The Forest Feeds No Idle Goblins

"I need some Insect-Repelling Potion." The man walked up to the counter, sizing up the various potions on the shelves.

"Of course. How many bottles do you need? I’ll get them for you," Mary said with a smile.

"Two or three bottles should do."

"Are you heading into the forest soon?" Mary observed the customer before her. His face was clean, his beard neatly trimmed, and his hair was meticulously styled. A black lion’s head was carved into his gleaming Chest Armor.

"Yes." The customer glanced down, noticing the book Mary was reading.

"If you’re going into the forest, I’d suggest taking a few extra bottles of Insect-Repelling Potion. That way you can stay longer," Mary said, placing the potions on the counter.

"No need. Three bottles are enough. It’s just a few goblins," the customer said nonchalantly, picking up a bottle of the potion to examine the liquid inside.

"You must be one of the Count’s guards, aren’t you? Are you here to deal with that group of goblins?" Mary smiled, a hint of pleasant surprise in her voice.

"Yes, I am," the guard admitted directly, a corner of his mouth twitching up.

"I heard that those goblins have gathered in large numbers. Some Adventurers even say the Storm Brotherhood was killed by them." Mary placed her hands on her chest and let out a soft sigh. "Thank heavens someone is finally here to deal with them. I was afraid those goblins were going to charge out of the forest."

"No, not those goblins, beautiful miss. We have another mission," the guard said, standing ramrod straight at the counter. "But the Storm Brotherhood was indeed useless. They’re dead."

"They’re really dead?" Mary gasped, covering her mouth in shock.

"Yes. A group of monsters attacked them, and not a trace of their bodies was left. Fortunately, someone survived to inform the Count’s Mansion." The guard looked at the price and took out his coin purse. "As for the goblins you mentioned, we’ve heard about them too. If things go smoothly, we might just be able to take care of them."

"That’s wonderful." Mary pulled another bottle of Insect-Repelling Potion from under the counter. "This one’s on the house. Thank you for everything you’re doing for Yangjiao Town."

"Thank you, generous miss." The guard accepted the potion with a slight bow.

Soon after seeing the guard from the Count’s Mansion off, Mary immediately took out a notebook and wrote: "Many guards from the Count’s Mansion have arrived. They’re here for the Fortress. Someone from the Storm Brotherhood survived and has already informed the Count’s Mansion."

Then, she walked to the door and looked up at the darkening sky. She decided to close up for the night. ’I need to get this information to the boss immediately.’

Just as Mary was tidying up the shop, TING-A-LING, another customer walked in.

"I’m sorry, sir, but we’re about to close," Mary said apologetically as she looked at the newcomer.

"No, I’m not here to buy potions." The man removed his top hat, held it in front of him, and surveyed the counter and shelves.

"Then what can I help you with?" Mary was slightly puzzled. The new customer was a man who looked to be of some age, dressed in an exquisitely tailored black formal suit covered in intricate patterns. Over the suit, he wore a long, black Cloak.

His complexion was just a bit too fair, his cheeks were gaunt, and his pupils were a very light shade of blue. His long, golden hair was casually tied back with a silk ribbon.

"This shop hasn’t changed a bit," he said, slowly pulling off his silk gloves. He walked to the counter and leaned against it casually. "My name is Herbert. Virdini might have mentioned me. I’m your glass bottle supplier."

"Ah, it’s you, Mr. Herbert." Mary reacted at once. The boss had written to him earlier, wanting to order a large quantity of potion bottles. She hadn’t expected him to arrive so quickly.

"The letter mentioned a large order of bottles. As it happens, I had business to attend to in this area, so I came in person." Herbert extended a finger adorned with a Ruby ring and tapped the counter. "Now, I’d like to discuss the order with your boss."

"I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Herbert, but my boss isn’t here. If you trust me, you could discuss it with me..." Mary said politely, placing a hand on her chest and giving a slight curtsy.

"No, beautiful miss. The order is very large, and the production and transport of glassware are quite troublesome. I need to speak with your boss in person." Herbert’s tone left no room for debate.

"This..." Mary was in a difficult position. She knew Shire was a goblin, and they were in Yangjiao Town, a gathering place for Adventurers. A face-to-face meeting would be very dangerous for him. Yet, from Herbert’s tone, it was clear he insisted on it.

"If he’s not here, I can wait for his return. A few days won’t be a problem," Mr. Herbert said, tapping the counter lightly. "However, I can only see him at night."

’At night?’ Mary’s mind raced. She decided to agree for now, report to the boss, and if all else failed, have Little John impersonate him. "Very well, I will relay the message."

