Forests Don't Support Idle Goblins

I'm currently reading Chapter 367, The Hermitage of Fog Mountain, and I'm completely engrossed in it.

"Kobolds who haven't been taught by us will retain their stubborn habits, and the older they get, the more stubborn they become."

Lan Luoli picked through the books in front of her, her blue eyes almost curving into crescents. "I heard from the old chieftain that it took a lot of time and effort for us to move into the mine before we could finally get permission to live there. In the end, we had to rearrange the digging area for the kobolds."

"So, it seems that making a deal with kobolds is still quite difficult?" Sharl said, handing the other books to the cave goblin in front of him.

"There will be some trouble, but it's not impossible." Lan Luoli opened a novel, quickly scanned the printed words, took a deep breath, and savored the smell of ink. Then, a smile appeared on her lips. "I think Linghua has already told you about the dragon bones, but there are some other things you can prepare in advance."

"What is it?" Charles raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"Animal bones, not too big, find the medium-sized ones. Kobolds like to chew on bones to grind their teeth, but they live in underground mines, so there aren't many things of medium hardness here. Many kobolds can only chew on stones, but those don't taste very good." Lan Luoli said, while opening another book. These books were all bought by Marie at Charles's request. He had bought many books because he saw that the cave goblins liked to read, fearing that he wouldn't be able to keep these cave goblins.

If they all enjoy reading this much, Shire wouldn't mind emptying out the bookstores in Gieshorn.

Anyway, he now has a lot of gold coins on hand. The 30 gold coins he gambled with the Merchant Guild Bank have been transported to Mary's warehouse. This makes White Shell's head steward worry every day. Even though Little John has already escorted a batch of Runeword Gate materials to the Kingdom of Savoy, it has not reduced Mary's worries at all.

"Then, how about I prepare some chew sticks for them?" Charles recalled the kobolds he had seen in his previous life. He had plenty of animal bones, and he had accumulated a lot from hunting wild animals and killing deer by centaurs. Now he could follow the method from his previous life and wrap some dried meat slices around the animal bones. This would definitely attract the kobolds' interest.

"Teething sticks?" Lan Luoli looked up with some surprise. After Xia Er explained, she chuckled a few times. "Okay, they should like them."

"Anything else?" Charles smiled, wanting to know more about the kobolds' needs.

"Dragon bones and chew sticks can be exchanged for a lot of good things," Lan Luoli glanced down at the title of the book in her hand, then looked at the pile of books beside her and continued, "They also like to eat things that have a little flavor, but preferably something hard."

"A bit harder?" Charles frowned; he didn't have a good option at the moment.

"Oh, right," Lan Luoli thought for a moment, "it's said that kobolds really hate ratmen."

"Rat-man?"

"Yes, I overheard the kobolds arguing. Both races like to dig underground, but the difference is that the kobolds dig in a mining pattern, while the ratmen are said to dig randomly and even mess up the kobolds' planned mines," Lan Luoli shrugged, looking helpless. "You know kobolds are very stubborn, and they can't accept the ratmen's misbehavior at all, so they will attack the ratmen as soon as they see them."

"I see..." Charles stroked his chin. There were no traces of ratmen in the southern part of the forest, but according to Earl Gene the werewolf, there was a huge underground kingdom of ratmen west of the Darren River.

The ratmen are greedy and bloodthirsty creatures with a high reproductive rate, but they hate light. So if food is scarce, they will even eat their own kind. These creatures also carry diseases, and adventurers who are attacked are easily infected. If treatment is not timely, it will definitely endanger their lives. Moreover, this kind of treatment is not something that ordinary healing spells used by church personnel can handle.

"This is something we can use, but it seems a bit troublesome right now." Charles rubbed his chin. His tribe is currently unable to deal with the ratmen. After all, without corresponding healing magic, he will not let his tribe face the ratmen directly.

"However, having teething sticks on hand might also help."

"You can stay here for a few days to get used to things. I still need to prepare tools for the minotaurs. I think you should be able to get a general understanding of my tribe in these few days." After making up his mind, Sharl smiled and instructed the cave goblin in front of him. Since arriving in the city, Lan Luoli had been looking around non-stop, and all kinds of buildings and surrounding creatures made her feel novel.

