Forests Don't Support Idle Goblins

[Hero's Heart: You gain the loyalty of a hero, whose powerful will will protect you. This protection will grant you immunity to all lethal damage. This immunity can only be active once per period, after which you will enter a recovery period. The recovery time depends on the hero's abilities; the current recovery period is 30 days.]

"The Heart of a Warrior?" Charles stared at the prompt on the panel, a smile gradually spreading across his face.

This works great; it grants immunity to all lethal damage, making you invincible.

Although it can only be used once every 30 days, it is still very powerful.

When I was dealing with the Mind Flayer before, I was in a dilemma. If I had had the boost from the Heart of the Warrior, I would have dared to carry a bag of grenade fruits and hug the Mind Flayer directly.

However, this was just a joke. It's best to avoid self-destructing trucks if possible. Mind Flayer taught me a good lesson: the creatures of the forest have all sorts of strange and wonderful abilities. In the future, I need to make careful judgments and try to avoid recklessness. Having Red-Eye as the only reckless member in the tribe is enough.

Moreover, the cooldown of the Hero's Heart is 30 days. If you fail to kill the opponent in one go, you will be the one who suffers the consequences.

"Let me see your current situation." Charles smiled and brought up Little John's control panel.

Name: John Franklin Jr.

Race: Human

[Danger Level: 4, Slightly Strong]

Personality: Cautious

[Title: Future Hero]

"Yeah, it's still a bit low, but it can be improved. If I can become as strong as Siegfried, the dragon slayer in history, then I can become Bomberman, right?"

"Hehehe," Charles laughed, "We still need to keep a low profile. This is just a last resort to save our lives, and we can't use it lightly."

John remained kneeling, having just made a vow after careful consideration. But now, with his boss staring at him with a meaningful smile, he was unsure whether he should stand up.

"Alright, alright," Charles finally realized that the hero was still kneeling on the ground, and quickly pulled him up. "I accept your loyalty, my friend."

"However, you need to train yourself even harder. If you are strong, they won't dare to plot against you and Mary."

If you are very powerful, then I will not be afraid of anything.

"I understand, boss. I will train even harder from now on." John nodded, his expression serious. "I won't let Mary be in danger again."

"You should work hard, but you still need to pay attention to balancing work and rest." Charles patted the other person's arm.

In theory, as long as Little John lives and remains loyal to me, the effect of this Hero's Heart will continue.

So you need to take care of your health. If you accidentally hurt yourself during training, I'll be heartbroken.

At the same time, Xia Er was surprised to find that the tax official had given him a "basic calculation ability". He had thought the tax official was just an ordinary person who could not give him anything, but he did not expect there to be a surprise.

Now, the goblins in the tribe do all the calculations themselves. When these goblins need to calculate more than 20 numbers, they have to ask another goblin to help. If the calculator is missing fingers or toes, it's even more troublesome.

With this ability, we can train someone to handle material statistics in the future.

"What are you planning to do in the future?" Charles pulled John down to sit down again.

"We're planning to rent a house in Giethoorn and live there. I'll work even harder. Mary is just an ordinary person; she doesn't know anything about weapons. She plans to continue washing clothes for rich people to earn money, but I'm a little worried and don't want her to be in the public eye," John said, looking at his girlfriend in the distance.

"Actually, you don't need to worry too much. The death of that tax collector might not be attributed to you." Sharmo stroked his chin and patiently explained, "First of all, he only brought a few people to chase you, and they are all dead. Secondly, the other party is not too daring to openly tell others about his dirty intentions. Finally, I also made some arrangements at the scene so that even if someone sees the body, they will know that it was done by goblins."

"As for Mary, I believe she's already very happy just being with you." He stared at the human girl in the distance who was teaching the white-haired girl how to cook, a smile of appreciation on his face.

It's quite interesting. When they first met Mary, she looked utterly desperate. But after dealing with the tax officials, when John told her that he was the boss, Mary was so shocked she could have swallowed an egg. In John's words, "I only told her I had an unexpected boss, and it seems she really didn't expect you to be so amazing."

