This dungeon has mushrooms growing on it.

Chapter 322, Section 321: Differences
The city guards of Norwich arrived at the scene and cleaned up the mess left by the fight.

Ultimately, one Puji master and two mercenaries were seriously injured, and another mercenary died on the spot.

In the end, all the Poojis self-destructed, and the shockwave from the explosions completely destroyed the tavern's door. Two unfortunate bystanders were also caught in the blast and sustained minor injuries.

Fortunately, there were no further casualties. Most of the adventurers were seasoned veterans who, upon seeing the conflict escalate, had already skillfully retreated to a safe distance to watch the show.

It's not uncommon for drunken adventurers to fight and even kill each other in these border cities.

Even a death toll and injuries to three others are not the most serious outcome in this type of incident.

But this time it's completely different; it represents the escalating conflict between local adventurers and the emerging group of Puji Masters.

Unfortunately, although Viscount Palen, the city lord, realized this, he was thinking in the wrong direction.

Initially, the two offending mercenaries were released after receiving simple treatment, but the Puji Master was locked up in a cell alone.

This biased treatment immediately enraged all the Puji masters in Norwich.

They gathered with their Puji and surrounded the administrative hall, protesting loudly and demanding a fair explanation. No Puji master wanted to suffer the same unfair treatment!
Although there aren't many Puji Masters, the sight is quite astonishing when you include the hordes of Puji under their command.

Viscount Palen looked out the window at the surging "white ocean" and felt a splitting headache.

He originally released the mercenaries because he thought the local adventurers outnumbered him and were likely to cause trouble, while the Puji Masters were weak and couldn't cause any trouble. However, he didn't expect it to backfire.

In desperation, he made a second mistake, recaptured the two mercenaries he had just released.

Now things have gotten really bad. Not only are the Puji Masters still protesting, but local adventurers have also gathered together, angrily condemning the city lord for being "weak and incompetent, and changing his mind all the time."

Two groups of people, who were already at odds with each other, blocked the city lord's mansion at the same time, with tensions running high and a larger conflict could break out at any moment.

Knowing he had messed things up, Viscount Palen had no choice but to mobilize a large number of city guards to forcibly disperse the crowds from both sides.

He then imposed a hefty fine on the two mercenaries and the Puji Master who had committed the offense. After that, regardless of whether they could pay the fine, he simply threw them all out of prison, clearly wanting to get rid of these "hot potatoes" as soon as possible.

Throughout the entire affair, Viscount Palen was weighing "how to handle things in his own best interest" rather than making a fair judgment based on the law.

He did get rid of the trouble temporarily, but only temporarily.

After that, conflicts between the Puji Masters and the local adventurers became more and more frequent, ranging from ordinary quarrels and small brawls to deaths, occurring almost every few days.

By the time Viscount Palen tried to curb this trend, he found it was too late.

Worse still, this conflict was not limited to Norwich, but gradually spread to the fishing port and the mushroom capital.

The difference is that Fishing Port almost replicated Norwich's experience: conflicts intensified, public security deteriorated rapidly, and the city guards were exhausted.

Mushroom Capital, however, demonstrated a different approach.

When a similar conflict first occurred in Mushroom City, Vera, who was present, stepped forward and stopped the two sides from drawing their swords.

The troublemakers might not be willing to give Vera face, but the other adventurers watching the spectacle were happy to stand behind him and offer their support.

Thanks to the timely mediation of the larger and more powerful Villar, the conflict did not escalate further to a life-or-death situation.

Upon receiving the report, Farr, drawing on the precedent set by Norwich, quickly realized the seriousness of the problem.

While he increased the number of guards to strengthen patrols and prevent any possible bloodshed, he also urgently summoned core members such as Aidin and Mirabelle to discuss countermeasures.

Ultimately, a new department called the "Puji Master Professional Association" was established under the Adventurers' Guild.

This department is specifically responsible for registering Puji practitioners' information, mediating disputes, and assigning tasks.

Aidin forcefully separated the quests available to Puji Masters from those available to other adventurers, and imposed certain restrictions on Puji Masters' quest acceptance to ensure that they wouldn't completely squeeze out the survival space of traditional adventurers. However, this was merely a temporary solution that didn't address the root cause of the problem.

But even temporary measures are measures, and they are far better than the inaction of the two city lords of Norvid and Fishing Port.

Ironically, when the "Puji Master Professional Association" was first established, not a single one of its core members was a real Puji master. It was essentially a makeshift team assembled by laymen.

But something is better than nothing.

Farr devoted almost all his energy to the construction and adjustment of this new department, and immediately made corrections wherever problems arose.

The effect is remarkable. In contrast to the continued deterioration of public security in the other two cities, Mushroom Capital has not yet suffered a single death due to such conflicts.

……

Lin Jun did not get involved in these matters.

Whether it's the rise of the Puji Master or the various conflicts it has caused, the emergence of any new phenomenon will inevitably trigger a series of chain reactions.

What is happening now is just the beginning.

Since the major trend is irreversible, it is best to leave it to humanity to find ways to adapt and solve it.

Compared to the conflicts between humans, Lin Jun's attention is currently drawn to the elves.

What caught his attention was nothing major, just an ordinary little thing—an old elf had died.

The old elf who spent all his time concocting medicine ultimately did not live to see spring arrive.

The day before, under the watchful eyes of the scout Puji, he patiently taught his granddaughter Riel a new potion recipe.

The next day, he passed away peacefully in his sleep, his expression serene, as if he had simply fallen into a deep sleep from which he would never awaken.

Little Riel was heartbroken, and her cries attracted passing elves and nearby neighbors.

The elves collected the old man's body and held a simple funeral for him in the cemetery, where mushrooms now grow everywhere. Those who attended, besides Riel, were all old neighbors.

The funeral followed the usual serene and peaceful customs of the elves, except this time, there was an extra person, Riel, who was crying uncontrollably.

The other elves did not show any sadness; they simply bid farewell calmly.

Through her now level five Elven language skills and long-term observation, Lin Jun gradually came to understand the culture of these adult elves.

For them, death is not an end, but a transformation of life, so a proper farewell is enough.

Only young Riel, who didn't understand these things, cried so hard.

The surrounding elves showed no impatience or disgust, but simply silently accompanied and embraced this tender sorrow.

The funeral ended with Riel's low sobs.

After all the elves had left, Lin Jun, as was customary, dismembered the old elf's remains.

When the scout flew back to the familiar apothecary, Riel had just seen off several neighbors who had comforted her by saying, "Don't hesitate to ask if you have any problems."

With her small, red eyes, she was quietly arranging the various medicinal herbs on the shelf.

Seeing Puji fly in, she seemed to have found someone to confide in, murmuring to herself, as if speaking to Puji, yet also encouraging herself: "Flying Mushroom, you're here again... Grandpa's gone, but I'm going to keep the apothecary shop running! Will you... watch me make potions?"

However, three days later, an elven official in uniform knocked on the door of the apothecary and delivered an official notice—the area was to be redeveloped.

(End of this chapter)