Forests Don't Support Idle Goblins

"By the way," a mage suddenly said at the stone table, "I don't know if you've noticed, but a new drink has appeared, called Red Bull."

“I’ve heard of it,” the high-ranking mage beside him nodded, stroking his beard, “but isn’t that stuff used to make aphrodisiacs?”

"No, I tried it before," the mage said, glancing around to make sure no one seemed to have any particular expression before continuing, "I discovered that it actually has the effect of restoring mental energy. Although the recovery process is a bit slow, the effect is quite good, at least more cost-effective than those mental energy potions."

"You mean its effect is even better than the spirit potion?" The president of the Spell Union, sitting in the middle, asked, and his question also made the other archmages look at the one who spoke first.

"No, Master," the mage shook his head slightly, "If we're talking about effectiveness, of course, the mental potion is better, but Red Bull, being a powdered drink, can be consumed simply by mixing it with hot water, and its cost is much cheaper than those expensive potions."

"But what are the effects of this stuff?" The mage next to him was somewhat skeptical, but soon someone understood the purpose of Red Bull.

"You mean, it can be used to replace coffee or tea, making it a daily beverage, and even distributed to apprentices so they can progress faster in their magical studies?"

"Yes," the mage who spoke first nodded quickly, "that's what I meant, but the information I have now is that there aren't many of these things, and they seem to come from the Golden Flower City in the Kingdom of Fran. We don't know who is selling them or who controls them."

"Golden Flower City?" the guild leader spoke up again. "It doesn't matter. We can send those mage apprentices to make contact and see who's selling it. If they're willing, we can buy all their Red Bull."

"But what if he doesn't want to?" the mage Rondo, sitting in the corner, suddenly spoke up. "I've heard that things are in turmoil in Plantagenet City, and it seems that the Fran royal family is having internal strife."

"It's none of our business. If the other party agrees, that would be best. If they don't agree, then we'll just have to take it by force." The guild leader's tone was very calm, and the archmages around the stone table showed no surprise, as if this method had been used many times before and they were completely used to it.

Afif and Victor, sitting to the side, exchanged another glance. Neither of them had spoken when the group of mages mentioned Red Bull, but after the guild leader spoke, they both saw a hint of worry in each other's eyes.

After all, his apprentice Vivian had mentioned that she had some connection with the Red Bull supplier, and Uncle Musa was able to obtain a large amount of Red Bull from them. Now, the two of them could always have freshly brewed drinks in the magic tower. But if the Spell Union took a liking to this stuff, there would only be one outcome—they would completely seize the business.

"Speaking of which, I have something I'd like to ask," the mage Rondo said, drawing everyone's attention when they fell silent. "I've recently noticed that there seem to be fewer magical materials on the market, especially alchemical materials."

"Now that you mention it, I've also noticed something," a great mage chimed in.

"Right," Rondo nodded. "I've checked carefully, and it seems there's a problem with the various materials produced in Nightmare Forest. Of course, I've been in the Kingdom of Fran for a while, so I've been paying attention to the situation there."

"Could it be the Valentine family?" a mage asked anxiously. "Has he forgotten what his father went through? Is he trying to monopolize materials again?"

"I don't know about that." Rondo shook his head with a smile. He had only raised the question; the specifics would depend on how the group of mages responded.

"He probably wouldn't dare," the president of the federation tapped the stone tabletop lightly. "Let's contact those chambers of commerce. We should be able to get concrete data soon. If Valentine really has forgotten how his father died, then we don't mind letting him see his father again."

"Hehehe," the mages present chuckled. Many years ago, the former Earl Valentine had wanted to acquire Nightmare Forest and then sell it off in his own hands. Unfortunately, not long after he proposed this idea, he died mysteriously in his own bed.

Now someone else wants to do this, and the Spellcasting Association will definitely make that guy understand what "free trade" means.

After everyone finished laughing and no one said anything more, the chairman spoke up: "Well then, we can start proposing the third item on the agenda."

