Forests Don't Support Idle Goblins

"Tomorrow morning's Mass is of great importance to us."

Inside the room were several people dressed in robes reserved for high-ranking church officials. Although their faces were obscured by the dim candlelight, Sophia immediately recognized the speaker by his distinctive accent—Archbishop Morrison.

"Yes, Your Excellency." The others bowed their heads respectfully.

"She can die, but only after the ceremony. We're already far behind others, and we can't afford any more mishaps this time." Archbishop Morrison's tone remained as cold as ever. When he spoke of Sophia, there was no fluctuation in his voice, as if he were casually mentioning a kitten or puppy.

Sophia remained motionless by the crack in the door, trying to fold her wings, afraid of being discovered by these people. But what they said next surprised her.

"We made a plan many years ago, and the plan was even personally tailored by His Majesty. If it fails, none of us will fare well."

"We understand, Your Excellency."

Your Majesty? Sophia wondered. The Your Majesty they were referring to must be the Cardinal Willid who had passed away earlier.

But the thought of giving her life during Mass filled her with fear.

Why?

Why me?

What could possibly be so important that a priest would give up his life?

Could it be to seal away evil spirits, or to offer sacrifices to the gods?

But this doesn't require her as a "little druid."

Moreover, she had been living in the Cathedral of Life during this time and had not heard of any troubles the church had encountered, so why would they suddenly want her dead?

Sophia desperately wanted to fly to the other side, dispel the shapeshifting spell, and ask them what was going on, but she knew that would be tantamount to suicide.

Seeing that the other party was still discussing the details, she decided to leave first—no, to leave the Cathedral of Life, to get away from here, and only after she survived could she investigate the secrets behind it.

Just as she flapped her wings a few times and peeked through the crack in the door, a sharp shout suddenly came from inside the house, "Who's there?"

Immediately afterwards, the door to the house was pushed open with a "bang," and Archbishop Morrison walked out of the door with a gloomy face.

"Your Excellency, what's wrong?" The others also came to Morrison's side, while looking around.

"I sensed a magical fluctuation; someone is eavesdropping on our conversation." Morrison looked towards the end of the corridor, but there wasn't a single person in sight.

"Could it be... the wind?" one of them tried to say aloud.

"Are you questioning my judgment?" Archbishop Morrison glanced coldly at the man, who immediately knelt down on one knee: "I wouldn't dare, Your Excellency."

Ignoring the man, Morrison continued scanning the dark end of the corridor. "Go check on Sophia immediately, make sure she's alright, and remember not to disturb her."

"Yes, Your Excellency." The group nodded immediately and then quickly walked down the corridor toward Sophia's room.

Archbishop Morrison glanced around again, then frowned and turned back into the house.

Beside the candlestick next to the gate, a small figure moved slightly. It was a gecko, the same color as the stone wall. Seeing that no one was around, it immediately twisted its body and quickly crawled in the opposite direction of the corridor.

…………

"Tap tap tap," a series of hurried footsteps sounded as several church members quickly walked across the corridor, scanning their surroundings as if searching for something.

However, they paid no attention to the corner of the wall, where a gecko blended perfectly with the color of the stone wall.

Once they were out of sight, the gecko slowly crawled forward again.

"They must have realized I wasn't in the room." Sophia cautiously looked around, afraid that her shapeshifting ability would be discovered.

Although she moved her feet very carefully, she knew that this was not a solution. Transforming into such a small gecko required a lot of magic power. Once she fell into a state of mental exhaustion, she would no longer be able to maintain this spell, and at that time she would be a sitting duck.

"This is the fifth group of people already," Sophia said, wriggling and crawling quickly. "Could it be that everyone in this cathedral has been mobilized?"

If that's the case, it would be virtually impossible to escape the Cathedral of Life without making a sound.

Even so, Sofia persevered, "As long as I run out of the church and into the surrounding crystallized forest, I will be free, and they will never be able to find me again."

She gritted her teeth, feeling her spiritual energy rapidly draining away. The Moonlight Cathedral was vast, being the main cathedral of the Church of Earth and Life. Escaping from here would not be an easy task.