This novelty was completely different from what was written in the book, after all, the book only mentioned horse-drawn carriages, but never "ant carriages".

The enormous size of the elephant goblin left the cave goblin speechless for a long time. She couldn't imagine how shocking it would be to have such a huge creature standing in front of her. If Sharl hadn't patted her on the shoulder, Lan Luoli probably would have stood there for half an hour.

Of course, the other goblins were also curious about this "kind" whose skin was different from theirs.

A crowd of goblins gathered around, curiously eyeing Lan Luoli. They buzzed with discussion, showing great interest in the grayish-white-skinned cave goblin, with some even guessing her name: "Gray Skin?" "Gray Fur?" "Blue Eyes?"

Soon, these subordinates were driven away by Sharl's shouts, but he was also curious about the naming method of the cave goblins.

"Our eyes are blue," the cave goblin said, a hint of sadness in his voice, for his eyes were their "original sin." "So we put 'blue' first in our names, and then we find a name we like from a book, and that's it."

"He's educated after all." Charles chuckled a few times, which sounded much better than any "blue skin."

It sounds better than Green Egg.

"In the next few days, I need to have my men prepare some chew sticks, along with dragon bones. We should be able to get some magic crystals from the kobolds. Once they get used to the chew sticks, we can get even more magic crystals in the future."

After handing the books over to the cave goblin, Sharl also gave him a special introduction to the tribe's rules and regulations, including meal times and locations, as well as the conditions of each area. If needed, he could also act as a "guide" in his spare time.

Next, he needs to meet with the magic craftsman Marshall. With the beast bones, some precious wood, and the soon-to-arrive mithril and magic crystals, he should be able to produce a lot of magical items in the future; at least he can make many staves.

Charles was considering what to do: sell it directly or store it temporarily.

"I wonder how Uncle Musa is doing in Golden Flower City. Would these staffs be more valuable if they were transported elsewhere?"

At the same time, Shire was also very interested in what would happen in the future of Plantagenet.

…………

"You've arrived."

On his sickbed, King Edmund IV of the Kingdom of Fran leaned against the bedside and greeted the king lazily.

"Edmund, you're not dead yet?" The Grand Duke of the North sat to the side, looking on with amusement.

"Rudel, you old bastard, coming here to cause trouble!" King Edmund grabbed a pillow next to him and threw it forcefully.

However, he was a little weak, and the pillow was not thrown very far before falling to the ground.

"It seems you really are failing." Archduke Rudel got up and walked over, picked up the pillow from the ground, and then went to the king's sickbed and placed it beside him.

"I'm getting old," Edmund IV sighed. His breathing had become rapid from the previous movements, and he could only slow down and catch his breath.

"We're all getting old." The Grand Duke of the North sat down on the edge of the bed and then looked around the magnificent "sickroom" in the palace.

The room was very large and spacious. The servants who had been serving them had all been dismissed by the king. In the room, which was over 70 square meters, there were only the king and the grand duke.

"I heard you brought 2000 cavalry this time?" The king placed his hand on his pillow, leaned back, and said softly, "What are you worried about me for?"

"I'm not worried about anything. Let's see how much longer you have to live."

"Don't worry, I still have a few more days to live." Edmund IV chuckled, his smile causing the Grand Duke of the North's lips to twitch. Then, his gaze unconsciously drifted to the pillow beside him, as if he were wondering whether he should just cover himself with it.

"Alright, alright," the old king immediately changed his tune when he saw the other party's unfriendly gaze, "That child is still in prison, but he's doing very well. You can take him with you when you go back this time."

These words silenced the Grand Duke of the North. He sat on the edge of the bed, pondered for more than ten seconds, and then suddenly asked, "What exactly happened back then?"

"I don't know." Edmund IV shook his head slightly.

"He is Shirley's son," the Grand Duke said in a deep voice.

"Yes, that's why I put him in prison. Only in this way can I protect him." The old king's voice also grew louder, as if he were arguing about something. "I know he is Shirley's son, and Shirley is my childhood sweetheart, but what can I do? Someone doesn't want him to live."

"Who?" The Grand Duke reached out and gripped the blanket tightly, a hint of coldness in his eyes.

"Many people," Edmund IV sighed, "don't want to see me marry into your family. The combination of supreme power and the strongest military force in the north will frighten all the nobles in the future."

