This dungeon has mushrooms growing on it.

Chapter 181, Section 180: Expert Team Leader

"Eidin, do you know Keith?"

The words that suddenly appeared in his mind made Aiding, who was sitting at the table, freeze in place. It took a full two seconds for his tense nerves to relax.

"Chis?" Aiden tried to keep his mind at ease, frantically searching his memory for this abrupt word, but finally slowly shook his head. "Sorry, boss, I've never heard of this word. It sounds... like the name of something? Or a place name?"

"A general term for a type of monster." Lin Jun's voice echoed again deep within his consciousness, concise and certain.

"As for monsters..." Aiding's mind immediately started working. "We should be able to find relevant information in the guild. I can go and collect it."

After thinking for a while, Lin Jun rejected Ai Ding's suggestion to collect information.

Qis... this thing is almost certainly not a monster native to the Amethyst Dungeon.

If Aiding were to investigate rashly at this moment, it would raise some suspicions.

After the humans, there's some "expert team" going into the deeper zones. What if they run into Keith down there, and happen to discover that Edin inexplicably inquired about him before the "expert team" went down...?

How do you explain Aiding?

How could he possibly foresee the changes in the deeper areas?

If the explanation doesn't make sense, it can cause problems.

Aiding, as Lin Jun's important informant in the guild, cannot be exposed because of such a small matter.

Ultimately, Keith wasn't that important.

The dialogue at the level of consciousness ended, and the lingering "voice" completely disappeared, but Aidin did not act immediately.

He maintained his original posture, staring at the tweezers in his hand as if studying their shape.

The only sounds in the room were the occasional soft crackling of the fireplace firewood and the distant, indistinct clamor of the market outside the window.

Time flowed by in silence. After a full five minutes, he seemed to break free from some deep contemplation, and his shoulders slumped almost imperceptibly.

Although they had communicated many times, he was still clearly unable to adapt to the way he communicated with the "Lord of Puji".

Aiding picked up the tweezers made of starwood heartwood again.

This material has an innate affinity for magic that is almost unimpeded, making it an excellent choice for crafting intricate magical items or engraving miniature magic circles.

However, Aidin now has other uses for it.

He spread his left palm up, revealing some intertwined mycelial patterns.

Two translucent mycelia are tightly intertwined, forming a tiny hard knot.

Aiding held his breath and, with the cool, smooth tip of the starwood tweezers aligned, gently snapped the tweezers shut at the point of intersection.

He carefully swapped the ends of the broken mycelium, making them lie side by side smoothly.

Then, the tweezers tip precisely touched the broken surface, and a faint trace of magic flowed smoothly through the starwood.

Nourished by magic, the mycelium reconnects perfectly, as if it had never been broken.

The previously tangled knots disappeared, and the mycelium in that area became smooth and even.

These mycelia, which are fused with his flesh and blood, grow freely and haphazardly, and if you are not careful, they will form these irregular bumps on the skin surface.

These bumps are harmless under normal circumstances, but if someone accidentally touches them, the unusual sensation will be obvious.

His illusions could perfectly deceive the eye, making the skin appear smooth and normal, but they could not erase the real feel of it.

Therefore, Aiding can only act like a meticulous gardener, repeatedly "pruning" and "re-grafting" in this way, trying his best to straighten and smooth out each mycelium.

Ensure that even if accidentally touched, it will only be perceived as the texture of the skin or a slight undulation, without arousing suspicion.

knock --

There was a knock on the door.

"Who?"

"Mr. Aiding, the materials you requested are ready. You can pick them up from the warehouse at any time." A guild staff member's voice came from outside the door. It was a young girl with a light tone. "Okay, I'll go get them right away."

The moment the response faded, Aidin raised his right hand, and a soft, restrained magical halo silently appeared in his palm. The light was not dazzling, but like flowing moonlight.

Gently stroking the palm of my left hand, the traces of mycelium vanished instantly.

In the blink of an eye, what appeared before me was another pair of flawless hands, enough to impress any artist.

Aiding opened the door, and a young female staff member holding a registration book stood outside.

She looked a little nervous, her cheeks slightly flushed. Her gaze darted away quickly when it met Aiding's face, then she couldn't help but steal another glance, like a curious little deer.

Aiding maintained a gentle smile on his face, but sighed silently in his heart.

In the past, he wouldn't have minded spending some time with this girl to savor the taste of "love".

Now?

Ha, actively touching others, what's the difference between that and having a death wish?
His ascetic lifestyle had built up a lot of pressure in his heart, and it wasn't until he received the batch of materials that he felt genuinely happy.

As the key figure who caused Aidin to fall into his current predicament, it would be impossible for Aidin not to harbor resentment.

But he had to admit that the young master was truly generous to those who worked for him, and was not stingy at all when it came to spending money.

Aidin requested a batch of materials under the pretext of needing them to make items for the next operation.

Now that we've received the materials, we find that the quantity hasn't decreased; in fact, it's about 20% more than what we applied for.

To this, Aiding could only sigh, "It's good to be rich!"

Given Aidin's current situation, he naturally can't focus on dealing with the boss, so these materials actually have another purpose.

Apart from some materials used to confuse the public, the main part was used to create a counter-surveillance tool.

He certainly didn't want to one day run into someone with detective skills, who would casually uncover his deadly secret...

He had just carried a pile of materials into the room when he was called out again.

This time, he was called Fifteen.

"You mean the reply arrived?" Aiden asked.

Fifteen nodded: "I'm waiting for you to read the letter."

The reply was naturally from Inanna. After writing that "plea for help" letter as requested by the boss last time, he hadn't received any response, which had made him anxious for a long time.

Unexpectedly, the reply came nearly ten days later.

Upon arriving at the meeting room, they found that Solalyn was not there, but the letter was placed on the table, addressed to themselves. The chairman and the others had obviously not opened it yet.

Aidin didn't know what kind of person Inanna was, but the letter was sent in the joint name of himself and the guild. The leader's existence was only hinted at, so he thought the reply wouldn't be completely undisguised.

Upon opening it, my heart was relieved. The letter didn't contain any words that directly referred to the "boss," and the entire letter revolved around "support."

However, as his gaze swept across the paper line by line, Aiding's brows furrowed more and more, almost forming a knot.

"What did the letter say?" Far asked.

"They said they would send people to help, but..."

"but what?"

"With the Duke's consent, she will personally lead the support team and accompany the 'expert group,' and the letter specifically states that the leader of this 'expert group' is... His Excellency Elwin Slaine..."

"Sword Saint!?"

"Master is coming!?"

Fal and Fifteen exclaimed in surprise at the same time.

The difference is that for Fal, it was surprise; for Fifteen, it was terror…

(End of this chapter)