"The army has already arrived at Yangjiao Town?" Shire held Mary’s intelligence report in his hand. Across from him, Agatha was flipping through a copy of *Nobles behind the Bed Curtain of Plantagenet City*.
"The Fortress renovation isn’t finished yet, is it?" Agatha asked without looking up, engrossed in her book.
"Mm, we’ve only filled in the entrance to that tunnel. Yun Xiya is leading her people to magically grow grass over it and cover our tracks," Shire said, picking up a pen to circle a few important points on the report. "The new passage is still being dug. This time we need a large, straight tunnel to make it easy for the Worker Ants and Soldier Ants to get in and out."
The original passage was very narrow, and the one dug later was also a bit too tight. The Worker Ants couldn’t get through once they had cargo boxes on their backs, which was one of the reasons Shire was preparing to open a new entrance.
"A lot of people have shown up, and they’ve brought a long train of supply wagons. It looks like Valentine plans to take care of both the Giant Spiders and the Giant Bees in one go."
"Will it affect us?" Agatha asked, looking up at Shire.
"Not for now. Our main construction focus is in the Tree-man Division. I’ve already had Red Eyes and his people do an emergency harvest of all the herbs in the Fortress area. For the time being, we’ll just hunt over there. Between that and the small fish from the underground river, we’ll have no trouble surviving for half a month. Besides, we can transport supplies through the Teleportation Gate."
Shire added, "I need to have Mary buy some small carts for hauling goods. It’ll make moving around inside the Fortress easier."
"Remember to have your subordinates look for mutated Magical Beasts. I’m running out of materials for the Rune Headbands," Agatha said, turning a page. "I need more Magical Beast hides."
"Alright, no problem," Shire nodded in understanding. "The potions are selling really well."
"Oh?"
"Yep. The Healing Potions and Insect-Repelling Potions are selling the best. I’m going to go check on Little Claw." Shire stood up and left.
He soon found Wriggling Claw brewing potions. It was currently soaking in a short, half-meter-diameter vat, scrubbing each of its bones one by one to clean itself.
Chief Engineer Claw now focused mainly on making Healing Potions; the production volume for other potions was low. Potions like the Insect-Repelling Potion, which could be made without Magic Power, were now brewed by the goblins.
"How’s it going? Are you used to the three cauldrons?" Shire asked, walking over to a stand. He had bought a washbasin stand for Little Claw and placed the short vat on it, which made Wriggling Claw look a bit like it was perched on a "cat tree."
"No problem, it’s just right," Little Claw replied. It detached the phalanx from its thumb and scrubbed with it, as if giving itself a bath.
"Good." Shire glanced at the three bubbling cauldrons. It seemed Chief Engineer Claw was already at its limit. "I’ll be exploring to the north in a while. If I find anything, I’ll let you know immediately."
"Okay, thank you." Little Claw straightened up, then bent its middle finger toward Shire a few times in acknowledgment.
"The herbs in this area have all been gathered. We’re collecting from the Tree-man Region now," Shire said as he took his leave of Wriggling Claw. ’Once Valentine deals with those two Giant Beast Races, I’ll be able to gather herbs in the ants’ territory.’
’It’d be great if I had a few more excellent workers like Little Claw,’ he thought, watching the little goblins tending to the Red Bulls in the distance. ’And it’d be even better if I could find its master and have that Witch Demon give me a few Skeleton Soldiers.’
’Soldiers and farmers in one.’
...
「Nighttime, at the Moonlight Inn in Yangjiao Town.」
Elma once again laid out the Summoning Array on the floor. She chanted a Spell, and before long, a plume of white smoke rose from the Array.
"Goblin, have you still not found my target?" she asked, her gaze cold as she watched Scarface’s form gradually appear.
"You interrupted my fun." There was a hint of displeasure in Scarface’s voice. He had just been watching his subordinates "play a game," and being forcibly summoned had cut short his enjoyment.
"Goblin, have you forgotten who you are?" The corner of Elma’s mouth twitched up as she slowly raised her left hand.
"Me? I am Scarface! I am the leader of the goblin Race!" Scarface flew around the room, letting out a wild, ear-piercing laugh.
"You’re nothing but a pathetic wretch." Elma didn’t even look at the gleeful goblin. She activated her Magic directly, and the red mole on her left hand began to glow once more.
"AHH, STOP!" Scarface slammed into a wall and dispersed like smoke. The white smoke then sank into a corner of the room, slowly coalescing into a goblin writhing on the floor. Red arcs of electricity continuously crackled across his body.
"Who told you you didn’t have to call me Master?" Elma walked over, coldly looking down on the struggling Scarface.
"Master, I understand," Scarface said, enduring the pain of Soul Burning. He had no choice but to kneel and beg for mercy.
"I’ve given you enough time, yet you haven’t brought me a single shred of useful information." Elma tilted her head up slightly and said arrogantly, "I’m starting to think there’s no need for you to exist anymore."