As soon as he finished speaking, Afif looked around immediately. "I need a complete phoenix eggshell."

"A complete eggshell?" A great mage frowned. "If it's just a piece of eggshell, I can provide it."

"I'm sorry, it's complete." Afif shook his head, then looked at the others.

None of the great mages spoke. Providing a complete phoenix eggshell was indeed very difficult; most people could only offer a small piece the size of their palm, or at most a large piece.

To obtain a phoenix eggshell, one must venture up to the phoenix's nest and collect any missing eggshells when the adult phoenix is ​​not present. Once the baby phoenix hatches, the adult mother phoenix will eat the eggshell fragment containing mithril.

Many mages are aware of this situation because the mother phoenix will lay more eggs, and the mithril and other materials can be recycled.

This is why Afif's requirements are difficult; to obtain a complete eggshell, he would have to personally steal a phoenix egg and wait for the phoenix chick to hatch.

"If we're talking about complete, I do know," a voice caught Afif's attention. He turned to see Rondo speaking, "but I'm not sure if we can get it, and it probably hasn't finished hatching yet."

"I see..." Afif lowered his head slightly, considering whether what the other party said was reliable. After a few seconds, he nodded, "Okay, I can wait."

"Alright, I'll come back to you once I get it. As for the exchange, we can talk about it later." Rondo said casually, seemingly trying to ingratiate himself with the archmages present.

After they finished their exchange, one of the mages said, "I need a pair of dragon eyes."

His words drew everyone's attention, but Afif was tugged at by Victor beside him, "Why do you need a phoenix eggshell?"

He spoke softly, with his head tilted to the side, making sure only Afif could hear him.

"I need that thing as an aid," Afif glanced at the archmages discussing around the stone table, then lowered his voice, "The intact eggshell still contains a trace of the mythical creature's energy, which, with the help of my divination spell, can make it even stronger."

"What are you trying to predict?"

“Vivian’s brother,” Afif paused for a few seconds, “every time I make a divination, it’s like I’m looking through a thick layer of gray fog; I can’t see anything at all. This is the first time I’ve encountered such a situation with divination.”

Hearing his words, Victor frowned. His "old friend" had mentioned this before, but hadn't said much at the time. Now, it seemed that the situation was very strange.

The next chapter is even more exciting: Chapter 392, Three Topics, we look forward to your visit.

Even a high-ranking arcane archmage was blocked outside and unable to complete the prophecy. What exactly happened to that guy, Charles Mello?

However, divination revealed that he would remain safe for some time to come, which made Victor even more puzzled.

Could it be that Vivian's brother possesses some kind of magical destiny? You know, their whole family used to be believers in the Church of Night and Fate.

While Afif and Victor were whispering to each other, the mage at the stone table had already completed several rounds of transactions. Then, a voice rang out, silencing everyone once again.

"I need a potion that can make people immune to the ratmen's plague."

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was the mage Rondo Adal making his request.

"The ratmen's plague is very difficult to deal with. Their plague can enter the body with just a small wound, and it is also highly contagious. Furthermore," a mage frowned as he looked at Rondo, "this plague is also prone to mutation. If two people are scratched, the manifestations of the plague may be different."

"Yes," the other mages nodded in agreement. "It's almost impossible to use a single potion to make the ratmen immune. At most, it can only guarantee immunity to a few effects."

"Isn't there any other way?" Rondo shrugged, his tone not sounding particularly anxious, unlike the other mages who were making trade requests.

"It seems that there isn't one for now," the president, sitting in the middle, said calmly. His statement was met with approval from many, who nodded in agreement.

"Alright then, I'll think of other ways. Of course, if anyone can provide one, I'm willing to pay the corresponding price." Rondo glanced around at the archmages present, then said nothing more.

Soon, the transaction came to an end. Seeing that everyone had fallen silent, the chairman gently tapped the table and said, "Then this meeting is over."

After they finished speaking, everyone stood up. They all looked at the glass dome in the middle of the stone table and the object inside that looked like a key fragment. They all bowed and said, "The God of All Laws guides us."

