The Forest Feeds No Idle Goblins

At times, Shire truly felt caught in a great web of fate, as if one thing was always happening right after another. For example, just last night, Mr. Herbert had stuffed a letter into the Drink Undying Alchemy Workshop. He wanted to meet with Shire this evening to discuss payment for the next shipment of potion bottles.

If the Demon Lord Lust hadn't left him a message saying that "Envy's contractor" had already made contact, Shire would have thought the letter was a prank. After all, no one conducted business meetings this way.

But now, whenever he thought about the unbelievable things that legendary contract-holders of Demon Lords had done, he felt that such an approach was unexpectedly fitting for the bizarre nature of this world.

As evening arrived and the last ray of sunlight vanished from the horizon, Herbert appeared at the entrance of the Alchemy Workshop, right on time. Mary was already waiting for him by the door.

"Hello, Mr. Herbert." Mary gave a slight curtsy, greeting him politely.

Herbert, dressed all in black, was slightly surprised. The last few times he had visited, Mary had been tidying up the shop to close for the day. Today, she was actually waiting for him. The surprise quickly passed, however. "Hello, Miss Mary," he said. "Please forgive my forwardness yesterday. It was quite rude of me to notify you by just leaving a note."

"It's nothing. Perhaps you had urgent matters to attend to and preferred not to delegate," Mary said with a wave of her hand and a smile. "My boss is already waiting for you in the reception room."

Earlier today, Shire had told her that this Mr. Herbert had some kind of hidden identity and might even be dangerous. She was to be extremely careful when receiving him from now on. For today's meeting, she needed to be ready to flee at a moment's notice.

Seeing no particular change in Mary's demeanor, Herbert nodded and followed her. This was his second time inside the Alchemy Workshop, and nothing much had changed since his last visit.

It was the same dimly lit reception room, and the same workshop owner who was bundled up from head to toe. Herbert quickened his pace, walking up to the coffee table. "Hello, my friend."

"Hello, Mr. Herbert." Shire greeted him with a small wave, taking care to keep his skin from being exposed.

Herbert, meanwhile, sized up the goblin sitting on the sofa before him. He mulled over with great interest what the other would do next. Would he try to act like a short human, or would he jump up in panic and flee out the back after Herbert exposed his identity?

But that wasn't what he wanted to see. He was prepared to have a proper talk with him today. If this goblin was willing to accept help in finding that pair of damned ears, he wouldn't mind charging him only half price.

If, on the other hand, the goblin tried to flee, he would consider revealing his vampire identity and restraining him by force.

"Regarding our previous contract, we've completed the first step. That batch of potion bottles is already in stock. Now, I'd like to talk to you about what comes next." Herbert looked completely self-assured. The corner of his mouth twitched up as he took a step forward and then discreetly sniffed the air.

"Oh, perfect. I was planning to talk about that as well," Shire said, nodding with a smile. "I have no issue with the previous price, but my cash flow is a bit tight right now. Do you think you could accept payment on delivery?"

Because he had to commission shoes for the entire goblin tribe, the Gold Coins the clan had saved up were nearly gone. Paying Herbert now would cause their reserves to drop to a dangerously low level, which would hinder their future development. Shire was determined to convince him to accept payment on delivery this time. Though he knew it would be difficult, he had to try.

"Payment on delivery?" Herbert frowned. "That's not in line with business customs on the continent…"

He voiced his objection, but before he could finish speaking, two strange scents shot straight to his brain. The smells were completely different from the aroma of Mary's human blood behind him and the scent of the goblin before him. Furthermore, based on the richness of the blood's scent, he could deduce that Miss Mary was standing right by the door.

"This scent…" Herbert's smile vanished, and his entire demeanor became grave. He looked as if he were facing a powerful enemy. "It's very similar to the scent of the Demon Lord Envy. The vile scents of two Demon Lords."

He stared intently at the goblin in front of him. The scent was coming from him. 'This goblin is trouble. Has he recently been in contact with two Demon Lords?'

Herbert's expression made Shire a little uneasy. 'Is he not going to accept payment on delivery? The request might be a bit sudden and doesn't follow business norms, but we've worked together so many times. I should have some credibility with him.'

"Mr. Herbert, please listen. Regarding the payment, I just…" Shire looked up at him, preparing to use his silver tongue to persuade him to accept his proposal.

"No, about the payment," Herbert raised a hand, cutting off the goblin before him. "I have some thoughts of my own."

He struggled to keep his expression neutral, but inside, his mind was reeling. 'A goblin has been in contact with two Demon Lords, and recently at that! This can only mean one thing: the Demon Lords think very highly of him. He might even be the contract-holder for two of them. No, someone who serves a single Demon Lord is called a contract-holder, but someone who serves two at the same time isn't necessarily one. After all, those Demon Lords don't see eye to eye. That Envy fellow even told me that if I were to meet another contract-holder, I should kill them immediately. To serve two Demon Lords, perhaps even be fought over by them… that would make him a favored subordinate, or a powerful retainer.'

Herbert narrowed his eyes. 'I never thought this goblin could be so formidable.'

He coughed a few times, clearing his throat. "Regarding the payment, I was thinking…"

Shire blinked, looking at him. If Herbert wasn't going to budge, he would have to cut back on the shoe order and prioritize the supply of potion bottles.

"I was thinking, I could give them to you for free." Herbert stared intently into the other's eyes. The goblin before him was bundled up so tightly that only a pair of green eyes was visible.

"Free?" Shire leaned back in shock. "Did you say for free?"

He asked in astonishment, not noticing that his movement had caused his hat to slip back, revealing a patch of green skin.

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