“Tree demons!” Seeing the creatures approaching, Vera became slightly alert.
The reason it was only “slightly” was because the three of them had been mixing around on the sixth floor, so naturally they knew that ever since the tree demons had formed a symbiotic relationship with the puffshrooms, they would often emerge from the secret forest, but like the puffshrooms, they wouldn’t actively attack.
However, this time they were walking toward the group with clear purpose, so Vera’s fingers still instinctively tightened around her sword hilt.
Unexpectedly, Sirian actively stepped forward to meet them, his emerald eyes filled with curiosity.
“There are tree demons here too? And…” He carefully examined the wrinkled bark covering the tree demons’ bodies. “What’s growing on them are actually mushrooms, not the common moss!”
One of the taller tree demons extended its gnarled branches, tentatively and gently wrapping around Sirian’s wrist like a probe.
Vera’s heart tightened: “Hey, is that okay?”
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Sirian closed his eyes, his long lashes trembling slightly. A faint emerald aura seemed to ripple around his entire body. After a moment, he opened his eyes and looked at the three tense companions. “They’re asking for help.”
“Druids can communicate with magical creatures like this?” Feilin asked incredulously.
“It’s a small talent granted by our elven bloodline,” Sirian explained. “When both sides open their minds to each other, we can barely manage to sense simple emotional fluctuations.”
After several tree demons completed their “contact,” they slowly turned around. Sirian followed without hesitation: “Want to come see together?”
“Could it be a trap?” Vera muttered, but her feet had already started following. She couldn’t let Sirian go alone.
Sirian said: “I didn’t sense any malice, but being cautious isn’t wrong either. Stay alert on the way!”
Led by the tree demons, they passed through the desolate dead lands corrupted by curses and arrived at the other surviving side of the sixth floor.
With the tree demons leading the way, the group passed through a deep, secluded path concealed by dense vegetation and reached their destination.
Standing at the entrance to the secret forest, Vera examined the tree roots growing around them and the mycelium attached to them, couldn’t help but click her tongue: “I’d heard long ago that there was a secret forest where tree demons dwelt deep in the sixth floor. I never imagined the entrance was hidden so deep!”
They hadn’t ventured far into the secret forest when the tree demons stopped, pointing ahead with their branches. Without need for further communication, everyone immediately understood the reason for their urgency—several demon trees on the verge of death.
Sirian’s brow furrowed slightly. His gaze swept over the roots wrapped in wet mud and the traces of freshly turned soil around them, then considering the scorched earth outside, he formed a rough guess in his mind.
Sirian muttered quietly: “The transplantation method was too crude…”
He said nothing more and gently placed both hands on the main trunk of the sickly demon tree. Chanting an incantation, emerald light emanating from his palms slowly flowed into the demon tree’s network of vessels.
Wherever the light reached, the gray, defeated coloring on the bark seemed to be washed away by water, faintly revealing the vitality contained within.
Seeing the effect, Sirian smiled.
Vera beside him had a somewhat strange expression. His gaze moved away from the demon tree that was regaining vitality, subconsciously scanning the other demon trees in this secret forest, then penetrating through the tree shadows to see the vast scorched wasteland outside.
Were the things that needed to be done… multiplying again?
—
Everything happening on the sixth floor was naturally within the perception of a certain blue mushroom.
Lin Jun’s greatest impression was: Natural magic, truly a treasure!
Ripening, healing—judging by the effects, it seemed particularly compatible with the mushroom system, feeling more suitable for himself than magic of other attributes!
However, he hadn’t yet seen any humans who possessed natural magic skills. He wondered if this was exclusive to elves. He’d have to ask Edin about it later.
To use natural magic, one needed to first analyze the skill, and second, learn the corresponding spells.
But from what he could see now, all the natural spells this elf used seemed to involve chanting!
Using vocal puffshrooms…?
Moreover, the chanting was in completely incomprehensible Elvish. Would he have to start learning a new language again?
Filing this matter in the “to-do list” in the depths of his consciousness, besides this natural magic, abyssal magic was also something Lin Jun wanted to explore.
Unfortunately, since that fleeting glimpse at the port back then, he had never encountered another user. It seemed to be a very obscure type of magic.
Lin Jun had never stopped his research into magic. Those dozen or so magic books had already been completely read through by Lin Jun, and he had basically learned all the spells recorded in them in a cursory manner.
They were all low-level spells, not particularly difficult, but because he had learned them in a scattered way, apart from the bog spell which he used most smoothly and could barely reach the passing grade for quick casting among adventurer mages, Lin Jun had mostly just touched on the other spells superficially, remaining at the level of “can cast.”
However, Lin Jun was different from mages. If a mage cast spells too slowly, they would really get rushed down and killed. At worst, Lin Jun would just switch to a different magic puffshroom.
