From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 397 Goblin Camp
Leaving the mountain pass and turning south, the adventurers walked on the mountain road, and the sound of streams came from not far away.

"How many people still remember that the tieflings have a goblin captive?" Will asked. "Ivy even asked Sevlo for custody of her. Should we go back and take her with us?"

"The Selune Temple where the goblins reside is not far from here, and we will be identified as the true souls of the Supreme God, so there is no need for captives to lead the way, just walk in directly." Xie Nian waved his hand, "Maybe you can see Duke Gao chatting with the Archdruid in prison!"

"Duke Ravengard is such an important person, I don't think he will be kept under the supervision of the goblins forever... In case he is not here, it would be best if we could learn from the goblins about the next stronghold of the followers of the Supreme God..." said Will.

"We should launch a surprise attack directly. The temple must be dominated by bewitched goblins, which means they are a mess and a mob," Ivy suggested. "We should first use the True Soul's disguise to figure out the enemy's distribution, and then launch a surprise attack. Once the goblins become chaotic, victory will be easy for us."

"I like this plan!" Kalak chuckled, "Just be direct! We can scare away dragons, so it will be easier to deal with a few goblins."

"Directly attack an army? Am I crazy, or are you crazy?" Asdeln looked reluctant. "Isn't there a plan that will make us sweat less? Besides, where can we get the intelligence we want?"

"Of course, take it from the True Soul." Ivy answered easily and crossed a broken bridge.

"I don't think those cultists will listen to us." Asdeln curled his lips, and his companions behind him jumped up.

"It is known that all True Souls who serve the Supreme God have Mind Flayer tadpoles in their brains. However, these Mind Flayer tadpoles do not turn them into unconscious puppets. Instead, they implant 'the most worthy god in the world' - the Supreme God - in their brains. These people retain their original personalities, memories, and experiences, and want to dedicate everything to the Supreme God. Do you think that if we use that Gisyanki relic to isolate the influence of the Mind Flayer tadpoles on them, will the True Souls still be willing to dedicate everything to the Supreme God?" Ivy coaxed.

"The Astral Prism is fully capable of shaking the foundation of the Supreme God's rule! No wonder the Supreme God wants to get it!" Ying Xin suddenly realized, "Ms. Shar must have anticipated the rise of the Supreme God in advance, so she sent us to retrieve its only nemesis!"

Xie Nian nodded, wanting to sort out the plan completely: "So the first step of our plan is to disguise ourselves as true souls and sneak into the cultists' camp, and then find out the distribution of troops and traps in the camp..."

"And where the prisoners are held," Will added.

"Yes, there are prisoners. Then, while the cultists of the Supreme God are still not vigilant against us, we will launch an unexpected raid, capture the True Souls and eliminate all resistance!" Xie Nian showed a bloodthirsty smile. She was most interested in this part.

"Don't forget to release the prisoners," Will reminded again.

"Does the Border Blade rely on nicknames and mouths to hunt demons? Of course I won't forget it! I was also counting on Duke Gao to find me a property in the city!" Xie Nian complained, "I remember that I am a Bode, but I don't even know where my home is!"

The adventurers walked very quickly and soon saw the ruins of the temple in the low-lying area.

However, the team was located on the mountain behind the temple. Apart from the goblins having a banquet in the square, they could only see the fortifications built by the goblins in front of the ruins.

The land was originally a forest. First, the goblins cut down most of the trees to build fortifications, and then it was burned to the ground.

Whoever instructed these goblins to build such fortifications proved that he had a certain strategic vision. The burned ground had no bushes or haystacks to hide in, greatly reducing the possibility of enemy scouts finding out the intelligence.

It also provides a wider field of view, and allows the defender to use the terrain advantage to launch long-range attacks from a high vantage point.

However, there is no impenetrable wall in the world, and even the most meticulous fortifications will have loopholes.

