The Goblin King was startled by the elf maid, but he still looked in the direction she was pointing.
"Why are you shouting like... like..."
When countless red balls appeared above the palace hall, the Goblin King froze.
The commander of the Royal Guards, the Purple Hat Goblin, looked up at the ceiling and suddenly cried out.
"Spores!"
"How did these spores get in here?"
"Protect the King! You four, take His Majesty out! Hurry!"
"Yes, Commander!"
Four Blue Hat Goblins holding spears quickly stepped forward and surrounded the Goblin King. Just as they were about to escort him to the side hall, several maids and soldiers came running out from inside.
"The side hall is full of red things! They're flying everywhere, and they explode as soon as they touch anything..."
BOOM!
Before the soldier could finish speaking, an explosion came from the side hall.
The Goblin King jumped in shock, and the commander of the Royal Guards quickly shouted, "Protect His Majesty! There's a barrier in the main hall. We should be safe!"
BANG!
BANG! BANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
As soon as the commander finished speaking, countless spores exploded outside the barrier.
The entire Goblin Palace shook violently. Large and small rocks fell from above, but they were all blocked outside the barrier. It really held back the attack.
"Phew!"
Only then did everyone let out a long breath.
The Goblin King finally relaxed, "Commander, well done! Good thing you planned ahead and put up the barrier first."
"Thank you for Your Majesty's praise!"
The commander of the Royal Guards knelt on one knee to thank the King.
At that moment, Royal Advisor pointed at the spores outside the barrier and said excitedly, "I told you they were spores! It really is spores! My prediction was right! Hahaha! This is great!"
"Royal Advisor!"
The Goblin King flew into a rage.
Only then did Royal Advisor realize he had gotten too excited and said the wrong thing again.
He quickly lowered his head and gave an awkward smile.
"Please calm down, Your Majesty. I got carried away just now and misspoke. Please don't worry. Now that the spores have appeared, I can predict the next event. Let me help Your Majesty find where the rat behind all this chaos is hiding."
"Hurry up!"
The Goblin King was furious.
Royal Advisor Shi nodded repeatedly, then began casting another spell over the crystal ball.
However...
Not long afterward...
"Y-Your Majesty...", Royal Advisor Shi said in disbelief, "I just made another prediction. I think we need to get out of here immediately!"
"Royal Advisor, do you really think there's anywhere safer than this?", the commander of the Royal Guards immediately objected, "The Desert Tree's barrier is protecting His Majesty from these spores. If we leave for somewhere else, what will you use to keep the King safe? Your crystal ball? Ridiculous!"
Royal Advisor frowned, "But I saw that these spores will eventually break through this barrier and fall into the hall. If that happens, we really won't be able to escape."
"Umm..."
The Goblin King fell silent.
After all, Royal Advisor Shi's predictions had never been wrong. Even the spore invasion just now had been predicted.
It was just, asking him to leave the barrier and go outside under these conditions, the Goblin King could not make up his mind.
Once someone had become used to living comfortably, they became afraid of dying. The Goblin King was no exception.
He was no longer the young goblin who charged into battle himself.
Now he ruled the entire underground world. So many people were willing to risk their lives for him. Why should he put himself in danger?
"Your Majesty, you must not listen to the Royal Advisor," the commander quickly said, "I guarantee this barrier will keep you safe! If anything goes wrong, you can offer me as the sacrifice!"
[Stage 3 Spores: 298/300]
[Stage 3 Spores: 299/300]
[Stage 3 Spores...]
[Stage 4 Spores: Giant Form! After absorbing energy from the air, the spores become giant spores and release large amounts of carbon dioxide, creating an environment suitable for their survival.]
Pop!
Pop! Pop!
The spores that had been crashing into the barrier and exploding suddenly stopped.
Then everyone heard strange sounds, like someone blowing bubbles and the bubbles popping.
The commander of the Royal Guards looked up.
The tiny red spores had each grown into giant spores as large as a human head.
And it wasn't just one or two. Nearly all of them were expanding at the same time.
It looked like water beads swelling after being dropped into a bathtub.
"It's fine!", the commander still reassured the Goblin King, "Even if these spores grow bigger, they still can't damage the barrier! This is the Desert Tree's barrier. As long as we keep supplying it with enough energy, we can definitely—"
Crack!
Before the commander could finish, tens of thousands of giant spores piled onto the barrier at once.
They forced cracks into the barrier that had seemed impossible to break.