This dungeon has mushrooms growing on it.

Chapter 333, Section 332: Prioritization (Bonus Chapter)

In the dock area of ​​Yufan Port, the salty sea breeze could not dispel the tense and sweltering atmosphere, and a conflict broke out without warning.

A Puji Master who had just completed a quest and reaped a rich reward clearly heard the vicious taunts directed at the mycelium marks on his face from several adventurers leaning against cargo boxes.

The heated exchange lasted no more than three sentences before anger overwhelmed reason, and fists replaced pale logic.

The area is closed.

Upon seeing this, the nearby Puji fellows immediately urged the Puji who were busy unloading the catch from the fishing boat to gather around and help.

On the other side, the adventurers' companions roared and joined the melee. In an instant, men's roars, women's screams, and the distinctive "poof" sounds of the puffs mingled together as human fists and feet savagely clashed with mycelial tentacles.

With a sharp metallic scraping sound, someone couldn't resist and drew their weapon!
Just as the ordinary brawl was about to escalate into a bloody conflict, a series of neat and heavy footsteps sounded in time.

"Wings of Judgment! Stop immediately!"

With a stern shout imbued with authority, Solalyn's squad arrived just in time. The gleaming holy emblems on the team members' breastplates shone with unquestionable authority in the sunlight, instantly suppressing the situation that was about to spiral out of control.

The well-trained church warriors swiftly intervened in the battle, effectively separating and subduing the two sides in the conflict.

Soon, all the humans involved in the fight, whether they were Puji masters or adventurers, were detained.

However, the team members were stumped when faced with nearly a hundred Puji that were standing still in place.

In the past, capturing troublemakers who carried magical pets was as simple as finding a sturdy cage and locking them up.

But there aren't that many cages for all those tiny, densely packed poopy creatures in front of me...

One of the team members instinctively turned to look for their squad leader, Solalyn, for instructions, only to find their captain leaning against the wall in the distance, vomiting violently, as if he were about to throw up even bile.

Just now, as her gaze swept over the familiar-looking poopy figures scattered across the docks, Solalyn almost instinctively activated [Vision of Truth]...

In just a moment, the scene of the port city with its gentle sea breeze and bright sunshine suddenly collapsed and faded!
Instead, countless chaotic blocks of color, intertwined in a frenzy, greedily clung to every corner of the city, seemingly trying to assimilate everything into that blasphemous scene!

“Maine… the rest… is up to you…” Solalyn said to the priest who had run over, her voice trembling as she used all her strength.

He then stumbled and pushed away the hands that tried to help him, his face pale and almost exhausted, and ran towards the company commander's temporary command post.

……

ten minutes later.

"You ask what's going on with this city... Haven't you noticed that there are a lot more dried mushroom slices in our rations in the last two months?" The captain of the Wings of Judgment asked Soralin, who had suddenly appeared, with some confusion.

“You mean…” Solalyn’s face visibly turned pale.

"vomit--!"

Seeing his subordinate vomiting uncontrollably while leaning against the wall, the company commander stepped forward and patted her back helplessly.

"Is it really that uncomfortable? Your...you know..." The squad leader gestured around his eyes with his finger.

“Truth…vision,” Solalyn replied weakly, her stomach churning again.

"Yes, yes, that skill really seems that strange?" Although the squad leader knew that his subordinate had special abilities, he obviously could not personally feel the impact.

Solalyn took the tissue handed to her and wiped her mouth, her voice still trembling slightly: "It's not just disgusting... it's serious pollution! I dare not use it again! Also, what about those Puji? Why can monsters run around freely in the streets?" "They're not running around freely," the squad leader, who knew quite a bit about this, patiently explained, "Those are Puji controlled by 'Puji Masters.' The principle is similar to contracted monsters, but it's more convenient and has a lower barrier to entry."

After the squadron leader gave a detailed explanation of everything about the "Puji Master" and symbiosis, Solalin could hardly believe her ears.

"For...for this little bit of power, you let something of unknown origin parasitize your body? How is this any different from...from those fallen ones who pledge allegiance to the Empire and willingly become vampires for eternal life?!"

"Hey! Watch your mouth!" the squad leader hurriedly interrupted her rant. "Our mission is to quell the conflict and maintain order, not to add fuel to the fire! Don't utter a single word about this outside!"

“But these monsters…they are essentially…the same thing…” Solarin tried to describe the suffocating unity and chaotic essence behind all the pugs that she felt.

She initially thought this thing would only stay in the dungeon and perish along with it, but she never expected it to turn out like this!
The squadron leader listened with a frown, pondered for a moment, and said, "To conclude that all the Puji are the same entity based solely on their shared color as part of Chaos is too arbitrary."

Solalyn wanted to retort, but the company commander quickly followed up:

"But your findings and concerns are not without merit. In your spare time, write a detailed observation report, objectively describing only what you see and eliminating all subjective speculation. I will attach it to the periodic report and submit it to the bishop for his decision. In the meantime, try not to use that skill of yours again. Don't forget, maintaining order is our primary task on this trip."

The solution was reasonable, and Solalyn could only agree and turn to leave.

“Oh, right,” the squad leader added from behind her, pointing to the mess on the ground, “when you leave, don’t forget to call a servant to clean it up for me.”

……

"How did it go?" asked Maine, the priest's companion who was already waiting outside.

After telling him about the company commander's arrangements, Solalyn asked, "Maine, do you also think I'm overthinking it?"

Mayne glanced at her and said truthfully, "I can't imagine any being in the world that could simultaneously control such a vast number of individuals acting independently. You know, this isn't just a bunch of Puji within an underground city, but spread across the three cities of Mushroom City, Fishing Port, and Norvid. There are countless Puji Masters and Puji. To say that this is all one being is just too..."

Mayne wanted to say "absurd," but felt that the word was somewhat hurtful, and couldn't think of a suitable way to describe it for a moment.

However, Solalyn didn't care about that. She thought about it seriously and realized that, just as Mayne said, it was unimaginable what kind of existence that would be.

If everything is it, and it is everywhere, then doesn't that mean the other party is similar to God?

This is outrageous, so outrageous that she herself has begun to doubt herself.

The squadron leader and Maine were right; I had been too arbitrary.

Ultimately, it's just speculation derived from the rare and unreferenced skill, "Vision of Truth," and lacks further evidence.

In short, just write the report honestly...

……

What Solalyn didn't know was that her report was not ignored.

The report was submitted by the squadron leader to the regional bishop, and then passed on upwards. Finally, the document landed on the desk of Archbishop Ditas of Light.

Ditas's gaze slowly swept over the contents of the report, his aged and deep eyes revealing no emotion whatsoever.

He remained silent for a moment, then calmly put the report into the drawer without issuing any related instructions.

He also has an important meeting today with several dukes, the core topic of which is how to systematically integrate those seemingly promising "Puji Masters" into the kingdom's military system in order to counter the imminent demon invasion.

(End of this chapter)