"No, Master! I’ll find it, I swear! Please let me continue, I’ll have news for you soon!" Scarface begged, kowtowing frantically.
He knew that if this Female Mage destroyed the summoning ritual, he would probably be sent back to the Nether Sea, and then he couldn’t be the goblin leader anymore. He had only been the leader for a short time, but the feeling of holding the power of life and death, of his word being law, was already an intoxicating itch. Scarface didn’t want to lose all that now.
"I’ll give you five more days. If there’s still no news..." Elma said coldly. Then, Soul Burning activated again, and the goblin before her howled as he writhed and convulsed on the ground once more.
"Get lost." After casting the spell, she didn’t even glance at Scarface. "Remember. Five days."
"Yes, Master." With his head hanging low, Scarface slowly floated through the wall. Once outside, he turned to look back at the window, grinding his teeth. ’I am the leader! I am the leader! No one can threaten me!’
After muttering a few vicious curses, Scarface flew toward the forest, trembling all over.
"Goblins are just too stupid. So useless," Elma said resentfully. She walked to her bed, planning to read a little before sleeping.
"Is that so?" another Elma said from the mirror, smiling.
Elma immediately spun around to face the Mirror Man, her expression unnatural.
"I’ve been waiting for my thing for a long time, too," the Mirror Man said with a sigh, a hint of melancholy in her voice.
"Master, I am already trying. That was the goblin I summoned just now. There are many of them in the forest; they will search for me," Elma said, giving a slight, respectful curtsy.
"You’re full of ideas," the Mirror Man chuckled. Then, her left eye became a deep black hole, while her right eye changed from purple to an intertwining red and blue. A flash of red light burst from the right, and Elma collapsed to the floor in pain.
"This trick is really interesting. Agatha... oh, or should I say, Elma," the Mirror Man said with a soft chuckle, her tone almost gentle.
"Master... it’ll be found soon," Elma stammered out, hugging her arms as her teeth chattered.
"Alright. I’m very patient, after all. I’ve waited several thousand years." The Mirror Man turned and walked deeper into the mirror, her figure gradually fading. "Don’t disappoint me."
Elma bit her lip so hard it could draw blood. She reached out, grabbed the Small Knife used for cutting fruit from the table, and with a SWISH, slashed her own cheek. Blood immediately trickled down her face and dripped onto her dress.
"It’s all your fault, all your fault."
She slashed herself several more times, her voice a low growl like that of a cornered beast.
But a few seconds later, the wounds on her face healed automatically, leaving not a single scar. Her face was as flawless as before.
Elma stared at her palm, which she had accidentally cut. It was now bleeding profusely. She sat dazedly on the floor for several minutes before getting up to find something to bandage the wound.
...
"My Lord, the tracks are fresh. They must be just ahead," a soldier reported to Valentine.
"How many?" Valentine asked casually. The target was just a group of goblins, which failed to pique his interest in the slightest.
"About fifty or more."
"Go after them. Kill them all," Valentine said, dismissing the soldier with an impatient wave of his hand.
Soon, the group of conscripted soldiers, led by a Knight, advanced quickly.
A series of miserable shrieks echoed from the forest as the group of goblins came under attack by the soldiers.
Scarface immediately rushed toward a soldier, preparing to possess him. But a blinding light flared from the rear of the human ranks, and a gleaming golden Arrow pierced through his body.
"Urgh!" The pain from the Light Arrow’s burn was unbearable. Scarface saw a person in a short, white robe with gold trim walking toward him.
The Magic Staff in the person’s hand was flashing with a dazzling white light, as if about to fire another Magic Arrow at any moment.
Overcome with fear, Scarface threw caution to the wind. He turned and dove into the ground, fleeing rapidly. The damage from that last attack was no less than the Soul Burning he had endured the previous night.
"Bright Shackles," the man in the short robe said, thrusting out his Magic Staff. A beam of bright light shot forward and disappeared into the earth.
A moment later, he frowned and shook his head, then turned and walked toward Count Valentine, who was surrounded by several soldiers.
"My apologies, Count. The goblin escaped."
"Priest Xavier, will this pose any future problems?" Valentine asked, his tone immediately anxious.
"Rest assured, Lord Count. I will continue to track him until this goblin has been eliminated for you," Priest Xavier said, bowing with a hand to his chest.
"Excellent, Priest. We’re counting on you," Valentine said, a look of delight on his face as he stepped forward to help him up.
"By the Light, I will go track him now. You need not worry about me." After speaking, Priest Xavier turned and walked into the forest without a backward glance.
Valentine watched the priest walk away with a smile, but the moment he was gone, the smile vanished. ’Idiot. I tell you to kill a Ghost, and you actually go chasing after a Ghost.’
"All troops, disregard the goblins! Someone else will deal with them. Form up immediately. We’re moving out!"
Soon, the soldiers were assembled and immediately turned north.
After the soldiers had left, a white figure emerged from the shadows. Clutching the wound on his shoulder, which was still burning with golden light, Scarface followed them.