History is not a discipline to be trifled with on paper.
History is the sum of all the past, as well as the great foundation extending into the future.
As a Pantheon Scholar of historical studies, the knowledge in the village chief grandma's mind could be said to be as vast as the sea of stars.
If all this knowledge were turned into documents and laid out in front of the Hero for her to read one by one, even if her mind has become much more nimble now, I fear she would immediately turn around, and flee in panic.
The migration of Magic Creatures within a region seems to belong to the field of monster ecology.
But when Magic Creatures come into conflict with Humankind, engage in wars, and are recorded, it becomes a part of human history.
When researching the history of towns in another region, investigating why a town suddenly encounters an Arcane Surge, it's possible to use this clue as a thread and find the cause.
Tracing further back, the reasons for the migration of Magic Creatures might be changes in ecology, geological movements, or even shifts in climate…
After drawing parallels, history becomes a reference for the present prevention of Arcane Surges.
And from legends, from cryptic records, even ones the writers themselves barely understand, finding information and clues that can be useful now is what historical scholars excel at.
"Those who ignore the past will be devoured by the future."
A scholar's famous quote, written on the title page of textbooks, is now a consensus among historians.
"It's just a pity that we still can't say we've managed to avoid this."
The village chief grandma reopened her eyes and said gently.
"I roughly understand the movement of the Goblins; in fact, it's quite easy to guess."
The village chief grandma spread the map out on the table, squinted her eyes, and slowly moved her fingers along the map.
The Hero pulled up a chair close to her, listening intently and with Concentration.
"Actually, my child, you should understand too, the Goblins near Lake Town were wiped out in one fell swoop, and our village has never slackened in our slaughter of them."
The village chief grandma drew a circle around the spot that represented Lake Town on the map, and repeated this action over the dot of this village.
"And this forest is No More suitable for them to live in."
She spread her palm and gently swept it over the expanse of the forest.
Grandpa put down his teacup, his eyebrows slightly frowned, already perceiving something.
"So what will a Goblin Group do when facing extinction? Where can the Goblins of this region go?"
The village chief grandma asked in a guiding tone.
The fourteen-year-old girl's eyes widened, staring intently at the map—
[Hero's thinking (Goblin knowledge (41), Intelligence check (50), 9 or higher for success)]
[An Extreme Failure is seen!]
1-3. Can't understand such a detailed map
4-6. Will they, will they go for a Beautiful Girl?♛
7-8. Will they turn to robbery?
9. Will they resort to infighting?
10. Critical Success/Extreme Failure
Then she picked up a pen and wrote down her conclusion.
'Will go for a Beautiful Girl.'
"This—" The village chief grandma couldn't help but smile wryly at the elegant handwriting.
"You child." Grandpa raised his head to look at the ceiling to keep his face straight.
"Seems like your father and mother truly didn't teach you anything." He rubbed his brow in helpless frustration.
"No, it's not that, it's not that you've disliked studying for just a day or two.
"As for your conclusion... Well, after all, it's Experience you've come to on your own, so I can't say it's wrong."
He lowered his hand, looked again at the Hero with a mix of sympathy and amusement, and said.
Being targeted by such Magic Creatures like Goblins over and over again, for a young girl, truly could be the stuff of Nightmares.
But since this is her tenacity as a Hero, it's something that others can't persuade her against.
Realizing her mistake, the Hero couldn't help but shrink her head a bit.
"Alright, don't always blame the child, if you don't teach her yourself, how could she understand?"
The village chief grandma glared at grandpa.
"It's because you never said anything at the beginning, that I would... cough cough." She coughed softly and stopped talking.
Grandpa also awkwardly shifted his gaze and took a sip of tea to calm down.
"Then let me explain it to her. Granddaughter, you should still remember the Goblins from Lake Town."
The Hero nodded quickly.
"Firstly, Goblins don't Assault humanity for the sake of Beautiful Girls.
"If possible, grandpa also hopes that you no longer use your own body as bait, but that's beside the point."
Grandpa began to explain in a calm voice.
"Goblins, as a type of Magic Creature, are driven by the desire to reproduce. When their species faces the crisis of extinction, they usually have only two choices."
The old scholar's expression became serious.
"One, is to directly flee to other areas rich in Magic Element, using most of their tribe's lives as a shield, in exchange for the survival of even just one Goblin.
"Because as long as there is sufficient Magic Element, they can quickly breed again, which is why Goblins can never be completely eradicated."
The Hero understood because this was knowledge she had learned from books.
"Two, is to Assault human villages and rely on the most primitive plundering to rejuvenate their tribe."
Grandpa continued solemnly.
"The first rule is no longer viable because they have escaped from an area rich in Magic Element like Phoenix Feather Forest; there is no place nearby where they can continue to reproduce and thrive.
"So the group of Goblins from Lake Town, they are following the second rule, choosing to Assault the nearest largest town. But according to past estimates of Goblin numbers, that's probably not all of them."