"What's wrong? What happened?" A familiar voice reached Sophia's ears, and she was surprised to find that the owner of the voice was leaning against the door frame, looking around.

"Grandma Alina." Sofia was overjoyed; seeing her at this time was truly good news.

Unlike the others who were searching for her, Elder Sister Alina belonged to the Secular Department of the Church, which was mainly responsible for contacting ordinary people and handling daily affairs, such as managing the monastery.

"Grandma Alina," a voice called out, causing the old nun to immediately look around alertly.

With a "whoosh," Sophia jumped down from the wall, immediately revealing herself through magic. "It's me, Grandma."

"Sophia, child, what's wrong with you?" the old nun exclaimed in a low voice, then looked at Sophia, who was only wearing a white nightgown, with a frown as she examined her from head to toe.

"I'm in trouble," Sophia said quickly, glancing around to make sure no one was patrolling. "Tomorrow morning's mass is dangerous. They're planning to take my life. I have to get out of here right away."

"How could this be?" Alina looked at Sofia with concern. "Could you be mistaken?"

“Absolutely true,” Sophia nodded emphatically. “I heard it from Bishop Morrison himself.”

"Why, why is this happening..." Grandma Alina clutched her nightgown, standing there somewhat at a loss.

"I must leave the church as soon as possible. Once I'm in the Crystallized Forest, I'll be safe," Sophia said, her eyes fixed on the old nun. "Can you help me?"

"No, child," Alina also looked around nervously. Seeing that there was no one else in the corridor, she immediately grabbed Sophia's hand and pulled her into the house, closing the door quietly at the same time.

This action caused the old nun to cough a few more times. With Sophia's help and patting her back, Alina gradually recovered. "Child, you cannot enter the Crystallized Forest now."

"No?" Sophia frowned.

"You think those are just ordinary crystallized trees?" Alina shook her head. "Those are trees that contain magical energy. As soon as you walk past them, magical fluctuations will immediately occur, and the church guards will know your whereabouts instantly."

"What should we do?" Sophia bit her lower lip anxiously.

"You can only leave tomorrow morning," Grandma Alina thought for a moment and continued, "Many people come to the Cathedral of Life every day, and they gather in front of the door in the morning. Among them are quite a few adventurers who know some magic. You can leave tomorrow morning, and the magical fluctuations caused by those adventurers will cover your tracks."

"But now, they are searching for me inside the cathedral."

Grandma Alina sighed. "Child, you'll have to stay here with me for a while. They're looking for you, but as long as I keep watch for you, they shouldn't find you so easily."

"This..." Sophia blinked, it sounded like this was the best solution right now.

"Go lie down on the bed," the old nun smiled kindly. "Speaking of which, it's been a long time since you've lain in my bed."

Yes, Sophia pursed her lips. More than ten years have passed. Back then, she was just a little girl. She was sick and was taken to Grandma Alina. After taking her medicine, she went straight to sleep on the nun's bed.

"I'll get you a glass of water, child." The old nun listened to the commotion outside, and seeing that there was no noise, she smiled and walked to the table.

A rustling sound came from behind her. Sophia was already lying in bed. Too much had happened tonight, and she had lost a lot of her mental energy. She was indeed quite tired.

Soon, a glass of water was placed in front of me.

"Drink up, child." Alina handed the water glass to Sophia, while gently stroking her cheek with her palm.

"Thank you, Grandma." Sofia held the glass and then drank it all in one gulp.

Before long, a wave of drowsiness washed over her, and she lay down on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

…………

"We proclaim your name, and may your will be done on earth, and may all life on earth be bathed in your glory."

A low, chanting prayer startled Sophia awake. She opened her eyes abruptly and was startled to find herself surrounded by a large crowd.

She tried to sit up, but felt as if she could no longer feel her arms.

Sophia struggled to lift her neck and saw that she was lying on a stone platform. Not far away, there were many people standing, who were clearly high-ranking members of the Church of Life.

She tried to sit up again, but no matter what she did, she could only move her neck. Even though she could see that her arms and legs were still intact, she couldn't feel them at all, as if they didn't exist at all.

"What's wrong with me?" she shouted, but the people ignored her completely and continued to bow their heads in prayer.

