This dungeon has mushrooms growing on it.

Chapter 248, Section 247: The Search
"Ah... I'm so sorry to have worried you." Vera pulled the group to sit down and served each of them a bowl of mushroom soup that glowed with a warm, reddish light.

The swordsman took a sip, his eyes brightening slightly, but he quickly pulled his thoughts away from the strange flavor and asked, "Why have you been stuck here for so long? What trouble have you encountered?"

"We... were asked by Puji and the tree spirit to restore life to this level," Vera explained somewhat embarrassedly, pointing to the various magical plant sprouts emerging from the surrounding soil.

He ultimately couldn't bring himself to say that the men had been kidnapped and forced to work because they had angered Puji.

"Fortunately, we're almost done."

The swordsman glanced at Vera with a hint of suspicion, thinking to himself, "Has this guy's overly kind nature deteriorated to the point where he even has to include monsters in his care?"
However, the best news is that the person is still alive.

Relieved, the swordsman focused his attention on the mushroom soup, trying to ignore his two teammates.

The two men were now fawning over the elf, acting like lecherous bastards. Even if the elf was indeed beautiful, it was still incredibly embarrassing.

"Huh? A man?!" The monk suddenly exclaimed in surprise, seemingly out of nowhere.

The mage and the hunter immediately collapsed to the ground, looking utterly devastated.

The difference was that the mage sullenly rolled back to the swordsman's side, while the hunter, after a brief moment of disappointment, cheered up and became even more enthusiastic towards the elf!

The swordsman observed this and silently resolved never to team up with this hunter, who was in a certain sense quite dangerous, again...

……

After most of the day, the elf Sirian finally completed the restoration work in the last corner. Although the food in the dungeon had been good recently thanks to the presence of red mushrooms, everyone was eager to return home.

The only uncertainty is whether the Puji will really be willing to let them pass...

With the three unsuspecting swordsmen by her side, Vera tentatively approached the entrance to the stairs leading to the fifth floor. Upon reaching the entrance, Vera's heart sank, for a group of puji were blocking the way.

"No way..." Vera's face turned pale.

Sirian sighed: "Perhaps... all we need to do is stay and you can leave first?"

“That won’t do!” Vera immediately rejected the idea. “I was the one who came up with that idea in the first place. If we’re going to leave, we’ll all leave together.”

"Vera, what's going on?" The swordsman was even more confused by their conversation.

Vera was about to explain when she saw the leader, Puji, wriggle its soft body and probe its white, swollen body with a tentacle. After a moment, it rolled out a pure purple magic crystal the size of a finger!

“A…A-grade magic crystal!” Fei Yin recognized the quality of the magic crystal at a glance and exclaimed in surprise.

Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to the small crystal. Fei Yin even swallowed unconsciously. No mage could resist the temptation of a high-level magic crystal!
Fortunately, everyone present was of a certain moral standard. If such an A-grade magic crystal were thrown into some teams, it could trigger a backstabbing plot.

Puji used its tentacles to wrap the precious magic crystal and finally handed it to Sirian, since the restoration of life depended entirely on his natural magic.

Although the others were envious, they eventually looked away.

As for Vera and the other two, each of them received a small bag of red mushrooms.

Then the puffies slowly dispersed, busying themselves with their own tasks, completely clearing the path to the stairs.

"So this means... we're being let go?" Vera tried taking a few steps forward, without popping over to stop her.

Everyone saw this and quickly followed.

Just as she was about to leave the sixth floor, Felix couldn't help but turn back, looking at the retreating figures of the puffy creatures, and whispered, "Vera, do you think... puffy creatures are suitable as magical pets?"

……

On the fifth floor, deep in the damp swamp, Lin Jun was sorting out her recent plans.

The underground city has been mostly repaired. Although the ecology of each level has changed, it is still under my control and is not a major problem.

With PinkPuji's cooperation, the surface successfully gained official endorsement and could develop freely. The only unexpected obstacle to the spread of the fungal carpet was something Lin Jun had once desperately craved—the sun.

The photosynthesis brought by sunlight is much faster than the natural absorption of magic by the fungal carpet, and the temperature of direct sunlight is not a problem, as its own [high temperature resistance] can withstand it completely.

But... there is a water shortage.

