Forests Don't Support Idle Goblins

The elephants that Shire knew were about three meters tall. If it was a steppe elephant, it could reach up to four meters. However, the species that lived in the forest were at most about three meters tall.

But the sight before him left him speechless for a long time. The black smoke rising from behind the tree canopy and the constant cracking sounds of branches and trunks breaking all indicated that the elephant in front of him was likely over four meters tall, and possibly even taller.

Seeing the black mist stop not far away, Charles frowned and gestured repeatedly to quiet everyone around him. "Everyone, slowly back away and be careful not to make a sound."

If such a behemoth were to come straight at you, the scene would undoubtedly resemble a "tornado destroying a parking lot."

"I just came out to see the elephants, I don't want to turn into goblin meat patties." Charles gestured for everyone to watch their step and not make a sound by stepping on any branches. He noticed that the black mist had stopped. "Did it discover us?"

"Never mind, getting out of here is the priority." He didn't dare gamble on whether the giant monster would spare them because it was a vegetarian. The only thing to do now was to leave this place as quickly and quietly as possible, without getting into any conflict with the elephant herd.

Everyone retreated slowly and quietly. Everyone could see the black mist rising from the treetops in the distance. Although the bushes and tree trunks in front blocked their view, they could still see a huge black shadow through the gaps in the forest. If that black shadow rushed over, no one would be able to escape.

"Back off slowly and quietly," Charles said in a very soft voice. Just as he made the gesture, a loud elephant call came from afar.

"Moo—" A tremendous sound pierced through the forest like an arrow, assaulting Charles's eardrums. He immediately became serious. "Are these guys going to charge?"

"Everyone, retreat quickly," Charles said, taking out a foul-smelling spore ball framed by vines from his backpack. If the elephant really charged, he would immediately throw the foul-smelling bomb, which should have some effect.

As the group retreated quickly, the enormous creature emitting black smoke did not follow, which relieved the tense crowd slightly.

"What is that? A magical beast?" Evita asked as she walked alongside.

"I don't know, I only know it's an elephant, maybe a monster-turned elephant." Charles kept looking back. "Broken Tooth only told me that elephants are big, but I didn't expect them to be this big. I don't know if it's just one elephant that turned into a monster or if the whole herd is."

"Are they migrating?" Evita looked back warily. "Could it be that we live on their route?"

"Probably not," Charles shook his head. "In the forest, elephants often patrol in places that form animal trails. Compared to other animals, elephants live in somewhat different areas, but there are no such obvious traces around the fortress."

"Then why are the elephant herd heading this way?" Evita stopped and looked at Charles with a puzzled expression. "Are they chasing the unicorn?"

"You mean the golden retriever?" Seeing the centaur girl stop, Charles hurriedly directed the worker ants to stop as well. "I don't think so. You know, elephant herds don't stay in one place for long; they have certain patrol routes, while unicorns like to stay in one area."

"Then why..." Evita asked, her scrutinizing gaze sweeping over the goblin on the worker ant's back, her eyes revealing a hint of inquiry.

"you mean,

Charles raised an eyebrow. "That herd of elephants came looking for me, like the Golden Retriever?"

"Yes," Evita nodded, "After all, you are a hero of the forest who has done many amazing things."

Charles's lips twitched, and his cheeks twitched a few times. He knew this was the same excuse the little imp Shansio had used to boast about him before. "It's not like that at all."

"That hero, why don't you go over and ask him?"

"I feel like I haven't lived long enough," Ciel said seriously, his face serious. "Life is beautiful, and even though I'm a goblin, I still haven't lived enough."

What a joke! A goblin that's only 1.3 meters tall has recklessly charged into a herd of elephants led by a giant elephant. Does it think it's too powerful? I haven't even found the eye it wants yet.

Charles slowly shook his head in refusal, while Evita looked him over again. "Really not going to give it a try?"

"There are still many things to deal with in the tribe. I heard that White Hair has prepared meat soup rice and new dishes. I really want to try them." Charles expressed his thoughts tactfully. He wanted to say that he hadn't lived enough yet, but he couldn't show weakness in front of Evita.

"But the elephant herd is heading towards the fortress," Evita said.

"Maybe they're just passing by. They don't like living in open areas, much less in fortress burrows," Charles shrugged. "I think these big guys are probably just lost."

In his past life, there was a news story about an elephant herd that got lost in the forest, and the lead elephant led the entire herd north along a strange route, eating and wandering around, until they finally circled back. That time, it was watched by almost the whole country, so Charles didn't find this kind of thing new.

"But if..." Evita said again, and just as Ciel waved his hand to interrupt her, a voice rang in Ciel's mind, "We are not lost."

This was an old woman's voice, unlike the mother tree's voice before. This voice sounded unusually old, but it wasn't weak or feeble. On the contrary, it seemed to be full of vitality.

Charles stared wide-eyed at the centaur girl in front of him. She seemed to have heard the voice as well, and was also looking at the goblin in shock.

The two sides stared at each other in silence, while the others around them looked curiously at the centaur and then at the goblin.

"Did you hear that?" Charles said a few seconds later.

"Hmm." Evita nodded warily.

"I think you might be right, we might really need to go see them," Charles said calmly. He didn't seem to detect anything bad in the other person's voice just now.

"I'll go with you," Evita said quickly.

Charles thought for a moment. He had originally planned to go alone, but then he realized that the other party was a herd of elephants, and perhaps having one more person would provide more protection.

At the same time, he silently recited a few words and cast a [Group Intelligence Reduction Curse] on himself. If the elephant herd on the other side was malicious, then this would be a countermeasure. He also wanted to try using magic on himself a few more times to see if he could get the effect of [Blessing of the God of Battle and Glory] and learn new spells.

"Let's go see that giant monster." Charles jumped off the worker ant and walked back with the centaur girl.