Forests Don't Support Idle Goblins

"What do you want me to say?"

Agatha glanced at the vast space before her, then looked down at Charles, "So what if the house is big?"

"It's nothing. Would you like to move in with me?" Charles smiled at the other person. "Don't worry, I won't charge you rent."

"No, this place is too far from Giesorn. I used to be able to sneak into town at night from my little cabin, but it would be so much more troublesome if I stayed here." Agatha shook her head in refusal, then asked, "Have you named your new house yet?"

"I got up. Someone else gave me that." Charles gritted his teeth and replied.

"Someone else?" Agatha was a little surprised.

"A mind flayer named this place Goblin Fortress," Charles said bitterly.

"A mind flayer? You have a friend like that?" Agatha the witch chuckled. "Where is he? Can you introduce us to him?"

"He's already dead. If you want to see him, I'll have my men dig him up for you so you can pay your respects." Charles shrugged.

"You killed the original Mind Flayer, didn't you?" Agatha covered her mouth in surprise. "Mind Flayers are very powerful. How did you do it?"

"It's simple. I've seen vendors kill octopuses in Torch City before," Charles said with a smile, gesturing with a famous hand gesture. "You grab them first, slap their bald heads a few times, and once they're stunned, you swiftly bring them down..."

Agatha looked at Charles as if he were a fool, and only after he stopped talking with an awkward smile did she say, "If there's a chance, could you introduce me to this hero who defeated the Mind Flayer?"

"Why?" Charles asked.

"Mind flayers are incredibly powerful. The books say their mind blasts can knock an ordinary human unconscious. Even as a bloodline sorcerer, I wouldn't dare face a mind flayer alone. This hero managed to defeat one so easily; he must be incredibly strong." The hunchbacked hag Agatha blinked her two purple pupils, staring intently at Charles. "Don't overthink it. I just don't want to be killed by him for no reason later."

"Okay, if there's a chance," Charles knew at a glance that Agatha had misunderstood again, but he was too lazy to explain.

"What did you just say the Mind Flayer gave this place?" Agatha pressed.

"Goblin Fortress." Ciel handed Agatha a sheepskin.

Agatha took it and unfolded it. "This seems to be a map. Could it be a route here?"

"Yes," Charles nodded. "I suspect it's a Mind Flayer's scheme, using the map to lure adventurers here to become his incubation material. He was even afraid the adventurers wouldn't come, so he deliberately wrote 'Goblin Fortress' on the map."

"This one doesn't prove anything," Agatha said, returning the sheepskin to the Charles.

But Charles didn't take it. Instead, he said, "I found ten identical maps in that bastard's box. Ten of them!"

"I feel like he's attacked me," he said angrily.

"Maybe the map hasn't been distributed yet," Agatha comforted him softly, then asked, "You didn't call me here just to show off your new house, did you?"

"Not entirely. There's something I'll show you, something very important." Charles's lips curled into a wide smile.

Moving without posting on social media means missing out on a lot of fun.

After saying that, he led the way, guiding Agatha inside.

As Agatha passed through the passage, she saw seventeen large wooden crates placed against the wall, with wooden plaques labeled "Beast Cores" hanging on the wall behind them. "Beast Cores, are they from Mind Flayers?"

Charles immediately grabbed Agatha, "Don't touch them, they're all mimics."

"Mimosas? All of them?" Agatha immediately took a step back. "Then why did you put them here?"

"These are all Mind Flayer's treasures, seventeen Mimics, placed here to serve as his tribute to the adventurers who explored the Goblin Fortress," Charles said resentfully.

"Oh..." Agatha hesitated for a moment, "So there are no beast cores here, right?"

"I do have some of those things, but not many." Charles scratched his cheek; the Mind Flayer had left him a few good items after all.

"Alright, not many is fine, one or two is fine too," Agatha muttered to herself.

The two walked through the passage and saw a group of goblins still cleaning the fortress. After all, the space was too large and there was too much to do.

"I think I just saw a troll and a bunch of furoos," Agatha said, puzzled.

"Yes, the troll is my subordinate, named Grass." Sharl nodded. "Those Furu are tenants."

"This place is quite interesting. To be honest, it would be nice to live here. I'm actually starting to like it." Agatha smiled as she walked to a heavy wooden door. "What's behind this door? Why is it always closed? Are there little fairies or unicorns locked inside?"

"There are dozens of brain-eating monsters inside," Charles said calmly.

Agatha withdrew her hand with lightning speed and stumbled back several steps.

"Why are you keeping them?" she asked Charles, somewhat surprised.

"I plan to fill a large room in the front with brain-eating monsters and raise a hundred of them once the fortress is cleaned up," Charles said casually.

Agatha raised an eyebrow, her pupils dilating in shock. It was the first time she had ever discovered that her old classmate had such a peculiar hobby. "That's a brain-eating monster, not a big fat cat."

"It's fine, I can afford it," Charles said casually. "Are you still going to live here?"

"Only a fool would want to live here," Agatha refused outright.

Finally, he led Agatha to the room where the original mastermind was, pointing to several large packages in the corner, "Bluethorn leaves, rhizomes of Rhymewort, and Purplewood Flowers, and my men are still gathering other herbs."

"What are you trying to say?" Agatha asked.

"A friend of mine wants to know if alchemy potion brewing requires magic? If it's just mixing, can it make goblins dry, or even just basic processing?" Charles said with a smile.

"Hmph," Agatha laughed angrily, almost saying that this friend of yours is yourself.

However, she patiently explained to Charles: "Ordinary insect repellent and sleeping potions do not require magic; they only need to be prepared and boiled. But these are not very useful for adventurers in battle; they are just everyday medicines."

"Potions needed for real combat, such as healing potions or stimulant potions, need to be infused with a little magic to activate the properties of the herbs. If they are simply boiled, the effect of the potion is very slight."

"I see," Ciel nodded, rubbing his chin as he thought for a few seconds.

Then he looked up and asked, "Did you bring any magic potions?"

"I brought it. As a bloodline sorcerer, I would definitely bring it." Agatha took out two magic potions and handed them to Charles.

Charles ran out and found a wooden bowl, poured the magic potion into it, and then took out a package and poured several bones into the magic potion.

Agatha peered closer in confusion, and then she was astonished to see the bones moving in the potion, gradually coming together to form a human hand.

"This is," she stared, mouth agape, at the hand bones stretching comfortably in the potion, "a necromancer monster, the Claw of the Wriggling."

"Don't say that," Charles corrected her with a smile. "This is our future top-notch pharmacist, Mr. Little Paw."

"?" The crawling claw paused for a moment, then its five fingers retracted and clenched into a fist.