The moist environment in the forest and underground provides enough natural moisture to maintain the vitality of the mycelium. However, in open areas with direct sunlight, the dry soil will cause the mycelium to gradually wither and die.

It is necessary to mobilize water from the surrounding areas to maintain the creep in these areas, but this greatly limits the extension range of the creep in unshaded areas unless there is a stable water source nearby.

The solutions are nothing more than extracting groundwater or using water magic to condense water vapor in the air.

However, groundwater is also limited. It may be sufficient for small patches of fungal carpet, but large-scale expansion is unsustainable. As for magic, it would be equivalent to Lin Jun doing it herself. Even if Lin Jun has a lot of energy, she doesn't want to waste it like that.

It would be great if we could guide humans to do this, like planting rice, or even building irrigation ditches for our own mushroom farms...

On the other side, Lin Jun is producing a batch of second-generation scouts. Their strength is positioned below knights but above elite puji, and they are designed specifically for certain missions.

Lin Jun has repaired most of the fissures in the underground city, leaving only a dozen or so scattered across different levels. These fissures lead to various alien realms, some of which may point to the same area.

For example, there are four paths leading to the dense forest, and three of them exude a faint aura of curse...

Rifts can affect the normal operation of the dungeon, and preventing rifts from expanding also consumes computing power.

The current number is still a bit too many. Lin Jun plans to ultimately retain only a few of the most crucial passages, and naturally, she will select the most suitable one as a future foothold from the rifts leading to similar areas.

The second generation of scouts were born for this purpose.

This is also Lin Jun's exploration of the areas on the other side of these rifts, at least to figure out if the other side is an underground city and where it is located, so that she can make targeted decisions in the future.
-
Mushroom Garden No. 3

Beside the warm, self-heating puji, Qiong was sitting with several of his tribesmen, enjoying a hearty bowl of hot mushroom soup. He had even invited the tailless lizardman to join them.

As for the dragon-man who was watching them from afar, Qiong tried to talk to him but was ignored, so she could only let it be.

Ever since Qiong shared this delicious dish with Shou and witnessed the instant relaxation and enjoyment on his face, he has been unstoppable in recommending this ultimate delicacy to his people.

At this moment, watching everyone enjoying the food and chatting happily without a care in the world, Qiong felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction. He felt that nothing could be more joyful than this.

Just then, Hunting's figure appeared in the distance.

Qiong's eyes lit up, and she immediately waved happily, beckoning him to join in: "Hunter, come quick! It's freshly made!"

As Shou approached, his gaze swept over the relaxed smiles of the tribespeople, then landed on the newly exchanged leather bag next to Qiong, which was bulging with delicious red mushrooms.

He paused for a moment, then asked, "Qiong, how many contribution points do you have left?"

"Cough!" Qiong, who was drinking soup, choked suddenly. He didn't look up, his eyes darting around, staring intently at the bowl in his hands.

Shou sighed softly, his voice low: "Qiong, red mushrooms are indeed delicious, and it's fine to enjoy them occasionally, but the way you're doing this..."

He paused, his tone growing increasingly heavy: "We still have companions whose cores we need to retrieve, and Xinghuo is also hoping for new life to be born in their tribe, requiring enough contribution points to exchange for fat beasts at the breeding farm..."

"I'm sorry..." Qiong lowered her head even further, her voice barely audible. The demons dining with her also stopped what they were doing, their faces filled with remorse.

Shou didn't say anything more, but simply reached out his severed hand and patted the top of Qiong's head reassuringly.

In the corner, Norris held the half-eaten bowl of mushroom soup, which still smelled incredibly tempting. He felt the rim of the bowl was burning hot, and he froze on the spot, unsure whether to drink it or put it down. He only regretted not asking his boss for the digging skill...

　Synopsis: With the myths of the past vanished, humanity has fallen into a state of illusory fantasy. Cards are the gateways that bring magnificent imaginations to life. Ashi, carrying the memories of humanity's entire mythological treasury, travels to this obscure parallel era, bringing mythological figures to life from the perspective of an omniscient being. Zeus, the king of gods; Ra, the sun god; Arthur, the knight king; Tiamat, the mother of life. When these great beings from mythology become reality, the only way to save this world invaded by monsters lies within Ashi's Age of Gods deck—to reclaim humanity's past as an omniscient being.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)