This dungeon has mushrooms growing on it.

Chapter 239, Section 238: Theft
The group did not intend to enter the dungeon directly.

The scene of the dungeon's collapse is still vivid in my mind: the distorted spatial cracks, the crumbling dome, and the frenzied roars of monsters.

Although it hasn't collapsed as the guild claimed, getting close still carries a huge risk.

The group only planned to go to the location of Silent Wind Town, but the latest news is that the town has been covered by mycelium.

Even if they were in danger from that spot, with their skills, they could escape in time.

On the road to Silent Wind Town, a heavy cart passed them by. The packhorses pulling the cart were breathing heavily, and the sacks piled high on the cart emitted a mixture of earthy and fungal smells.

Vera didn't recognize the people in the car, but through the gaps in the sack, all he could see were mushrooms.

As the food shortage problem worsened, some resourceful and daring individuals naturally set their sights on the mushrooms grown here.

In the past, a cartload of mushrooms would have been worth at most a few silver coins, not even enough to cover the shipping costs.

But nowadays, apart from the fact that they don't keep for long, these mushrooms are a lifesaver, and their price has skyrocketed many times over.

Vera did not intend to judge these people's profiteering behavior.

Mushrooms are inherently unclaimed; whoever picks them owns them. If we have to say who owns them, perhaps we should attribute them to the duke's daughter who took away the King of Puji.

Upon entering Silent Wind Town, the scene before my eyes confirmed the information I had gathered: the streets and almost all exposed surfaces were covered with a thick carpet of white mycelium.

However, within sight, there was almost no mature mushroom to be found.

Clearly, the people on that cart had already looted the entire area.

Vera selected a clearing with a particularly thick layer of mycelium: "This will do."

Fei Ling could no longer contain herself, her toes tapping excitedly on the ground: "Sirius, quick! Give it a try!"

"Are you sure it's okay? Aren't the Puji in this dungeon supposed to be terrifying?" Sirian hesitated, recalling the scene when he first fell into the Amethyst Dungeon, where the Puji were fighting fiercely with other monsters.

Vera looked around: "It should be fine... There are no poops around, and it's the edge anyway. If there's a problem, we'll run!"

Xilian nodded, walked to the edge of the thick fungal carpet, bent his knees and slowly knelt down, folding his hands in front of his chest.

The melodious Elvish chant flowed from his lips once more, and a verdant magical aura gathered and spread in his palm, covering the fungal carpet beneath his feet.

……

……

……

Lin Jun has been busy again recently.

He was mostly absorbed in the huge crystal monument at the core of the underground city, tirelessly poking and prodding at the vast array of starlight within it.

Each point of light corresponds to a minor authority within the dungeon; controlling them means controlling this vast dungeon!
The problem is, there are just too many specks! So many that it makes my head spin!

Moreover, after triggering a certain light spot, the feedback is often vague or unclear, and it is normal for it to disappear without a trace.

Lin Jun could only try them one by one and then try her best to observe the changes that occurred in the underground city.

While Lin Jun was engrossed in her research, the native monsters of the dungeon were in deep trouble.

For example, a bolt of lightning strikes out of nowhere, silently evaporating several unlucky creatures, or some monsters are sleeping soundly in their lair when they suddenly find that the concentration of magic in the vicinity has plummeted, leaving them no choice but to pack up and move away, cursing all the while.

Lin Jun actually made a small contribution through these experiments—he invented the elevator!

To be precise, the key to controlling the movement of the hidden room was found.

Now, he can freely travel between the first and tenth floors of the hidden room, which is just like an elevator!

Although it must be manually turned on from the outside after each transfer...

To be honest, I haven't figured out the clever use of this feature yet. Maybe... it will save some of the effort of carrying goods in the future?

Compared to the elevator, Lin Jun was more interested in the source of the treasures that appeared out of nowhere in those treasure chests, but unfortunately he hadn't figured that out yet.

It can only be said that the road to exploring the core is still very long.

