This dungeon has mushrooms growing on it.

Chapter 338, Section 337: Popularity
North of Norweg, on the edge of the fungal carpet network, a bustling scene unfolds.

A group of Puji artists, commissioned by the official organization, are working diligently and methodically.

They stood on the ground where the fungal carpet had not yet covered them, holding up the puji they had brought with them in their hands, shaking it back and forth like shaking jelly, scattering all the spores stored inside the puji onto the soil.

If one spore is shaken dry, another one is used.

This is the preliminary step in the "Puji Legion" plan. By intervening manually, the spread of the creep is controlled, causing it to extend primarily towards the fortified cities that need to be defended.

If we rely on the natural growth of the fungal carpet, who knows how long it would take to cover strategic locations.

This is also why Lin Jun never added [Photosynthesis] to the Puji she gave away.

It's impossible for the spread of fungal carpets to be without opposition.

By deliberately making Puji Masters rely on Fungal Carpets to obtain Puji Activity Magic, both the Puji Masters themselves and the organizations that intend to use this power will spontaneously become the vanguard in promoting Fungal Carpets and expanding the network, suppressing the opposition.

Meanwhile, within Mushroom City, the hottest topic right now is the newly posted "Puji Master New Army Recruitment Notice".

Whether they intended to sign up or not, almost all the Puji Masters were thrilled by the announcement.

Because it's equivalent to the official strengthening of the legitimacy of the Puji Master's identity.

Before this, almost every Puji Master had been burdened with stigmatizing labels such as "freak," "monster's puppet," and "fallen one."

Thanks to the coordination and management of the "Puji Master Professional Association" created by Far in Mushroom City, the atmosphere in Mushroom City is relatively good.

In the other two cities, similar discrimination is much more severe.

The release of this recruitment notice undoubtedly refutes those malicious claims.

Discrimination will certainly not disappear overnight, but every Puji master can walk on the street with their back straighter.

Moreover, the generous benefits offered by the new army have attracted many people who were still observing to finally decide to embark on the path of becoming a Puji Master.

Whether from the perspective of improving social status or practical benefits, this is of great benefit to the entire Pujishi community.

Interestingly, ordinary adventurers also welcomed this idea.

From their perspective, taking away a group of Puji soldiers to join the army means that there are fewer competitors left in the market to compete for missions!

Even if someone can foresee that this will lead to an increase in the number of Puji Masters in the long run, it's as if the number of Puji Masters isn't increasing right now.

For adventurers who prioritize immediate, tangible benefits, this is undoubtedly a good thing.

What if things really get tough in the future?

If all else fails, we can simply move on to other cities that haven't yet been covered by the fungal carpet!
Thus, the "Puji Master New Army Recruitment" successfully kicked off in this wonderful atmosphere where everyone was happy.

However, most of those who actively signed up to participate were Puji Masters who originally came from humble backgrounds.

Their original strength was weak, and even after becoming Puji Masters, they were still at a complete disadvantage compared to their peers who were adventurers who had changed jobs, in terms of reaction speed, mobility, combat experience, and so on.

For example, caravan guards would not typically hire commoner Puji masters who don't even have bronze-level certification.

Lacking basic self-defense capabilities, they are extremely vulnerable in small-scale skirmishes, and if they are killed in an accident, the compensation their employers have to pay is not low.

In the current climate where there is a shortage of mission bounties but an increase in the number of Puji Masters, the military is indeed an excellent way out for these civilian Puji Masters.

Moreover, it is said that they are mainly city defense troops rather than field troops, which undoubtedly makes them much safer.

In fact, in the past, these low-skilled civilians were not even qualified to be cannon fodder for the army. Sending them to the front line would only be a waste of food and equipment. At most, some logistics support units would recruit a small number of civilian laborers, but their treatment was far from that of the regular army.

The benefits offered by this "Puji Division New Army Recruitment" are even more generous than those for ordinary soldiers.

It's only natural that new things need to offer more attractive conditions to attract people in their early stages of development.

Many Puji (a game platform) creators, thinking "if I don't join now, the benefits might not be as good later," rushed to sign up. Even so, there were only a limited number of spots available.

Mushroom City was allocated 300 places, while Fishing Port and Norwegian Island were each allocated 100 places.

The first round of recruitment for the new army only had a total of 500 people, and some basic requirements were set: physical health and complete limbs were a given, and for the qualifications of the Puji Masters, there was a strict requirement that they could at least control 20 Puji.

This single criterion eliminated approximately 15% of the applicants.

As for those special talents who can control more than thirty Puji, they can be directly selected.

However, such talents usually thrive as adventurers, so to date, only one person has been selected directly based on this criterion.

……

Fishing Port.

The recruitment point here was packed with people, and at first glance it seemed even more lively than the recruitment point in Mushroom Capital.

But the truth is that the number of Puji Masters in Mushroom Capital is the largest, otherwise they wouldn't account for 60% of the total quota.

The crowding here is simply because there are no restrictions on the number of Puji that a Puji Master can carry.

At this moment, the area around the recruitment point had become a sea of ​​poop, with all sorts of poop jerks huddled together, making it almost impossible to find a place to step.

"What are you doing blocking the way here? Can't you just register and leave already?!"

"Don't push outside! How are people supposed to get out like this?"

"Hey! You dare step on my poop?!"

The deafening noise nearly lifted the roof off, leaving the staff dizzy and overwhelmed.

Solalyn, who was standing not far away, also felt a wave of dizziness.

She braced herself against Pastor Maine's shoulder with one hand, her face pale, barely able to stand.

She couldn't understand how things had suddenly developed to this point, with the authorities now openly encouraging the development of Puji Masters.

Her findings and speculations may not be entirely accurate, but at least... at least they should have been examined, right?

How can it be promoted so easily from the official level, or even incorporated into the military system?
She approached the squadron leader anxiously to inquire, only to be met with a slightly displeased look. She was then told that her report had already been submitted to her superiors, and since there had been no follow-up, it was naturally the result of the bishop's deliberations.

Solalyn walked out looking somewhat lost.

She couldn't imagine what a terrible future this city would become!
What terrifies her even more is that what happened in Yufan Port today may be what happens in many other places tomorrow!

She wandered aimlessly, and as she passed the entrance to a dark alley, a strange color deep inside caught her eye—it was a colorful pup that she had never seen before in the city, its body shimmering with a dreamlike glow!
Its colors shift and flow softly, like a spilled palette infused with the purest light.

Although Solalyn knew that under the [Vision of Truth], its inner essence was still that unsettling chaos, the scene she saw with her naked eye at this moment made her involuntarily feel a strange and breathtaking beauty and mystery.

Solalin subconsciously looked around, but couldn't find anyone who might be the owner of this strange little creature.

Is it wild?
The colorful puffy stood silently deep in the alley, facing her without moving, as if... as if inviting her to come over!
Want to go there?

Soralin was torn internally, her eyes gradually becoming unfocused and vacant. Unconsciously, she lifted her foot and took a step towards the alley entrance…

"Solarin! Have you asked the company commander about the report?" Mayne's voice suddenly came from afar.

Solalyn was startled and naturally looked toward Maine in the direction of the sound.

When she quickly turned back to look at the alley, it was empty, with only mottled walls and piles of debris.

The colorful Puji disappeared without a trace, as if everything just now was merely a hallucination caused by excessive stress.

(End of this chapter)