This dungeon has mushrooms growing on it.

Chapter 141, Section 140: Deer Horn Village

"Young Master, are you still reading the report about the dungeon?"

Inside the carriage, the maid Lillian picked up a piece of fruit from the plate, tasted it, and then picked up another piece and fed it to Far, whose gaze remained fixed on the documents.

Far replied without looking up:
"It's not from the underground city. After the demonic tide, the information submitted by Silent Wind Town became scarce and perfunctory."

I've read through everything, but there's not much useful information. I'll have to investigate it myself after I take office.

As for what I'm seeing now, it's a report about the recent espionage activities of the demon race.

"Demon espionage activities?" Lillian tilted her head, puzzled. "Does the guild branch leader have to worry about this too?"

"Generally, this is handled by nobles and the church, but in the current situation, who can be sure?"
If war really breaks out, it's not impossible that they'll issue quests to recruit adventurers for the battlefield.

Another fruit was stuffed into Fal's mouth, and Lillian then asked, "So what have these demon spies been doing lately?"

“Nothing has been done yet,” Far said, casually tossing aside the report he had just finished reading. “They’re all reports of spies being discovered in the wild, or spies being caught and arrested when they left the city. It seems the demons have been moving their spies from inside the city to outside lately. I wonder what they’re up to.”

Although it's unclear what the demons intend to do, this is clearly not a meaningless mobilization.

Such a large-scale mobilization can be detected simply by capturing one or two spies, as is the case now. Subsequently, the nobles will strengthen checks on those entering and leaving the city, and the church will increase the number of troops patrolling outside the city.

The inevitable result will be that a large number of spies will be caught.

So, what do they hope to gain by making such a huge sacrifice?

This demon is clearly preparing for something big, no wonder his elder father wanted to assign him a diamond-level guard before he set off.

However, he refused.

Lying on the soft cushions inside the carriage, Far quietly pondered the intelligence at hand, when he suddenly heard some noise coming from the ranks behind him.

"What happened?" Far asked, looking out of the carriage.

A guard's voice came from outside the car: "Branch leader, a water bucket in the back car broke from being jostled around, and all the water inside has leaked out."

This guard was clearly shrewd; Far hadn't even officially taken office yet, and he was already being called the branch president. Unfortunately, Far wasn't buying it.

While it's certainly a quality issue with the bucket that it broke, it's actually a normal occurrence.

Once you leave the city, you can't expect the road conditions to be very good. The large truck behind us doesn't have the shock-absorbing magic array that Fal's private carriage has, so you can sit inside and read documents without any discomfort.

In short, it was a minor accident and not serious.

When we set off, we brought two buckets to hold water.

Moreover, the chosen route was populated by people along the way, so there was no need to worry about running out of supplies, and it would be fine to continue walking like this.

But just to be on the safe side—

Where is the nearest supply depot?

A guard's voice came from outside: "If we're just replenishing water, we'll be passing through a village with a well this afternoon."

"Then we'll replenish our supplies there before continuing our journey," Far instructed.

"Yes."

……

In the afternoon, the convoy arrived at the small village marked on the map – Deer Horn Village.

However, the scene that came into view made Far frown slightly.

A large group of villagers had gathered at the village entrance. They were arguing excitedly, their voices audible from afar, filled with anxiety and anger.

When the villagers saw the well-equipped convoy bearing the insignia of the Adventurers' Guild, their discussions not only did not subside, but intensified.

"Young Master, something's off," Lillian whispered in Fal's ear. "The way they're looking at us... isn't friendly." Fal rolled his eyes. Did he think he couldn't tell?

"Stop the car," Farr ordered curtly.

The carriage stopped in an open space at the village entrance.

Far straightened his robes and walked over with Lillian and two guards.

As they approached, the noisy villagers quieted down considerably, but their wary and suspicious gazes did not disappear.

An elderly man who looked like the village chief, surrounded by several strong-looking villagers, hesitantly came forward to greet them.

“Honorable…sir,” the old man gave a very awkward bow, “I wonder what brings you to our Deer Horn Village? If you need supplies or water, there is an old well in the center of the village, please feel free to help yourself. However…it is just that our village is currently facing some trouble, and I’m afraid we are unable to properly entertain you.”

The old man spoke very carefully, afraid of offending the person in front of him.

Even without much knowledge, just by looking at the extravagance of Fal's car, you can tell he must be a very important person.

Far said calmly, "We are members of the Adventurers' Guild. We were just passing by and needed to replenish our water supply. Please forgive us for disturbing you."

His gaze swept over the worried faces of the surrounding villagers, and he changed the subject, "However, it seems you're all facing some trouble? What's troubling you? Perhaps we can help?"

"Help?" a burly man couldn't help but interject, his voice filled with grief and indignation. "What do you big shots from the city care about us besides collecting taxes? My fields! My lifeline! The harvest was almost here, and overnight, it's all gone!"

"Foolish fellow, just for saying that, even if Far killed him, no one could say anything."

But Far noticed that his words resonated with many villagers, and many of them lowered their heads and wiped away tears.

"Shut up, Hawk!" the village chief snapped, but the wrinkles on his face deepened. "Sir, please forgive this poor man's rudeness. He was so anxious that he lost his mind."

Far waved his hand: "It's alright, let's tell you what happened first."

The village chief sighed deeply:
"Your Excellency may not know this, but just today, the best wheat fields to the west and north of our village, near the mountains and forests, have been struck by some terrible disaster."

Overnight, most of the wheat seedlings withered and died!

It wasn't a pest infestation, nor was it common wilt disease. The stem... was blackened and brittle, crumbling into powder at the slightest touch!

Moreover...and people who are near that field say they smell a strange odor, and some even feel dizzy and nauseous.

We've farmed for generations, but we've never seen a disease like this before!

Far frowned; the description seemed somewhat familiar to him.

"Could you take us to see it?" Far's expression turned serious.

The village chief nodded, and the group walked through the village and headed towards the fields outside the village.

The closer you get to the west of the village, the more pronounced the rotten smell becomes, mixed with a pungent, sweet, and fishy odor.

Lillian wrinkled her delicate nose and quietly cast a weak purification spell on herself and Fal.

The scene before my eyes was shocking.

The wheat fields, which should have been golden, now looked as if they had been touched by the invisible hand of death.

The vast fields of wheat were eerily charred and withered, the leaves curled and brittle, devoid of any life.

It stands in stark contrast to the still-healthy fields in the distance.

Far crouched down, ignoring the guards' attempts to stop him, and carefully picked up a bit of blackened soil and a piece of withered leaf with his fingertips.

Feeling the burning sensation from his fingertips, Far found the source of this familiar feeling.

"Corrupting agent?"

(End of this chapter)