Meanwhile, sporadic refugees and small groups of adventurers have recently begun cautiously venturing onto the fungal carpet he laid outside the entrance to the Amethyst Dungeon, solely to pick the naturally growing mushrooms. Combined with the various messages coming from Aidin, the human food shortage is clearly very serious.

Lin Jun tacitly approved of all these mushroom-collecting activities.

These mushrooms grew naturally on the fungal carpet; Lin Jun didn't use magic to force their growth. It's fine for them to pick and eat them; it will even help spread the mushrooms' reputation.

Lin Jun had considered how to integrate into the surface world in a reasonable way and become a reliable source of food, which sounded pretty good.

In any case, the more humans enjoy eating mushrooms, the greater their demand for mushrooms, and the more their fungal carpets need to expand outwards.

Only a small portion of the magic in the fungal carpet is used to create mushrooms, so it's a guaranteed profit for the user.

Let humans enjoy it to their heart's content, until the surface and underground are covered with mycelium...

Suddenly, a subtle yet distinct sense of detachment interrupted Lin Jun's blueprint.

Huh? Who's draining my magic?

It's against you!

Like a cunning mosquito, trying to steal a sip of the magic stored in the fungal carpet without anyone noticing!
A quick scan revealed the audacious "magic thief"—an elf, along with three familiar human adventurers!
Those twin sisters were quite easy to tell apart.

The culprit is that elf!
[Name: Xirui'an·Muge]

[Race: Elf]

【Level: 42】

[Racial Traits: Lightness of Body, Natural Affinity]

【技能：匕首精通LV7、药剂精通LV7、自然魔法LV7、魔力操控LV6、闪避LV6……】

[Title: Devout Believer (Increases Spiritual Attribute by 5%)]

Lin Jun saw a pureblood elf for the first time (she didn't notice during the chaotic battle on the fifth floor)!

As expected of an elf girl, her beauty is absolutely stunning!

But what is this guy doing?

A soft, emerald-green magical aura surrounded Sirian as he murmured ancient rhythms.

Before him, the once peaceful fungal carpet seemed to be awakened by an invisible force, and plump mushrooms sprouted one after another as if on fast-forward, growing and maturing at an astonishing speed!
Lin Jun quickly figured it out: the elf was using some kind of natural magic to extract the magic power contained in the fungal carpet and directly catalyze the growth of the mushrooms!

Isn't this tantamount to stealing Lin Jun's magic to produce what he wants?
What kind of bandit magic is this?!
It's simply too much!
Lin Jun sensed it and found that, thankfully, this magic was more like a guide and did not have a coercive effect. As long as he realized and refused to change the flow of magic, the other party could not steal it.

That gave me a fright!
If natural magic could truly ignore his will and forcibly drain his magic power, wouldn't that be his natural enemy?!
so far so good.

But we can't let this go. They actually tried to steal my magic with such tricks. If we don't teach them a lesson this time, what will they do in the future?!
……

"Wow! It worked! It really works! So many mushrooms!" Fei Ling was so excited that she almost jumped up, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the mushrooms sprouting up like mushrooms after a rain.

Vera looked with a hint of worry at the elf Sirion, who was still focused on chanting.

He forgot to ask how much this spell consumed from the elves. If it consumed a lot of energy, then even if it could grow mushrooms, it might not be cost-effective.

However, the effect was indeed amazing... If only we had brought a cart, how much could we have carried on our backs by four people?
However, their joy did not last long.

Under the astonished gazes of the group, the mushroom carpet that had been continuously sprouting mushrooms suddenly swelled up with small bumps...

"Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!"

A dozen or so round, plump little creatures suddenly sprang out from the fungal carpet!

As soon as they sprang out, they took off running to both sides with their short legs and quickly surrounded the four people.

Vera's eyelids twitched involuntarily: "Sirius, your magic... can even induce the birth of puppies?"

An elf who had just stopped chanting: "..."

　There is another chapter tonight

　　
　
(End of this chapter)