…
In the blink of an eye, several days passed. Vera’s group now had to rush back and forth between two places every day.
Each day they would first help tend to the demon trees, then rush to the desolate lands ravaged by curses, gradually awakening the dormant vitality of the earth. All of this work could only be completed by the elf Sirian alone.
Feiyin’s acceleration spell could still be useful when traveling, but Vera and Feilin couldn’t help at all and had completely become idle hands.
Watching the elf busily working while they did nothing made the two feel quite guilty. So they voluntarily took on “logistics” work, hunting the firm-fleshed tusked wild boars in the still-intact areas of the sixth floor, or collecting honey secreted by certain plant-type magical creatures to add some variety to everyone’s meals.
The group now lived in the tree demons’ secret forest, safe and secure. Food was provided by the puffshrooms—mushroom soup in abundance—but if they wanted to eat something different, they had to rely on themselves.
While the four were busy below, the situation on the surface was gradually changing.
…
On Farr’s side, the expected dungeon collapse had yet to arrive, but heavy realistic pressure was bearing down step by step. With no other choice, he could only begin organizing personnel to return to the dungeon entrance, observing the dungeon’s condition while harvesting mushrooms.
However, when the guild’s collection teams finally reached their destination, the scene before them left them completely dumbfounded—the mushrooms were a bit too popular!
As the earliest batch of bold adventurers had returned to the city laden with mushrooms and sold them for a hefty sum, this tempting news spread like wildfire, instantly igniting the hearts of everyone nearby who thirsted for wealth.
So what if the dungeon was on the verge of collapse and could cave in at any moment?
They weren’t entering the dungeon itself, just picking mushrooms on the outskirts. If there was any sign of trouble, they’d just run!
Besides, the unlucky one wouldn’t necessarily be them—maybe they’d return home loaded with mushrooms, and it would only collapse after they left!
The risk of dungeon collapse was invisible and intangible, but the gold coins earned from picking mushrooms were real and tangible!
Driven by the frenzy of “wealth comes from taking risks,” more and more adventurers swarmed in like sharks smelling blood, joining this mushroom gold rush.
Adventurers weren’t all—in these difficult times when everywhere lacked food, refugees were equally attracted by this no-capital business. They came in droves with their families, carrying worn baskets and containers, joining in as well.
So when the guild-organized collection teams arrived, they saw numerous speculators and mycelium mats that had been picked over again and again.
Forget mature mushrooms—even those small mushrooms that had just sprouted and were only finger-sized had already been spotted and plucked early by sharp-eyed people and stuffed into their containers.
On one hand, they dispatched more guild personnel to join this mushroom competition. On the other hand, they reluctantly took out some materials stockpiled in the guild warehouse, using barter to exchange for mushrooms in others’ hands.
This kind of trade would have been practically the same as giving things away for free two months ago, but now Farr could only maintain a deadpan expression and have Mirabelle make the exchanges!
For adventurers, while this exchange wouldn’t make them earn more, it saved them the time of transporting goods to more distant cities, so most were still willing.
But this wasn’t a long-term solution either.
In the guild’s tent, Farr solemnly handed a sealed envelope with wax seal to Edin: “Edin, I’m sorry, but this time… I’ll have to trouble you to act as this negotiator.”
Edin took the envelope. He knew what was inside—Farr had already told him everything.
Now everywhere lacked food, and they had begun war with the demon race. All provisions were being supplied to the army first. Under these circumstances, even if the noble lords of surrounding cities had stored grain, they would almost certainly not open their granaries to aid refugees.
The mushrooms near the dungeon were already this batch of refugees’ last hope.
But Farr didn’t dare let the refugees come out to pick mushrooms themselves. If he did that, this place would definitely become a hell of survival of the fittest.
Moreover, even with just the current trampling by adventurers and a small number of refugees, some areas of mycelium mats had already been destroyed, reducing production for nothing.
Farr wanted to manage this, but the guild lacked enforcement power in many matters.
So he needed the help of the Saint-Claire family to obtain management rights!
Although the dungeon didn’t belong to the ducal family, Mute Wind Town and this land surrounding the entrance were unquestionably the ducal family’s fief.
According to law, all production from this land theoretically belonged to the duke.
Of course, that was just in theory. In peacetime, no noble would be foolish enough to exercise this unpopular right—it was completely thankless.
But now was obviously a special time. Moreover, Miss Inanna, the duke’s daughter, also possessed the Puffshroom King. With these two factors combined, claiming that this mycelium mat and its production belonged to the ducal family was justifiable in every sense.
As long as he could persuade Miss Inanna to support him and thereby gain the duke’s approval, granting him the authority to represent the ducal mansion in controlling mycelium harvesting and distributing mushrooms, the refugees’ food crisis could temporarily gain some breathing room.
