This dungeon has mushrooms growing on it.

Chapter 307, Section 306: I can't live without mushrooms anymore.

Several burly laborers were chanting as they painstakingly piled huge stones onto the ever-growing city wall.

Beside them, mages in robes held specially made engraving pens, intently carving intricate patterns on the already built wall, adding various enhancement and defense runes.

Although they were called "laborers," those who could move such large stone bricks were at least warriors with bronze-level strength, and their rewards were naturally quite substantial.

This section of the city wall under construction is still quite a distance from the current residential area.

This is a planned urban area that exceeds the current size, based on optimistic projections of future population.

In this world, the city walls, enhanced by large-scale composite magic arrays, have become an indispensable and solid foundation of the defense system.

Provided that resources and magic are in sufficient supply, it can even become an absolute barrier against the onslaught of the demon army, just like the famous "High Fortress" of Duke Alama on the front lines.

Of course, as a town located in the rear, the focus of its city wall is different.

Compared to absolute defense, the various detection, early warning, and anti-stealth magic runes engraved on it are more crucial, as their main purpose is to effectively counter the pervasive infiltration and sabotage of demonic spies.

The lesson of the demon spies destroying crops was still fresh in Fal's mind, and he didn't want the mushroom fields to encounter the same problem.

Not far away, Far stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the progress of the city wall's construction while listening to reports on the total export volume and revenue of mushrooms this week.

Since the unique value of mushrooms was discovered, people in the surrounding areas and even the capital city have tried to obtain spores and cultivate them themselves.

However, for some reason, the spores that were taken away either could not survive at all, or were half-dead and could hardly grow into decent mushrooms.

Some suspect that this is related to the local fungal carpet being directly connected to the underground city.

In the end, they could only rely on the stable mushroom production in Mushroom Town to fill the huge gap in military and civilian food supplies.

After several failed transplant attempts, the royal city's strategy became very direct: on the one hand, it continued to urge Mushroom Town to expand its planting scale, and on the other hand, it almost monopolized all the production that exceeded local consumption, continuously transporting it to the front line as an important strategic resource.

Of course, the rewards are also quite substantial.

In exchange, the nobles are generously sending over stone, magical materials, skilled mages, craftsmen, and various other supplies that Mushroom Town desperately needs.

But Far saw further ahead: the town's economy is currently entirely dependent on mushroom exports, making its structure too singular and unhealthy.

He eagerly hopes that the city wall can be completed as soon as possible. Once Mushroom Town is upgraded to "Mushroom City", he will be able to more legitimately establish a sound administrative and tax system, thereby developing a more complete economy.

"Guild Master! Guild Master!" Just then, an urgent shout came from afar. Mirabelle was rushing over. "You'd better go back to the guild immediately! There's a new situation in the dungeon... there's a new problem there!"

……

The guild hall was bustling with people. A group of adventurers were huddled outside a room, whispering and gossiping, the air thick with the scent of gossip.

Inside the room, Lambert sat silently in the corner.

Beside him, several guild staff members were operating a complex instrument inlaid with several magic crystals. Runes flowed across the surface of the instrument, clearly projecting detailed physical data about him.

This instrument can achieve a similar effect to reconnaissance, but it is far more detailed than ordinary reconnaissance, and can accurately detect the target's skill level and physical condition.

However, the process is cumbersome and expensive, and it is usually only activated when adventurers pay for it and want to gain a deeper understanding of their own situation.

Lambert, having discovered his body was "moldy," rushed here the moment he left the dungeon. While he currently feels fine, aside from his increased ugliness, who knows what hidden dangers these things growing into his flesh might pose?
When Far returned, the test report had already been generated, but Lambert was not informed of it for a long time.

"President, it's parasites!" Mirabelle quickly stepped forward and handed over the report in her hand.

"What kind of parasite? A monster? Or a derivative of a curse?" Far asked while quickly flipping through the report.

"The specific type is still unclear; it might be some kind of new skill. According to his own account, a puff seemed to have approached him when he was dying. Our tests have also confirmed that the substance proliferating on his skin and under his skin is indeed hyphae."

Far's face immediately turned ugly.

He was puzzled; even if a new species had been discovered to possess parasitic abilities, there was no need to rush to call him over.

I never expected it to be related to Puji!
If it's related to Puji, then it's related to fungal carpets and mushrooms. If something goes wrong...

Farr continued, "And... what about the symptoms?"

“Uh…” Mirabelle looked down and carefully examined the report. “The mycelium seems to be actively repairing the severe damage he sustained in the previous battle. In addition, the parasitized individual has begun to show a slight tendency to crave magic.”

Far nodded. It was understandable that parasitic organisms repaired their hosts to maintain their own survival, and it also made sense that the magical energy requirement was necessary for the mycelium to maintain its activity.

"Well, what else?"

"Gone."

"What? What about the harm?" This clearly did not conform to Far's understanding of parasites.

"The parasitized individual is mentally sharp, passed all mental assessments, and shows no signs of life force being drained. The parasitic hyphae are not currently interfering with any of his bodily functions. Overall... apart from the traces of hyphae on his body surface, no negative issues have been found so far."

"?!"

"President, what... should we do about this?"

Far paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, then stopped after a moment and issued instructions in a very fast voice: "Arrange for a dedicated person to continuously monitor all subsequent changes in him, and require him to return regularly for testing. All expenses will be borne by the guild. Before a clear conclusion is reached, do not include this matter in the regular reports submitted to headquarters. For other adventurers, try to steer the discussion towards the 'influence of the special magic circle,' and avoid associating this matter too much with Puji!"

“Okay, President, but…” Mirabelle seemed a little hesitant.

Far stared at her for a long while before saying in a deep voice, "Mirabelle, Mushroom Town... no, the United Kingdom, cannot afford to lose mushrooms right now! This parasite doesn't seem to pose a clear threat yet, so we should try our best to avoid causing unnecessary panic among the people about mushrooms and Puji! The situation at the front is already tense, and if our mushroom supply is disrupted at this time, the situation will be far more serious than just one or two people being parasitized!"

He paused for a moment, then added seriously, "Of course, the investigation into the parasitic phenomenon itself must not be relaxed! Any new discoveries, no matter when, must be reported directly to me immediately!"

Mirabelle nodded solemnly and personally spoke with the worried Lambert. With the help of the all-powerful gold coin, the two quickly reached a consensus.

However, before dawn the next day, Far was called out of his bedroom by urgent knocking.

Standing outside the door was Mirabelle, who had a strange expression on her face.

"Guild Master! That parasitized adventurer... he... he just acquired two Puji pets!"

"what?"

(End of this chapter)