Slime?
Old Bloom instantly imagined the knight's evil intentions.
He actually wanted to use a weak and helpless slime to threaten him.
"Shameless, absolutely shameless!"
Old Bloom's voice rose with anger, the tip of his pitchfork trembling with rage.
"Little one, don't be afraid, come quickly to Old Bloom. With me here, this big guy can't harm you."
Just as Chen Yu regained consciousness, he heard this righteous shout.
He raised his eyes, first looking confusedly at the excited skeleton farmer waving his pitchfork, then looking up at Arthur's silent appearance.
What kind of act was this now?
Arthur clumsily clarified.
"Your Majesty, I meant them... no harm."
"He spoke! He spoke!"
A Glimmerling hiding behind Old Bloom's pant leg whispered in surprise, its clear amber eyes filled with wonder, the fear seeming to recede slightly.
Several other little ones also cautiously peeked out a bit.
Old Bloom also paused, stopping his pitchfork-waving motion.
The soulfire in his eye sockets stabilized somewhat as he carefully examined Arthur again.
This fellow looked rather dull, indeed not like those low-level undead with only killing instincts.
Old Bloom lowered his pitchfork.
"Ahem... young undead, I don't care which graveyard you crawled out from, but this is Rootwhisper Forest, territory protected by Lady Viola."
"You'd better behave and don't think about causing trouble here, otherwise the dryad's mercy won't fall upon your heads."
Dryad Lord Viola?
That legendary mysterious existence that coexists with ancient forests, possessing powerful nature magic and long lifespan?
And she even shelters what looks like a strange skeleton farmer and Glimmerlings.
This place was much more interesting than he imagined.
How did Arthur manage to get lost and end up in such magical places every time?
He decided to try making contact with this unknown natural faction.
Arthur received the "Your Majesty's" will, slowly straightened his posture, and performed a formal knight's salute with dignified movements.
His voice was hoarse and solemn.
"Respected Mr. Bloom, allow me to clarify. I am Knight Arthur, and the one upon my chest is the legitimate lord of the Eastern Swamp, and the sovereign to whom I have sworn allegiance."
"We were pursuing nature-defiling goblins and accidentally lost our way here, with no intention of offending Lord Viola."
"Mr. Bloom, if you could point us toward the way back to the Eastern Swamp, we would be most grateful."
Slime Lord? Your Majesty?
The soulfire in Old Bloom's eye sockets stopped flickering, instinctively thinking he had misheard.
His expression seemed to say, fellow undead, are you joking with me?
A powerful, well-equipped undead knight addressing a slime as Your Majesty...
Oh heavens, this was even more unbelievable than him growing dancing carrots.
"Pfft..."
Among the Glimmerlings hiding behind him, one little one couldn't hold back, covering its mouth with a soft laugh.
The others, though still somewhat fearful, looked at Arthur with less trepidation.
Arthur maintained his saluting posture, not finding anything inappropriate, his tone utterly serious.
"Mr. Bloom, please point me in the right direction, thank you."
"You said you came from the Eastern Swamp?" Old Bloom suddenly asked.
In his memory, before the last Winter Year, the Eastern Swamp was such barren land that even ore couldn't be bothered to grow there, and even goblins didn't want to occupy it.
"Correct." Arthur affirmed.
Old Bloom fell silent.
He recalled that recently there had indeed been goblin squads frequently moving eastward, their movements mysterious.
The soulfire in his eye sockets flickered several times, as if pondering something.
"Ahem..."
Old Bloom cleared his non-existent throat, first speaking to the Glimmerlings behind him: "Alright, alright, little ones, it's fine now."
"They're not bad people. You all go back to the village first, tell Old Glent that we have guests, but don't scare the others."
The Glimmerlings looked as if granted amnesty, curiously stealing glances at Arthur and the slime on his chest before disappearing into the bushes like a flock of startled birds.
Watching them leave safely, Old Bloom turned back to Arthur, his tone much gentler.
"That... Mr. Arthur, right?" He confirmed the name.
"Yes, old sir." Arthur nodded.
"Good, Mr. Arthur."
Old Bloom shouldered his pitchfork and pointed deeper into the forest.