"Are they afraid that the mad king's fate from 500 years ago will repeat itself?" Grand Duke Rudel narrowed his eyes.

The old king's silence was his only response.

"But you're not the kind of person who would slaughter nobles at will, and neither is the eldest prince." The Grand Duke still didn't understand how those behind the scenes could cause so much trouble just for a non-existent reason.

"Do you know how many secret medicines I've refused?" The old king gave a bitter smile. "I've lost count myself. Some people have tried to control me with secret medicines that slow down aging, but I know that once you take those things, there's no stopping you, and gradually, I'll become someone else entirely."

"Like those other nobles, living a life of debauchery?" The Grand Duke of the North curled his lip, showing great disdain for the nobles in the capital.

The old king smiled and then said, "I suspect that Shirley's death is also related to them."

"Who are they?" Upon hearing this, Grand Duke Rudel sat up straight, his icy gaze sending chills down one's spine.

"Many people—high nobles, the church, and hidden forces." Edmund IV gave another wry smile. "We don't know who's behind it all; it's possible that all these forces are involved."

"Then kill them all."

"How can you possibly kill them all?" The old king shook his head. "In Plantagenet City, these relationships are incredibly complex. If a few nobles die today, Blackwater assassins might find their way to you in a few days."

Blackwater is an assassin organization, and their assassins are said to be stealthy and difficult to deal with.

"So that's why you threw Shirley's child into jail?"

"Yes, at least there, no one will care about him. He'll be safe and receive a good education," the old king said with a bitter smile. "I heard he's even gotten fatter."

"I really miss the days when you and I sparred on the palace lawn, and Sherry would applaud and cheer for us," the Grand Duke sighed and said leisurely.

"Don't flatter yourself. Sherry is praising me, only me," Edmund IV immediately retorted, clearly quite certain.

"I am her brother."

"So what?" Edmund IV said with the air of a victor.

Seeing that the other person's eyes were looking at the pillow by the bed, the old king had to change the subject. "But I didn't expect the second queen's death to be so strange."

"Is something fishy going on?"

"Hmm, there must be some kind of force involved."

"Wasn't that queen chosen for you by these nobles around you?" The Grand Duke of the North curled his lip in disdain. He had seen the queen's portrait; she was a beauty, but clearly not as good as his sister.

"Someone wants to plunge the Kingdom of Fran into chaos." Edmund IV sighed. "I can't stop it now. Everyone is watching the show, including the four major churches. They all know what might happen in the future, but everyone is holding their chips, waiting for the best opportunity."

"What do you want me to do, Your Majesty?" The Grand Duke of the North put away his expression and asked seriously. This was the first time he had addressed the king as "Your Majesty" today.

"Take away Shirley's child, don't let him be implicated, guard the Great Nest, and don't let the Argonians take the opportunity to move south."

"Argonne's heavy cavalry?" The Grand Duke frowned. "You're still thinking about enemy countries? Fran is about to cause trouble."

"Even if things get chaotic, it's just domestic turmoil. As long as you're in charge of the Great Nest, the Argonne cavalry won't be able to move south. They still hold a grudge about that naval battle thirty years ago."

Seeing that the old king was determined not to get involved in the nobles' dirty business, the Grand Duke of the North could only shake his head. "You want me to go to the prison to pick up the child?"

"Yes, he's too old to be called a child anymore."

"But what if those officials obstruct it?"

"Didn't you bring 2000 men?"

These words left Archduke Rudel speechless. He stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and had to admit that the old king truly understood him.

"Who's behind this, stirring things up from behind the scenes?"

Edmund IV smiled and said in a low voice, "I sent people to investigate for a long time, and all they found out was that they were a bunch of madmen. They claimed that the Creator God was not asleep as the Church of the Four Gods said, but had been usurped and was dead. What they wanted to do was resurrect the Creator God."

"Resurrecting gods?"

"right."

"Using such insidious methods?" The Grand Duke of the North frowned, finding this fellow utterly incomprehensible.

The old king simply nodded slightly.

"What are their names?" the Grand Duke asked.

"I don't know their name, but I do know their organization's name," Edmund IV exhaled slowly. "They call themselves the Hermitage of Mist Mountain."