However, he still remembered that Miss Inanna seemed to dislike him, while Edin, with his friendship with Miss Inanna and his flexible mind, became the only person in Farr’s eyes who might possibly complete this arduous task as a negotiator.
The reason Farr apologized to Edin was because this really wasn’t a pleasant job.
Success would only mean saving a batch of worthless refugees, while cutting off others’ source of income would inevitably earn the hatred of adventurers. This hatred would probably be split fifty-fifty between the ducal family and himself as branch president.
To put it cruelly, in the context of food shortage, reducing “redundant” low-value population was itself a cold but effective solution.
To act as negotiator for a goal with almost no practical benefit, Farr knew he was really putting Edin in a difficult position.
He could only hope that Edin could use their friendship to persuade the duke’s daughter, and then have Miss Inanna gain her father’s consent.
Taking the letter, Edin looked at Farr and nodded.
This president had already done his utmost for these refugees who were neither relatives nor friends.
Edin asked himself—he was the type who would lend a hand when encountering someone in distress on the road, but he would never, like Farr, place himself under enormous pressure for the survival of strangers.
If he were presiding over the guild, he probably would have long ago accepted the reality of being “unable to bear the burden” and either pushed the refugee problem onto the lord or left them to fend for themselves.
Although he couldn’t achieve such heights himself, this didn’t prevent him from feeling respect for the white-haired young president before him. No one didn’t want more “good people” around them.
As for the matter of the letter…
Edin mounted his horse and rode away from the chaotic, noisy camp. But he didn’t head straight for the duke’s manor. Instead, he lightly tugged the reins, turned his horse around, and detoured toward an area where sparse mycelium had already begun to spread.
He should report to the boss first…
…
Hmm?
The information transmitted through his consciousness made Lin Jun’s thoughts pause slightly.
Manage the mycelium mats? Save refugees?
After receiving Edin’s report, he didn’t stop him, just told him to continue delivering the letter and complete Farr’s task.
Regarding letting the adventurers’ guild manage the mushroom production from the mycelium mats, Lin Jun himself was indifferent—it didn’t matter either way.
In the context of such large-scale food shortage, the outward expansion of mycelium mats was an inevitable trend. Whether or not someone managed it, it would still spread.
However, the point about saving refugees was right up Lin Jun’s alley.
The reason for such hope was naturally mainly because the blue mushroom was kind-hearted.
As for refugees mostly being relatively blank slates, more amenable to “reformation” and having more “future value” than those slick old adventurers… those were just insignificant, secondary considerations.
Since both sides’ goals unexpectedly aligned on the point of “saving people,” Lin Jun didn’t mind going with the flow and lending a hand, even if that guild branch president Farr had previously had a small unpleasantness with him…
As his thoughts turned, Lin Jun’s vision shifted to the knight puffshroom at the ducal mansion.
Sure enough, Inanna was still the same as always—wherever she went, she brought her puffshroom along.
At this moment, in the luxurious, spacious bathhouse of the ducal mansion, steam was rising.
Inanna sat by the smooth pool edge, tightly hugging a puffshroom covered in mud and ash, carefully wiping its round body with a soft sponge, trying to restore it to its original white color.
To her left sat several puffshrooms that had already been cleaned spotless. To her right, there were several more little ones equally gray and dirt-covered, lined up under her direction, waiting for bathing services from the duke’s daughter.
Today she had again taken the puffshrooms hunting in her family’s forest, so when they returned, everyone had turned into mud balls.
These puffshrooms, except for the knight, didn’t have [Underwater Adaptation]. The first time, not knowing better, one had even drowned (though it was later revived). Now Inanna could only clean them one by one like this.
Logically, this kind of work could be completely left to the maids, but Inanna enjoyed it immensely.
Suddenly, Inanna’s wiping motion stopped abruptly. She tilted her head in confusion, wet hair ends sticking to her cheeks.
Just now… she seemed to hear the boss calling her?!
“Inanna!” Through the connection, Lin Jun repeated once more.
“It really is the boss!” The girl’s face instantly bloomed with a delighted smile, but immediately after, she asked in confusion, “Boss, how are you contacting me? There’s obviously no mycelium nearby!” She subconsciously looked around the misty bathroom.
“I’m speaking to you through the knight puffshroom. Let’s not talk about that first. Do you still remember Edin? He’s about to…” Lin Jun briefly explained, then prepared to get to the main point, explaining the refugee situation and Edin’s impending visit.
However, Inanna’s attention had obviously completely wandered. She didn’t hear a single word of what Lin Jun said afterward.
At this moment, she stared blankly at the knight puffshroom on her lap, her head filled entirely with the thought: Since the boss can talk to me through the knight… why didn’t he say anything for so long before? Huh?
Farr really earned my respect.