The Forest Feeds No Idle Goblins

"I think we should..." Vivian said with an awkward smile. At first, she had thought Arcane Grandmaster Affif would offer some more profound advice, but after hearing his suggestion to use "Red Bull" as an aphrodisiac, she mentally categorized him once again as a ’shameless old lecher’.

’Teacher was right, after all. Building your Magic Tower in the Red Light District of Plantagenet City... your ideas are a perfect fit,’ she complained inwardly. At the same time, she glanced at her teacher, only to see him looking down and sipping from his cup, seemingly completely unsurprised by Affif’s suggestion.

"No, Little Vivian," Affif said with a hearty laugh. "I know this might be difficult to talk about, but you have to understand that right now on Perfume Lily Avenue, the male nobles are willing to spend a fortune in Gold Coins to acquire such things."

"Someone was selling a little blue pill on the Black Market. They called it ’Little Blue Star.’ One pill is only about this big," he held up his hand, pinching his thumb and index finger together to show Vivian a size less than a centimeter. "Do you know how much it cost? Two Gold Coins."

"That expensive?" Vivian’s eyes widened. She wasn’t some noble young lady completely ignorant of everyday finances. She had even started her own little merchant guild for a time when she was younger. Though it eventually folded due to losses, the experience had taught her a thing or two about business.

"Yes," Affif said, glancing with a smile at the "Red Bull" in his hand. "I don’t know who makes ’Little Blue Star’ or who sells it, but that thing really took Perfume Lily Avenue by storm. But now..."

He paused for a few seconds, then said with another smile, "I heard there have been some problems with it. The supply is very tight now, and it might even be cut off completely. The price of a single ’Little Blue Star’ has already risen to five Gold Coins."

Vivian gasped, covering her mouth. "That’s insane."

"For those decadent nobles, they can afford it," Affif shook his head slightly, clearly not a fan of ’Little Blue Star’ himself. "However, while that pill does have an aphrodisiac effect, it also comes with certain side effects. After taking it, men will fall into a state of mental exhaustion and lethargy for a period of time. If they take too much, it can even cause cardiac arrest."

"But this," Affif said, raising the "Red Bull" in his hand, "I don’t sense any negative effects. The only adverse reaction, I imagine, is just becoming overly energetic."

"But that’s not an issue. Those nobles would probably enjoy that rush even more."

"Thank you for your analysis," Grand Mage Victor, who had been silent for a long time, spoke up and interrupted him. "We only see this as an aid for recovering Spiritual Power and refreshing the mind. As for the other function you mentioned, it’s not currently within the scope of our considerations."

"No, Victor, you old goat, you need to see the potential of this thing. ’Little Blue Star’ is about to disappear," Affif said, looking at his "old friend." "Whoever can supply a large amount of Red Bull will become the underground ’master’ of Perfume Lily Avenue."

"Neither of us wants that," Victor said calmly, but his eyes held a glint of cunning, a clear sense of victory from having finally scored a point.

"Mr. Affif, my teacher is right. I only came across this by chance, and I hear its production is very limited. It’s just something a gardening enthusiast grows casually," Vivian said, blinking her big eyes. Uncle Musa had told her when he gave her the bag that the supplier couldn’t provide "Red Bull" in large quantities.

"That’s really unfortunate news." Hearing what Vivian said, Affif could only shrug helplessly. "If that’s the case, then it is indeed more suited for aiding Magic training."

"But my teacher and I brought a lot this time," Vivian said immediately, her gaze sweeping to the burlap sack on the corner of the table. "You should be able to recover your Magic Power very soon."

"No need to rush, Little Vivian," Affif smiled. "I will rest well these next few days and will definitely recover as quickly as possible. When I do, I will help you perform the Prophetic Technique."

"That’s wonderful, Mr. Affif," Vivian stood up, placed her hands over her heart, and bowed. "My skill in Arcane Magic is still quite average. Right now, I can only use Divination to predict that my brother’s location is in the southern part of the Nightmare Forest. If I want to know the exact details, I can only rely on you."

"Rest assured," Affif nodded with a smile, the pink bow in his beard bobbing up and down with the movement. "I will do my best to help you find his location this time. To be honest, I also want to see just what kind of person Shire Merlot is."

"You want to see my brother too?" Vivian raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. Your brother was quite a well-known figure in Plantagenet City back in the day." Mr. Affif seemed to recall something, a meaningful smile spreading across his face.

"If I can find him, I will personally go bring him back to see you," Vivian nodded solemnly. "Even if he’s in the Nightmare Forest, I will go into the forest myself to find him."

"No, child, you should stay in the Fran Kingdom. You must not underestimate the Nightmare Forest." Hearing Vivian’s words, Affif, for once, put away his smile and said with a serious expression, "There are dangers in that forest you know nothing about."

"Dangers? Isn’t it just some goblins?" Vivian stretched out her hand and clenched it into a fist. "Those little monsters... I can kill one with a single Rocket Technique. If I run into a group, it’s just a matter of one Blast Fireball Skill."

"Hehehe," Affif chuckled, but his eyes darted to Victor at his side, his gaze seemingly carrying a hint of reprimand. "A while ago, the Northern Count, Valentine, transported two huge Magical Beast corpses to Plantagenet City. According to his report, his army had to expend a herculean effort to completely wipe out those hard-to-deal-with Magical Beasts."

"I’ve heard about that," Vivian said, hesitating for a moment before nodding.

"Besides, Little Vivian, it’s not just goblins and Magical Beasts in the forest. There are more powerful things inside." Affif looked calmly into Vivian’s eyes.

"More powerful things? Do you mean those monsters?" Vivian asked, turning her head to look at her teacher beside her.

"In the forest, there is also..." Grand Mage Victor felt Vivian’s gaze, leaned back in his high-backed chair, and said slowly, "an Evil God."

"An Evil God?" Vivian’s brow furrowed.