"The main structure of the temple is hidden in the mountains, and the True Souls must have occupied the best rooms." Laizer made a judgment, "These goblins are free and undisciplined, without any vigilance. Look at those drunken sentries! We can jump directly from here - if Gail or Ivy gives us the Slow Fall spell!"

"Should we go through the main entrance?" Gale asked uncertainly, "Our team is too recognizable. What if we are recognized by the guards who are changing shifts..."

"Don't think too highly of the goblins, Gale." Ivy shook his finger. "We won't stay here permanently. Those goblins on guard must be thinking about the barbecue and drinks at the banquet. How could they care whether there are a few more followers of the 'Supreme God' in the camp? The composition of the cultists is much more complicated than ours. Humans, goblins, gnolls, ogres and drow elves can actually gather together. If it weren't for the influence of the mind flayer tadpoles, who would believe this?"

"There is no time to lose, we should act immediately!" Xie Nian twitched his nose, as if his attention was completely attracted by the barbecue.

"I think you can show off your bloodthirsty killing talent here, but don't indulge in eating and drinking like you did when Raphael invited you. The food of the goblins must be much worse than that of the devils!" Kalak looked at the evil thoughts that were about to drool with worry.

"...There is a special aroma in the air...Whatever the goblins are roasting on the fire, it is probably my favorite food before I lost my memory!" Xie Nian tried to recall the source of the aroma, but found nothing. "You are right, I shouldn't eat and drink in the goblin camp."

When the adventurers emerged from a large pile of disorganized supplies that looked like a maze, no one in the entire goblin camp noticed their arrival, even though it was a strange-looking team of eight people.

"It's that simple? We completed an infiltration?" Kalak asked in disbelief. Then she saw all kinds of empty barrels lying around. Judging from the patterns on the barrels, they must have been filled with flaming wine not long ago. "The camp is full of barrels of tobacco powder and flaming wine. If I'm not careful, it will definitely cause a big explosion."

"That's Varro!" Xie Nian pointed at the guy who was reciting poetry in the middle of the camp, "I met the bard in the Emerald Forest! At that time, he said he wanted to write a book about goblins. I didn't expect that he would be caught so easily."

"He looks like he surrendered voluntarily." Laizer looked up and down at the bard who was boasting about the goblins' great achievements, and said contemptuously, "There is no wound on his body."

"We should try to save as many people as we can," Will said.

Ivy casually greeted a passing goblin and asked, "Why is the camp so lively?"

"Ha! You definitely didn't go on the raid, did you?" The goblin pointed at Ivy's nose and laughed, "Is it because you're scared or because you're afraid of blood?"

Ivy didn't say anything. Behind him, the burly champion warrior and the Githyanki warrior in bright armor all folded their arms.

"Oh..." The goblin became much more honest, "Well... because we raided the sleeping place of Woking and took back a lot of strong liquor... so we held a party here..."

"Nothing but liquor?" Ivy continued.

"I heard there's a duke or something... but he's been sent to the Moonrise Tower from the northwest path... a few drow are leading the team..." The goblin pointed to the northeast, but apart from the goblin decorations that looked like graffiti, the team members didn't see any forks in the road. "Okay, drink more wine and enjoy yourself." Ivy found an excuse to get rid of the goblin and turned to talk to his companions, "Moonrise Tower, a new place name. The whereabouts of the high duke are clear, and the rest is to take care of this camp. I suggest we split up..."

"It stinks!" All the members of the team covered their mouths and noses and glared at the evil thought coming from the campfire. She was holding a roasting fork with a large piece of crispy meat on it.

"Where have you been?" Yingxin frowned. "Take it away! Don't you see that there is something like a belly button on it?"

"Really?" Xie Nian was trying hard to suppress his saliva. "I stole a piece when they weren't paying attention. Can anyone tell me what kind of meat this is? If it's unclean..."

"This is the belly of an unlucky dwarf. Goblins, like ogres, also have the habit of eating intelligent creatures." Ivy came to the conclusion without taking a closer look.

