The Forest Feeds No Idle Goblins

Chapter 65: Chapter 59: Storm Brotherhood

As noon approached, Black Lion City, the seat of Count Valentine, bustled with the clamor of voices and the rush of traffic.

A night heron flew over Black Lion City, arriving at the docks on the city’s west side. Countless ships sailed in and out of the harbor, many of them fishing boats returning with their catch. It circled overhead, hoping for a few small fish to be tossed from the decks below.

The docks were a clamor of noise as laborers lined up to haul cargo off the ships, with foremen standing by, shouting "Watch out!" A red squirrel perched in the canopy of a tree by the docks, its eyes reflecting the bustling scene.

Suddenly, a pair of claws loomed large in the squirrel’s vision. It dodged the night heron’s pounce and fled, leaping from one tree to another. It then scrambled onto the red-tiled roof of a gray stone house and scurried across a rope stretched between two buildings.

Nearing the end of the rope, the squirrel paused, glancing at the cargo wagon passing below and the towering castle in the distance. Then, with a final leap, it jumped through the second-story window of a three-story building.

It darted onto the table by the window with practiced ease, weaving through several wine goblets and scattered books. Carefully avoiding a sharp Short Sword, it leaped from the table’s edge and landed on a man’s clothes.

After scrambling up his clothes, it reached the man’s shoulder. The man held out a peanut, and the red squirrel happily took it and began to eat.

"Leader, when are we setting out?" the chestnut-haired man asked.

"Don’t be hasty, Ricardo," the other man said, walking to the table and sheathing the Short Sword at his waist. "We still need to prepare more supplies."

"I’ve had enough of that pretentious pretty boy," a bare-chested, bald, burly man in the corner growled, forcefully throwing a bundle of clothes to the ground. "This damn formal wear is so uncomfortable."

"You’d be better off in your Chest Armor, holding your Two-handed Axe and beckoning to a Minotaur," a slender, blond man in high-end formal wear said with a smile, putting down the book he was reading. "Or beckoning to some Beautiful Person in the Red Light District."

"Qige, you know I could take that... what’s-his-name... Young Master Philip’s head clean off with one swing," the burly man said, patting his powerful arm.

"Alright, Yak, don’t disturb Qige while he’s researching." The leader handed the burly man a large mug of ale. Then, he turned to the chestnut-haired man. "Ricardo, are you sure about what you heard earlier?"

"That’s right, Leader," Ricardo said, feeding another peanut to the red squirrel on his shoulder. "Before we arrived, that pretty boy was trying to tame a little goblin, and he was talking with that Captain of the Guard, Yu Le, about a reply from the Prince."

"Leader Matel, after we deal with this forest business, are we heading straight for the Royal Capital?" Qige, still in his formal wear, held out a hand. A goblet from the table flew across the room and landed steadily in his palm.

"Yes," Matel, leader of the Storm Brotherhood, nodded, stroking the long, thin scar on his left cheek. "You heard Ricardo. Big things are going to happen in the Royal Capital this coming year. This could be our chance."

"We’ll use this trip to the forest to pick out some new blood, then head straight for the Royal Capital," he said in a low voice.

"Pisses me off just thinking about it," the bald brute Yak growled, slamming his wooden mug on the table with a BANG. "That pretty boy gave us a few potions and some shoddy Arrows—not even a single Magic Scroll. We’ve been here for almost two years and haven’t even gotten a whiff of a Secret Medicine, yet he has the gall to call himself a Count."

"That’s enough, Yak. You want to attract the city watch?" Matel said with a laugh. "We’ve been living in Black Lion City long enough. You should know what they’re like by now."

"Qige, any luck?" he asked, turning his head.

"Well, there’s no definitive information to confirm the map’s authenticity," Qige said, putting down his book. "But I checked some newspapers and rumors recorded by the association and found a few interesting things."

"Spill it," the brute Yak said, pulling up a stool to sit beside him, his eyes gleaming.

"There are indeed reports of people encountering groups of goblins deep in the forest who display a certain degree of combat discipline—different from your average cave-dwelling goblin. But that was a year ago, and the person who reported it couldn’t provide a specific location." Qige produced a newspaper. "More recently, rumors have been spreading around Yangjiao Town about a Fearsome Claw Bear in the forest. It’s been on a rampage for nearly two months, killing quite a few Adventurers. Even veteran parties haven’t been spared."

"A lot of Adventurers are hunting for it now, but no one can find it. If the map is to be believed, maybe someone or something powerful in the Goblin Fortress already took care of it."

"You all know the forest holds many wondrous Relics and powerful creatures. I believe the Goblin Fortress drawn on that map is quite plausible."

"Anything else, Qige?" Yak pressed, eager for more theories.

"That’s enough, Yak. This is plenty for you to brag about to the ladies in the Red Light District," Matel cut in.

He pulled a worn piece of parchment from his coat and spread it on the table. It showed a crudely drawn map with only three landmarks. The first was Yangjiao Town. From there, an ink line snaked upward to a cluster of seven black dots labeled "Goblin Caves." The line continued on, passing through a patch of forest before ending at a star. Next to the star, two words were scrawled: Goblin Fortress.

"Then again, I believe there’s another possibility," Qige said, taking a sip of red wine from his goblet.

"Which is?" Yak asked eagerly, leaning forward.

"The goblins are up to something," Qige said, setting down his glass. "I’ve always believed a goblin Kingdom exists deep within the forest. They might be trying to expand outward now."

"If that’s the case, then there should be plenty of loot inside that Goblin Fortress," Matel said with a smile.

"True. But it will also be very dangerous," Qige cautioned.

"So what? We’ll use the old method. Catch a bunch of goblins, throw them in, and after all the squealing and screaming, every trap will be revealed," Yak said dismissively. "If that doesn’t work, we’ll just let the idiots who want to join the Brotherhood go first and spring them for us."

"Yak, some of those ’idiots’ may become your comrades," Matel interrupted with a smile.

He brushed his thumb over the scar on his cheek, his gaze firm. "This is our best chance to rise. If we succeed, we might even be recognized by the Kingdom and established as a proper Knight Order. So, this time, we must eliminate any enemy we encounter. We’ll spend a few more days preparing, then gather everyone and set off for Yangjiao Town. We’ll mobilize the local Adventurers under the pretext of culling goblins and recruiting members, then scout the route and make for the Goblin Fortress."

"Ricardo, you continue to monitor the Count’s Mansion and that broke-ass young master. Make sure you don’t get caught."

"No problem." Ricardo, who had been focused on his red squirrel and hadn’t joined the discussion, immediately nodded upon hearing his assignment. "What about the little goblin that pretty boy wants found? Are we still looking for it?"

"Find it. It doesn’t conflict with our plans. We’ll need an ’in’ when we get to Plantagenet City," Matel said with a smile.

"When the time comes, I’d love to hear what that broke-ass young master has to say."