After drinking the healing potion she had given herself and applying herbs to her ankle, Mary was limped to the fortress, remaining silent throughout.

What broke the ice and made her smile was her buck teeth. This simpleton took the initiative to introduce himself: "Beautiful girl, your eyes are just like my X's X, they're X's in the sky..."

Then Ciel kicked it away, saying, "Its name is Bucktooth, and its brain is fried."

Mary laughed at first, but then started crying again a little while later, and finally laughed through her tears.

At the time, John defended his girlfriend by saying, "Mary hadn't seen many goblins, or rather, the goblins she knew were all the vicious and wicked little monsters that everyone talked about."

"It's alright, I understand." Charles didn't care. Goblins had such a reputation—greedy and cunning, hated by everyone. The fact that she could smile showed that this girl had a very big heart.

Now, Mary is teaching White Hair how to wash the pot, how to bleed the prey and remove its internal organs, how to control the amount of water and the heat, and how to season it.

The white-haired man looked thoughtful, and sometimes he would steal glances at him with a hint of doubt in his eyes. Ciel could only look away and smile apologetically.

"Try to learn. I don't expect you to cook the kind of food that shines straight to the sky when you lift the lid, but at least it should be edible," Charles muttered to himself.

When John heard his words, he looked in the direction of the voice and then laughed, "Mary's cooking is just so-so. She even said she would make me smoked fish rice bowls for the rest of her life."

However, he immediately shut his mouth, because he saw intense jealousy in Charles's cold gaze.

"However, Mary is a nice girl," Charles changed the subject.

After listening to Little John's story, Charles also admired this girl who dared to love and hate and had amazing courage. In that situation, she was able to bravely abandon everything, break the shackles, and choose the person she loved. She is always admirable.

"I may not be able to attend your wedding," Charles said with a smile, "but I still wish you all the best."

"Boss, you know about this too?" Little John asked in surprise, surprised that a goblin would know about human customs.

Charles didn't speak, but gave a mysterious smile. Then, after thinking for a moment, he said, "Perhaps there's a job we can give to Mary."

"What is it, boss?" John asked immediately.

"Can Mary read? Can she do accounting?" Charles didn't answer immediately, but asked about the situation first.

“Yes, Mary attended grammar school for a year,” John nodded quickly. “Although her damn father stopped her from going to school, she has been borrowing my books ever since and has been trying to learn on her own.”

"In that case, call her over," Charles patted Little John.

Soon, John ran over, took Mary's hand, and pulled her over.

"Hello, Miss Mary," Charles said, standing up and greeting her with a smile.

"Hello, old, Mr. Charles." Mary was a little reserved, her hands waving back and forth at her sides a few times before finally grabbing the edge of her long dress, which was already tattered.

Charles gestured for her not to be nervous, assuring her he was just a kind goblin, then asked, "How much has White Hair learned?"

"White Hair, Miss White Hair is very smart and has cooking experience, but she needs more practice," Mary said cautiously, glancing back at White Hair who was frowning as she processed meat.

"I'm sorry to say her cooking skills are terrible; Little John has seen them for himself," Charles said with a smile. Little John, who was standing next to Mary, thought for a moment and then laughed as well.

Mary covered her mouth and laughed as she recalled White Hair recounting how he had prepared goblin food.

"I'll have to trouble you to teach her diligently." Charles looked at the white-haired man cutting meat in the distance and gave him an encouraging smile. "There's one more thing. Little John just said you need to find something to do."

"Yes, Mr. Charles, I'm prepared to continue working as a laundress." Mary turned and looked at little John with deep affection.

"I do have a job that I can offer you, but I don't know if you would be willing to accept it."

"Mr. Charles, I can't be an adventurer." Mary lowered her head apologetically, and John put his hand on his girlfriend's shoulder, trying to comfort her.

"No, not an adventurer. That job is too dangerous for you." Charles spread his palms and spoke eloquently. "I want to hire you as a shop assistant at the 'Undying' Alchemy Workshop. You'll help me greet customers and sell various potions. Of course, you'll also need to take notes on the information revealed in the adventurers' conversations so that we can take self-protection measures."

