The Forest Feeds No Idle Goblins

Chapter 251: Chapter 224: They’re Coming

"The Naga Prince brought three brand-new Rune patterns this time," Agatha said, closing the thick notebook in her hand. "I’m also very curious about that Frozen Array and how it operates."

"Haven’t those four Pure White Stones already been buried?" Shire said without turning his head, his eyes on the Centaurs training in the distance.

"Yes," Agatha said, glancing at the forest in the distance. "We’ve already measured the coordinates. It’s just as difficult as you’d think to lay out a perfect square for an Array in the forest. It took us the entire day to finally get it done."

"It really can’t compare to setting up this Array in the water," Shire added.

They had spent all of yesterday burying the Frozen Array north of the Fortress. The Array required four Pure White Stones, each carved with a Rune, to be buried just beneath the surface. Upon activation, the square area between the four stones would instantly freeze, affecting any creatures standing within its bounds.

The affected area wasn’t huge—about the size of two basketball courts—but the challenge lay in ensuring the four Pure White Stones formed a perfect square.

Trying to ensure the four stones formed a precise shape in a forest thick with vegetation, all without any surveying tools, nearly stumped Shire and his people. After several failed attempts, he had no choice but to resort to the most primitive method: clearing away all the low-lying plants in their line of sight and maneuvering around the massive trees.

A troop of goblins toiled away all afternoon to finally finish burying the Array. And even after all that work, they were still gambling on the Feathered Serpent Kingdom’s goblins attacking from that specific direction.

"From that perspective, this kind of Rune Array doesn’t seem so incredible after all," Shire remarked as he watched a few Centaur Archers successfully strike the floating straw-man targets. He clapped his hands softly, thankful he had a way to deal with those flying goblins.

"According to Pazani, the Frozen Array is actually very powerful; it just needs to be laid out in advance. We were just pressed for time on this occasion." Agatha tidied her notebook. "Speaking of which, this is the first time I’ve ever encountered a Rune Language that directly inflicts damage. I asked Pazani, and he said the Naga Race doesn’t know its name."

"Then let’s just make up a name ourselves. How about Rune Language: Cold Feet, or Rune Language: Freeze? What do you think?"

"Those sound terrible." Agatha shook her head in distaste. "We’re talking about Ancient Runes, after all. The name should at least sound a little more pleasant, don’t you think?"

Shire recalled the names he’d seen given to antiques in the past. To be honest, they did sound quite grand and impressive. He pondered for a moment. "How about... Rune Language: Frosty Winter?"

Agatha thought for a few seconds, then nodded in satisfaction. "That sounds good. Based on the effects Pazani described, the name is a perfect fit."

"I wonder if we’ll ever see another Rune Language like this in the future—a powerful offensive Magic that covers such a large area." She flipped open her notebook, looking at the copies she’d made of the Rune patterns. "Compared to the Rune Arrays of today, these Ancient Runes are so much more powerful."

"What are modern Rune Arrays like?" Shire asked, glancing at the Ghost Witch beside him.

"They’re mostly used by Arcane Mages and the Four Gods Church. Some are for powering certain Magic Items, like making things levitate or activating Magic Puppets. But they almost all require a Magic Crystal Stone to be placed inside to activate the Array and connect to the Magic Field. Plus, the Magic Crystal Stones have to be replaced frequently." Agatha looked at the Ancient Runes and spoke slowly. "I’ve seen a few Arcane Arrays made by Mages before. How should I put this... their power was rather mediocre. Of course, if you’re willing to splurge on materials, you can guarantee a high damage output, but they’re nowhere near as simple or efficient as Ancient Runes."

"But most importantly," she said, looking up at the goblin beside her with eyes full of satisfaction, "Ancient Rune Arrays have a much larger area of effect."

Shire thought back for a moment and nodded. He remembered passing through a certain region on his way to study in Plantagenet City. It was said to have been an Ancient Battlefield where a great war had been fought some 500 years ago. By now, the area had been mostly resettled, but several large, circular pits in the center remained. Those craters, he’d been told, were the scars left behind by Arcane Array attacks.

Thinking back on it now, those craters were only a few meters in diameter, ten at the most. It was nothing compared to the Rune Language: Frosty Winter they had just set.

"The problem is, the warehouse where the Pure White Stones are stored is currently occupied by the Feathered Snake Goblins. On top of that, no one in the tribe has a Water Attribute Magic Ability." Shire rubbed his chin, thinking things over. ’I do have the Ice Arrow Technique, a Magic Ability I can grant to a subordinate. But just granting the Ability isn’t enough; they also need a certain degree of Elemental Coordination. And for that, we need the Magic Potions from the Naga Race.’

’We’ll have to wait for Mr. Salumu to arrive and talk with him in detail. We need to see if we can order some materials from him. If we can, we’ll be able to surround the entire territory with Frost Arrays.’

At this thought, Shire suddenly remembered something. "Speaking of the Naga, where did that Pazani fellow go?"

Agatha chuckled. "He’s exploring the underground river. He thinks the one inside the Fortress might connect to the Darren River, so he wants to see if he can swim upstream and find a junction that leads directly there."

"That guy..." Shire shook his head slightly. "He’s surprisingly reliable when he’s on the clock, though."

Agatha frowned as well. The mention of work hours reminded her of yesterday. They had been halfway through the job when the Naga Prince suddenly dropped his tools and started heading back to the Fortress. If Shire hadn’t shouted for him to stop, reminding him he’d promised not to stick to his usual schedule during this time, the Naga Prince would undoubtedly have left the work for the next day.

Even so, Pazani had pulled out a piece of animal hide and used a special ink to log his working hours for the day, muttering, "I’ll just take this time off later," as he wrote.

"Those goblins will be here soon, won’t they?" Agatha said, closing her notebook and gazing toward the northern forest. In the distance, around the Centaurs’ wooden huts, a few plumes of cooking smoke were already curling into the air.

"Mmhmm," Shire said, narrowing his eyes. "The Rune Language Material Warehouse isn’t far from here. Our cooking smoke is bound to attract the attention of those flying goblins. Broken Tooth is already keeping a constant watch on them. I’m sure those guys..."

Just then, both Shire and Agatha saw a clothed goblin burst out of the woods in the distance.

"It’s Broken Tooth," Agatha said softly.

"Yeah. Looks like they’re here." A corner of Shire’s mouth curled into a knowing smile.

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