Xie Nian's face suddenly turned pale, and her appetite and reason were constantly fighting in her mind.

"Don't spit it out, soldier!" Kalak snatched the fork from Xie Nian's hand and threw it back into the charcoal fire. "We have more important tasks!"

Away from the pieces of meat that made her appetite surge, Xie Nian's expression became a little more normal, but she found it even more difficult to accept her identity in her mind. What kind of devil would like to eat roasted dwarf belly?
"Raise your glasses and drink them with pride!" With his peripheral vision, Varro saw the team of adventurers standing out among the group of goblins.

"True Soul Master Drol Lagozlin will take you to have fun!"

The goblins surrounding him clapped their hands and jumped up and down.

Perhaps because he noticed the uninvited guests in the goblin camp, Varo, who was standing on a high place and chanting the masterpiece, began to lose concentration.

"Uh...where was I singing just now?"

"What's wrong with you!" a goblin shouted in dissatisfaction.

Varro cleared his throat and tried to attract the adventurers' attention by squinting: "Ahem! Uh-huh! Drol Lagozlin, Drol Lagozlin! We... uh..."

"Okay! Come down! Dove! It's time to go back to your cage!" said the goblin rudely.

Varro looked a little bewildered, but tried to maintain his demeanor: "I understand, ma'am."

But the goblin obviously couldn't understand such advanced vocabulary: "My name is Gribo, stupid! Not a 'lady'!"

Gribo climbed up to the platform where Varro stood, which was made of several wooden boards laid flat on the dry fountain pool, very goblin-style.

Then, the bard Volo was kicked down by a goblin who was less than half his height.

"Let's follow them, we should be able to find the cell." Ivy nodded to the team members and walked towards the temple gate guarded by an ogre mercenary.

The ancient gate was already covered with cracks in all directions, as if it would fall apart in the next second. No matter from which angle you looked at it, this temple had been abandoned for a long time.

Behind the door is a sunken staircase. This temple is not only built in the mountain, but also extends deep into the mountain to an unknown extent.

Many braziers provided light to the dim interior, and many goblins in neat armor stood on both sides of the steps.

It's strange that so few goblins can be described as neat.

"I have to say, the Temple of Selune and the goblins are a good match," Shadowheart commented, "At least they're just as bad... Let's finish this thing quickly. I was already bored the moment I came in."

"Hey! The party can't be held here!" A goblin guard wearing full iron armor blocked the team's way.

"Explain your intentions, idiot!"

The mark of the Supreme God appeared on the goblin guard's face, and the mind flayer tadpoles in the team members' minds also responded.

"Can't you see who is coming? A lowly goblin!" Yingxin took a step forward and triggered the Mind Flayer tadpole in his mind.

The goblin guard's face seemed to be burned by a fierce fire, and he retreated to the side twitching: "Ah - sorry, I didn't know you were a true soul! Please, please come in!"

Varro and his "lady" did not go far, and after passing through an equally dim corridor, the team saw a hall.

Many goblins are gathered around a simple goblin sofa, or rather, a tribal-style throne?
Behind the throne was a tattered flag of the Supreme God, and in front of it stood an elderly female goblin holding a scepter high. Judging from her dress, she looked like a priestess.

"A priestess with dim eyesight, which matches the sketch we found on the goblin in the abandoned village. In addition to the 'Drol Lagozlin' that Valor shouted before, there should be another drow true soul here." Gale commented, "Normally, someone as old as her would not have the authority in the goblin tribe, not to mention that she is too old to see a large group of us coming in."

"This is the territory of the Supreme True God. Anything strange could happen." Ivy heard the wailing coming from the right. "The prison is over here. Let's go save them first, and then consider the True Souls."

Varo is a well-known figure in the continent of Faerun.

At least that's what Ivy believed, because when he first came into contact with the group game, he knew there was a rule book called "Varo's Monster Guide". Regardless of whether the two Varos just had the same name, Ivy felt it necessary to contact him.

(End of this chapter)