this is it." Mary greeted them with a smile.

"Really? Seven silver coins a day?" the woman asked cautiously.

"right."

"No, there are more than the male dockworkers." The woman clutched her dress, seemingly not quite believing it.

"The two sides are doing different things," Mary explained with a smile.

"I heard it from the villagers. You know how heavy the taxes are these days. If that's true, our family's livelihood will be..." The woman bowed her back, her expression very respectful.

Mary pursed her lips. She had seen this expression on the other person's face many times before. In the village, the villagers always had the same look whenever the tax collector came to collect taxes.

"Don't worry, as long as you are willing to learn and work hard, the workshop will not treat you unfairly." Mary gave a warm smile.

"I know, I've heard about it. You're owned by some church, and you run a very large business. The tax officials don't dare to bother you." The woman clutched her dress tightly and looked up at Mary.

"You're overthinking it," Mary said with a smile, leading the country woman to the table and beginning to explain the garment workshop to her.

This kind of thing happens many times every day, which forces Mary to ask for help from John and Martial, but even so, people still keep coming to ask questions.

"Boss, what are you trying to do by doing this?"

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