Moonlight Forest

As this thought sparked in her mind, her spirits lifted once more, and she quickly began her explanation.

“The Cursed Forest was originally named the Moonlight Forest. Entire groves of Moon-Silver Wood grew here, which is an excellent magic-conducting material. During the Golden Age, the Moonlight Forest was a sacred ground for witches. But a hundred years ago, during the... er, witch hunts, that pack of foolish, vicious humans tried to destroy the beautiful Moonlight Forest. Many Moon-Silver Trees were chopped down by those selfish, greedy humans back then...”

Tongque chose her words with extreme caution, constantly watching her expression. Bringing up the witch hunts in front of a witch was even more suicidal than telling a dwarf that their ale tasted like trash.

She wouldn't have risked her life if she hadn't suspected that this reclusive Great Witch might not know this history. Fortunately, looking at Her Ladyship's expression, she indeed seemed clueless.

Wu Yao paid no attention to her gaze. Her eyes were completely blank as she zoned out during this unskippable dialogue.

“...In that battle, Yue Guiqian, the Curse Witch, cursed the humans who took part in the war. The surging resentment dragged the entire forest into a corrupted wasteland of death. Since then, no one has dared to come here and seek their own death.”

Tongque watched Wu Yao closely, but she couldn't detect any change in her expression. Unable to gauge this lady's attitude, she felt cold sweat completely drenching her back.

Tiechui stood rigidly beside her, her large ears pressed tightly against her cheeks, not daring to utter a word.

“Are you done?” Wu Yao stood up and stretched. The background lore that had gone in one ear and out the other was quickly dumped from her mind.

“Follow me.” Wu Yao needed too many materials, and she hadn't memorized a single one. It would be better to just bring these two goblins back to her territory to take a look and draw up a checklist.

“W-Where are we going?” Tongque held her sister's hand, silently drawing courage. Tiechui's ears twitched up slightly and gently nudged her.

“My territory.” Wu Yao looked up at the moon. “Huh, one is missing?”

The moons that had been a pair last night were gone; only the large Bright Moon hung high in the sky tonight. Wu Yao felt a strange pang of regret. She had felt a sense of familiarity with the smaller Silver Moon.

“Territory?” Tiechui's eyes widened. “Milady, you have already established a territory?”

Wu Yao didn't bother to answer. She noticed that her mana recovery rate wasn't as fast as last night, and she wondered if it had something to do with the disappearance of the Silver Moon.

She walked toward her territory while lost in thought, completely ignoring whether the goblin sisters behind her, who were frantically packing their alchemical products back into their bags, could keep up.

As Tongque stuffed items into her bag, she whispered, “Sis, is it really okay for us to do this?”

“Then what else do you suggest? Do you want to be burned to ashes?” Tiechui's face was bitter. She had truly sensed this lady's murderous intent earlier!

“Sigh—” Tongque let out a soft, long sigh. “She is definitely a Great Witch who possesses a legacy. If we can build a good relationship with her, we'll stand to make a fortune...”

Of course, both of them knew that this was under the premise that they could actually get on her good side.

They followed behind Wu Yao, walking along the purified Moon-Silver Wood forest. Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, paving a silver path on the ground.

The Moon-Silver Wood hadn't grown leaves yet, but the silvery-white buds were already working hard to absorb the moonlight. There was no smell of rot in the air, only the crisp, woody scent unique to Moon-Silver Wood, mixed with the smell of fresh earth.

Wu Yao walked at the front in a great mood. Not only had she unlocked a bunch of entries in her Alchemy Compendium, but she had also met merchant NPCs who could help her gather materials.

Most importantly, she remembered that one of her quest rewards was unlocking the 【Territory Residents】 system. She needed to scout out some residents in advance—a bit of everything to emphasize biodiversity!

These two goblins were excellent logistical talents. Once her territory upgraded to Level 2, she would recruit them to work for her!

Wu Yao paused, turned around, and flashed a very friendly smile. She wondered how she could view their Affection. Could she use Appraisal?

Following cautiously behind the witch, Tiechui suddenly felt a slight fluctuation of mana around her. She instinctively glanced at Tongque, whose face was also filled with fright.

Okay, it wasn't an illusion. Had the witch placed a curse on them?

Tiechui swallowed hard and comforted herself. At least she didn't kill me on the spot, nor did she make a move on Tongque... well, at least not just now.

The two of them trembled in fear for a long while, but they didn't feel anything wrong with their bodies. Instead, the witch's attitude seemed to grow increasingly warm and attentive.

【Goblin Merchant: Tiechui】

【Age: 31】

【Affection: 5/100】

【HP: 150/150】

【Skills: Commerce Lv. 9, Treasure Appraisal Lv. 7, Combat Lv. 5...】

【Goblin Merchant: Tongque】

【Age: 31】

【Affection: 5/100】

【HP: 150/150】

【Skills: Commerce Lv. 10, Treasure Appraisal Lv. 9, Combat Lv. 3...】

Wu Yao was deeply grieved by the "5" Affection she saw. She believed her behavior just now had been extremely friendly—she hadn't beaten them up, hadn't robbed them, and had even listened patiently to their rambling. And yet, this was all the Affection she got?

It seemed she had no choice but to bribe them with gifts. No NPC could refuse that!

“Is there anything you two like?”

Tiechui and Tongque exchanged a glance. Things they liked? Why was Lady Wu Yao suddenly asking this? Was she testing their greed? Or was she hinting that they should offer tributes?

“Uh, w-we like... staying alive.” Tongque watched Wu Yao's expression, cautiously offering the safest possible answer.

Wu Yao: ? What is this NPC talking about?

Wu Yao's hopes of taking a shortcut were dashed. She had to resort to a cruder method: pulling items out of her Inventory one by one to test them. Surely she could find a gift that increased Affection this way?

“Rotten Flesh, do you like it?” Wu Yao watched the Affection meters above their heads. Okay, they didn't.

It stank. She quickly put it back in her Inventory.

“Healing potion.” Still no change.

“Dagger.” Fortunately, they didn't like it. As a player, she would've been reluctant to part with it anyway.

“Longsword.” Great, they weren't interested in this either.

“Demon-Sealing Crossbow.” Whoa, whoa, why did their Affection drop! Wu Yao quickly stuffed it back.

“Moonlight Grass seeds.” The Affection jumped up slightly. Wu Yao hesitated. Although she had ten Moonlight Grass seeds, these were magical plant seeds. She didn't know if she would be able to get more in the future...

After a moment of thought, Wu Yao pretended she hadn't seen the increase and put the Moonlight Grass seeds back in her bag.

“Moon-Silver Wood.” Okay, as long as they liked it. Though the Affection gain wasn't much.

She had plenty of Moon-Silver Wood, so she wouldn't feel bad giving it away. She would keep this as a backup gift option and see if there was anything else that could increase it even more.

She still had some Mana Cores in her Inventory. Although she had been using them while killing monsters, she still had thirty-six left. Wu Yao casually took one out and held it out to the two goblins. “Mana Core.”

Tiechui and Tongque forgot their fear. The two of them stared at the translucent, white bead in Wu Yao's hand, almost forgetting to breathe.