Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1415 Does it exist in such a deeply rooted way?

Ling and his group slowly retreated. The gray fungus people still gripped their crude weapons tightly, their black bean-like eyes fixed on them, as if they would swarm them at the slightest movement. A silent sense of oppression filled the air, and even the floating glowing spores seemed to freeze.

Ling tried to communicate with the older gray fungus man in the gentlest of manners. He lightly placed his right hand on his chest, bowed slightly, and spoke in Common as slowly and clearly as possible: "We mean no harm; we simply wish to communicate with you..."

However, the elder gray fungus man—judging from the awe-inspiring posture of the surrounding gray fungus men and his exceptionally large, deeply grooved grayish-white cap, was undoubtedly the leader of the tribe—but the fungus tribe's tribal system was quite unique. In essence, there was no leader who concentrated a high degree of power and had the ability to make decisions at will. His leadership function was only reflected in calling on, mobilizing, and inspiring people. Therefore, it would be more appropriate to describe him as an "elder" rather than a leader.

The gray fungus elder emitted a deeper, more menacing growl from his throat (if he even had one), like the grinding of rocks. He took a step forward, his short, thick arm pointing once again firmly to the fungus forest from which they had come, the meaning couldn't be clearer.

Ling noticed that although the elder was tall, he couldn't hide the stale aura emanating from his body. Several deep cracks ran along the edge of the cap, like medals left by time and battle. In his hand he held a seemingly simple yet exceptionally smooth bone staff, its shaft wrapped in dark blue moss, and its tip inlaid with a small piece of pale crystal radiating a faint magical aura. This was probably the only symbol he possessed that signified his status and position.

Before venturing into the underground world, Ling had inquired with Arnor, Edwin, and others about the ecology and social civilization of the Gray Fungus. It was said that they used rare minerals they mined to craft tools, ornaments, and even gifts for courting partners, but there was no clear class system stipulating that certain minerals could only be used by leaders. The young man discreetly observed this group of xenophobic and wary Gray Fungus; apart from the elders, he didn't notice any others adorned with similar crystals.

This was a very interesting and thought-provoking phenomenon, which he silently kept in mind.

“It seems we don’t speak the same language.” Neville’s voice whispered in Ling’s ear, tinged with barely perceptible annoyance. “Should I scare them a little? Maybe the most direct method is the most effective?”

Ling shook his head slightly. Force might temporarily intimidate, but it could never earn trust, especially in this strange and perilous underground world. He tried gesturing again, pointing to the underground river, to the distant fungal forest, then to himself and his companions, and finally spreading his hands to indicate his intention to seek help or communicate.

The elder of the gray fungus responded by raising his bone staff and slamming it heavily on the ground. He seemed to use some kind of magic, and grayish-white mycelium instantly spread out like frost. The other gray fungus around him also took a step forward, their bone spears and stone fragments reflecting a cold light under the glowing crystal. Some gray fungus hidden behind the windows of the houses raised their colorful fungi high, seemingly ready to throw them at any moment.

The atmosphere seemed irreparably tense.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Ling noticed that Ovira made a subtle movement. She didn't look at Ling, as if she had just lowered her head slightly due to exhaustion, but the fingers holding the lamp moved imperceptibly a few times—first, she gently tapped herself with her index finger, then her fingertip swayed almost imperceptibly backward, and finally her little finger curled very slightly.

Such a performance goes unnoticed, and even if someone notices it, they probably won't pay it any mind, since it doesn't seem to have any real significance. Only the young man understands the girl's meaning: Trust me, let's retreat here for now.
Ling hesitated, unsure if he could find a better opportunity to contact the Gray Fungus tribe after this retreat. Ultimately, however, his trust in Ovira outweighed his doubts. Princess Beman rarely offered opinions on such matters, mainly due to her personality and experiences, which made her less adept at dealing with people outside the Cloud Whale Sky Island. But if she felt it was necessary, she must have her reasons.

Ling took a deep breath almost imperceptibly, and, meeting the wary gazes of the elders and the other gray fungus, raised his hands again, palms facing outward, making a clear gesture to stop and retreat. He no longer attempted to communicate, but instead slowly moved backward, while simultaneously gesturing to his companions with his eyes.

Neville frowned slightly. As a countess of the Valenhild family, and an ancient hero who had assisted Saint Neo in unifying the Tagoo Wilderness, she felt this approach was somewhat weak. However, seeing Ling's resolute expression, she suppressed her barely concealed aura and retreated. Leticia pouted, retracted her bat wings, and landed beside her grandmother. Selena also relaxed her hunched back, standing on two legs again, looking as if she had evolved from a wolf back into a human.

Their retreat seemed to ease the tension among the gray fungus people slightly, but their hostility did not diminish. Dozens of black bean eyes continued to follow their every move until they completely withdrew from the clearing surrounded by clusters of glowing crystals and disappeared back into the shadows where the fungal forest and rock pillars intertwined.

Before leaving the open space, Ling glanced back. He saw Ovira also turning around quietly. Their eyes met for a moment, and there was no panic in the girl's eyes, only a calm and reassuring light. Then she quickly turned back, clutching her lantern tightly, and followed the group.

……

The group returned to the place where they had unexpectedly encountered the gray fungus people and rested temporarily under the canopy of a giant fungus tree. Ling naturally turned his gaze to Ovira. Although he did not speak, the latter knew that he was actually asking for the reason.

“I have an idea that might persuade the Gray Fungus tribe to set aside their hostility and make contact with us,” Princess Bemang said succinctly.

