The Forest Feeds No Idle Goblins

Chapter 281: Chapter 254: Something’s Off About You

"Uncle Musa went back?" Agatha sat at Shire’s desk, eating the small gingerbread cookies from the table. She chewed very elegantly, which was rather at odds with her terrifying Ghost Witch appearance.

But Shire had grown accustomed to it over the past month. He had long since stopped minding the coarse-skinned Ghost Witch with her hooked nose and gapped teeth. "Yeah. He took a ship yesterday morning."

Uncle Musa stayed in Yangjiao Town for five days. Part of that time was spent having the goblins grind the ripened Red Bull Mushrooms into powder, while the other part was spent waiting for Agatha to make at least two sets of Teleportation Gates for him to take with him. Once he set up the Stone Ring on the other end, they could send intelligence reports directly to the Fortress.

During this time, Uncle Musa thoroughly toured Shire’s territory, from the Fortress to the Tree-man Region, from the Centaur Village to the Ant Burrow. His initial shock gradually gave way to silence, and finally to numbness. Thankfully, the Teleportation Gates allowed him to return directly to his inn in Yangjiao Town each night to sleep.

As Uncle Musa put it, "I had my reservations about the young master’s ideas before, but after seeing all these newfangled contraptions, it seems they might just be possible."

He was particularly interested in the Soldier Ant Knights, even more so than the still-incomplete Rune Language Mortar. This probably stemmed from his past as the Merlot Family’s Captain of the Guard, where he gained extensive experience with mounted charges. "This thing seems even safer than a warhorse," Uncle Musa remarked at the time, wearing a helmet fitted with a Rune Belt as he attempted to charge while riding a Soldier Ant. "It’s a little slower than a sprinting warhorse, but a warhorse’s carrying capacity is limited. The distance a Heavy Knight can actually charge on the battlefield is finite. These Soldier Ants are different. They can support more weight, and they can move continuously."

Uncle Musa heaped praise on the Soldier Ants, and through his explanations, Shire learned more about human cavalry tactics. For now, his goblins couldn’t ride the Soldier Ants proficiently or execute proper cavalry attacks. With their current gear, they fell into the category of "Light Cavalry" at best, a far cry from true Heavy Cavalry.

However, through Uncle Musa’s explanations, he learned that on a real battlefield, Heavy Cavalry are the final means of attack. Because of the horses’ limitations, they can’t continuously charge the enemy. Doing so would not only wear out the warhorses but also endanger the Heavy Knights. But the Soldier Ants were different. After putting on his Armor, Uncle Musa mounted a Soldier Ant clad in simple Armor and ran back and forth across an open field numerous times. He was completely stunned by the Soldier Ant’s endurance and load-bearing ability.

"If you gave me a squad of one hundred heavy Soldier Ant Knights—hell, even 50 would be enough—I’d dare to charge any enemy formation." That was what he told Shire as he took off his helmet. "With this kind of repeated cavalry charge, not only could you break the enemy’s ranks, but the Soldier Ant’s massive mandibles at the front can also inflict damage. It’s a perfect weapon for the battlefield."

Shire just smiled smugly. He hadn’t yet let the old man experience the Giant Ants’ all-terrain capabilities. This was just a test on flat ground. If he had let Uncle Musa ride a Soldier Ant weaving through the forest, it would surely have sparked even more ideas in the old man’s head—like riding Soldier Ants over hills to attack the enemy from behind. Everyone knew Heavy Cavalry couldn’t cross mountains.

It was only because Uncle Musa was getting on in years, plus he had very important things to do next, that Shire couldn’t risk him getting injured. So, he had to let the matter drop.

"I wonder when Uncle Musa will reach Plantagenet City," Agatha said, taking a small bite out of a gingerbread cookie. "It would be nice if he could arrive directly at the Royal City tomorrow."

"Missing Plantagenet City?" Shire asked, flipping through a notebook. He was planning how to spend the funds that would be coming in. During his visit, Uncle Musa had shown Shire a deposit slip and told him the enormous sum listed on it was entirely at his disposal. When Shire saw the actual number, he was completely dumbstruck. He had to stop himself from asking, ’Did Father tell you before he left to withdraw our family’s entire savings and bury them in a corner no one knows about?’

But then Uncle Musa told him the funds were provided by Vivian’s teacher, Grand Mage Victor, and were primarily for purchasing Red Bull.

"My sister has a good teacher," Shire remarked, picking up his pen to jot something in his notebook. "We have ample funds now."

He didn’t keep all the funds, since they didn’t belong to his family. He only calculated the acquisition cost based on their agreed-upon price of One Gold Coin per tablespoon, but even so, he made a killing.

"It’s not that I miss Plantagenet City so much," Agatha said, setting down her gingerbread cookie. "I just hope Uncle Musa can buy me a few books. I’ve read *Nobles behind the Bed Curtain of Plantagenet City* several times already, and I’ve been wanting to see if there are any other books like it."

Shire glanced up at his old classmate, who seemed a little bored. He had a feeling she had come here just to talk to him, but he found it strange. ’Why is Agatha acting so weird now that Uncle Musa has shown up? She was completely unfazed by other human visitors, like Sofia.’

At this thought, Shire put down his pen and closed his notebook. "Something’s not right with you."

"Hm? What about me?" Agatha froze for a second, a piece of gingerbread cookie still in her mouth.

"First, you don’t normally eat these," Shire said, pointing to the gingerbread cookies on the table. "You rarely ate these kinds of snacks before; you mostly gave them to Giant Demon Caocao. But the snacks Uncle Musa brought, you’re actually keeping to eat yourself. Second, you’re usually immersed in those Ancient Runes or chatting with the Skeleton Warriors and organizing what you’ve learned. It’s very rare to see you loitering in my place like this."

Agatha pursed her lips. Her eyes drifted unconsciously to the snacks on the table, avoiding Shire’s gaze. This suggested she was feeling flustered.

Seeing her reaction, Shire found it even stranger. ’What could make this history fanatic lose her composure like this? Could it really just be because Uncle Musa can bring news from the Royal City?’

"Fine, I get it," Agatha said, putting down the half-eaten gingerbread cookie. She wiped her hands on her clothes and stood up. "As it happens, I still have things to do. I need to go check if Lame Leg is finished yet."

With that, she headed for the exit of Shire’s stone house. Just as she reached the doorway, Shire’s voice came from behind her.

"Do you have any relatives still living?"

After asking the question, Shire saw Agatha’s whole body jolt.

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