The Forest Feeds No Idle Goblins

Chapter 232: Chapter 205: The Mother Tree’s Advice

"Until next time, Rose." Buck Teeth closed his notebook and put away his charcoal pencil. He then raised his hand and cast a "Wind of Nature" on the Tree-man before him. As the Magic took effect, the leaves and branches on the Tree-man’s head trembled, and it slowly opened its eyes, glancing at the goblin who was turning to leave.

The day’s maintenance in this part of the Tree-man Region was finished. As the goblins left, the forest was no longer noisy and returned to its usual quiet.

The remaining fruit on these few hundred Tree-men had already been picked. The goblins were merely doing routine work, helping the Tree-men by clearing away vines and weeds. At the same time, they would also clean up some wood-eating insects, which sometimes became a small snack for the goblins. During their breaks, they would prop up a piece of metal and roast the insects to eat.

Not long after, a RUSTLING sound rang out in the Tree-man Region, breaking the silence.

From behind a tree, a bizarre-looking creature slithered its way through the Tree-men, glancing around tentatively as if searching for something.

’It should be right here, but why don’t I feel anything?’ the creature, with the head of a fish, the torso of a man, and the tail of a snake, muttered to himself. He then stopped slithering and carefully examined the Tree-man in front of him.

’They look like Tree-men, they’re just all asleep.’ He slowly drew closer and reached out to stroke the Tree-man in front of him. ’Those goblins from earlier must have come to get food while they were sleeping soundly.’

The creature craned its neck, struggling to lift its upper body. Its serpentine lower half also strained to rise, as if to see whether the goblins had gone far.

"Naga, what are you searching for?" A female voice rang in the creature’s mind. He was so startled he recoiled, pressing himself tightly against the nearby Tree-man.

Because of his movement, the sleeping Tree-man opened one eye and looked at the strange creature beside it.

"Who’s speaking?" The Naga kept turning his head to survey his surroundings, trying to find the "female" who had spoken to him.

"I am the Mother Tree of the Tree-man Race," the voice continued. "What are you searching for, Naga?"

"Mother Tree? Is it really the Mother Tree?" After hearing her words, the Naga’s tone surprisingly became overjoyed. From the leather jacket he wore on his upper body, he took out a strange animal hide. "I want to see you, Mother Tree. I was guided by the will of nature we worship to come here and meet you."

"The will of nature?" the Mother Tree repeated. Afterward, two tree roots pulled out from the ground beside the Naga and quickly formed a strange "Round Gate" in front of him.

The Naga looked at the two intertwined roots in front of him. He knew that he just had to pass through the "Gate of Tree Roots" to see the Mother Tree, but he still glanced down at the animal hide in his hand before slithering through the gate.

The instant he passed through, the Naga felt as if he had gone through a water curtain. It felt like jumping from land into water. The scenery before his eyes also changed dramatically. The ground was covered in fallen leaves, and a massive, sturdy tree stood not far from him.

"Mother Tree?" the Naga asked aloud.

The voice sounded again. "It is I, Naga. What business brings you here?"

The Naga hurriedly bowed to the Mother Tree. "My name is Pazani, a Prince of the Naga Race. I have come this time because we received guidance from the will of nature during a tribal ritual."

"This is also my coming-of-age trial." He took out the unknown animal hide, unfurled it toward the great tree, and even tried to slither a few steps forward to let the tree see it more clearly. However, he was muttering to himself, ’I don’t know how this big tree sees, or if it can see this at all.’

"I see, Pazani." The Mother Tree’s voice sounded again, and by the sound of it, she seemed to be smiling. "Your coming-of-age trial?"

"Yes, the clan elders told me to do as the writing on the animal hide says. Completing that will finish my coming-of-age trial." Pazani’s tone held a hint of relief. "Now that I’ve successfully found you, my trial is over."

"No, young Prince, the writing on the animal hide is not as you say," the Mother Tree said. As she spoke, a cool breeze blew past, rustling a few of the fallen leaves on the ground.

"It’s not?" Pazani was stunned for a moment, then immediately brought the animal hide before his eyes. He saw the ink on it swimming like a multitude of tiny tadpoles in the middle of the hide. They soon gathered together again to form a new prompt—"Obtain advice from the Mother Tree."

"I knew it wouldn’t be that simple." Pazani heaved a long sigh, and his entire upper body visibly slumped.

"So, Naga, what advice would you like to hear?" the Mother Tree said sweetly. It was clear she was chuckling softly.

"It’s like this," Pazani said, puffing out his chest again and staring at the great tree. "Our race is being harassed by goblins. They constantly attack us and even capture our people. This has been going on for a long time."

"We had been pleading for nature to respond, pleading for a way to cope, but it was only recently that we finally received an answer." Pazani clutched the animal hide, his tone sincere. "During the latest ritual, the tribe received a revelation. The will of nature told us that as long as we headed south, followed the Darren River downstream, found the Tree-man’s Domain, and met with the Mother Tree, we would find a solution."

"A group of goblins?" the Mother Tree asked after the Naga Prince finished. "What kind of goblins are they?"

"There are many of them, and we have been fighting them continuously. But these goblins are very formidable. They can actually move underwater, and our Water Magic doesn’t seem to work well against them."

"The will of nature?" the Mother Tree said softly. She seemed to know what he was referring to. "The whispers of the forest have delivered a new friend."

"What whispers?" Pazani immediately asked.

"Young Naga, I already know what you seek," the Mother Tree said, her tone carrying a hint of ease. "Since the forest sent you to me, I will also give you useful advice."

"Is that so? That’s wonderful." Pazani’s tone was joyful. "As long as I bring your advice back to my people, my trial should be over."

"My advice is to meet with the leader of the goblins in the Tree-man Region. He will help you."

"Alright, thank you very much." Pazani nodded hastily. "I’ll go back and tell the elders right away."

"However, I suggest you look at that animal hide first," the Mother Tree reminded him again.

"The animal hide?" Pazani was taken aback, but then he seemed to recall something. He hastily unfurled the hide and discovered the writing on it had changed again—

"Follow the Mother Tree’s advice."

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