"Isn't the alchemy workshop Ms. Virtini's?" Little John was taken aback, somewhat surprised.

"Oh, she has some things to take care of. I'm the workshop owner now," Charles said casually. Agatha was completely absorbed in her research on ancient runes and had no time to think about the workshop, so he had to find a way to hire someone to keep it running.

Moreover, Chief Engineer Claw was stirring the potion pot so diligently that Charles even thought he must be a spirit from the connecting rods on the factory's mechanical flywheel, never getting dizzy no matter how many times he went around. He was practically the holy body of a pendulum ride in a modern amusement park, except that he didn't have enough power, so he would soak in magic potion after stirring a pot.

Charles had considered using the alchemy workshop as a transit point for goods to connect with human commerce, selling a large number of forest items from here and purchasing supplies needed by goblins. This would require a trustworthy person to oversee the workshop, and he had previously discussed this with Agatha, who also agreed.

Mary is an educated girl who can read and do math. She's smart, eager to learn, has good judgment and courage, and most importantly, she's not a bad person. She's trustworthy and worth nurturing.

"How about it? I'm offering you a salary of 2 gold coins a month. This is far more than what you'd pay a regular employee; you'd be at the manager level. If you agree, I hope you'll start learning as soon as possible and understand the effects and ingredients of various potions," Charles said with a smile.

"Boss, is this for real?" Little John asked in surprise.

He had completely accepted the fact that the mastermind behind the "Undying" Alchemy Workshop was a goblin. After touring the fortress today, he was numb and felt that all of this seemed normal. He even imagined the elderly Lady Virtini walking unsteadily into the forest alone, then rushing to the fortress gate with great speed and signing a transfer contract with Charles.

What? You're saying an old woman couldn't possibly go in and out of the forest seven times? Are you kidding me? She could even transfer a workshop frequented by adventurers to a goblin. What else is impossible for her?

Charles nodded, smiling at Mary, and waited for her reply.

John held his girlfriend's hand and whispered, "That's great, Mary. This income is really good, almost comparable to that of adventurers, and you don't have to risk your life like adventurers do."

"Alright, I agree, Mr. Charles." After a moment's consideration, Mary finally nodded.

"Call him 'boss'," John said with a smile.

"In that case, you need to go to the alchemy workshop as soon as possible to familiarize yourselves with the relevant procedures. I'll give you the keys in a bit." Charles thought for a moment, preparing to tell Agatha later that she also needed to train Mary.

"By the way, when you get to the workshop, you can buy the warehouse behind it first. You'll need it for storing and transferring goods later." Charles patted his body and pulled out a small cloth bag. "This was given to me by a friend before. You can go and get it for use."

He handed Mary the deposit slip and small seal that he had obtained from Coulson earlier. It contained more than 350 gold coins, enough to buy the warehouse.

After purchasing the warehouse, connect it to the workshop. This way, adventurers can be received directly, while large-scale trade can be conducted through the warehouse's back door, thus avoiding the attention of those with ulterior motives.

"Okay, boss." Mary solemnly took the small cloth bag. After hearing Charles's description, she knew that it contained a deposit slip and that the amount on it might be a large sum. So she carefully put it into her clothes to make sure it was safe.

"Alright, that's settled. You can go back to teaching White Hair now, or who knows what will happen to that pot later." Charles waved his hand with a smile, signaling Mary to immediately stop White Hair from adding seasoning to the food.

"Boss, thank you." Little John stood next to Charles, happily watching Mary and White Hair circling around several large pots, with a few female goblins helping out.

"It's nothing, my friend," Charles said nonchalantly.

The forest was lush and green, and birdsong filled the air.

At the fortress gate, a group of goblins lined up in an orderly fashion, their legs spread apart, and like crabs, they came to the large pot to get their food. Mary and White Hair happily filled their wooden bowls. During this time, a green arm holding a wooden bowl reached out from the shadows and almost startled Mary, but she quickly filled the bowls.

"Finally, we can eat." After taking a few bites, Ciel nodded at the white-haired man who was smiling as brightly as a flower.