"Rootwhisper Forest isn't exactly close to the Eastern Swamp. Even if I pointed the way, you big fellow carrying... uh... this 'Lord' would likely wander around unfamiliar woods until dark without finding your way out. And if you encounter troublesome goblins, that would be more trouble."
"How about this, you and this Slime Lord come back to my farmhouse with me to rest first."
Arthur didn't answer immediately, but habitually looked down at the slime on his chest.
The little slime bounced lightly on his breastplate.
"Acceptable."
"Where there are Glimmerlings and dryads, nature worship is strong, danger is minimal. Perfect opportunity to see what this Lady Viola's territory looks like."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Arthur respectfully whispered in response before turning to Old Bloom and saying solemnly: "Thank you for your invitation, Mr. Bloom. We appreciate your hospitality."
Old Bloom watched Arthur maintain his respectful attitude toward the slime and coughed dryly.
"Ahem... You're welcome. Follow me."
Along the way, Arthur slowly spoke according to "Your Majesty's" instructions.
"Mr. Bloom, this Lady Viola you mentioned... is she a dryad lord? From what I know, the dryad race typically lives in seclusion, coexisting with ancient giant trees, rarely actively sheltering other races, let alone establishing territories."
Old Bloom walked ahead carrying his pitchfork and chuckled at this.
"Who knows about such things? Just like this forest housing an old skeleton like me who farms, and you, a young skeleton who recognizes a slime as lord, there are plenty of strange things around."
"That Lady Viola is willing to shelter us, giving us peaceful land to farm and live—knowing that is enough."
As soon as he finished speaking, several ordinary-looking large oak trees nearby suddenly seemed to come alive, their rough bark began to wriggle.
Several thick "branches" slowly extended, like arms lifting as a sleeping giant awakened.
"Shoo, shoo!"
Old Bloom waved his pitchfork like chasing chickens.
"These are guests, don't scare people. Return to your posts, you playful little ones."
The oak trees paused their movements, the extended "branches" shaking somewhat discontentedly before slowly retracting.
Treants?
Living treants, and so many of them.
Chen Yu suddenly understood.
No wonder goblins didn't dare approach this forest.
They'd probably get spun like tops by treants the moment they stepped foot inside.
Soon, under Old Bloom's guidance, they passed through dense forest and their view opened up.
This was a small basin located at the gentle slope of the forest.
Sunlight poured down unobstructed, illuminating neatly cultivated forest fields and farmhouses surrounded by flowers.
Between the field ridges, more gray-green small figures could be seen busy at work—some loosening soil with small wooden hoes, some harvesting orange roots growing under luminous fungi, others gathering together, using nimble fingers to weave exquisite grass baskets or vine ornaments.
This place was tranquil, peaceful, like a paradise away from the world.
Old Bloom led Arthur through these vibrant forest fields to a farmhouse built from logs and giant mushroom caps at the basin's edge.
The farmhouse was surrounded by a small courtyard enclosed with vines, growing common herbs and several plants with strange little flowers.
"Simple place, don't mind it."
Old Bloom pushed open the door woven from flexible vines. "There's an empty room inside, relatively clean. You can rest there."
"I estimate Lady Viola probably already knows you're here. If nothing unexpected happens, she'll likely invite you and this Slime Lord to chat tomorrow."
After giving a few instructions, Old Bloom shouldered his pitchfork and left, probably to reassure the villagers or report to the dryad lord.
Arthur entered the simple but tidy farmhouse's empty room, leaving his burning warhorse in the courtyard.
He sat on a short stool made from dried giant mushrooms, then carefully placed the little slime on a small wooden table covered with clean moss.
"Your Majesty, what should I do next?"
Chen Yu bounced around curiously looking everywhere, finally hopping back onto his hand, swaying while thinking with a belly full of mischief.
"Arthur, don't you find this place quite interesting? If we can meet that dryad lord, we might gain unexpected benefits."
"Maybe even find ways to cause some trouble for the Goblin Army."
Arthur nodded.
"Your Majesty speaks wisely."
While he was still thinking about escaping, Your Majesty had already devised plans against the goblins.
Such wisdom... left him in awe.
It seemed he still had much to learn.