"Good. This is where I’m staying." Herbert pulled a palm-sized notebook from his ornate black suit, wrote down an address, and with a RIP, tore the page out and placed it on the counter. "You can have the staff at the Moonlight Inn notify me when there’s news."

Mary picked up the piece of paper. It read: "West River, Moonlight Inn, VIP Suite 8." She pressed her lips together, realizing the man before her was likely a person of considerable wealth.

"I understand. I will be sure to notify you promptly," Mary said with a curtsy.

Herbert sized Mary up one last time, clutching his gloves in one hand and giving a slight wave of his top hat with the other. "Farewell, beautiful miss," he said with a smile.

Once he had left, Mary quickly tidied the workshop and locked the shop door. The sky was now completely dark. By the flickering light of a candle, she jotted down more information in her notebook and then rushed towards the Teleportation Gate.

......

"The young master of the Valentine Clan?" Shire grinned as he read the intelligence report.

"What is it? Isn’t the Valentine Clan the Count of this domain?" Agatha asked, looking at him strangely from the side.

"Yes, that’s right." Shire’s smile vanished. He looked up at the glowing Mushrooms on the ceiling, trying to dredge up a memory. "That guy... I think his name is Philip. He’s old man Valentine’s eldest and only son, the heir to the Count’s Mansion."

"Then he holds a very high status. He must have brought a lot of Earl’s Guards with him to Yangjiao Town this time," Agatha said, a hint of worry in her voice.

"Mmm, you’re right. Though the guy is a useless pretty boy who’s all bark and no bite—he was still wetting the bed in his teens—we can’t afford to be careless." Shire scanned the contents of the report. "The bigger problem now is that one person from the Storm Brotherhood got away. That’s troublesome. Our location might have been exposed."

"During the fight with the Storm Brotherhood, I was trying to figure out how to keep them all here, but one still managed to escape in the end." He hopped off his chair and began pacing with his hands behind his back. "We need to speed up the construction of the Fortress’s defenses. We have Worker Ants now, so we need to start digging immediately."

"Reinforce our defenses?" Agatha looked at the contemplative Shire and spoke up, "You don’t need to worry too much. After all, you control several areas now. If worst comes to worst, we can just leave this place."

"I know. But we absolutely cannot let old man Valentine bring his troops here." Shire placed the report on the table. "We need to send Little John to Black Lion City to find out the specifics. There are probably already some rumors spreading there by now."

"Besides, we only have a few Slimes and Brain-Eating Monsters right now. We can’t deal with those fully armed guards." He turned to look at Agatha, who was sitting in her chair. "We need to speed up the creation of the Teleportation Gates."

"That’s almost done. But are you really going to place them at the entrance?" Agatha asked.

"Yes. Some at the entrance, and I’ve already figured out where to put the others." A grin spread across Shire’s face as he let out a little chuckle.

"Still, I have to remind you to be careful when fighting that... Philip. On one hand, be careful in case he’s powerful. On the other hand, be careful because he’s a noble. He’s certainly enchanted with Mind Tracking Magic," Agatha said in a serious tone. "From what I know, many Great Nobles hire the Church to cast Magic on their heirs, which can track the person who killed them and the location of their body."

"Don’t worry, I know about all that," Shire said with a nod. "Back then, my father was planning to pay to have that Magic cast on me, but all the family’s money was being used to build the Deepwater Port, so it never happened."

"Well, all right then. I trust you can handle these things." Agatha picked up her teacup and drained the remaining tea. "I’ll go finish up that last Teleportation Gate."

"Oh, right. Let me ask you, what’s this Herbert guy like?" Shire called out to her.

"He’s my potion bottle supplier. I found him through the Alchemy Association," Agatha said, glancing at the intelligence report. "What, did he write back?"

"He came to Yangjiao Town in person. He says he wants to meet with me face-to-face about the order."

"Meet in person?" Agatha said, surprised. "I’ve always contacted him through letters and the merchant guild before. Why would he come in person this time?"

"Er, in my letter, I told him I needed a massive quantity of bottles," Shire said with a couple of nervous chuckles.

"So he came in person? You should have ordered them in batches." Agatha shook her head. "So, what’s your plan now?"

"He said he wants to meet at night. I think that could work. After all, if I move the candles farther away and wear a Cloak, he won’t be able to see much," Shire said, looking at the notes on the report. "Besides, I think this Mr. Herbert is strange too. He says he can only meet me at night. Isn’t business usually conducted during the day?"

"Maybe he has other things to do during the day," Agatha suggested.

"Well, I’ll have Mary notify the inn in Yangjiao Town first and set up a time."