After that, the group of high-ranking archmages once again headed into the depths of the purple clouds, and in the end, not a single person remained by the stone table.

…………

"Is this the potion?" Spencer carefully held the "bottle" in his hand. Calling it a bottle would be more accurate than describing it as a snail shell.

The opening of this palm-sized snail shell was plugged with a clump of seaweed to ensure that the liquid inside would not spill out.

"It's nothing, we still have some of this stuff," Pazzani, standing to the side, waved his hand. "But brother, when will your materials arrive?"

"It will probably take some more time." Charles shook his head in annoyance. Uncle Musa originally said that after he got the mithril, he would send the goods to him through the portal, but after arriving in Golden Flower City, he got involved in the "Xuanwu Gate Incident" and still couldn't get out. Those materials will have to wait a little longer.

"I never expected you to be able to establish contact with the Naga race," Spencer said, handing the potion back to Pazzani. "You know, so many people on the continent are searching for them."

"I could have imagined it." Charles glanced at Pazzani beside him. "Of course, I was quite surprised when I first met him."

"It is only through the will of nature that we have met." Pazzani patted his chest, where a long scar stood out prominently. He would always take off his clothes or even go shirtless, leaving his chest exposed as if showing off the scar.

Come to think of it, those were the scars he got when he fought alongside Ciel to defeat the Feathered Serpent God.

Moreover, Charles often told him that scars are a man's badge of honor.

Even the clan elders have said several times that he looks more mature with that scar.

"With this, your idea for a magic academy is only a matter of time." Spencer nodded with a smile. He hadn't expected that the biggest problem in the middle had already been solved by Charles so easily. This made him take another look at the goblin in front of him.

"That's good," Charles nodded, then turned to Naga, "By the way, what brings you here?"

"It's nothing, brother," Pazzani rubbed his two webbed hands together, "I wanted to tell you something."

"Um?"

"That thing you gave me to drink, the light beer, could you get me some? Of course, if you have any other seasonings, like spices, honey, vinegar, etc., I'll need those too."

"No problem, I have it here, you can take it back directly." Charles waved his hand dismissively, but Pazzani's next words made him frown.

"It's not just me who needs it; it's our entire clan that needs it."

"This is a bit much." Charles hesitated. He bought a large amount of pale beer, giving some to the frogmen in exchange for their black clay, and keeping the rest for the goblins to motivate them to learn Common Tongue.

But now the Naga tribe wants to buy it, and the quantity is quite large; Goat Horn Town may not be able to provide enough alcohol.

"I remember, don't you Naga people have your own brewed algae wine?" Shar asked.

"That stuff," Pazzani chuckled, "nobody likes that sour stuff anymore since they tried pale beer."

"Let me ask for you." Sharl breathed a sigh of relief. Every race wants a better life, and the Naga are no exception. Now that they have tried new foods and drinks, they also want to change their lives.

"It's all up to you, brother," Pazzani patted his chest excitedly. "If you need anything, just ask us for Nagati."

As a result, the force of the slap was too great, which aggravated the scar, causing him to gasp for breath.

"Did you hit the wound?" Seeing that the future Naga King still had such a carefree attitude, Sharl shook his head.

"It's nothing," Pazzani grinned. "By the way, what about that feathered serpent god who escaped? We wonder how he is now, and whether it will have any impact on us?"

"As for the impact," Charles pondered, looking down. Quetzalcoatl had fled eastward, and his forces had not yet explored that area. Fortunately, he still had an ability he hadn't used.

[Mist Peeping: You can select a nearby unknown area. Once the mist dissipates, it will be displayed on the area map. This ability can be used once a month.]

It just so happens that I haven't used this month's abilities yet, so it's a good time to open up the eastern region.

With this in mind, Xia Er used [Mist Peep] on the domain map.

With a "whoosh," the cloud-like fog on the map slowly retreated, revealing a large area.

"What is this?" Charles frowned as he looked at the map.