She didn't keep them in suspense, saying directly, "This is what I read in a book. Because the habitable space and resources in the underground world are limited, conflicts often erupt between different species, even among their own kind. These conflicts are sometimes cruel and bloody, aimed at annihilating and annexing the other, a fight to the death; while other times they are not without warmth, where the losing side can leave with dignity after paying a certain price. The latter often occurs among weak and scattered races, with the Gray Fungus people being the most typical example. It is said that when a conflict breaks out between two Gray Fungus tribes, if the weaker party..." "If one side is unwilling to continue fighting, they will offer thirteen treasures to the stronger side, indicating their admission of defeat and willingness to back down, somewhat like negotiations between secular kingdoms. Interestingly, these negotiations often succeed. No matter how much of an advantage the stronger side previously held, as long as the other side presents those thirteen treasures, they will immediately cease fighting; some even set aside past grievances and form alliances, helping each other. I think this might be a unique rule within the Gray Fungus race, and perhaps the reason why they, despite being weak, have become one of the oldest races in the underground world?" "Interesting." Neville smiled, as if she had heard an interesting story. To her, similar traditions and rules were not uncommon in the Tagu'ao Wilderness at least nine hundred years ago. The various barbarian tribes were entangled yet inseparable, and even had stranger rules. "It sounds like they are a peace-loving race?"

It was hard to tell whether this comment was a joke or a reflection, but no one cared to investigate. Linger frowned slightly, already understanding what Ovira meant: "Do you want to use this rule to offer the so-called thirteen treasures to the Gray Fungus tribe to prove our friendship?"

Ovira nodded slightly; that was exactly what she thought.

“But we’re not mushroom people.” Leticia thought this was unlikely: “Would he listen to us?”

"They're mushroom people," Selena whispered, but Leticia thought they were all the same—aren't mushroom people just mushroom people?

“There’s no other way now,” Ovira said. “This is the only method worth trying, and those thirteen treasures aren’t actually that rare in the Underworld. If we search diligently, we can still gather them all. Even if we fail, there won’t be much of a loss. As for coercion, I think it should only be used as a last resort. In fact, we should rather give up the clues about the Gray Fungus than use it. After all, we’re here to find the Nibelungen, not to make enemies.”

Ovira clearly expressed her opinion, which, although somewhat conservative, was indeed very reasonable.

After discussing it with the others (mainly the Countess), Ling and the others felt there was no better way, so they decided to follow Ovira's idea. Afterwards, they spent some time, guided by Ovira, successfully collecting the thirteen treasures that were said to be depicted in the book. Indeed, as Princess Beman had said, they were all things quite common in the underground world, yet possessing unique significance.

For example, there is a mineral called "warm stone." It is dark in color and inconspicuous, like an ordinary riverbed pebble, but when held in the hand for a long time, it will emit a stable and comfortable warmth. For the Gray Fungus People who live in cold and damp environments, this self-heating stone is a nurturing environment, providing a suitable growth temperature for the nascent mycelium, and even having some benefits for the growth of young Gray Fungus People.

There's also the Silent Mushroom, a dark brown mushroom with thick flesh and an exceptionally soft and elastic cap that effectively absorbs sound. Placing it near a noisy water source can quiet the surroundings. The Gray Mushroom People use it when focused conversations or quiet rituals are needed, representing listening and respect.

Besides these, there were also things like water-purifying stones, hard root chunks, dyed spores, and soothing incense dust—encompassing everything from inanimate objects to living things, from minerals to gases. To be honest, while none of them were particularly rare treasures, finding them all in a short time was quite difficult. If Ovira hadn't followed the book's descriptions and searched for them one by one, they probably would have wasted two or three days on this task.

But this is precisely what puzzled Ling.

According to Auvira, she learned of the Gray Fungus's tradition of offering treasures to quell conflict by consulting the Library of Truth. However, the problem was that when Ling asked Anor and others about the Gray Fungus race before, they never mentioned this. The records in the Library of Truth were all existing knowledge; in other words, someone had thoroughly studied the Gray Fungus's traditions and rules and recorded them on paper, which allowed Auvira to find the relevant information in the library.

The Gray Fungus are a unique race that lives only in the Atorica underground world. They are a branch of the fungus that arose from the unique environment of the Atorica underground. Those who know them best are undoubtedly the Atorica people who live in the same land. The person who recorded this tradition on paper is most likely also from this land. Given this, why didn't Arnor and the others inform them of such crucial information beforehand? Or did they simply not know it at all?

So, how did Ovira find it? Was it a lost, unique book, silently buried somewhere, unknown to anyone, with only fragments of its ancient record to be glimpsed in the great library of truth? This possibility certainly exists, but the young man felt it was too much of a coincidence. Moreover, putting that aside, Ovira's familiarity with her surroundings, her intuition about the roads, and even her premonitions of direction, demonstrated during her search for these thirteen treasures, were unbelievably accurate, as if…

It was as if she already knew how to proceed before she even set off.

The appearance, specific nature, and even unique concepts of things are all clearly and completely understood in her mind.

If that knowledge doesn't come from books, but from some higher-dimensional perspective—for example, from a point beyond the cognitive scope of living beings, tracing back from origin to end, hiding all the truths and mysteries of the world—then... is that a good thing?

At least, that should be the case now, right?
The young man gazed deeply at Princess Bemang's retreating figure, remaining silent. The latter, however, seemed oblivious, still feeling joy and satisfaction at contributing to the team. This power, once intertwined with the curse, had accompanied her through a confused and bewildered childhood and a long, agonizing adolescence, and now she had finally rediscovered it. The emotions she felt were no less than those of witnessing the long-lost ancient kingdom of Bemang reappear, or reclaiming her memories of watching the violets bloom in the courtyard. But both of these were fleeting; only the emotions of a young girl were truly real—long-standing, elusive, intangible, yet deeply rooted.

Give me some cats