"Child, don't panic." A familiar greeting came from above, still as kind as ever.

Soon, Sister Alina's face appeared before Sophia. "It's nothing, I just used some medicine temporarily to prevent you from struggling."

"Grandma Alina," Sofia's eyes widened. The old nun before her was still the same as before, kind and serene, but Sofia already understood that she had been betrayed. "Why, Grandma?"

"Child, this is your destiny," Alina smiled. "Every child raised by the church has their own mission."

"Child, this is your destiny," Alina smiled. "Every child raised by the church has their own mission."

"But I don't want to," Sofia shook her head and said loudly, "I don't want to die like this."

"This is not death," Elder Sister Alina said, reaching out to touch the girl's cheeks. "It's just in a different form."

"No, I don't want to." Sophia's eyes pleaded. She wanted to shake her head and refuse, but her cheeks were held down by the old nun, and she could only sway slightly. She was even surprised to find that the old nun Alina, who was always coughing, was actually so strong.

"Accept it," the old nun smiled kindly. "Didn't you say that the church is your home? Now is the time to contribute to your 'family'."

Home? A tear rolled down Sofia's cheek. What did home mean to her?

Is it the desolate Cathedral of Life?

Is it still the Holy Oak Cathedral where I can't wake up every day, and the food in the cafeteria is okay?

It was more than a decade ago, when a group of children were chasing and playing, and I could only timidly lean against a pillar and watch them from that monastery.

Or perhaps it was Torch City, that somewhat dirty and chaotic street with a constant flow of people, where one could only run alongside pedestrians and softly beg for alms.

Family?

Did I ever really have a family?

Is this my fate?

Tears streamed down her face as the old nun Alina continued to smile at her, but that kind smile was chilling.

For some reason, Sophia suddenly recalled the words from before.

"The taste is alright, not like what you expected."

"They are just doing things. We no longer engage in fighting and killing, but of course, we still need to have the ability to protect ourselves."

"Get some rest. I'll have the little fairies come and keep you company. If anything happens, they can let me know."

"The boss told me to give this to you, saying it can strengthen your soul."

"Now that the business is done, you can go back and check on things. The boss's place is quite interesting."

Go back and take a look? Sophia blinked, and she suddenly realized that there was a place that cared about her, and a group of people who liked her. No, it couldn't be said that they were all people.

"The time has come. The ceremony to transform the chosen one is about to begin." A cold voice rang out from the side. Archbishop Morrison walked over and gave Sophia a cold look on the stone platform.

"The Chosen One?" Sophia looked intently at the Archbishop. "I know the Chosen One; I've seen him."

"Are you going to bring up the matter of God choosing a goblin again?" Archbishop Morrison no longer looked at Sophia, but the sarcasm in his tone was undisguised. "How could God's will be so arbitrary, even mentioning a goblin?"

"It's true!" Sofia exclaimed.

"Alright, child," Alina gently straightened the girl's face again, "We are all waiting for your transformation. If you succeed in the end, everyone will thank you for your efforts."

"Transformation?" Sophia stared intently at the old nun's face. Like the others in the room, the old nun was old, probably in her seventies or eighties, with white hair and wrinkles on her face.

"Yes, as long as we win this war of gods, we will all receive rewards, our lives will be restarted, and we will return to our youthful appearance."

As she spoke, the old nun Alina gently touched Sophia's cheek with her rough hands. "It's wonderful, the feeling of youth, it's something to long for."

"No, no." Sophia tried to refuse, but could only shake her head, which was forcefully pressed down by the old nun. As the chanting and prayers of the people around them grew louder, Sister Alina said with delight, "It seems that His Majesty does not wish to wait any longer."

These words filled Sophia with intense fear. Following the old nun's gaze, she looked up at her legs, where an exquisite wooden box sat.

But now, the lid of the wooden box was pushed open, and thick gray smoke billowed out. This smoke seemed to have a life of its own, "crawling" out of the box and covering her feet.

Next, the calves.

thigh.

A strong wave of dizziness washed over her, and Sofia felt like she was about to lose consciousness.

"Save me, Chosen One!" she cried out.

But before he lost consciousness, he only saw the kind smile of old Sister Alina and the greed in her eyes.