Forests Don't Support Idle Goblins

"Use Sophia as a vessel?" The host hesitated, and all the phantoms fell silent for a moment, each pondering Luther's proposal.

“That child is very devout to God and the Church. I don’t think something like what happened to Wisance will happen again. And more importantly,” Luther paused, glancing at the attendees, “she is very strong and is one of the best among the younger generation. If the soul of the Cardinal were injected into her body, she should receive an even greater boost.”

"But then the child's soul dies." A woman's soft muttering came from the corner, but it went unnoticed.

"Sophia becoming the new chosen one might cause some problems," the host said, tapping the table lightly. "You know, the cardinal is male. If he were to be injected into a woman's body so rashly, there might be some discomfort in his future life."

"No, Archbishop," Luther immediately followed up with his thoughts, "These discomforts can be overcome. Compared to the victory in the war of gods, we can give everything. I think the Cardinal thinks so too. Of course, if any of you have other male candidates, you can replace Sophia."

The meeting fell into an eerie silence once again. This time, no one offered any new ideas. After waiting for more than ten seconds, the host said, "Alright, indeed, we are willing to give anything for the war of the gods. Sophia is an option, and the church will investigate her immediately. Of course, if you have other candidates later, you can report to the City of Golden Flowers as soon as possible."

"Yes, Archbishop," the bishops from various regions around the long table said in unison.

"Is there anything else important to report?" the host's authoritative voice rang out, and all the attendees shook their heads. They were all elderly church leaders who knew that there were things that absolutely could not be discussed here.

"Alright, that concludes this meeting," the moderator announced, seeing that no one had raised any objections. "I would like to remind everyone once again to think carefully about the candidates God has chosen and to report back to me as soon as possible. You should know that our church has not won a war against God for over a thousand years."

Everyone sat silently and motionless. Seeing that the reprimands had been delivered, the host waved his hand, signaling the bishops of each region to leave.

In his office at the Holy Oak Cathedral, Bishop Luther slowly opened his eyes, then rubbed them and sighed, "It's over just like that."

After saying that, he reached out and took a cup of coffee from the table. He stirred it a few times, took a small sip, and said, "It's a bit cold."

Thinking about the conversation at the meeting, he couldn't help but chuckle. "It's amazing that none of these guys objected to injecting the soul of an old man into the body of a young woman."

As the initiator of the proposal, Bishop Luther calmly sipped his coffee, his gaze fixed on another cup of coffee on the table. After a long silence, he put down his cup, pulled open the bottom drawer of his desk, and a flash of green light appeared, as if some magical barrier had been broken. The drawer was slowly pulled open.

The drawer was deep and could have held a lot of things, but now it only contained a thin book. Something seemed to be wriggling on the cover. As the drawer was pulled open, a sweet, cloying voice rang in Luther's ear, "Want it? What do you want? I can give you anything. The latest work by author Kapibala in a Bath, 'The Forest Doesn't Raise Idle Goblins,' is exclusively released here! Just read the first page and you'll know what you want is right here."

"I need your help with these tax documents; these numbers are a real headache to calculate," Bishop Luther chuckled, and the voice immediately stopped as soon as he finished speaking, as if it had been ridiculed and run away.

Bishop Luther looked at the book's cover. The wriggling cover had stopped, revealing its original rusty exterior and the true title on it—"Mushroom Spores and Variations of Life."

"Forgive me, Sophia." Bishop Luther sighed softly, then slowly pushed the drawer back, and the voice sounded again, "Wait, I can give you..."

With a "bang," the drawer was slammed shut, a flash of green light appeared, and the magic barrier activated again.

"It seems you really did meet Visans and heard some things you shouldn't have heard from him," Bishop Luther picked up his coffee cup again. "There's nothing we can do. The war of the gods is just that cruel. Sacrificing you is only a step forward. The Church hasn't won a war of the gods in a long time. We old folks want to live for a few hundred more years, and that can only be achieved by winning the war of the gods."

He finished his coffee in a few gulps, then put the cup back on the table, right next to the now-cold coffee. Bishop Luther then reached out and pressed the bell, and soon the nun outside came in again.

"Yes, Your Excellency." The nun stepped forward respectfully, picked up the two cups, and left the office.

…………

Charles had been waiting for Uncle Musa's first reply, though he knew it might take a long time. Nevertheless, he was still looking forward to it, partly because Uncle Musa would tell him about the current situation in Plantagenet City and the progress of the investigation into the mastermind, and partly because he wanted to know his sister Vivian's reaction after learning the news.

I wonder how that pouty little tagalong from my memories is doing now. Is he studying magic diligently? Has he upset his teacher?

Musa will have to wait until Uncle Musa meets Vivian before he can reply to these letters.

But he had no idea of ​​Uncle Musa's current situation. In a luxuriously decorated living room, Musa was sitting calmly on a velvet sofa, sipping a cup of fine golden chrysanthemum tea.

"Old Master Salmu, is it just to obtain a tax exemption certificate?" The Third Prince Theodore, sitting opposite, said with a smile, "I have already had the intermediate beast cores you provided, and that thing called 'Red Bull,' tested. If it really has the effects you described, I think the tax exemption certificate is nothing at all."

"Really?" Uncle Musa said calmly, behaving like a seasoned businessman. "Those officials said it would be very, very difficult."

“There are some things that are difficult for them to do, but it’s different for me,” Theodore said, glancing at Earl Valentine sitting beside him, who was also sipping chrysanthemum tea and did not respond.

"If that's the case, that would be wonderful." Uncle Musa smiled slightly, then glanced at the fully armed guard standing to the side—Obodo.

"Things are getting interesting."