This dungeon has mushrooms growing on it.

Chapter 467, Section 466: The Prince's Misfortunes

Alama and Lorenzo sat on wooden chairs, while Number Four jumped onto the central wooden table and began its second speech about the Great Mushroom Clan.

However, when the same content was repeated a second time, its momentum was noticeably weaker. The previous enthusiasm was gone, and the transmission of ideas became flat and monotonous, like mechanical recitation.

After hastily finishing reading, Number Four seemed to have lost interest. With its mycelial tentacles drooping, it simply plopped down on the rough tabletop.

Lorenzo stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "So, your Mushroom Clan is the embodiment of the so-called 'Puji Will'?"

Number Four proudly nodded his mushroom cap.

Actually, it meant to refer to the Bacterium Master, but in this exchange, every time it was mentioned, it would become "Puji Will," so in the end, it could only continue talking like that.

Anyway, the will of the Bacteria Master is the will of all the Puji, so it's not entirely wrong to say that.

Not only did Lin Jun set many restrictions on the "mushroom owner," but she also made it impossible for him to disclose most of the information about the mushroom garden.

After all, it's a soul that split off from itself, so it's too easy to impose some restrictions.

Lorenzo and Alama exchanged a glance, understanding each other without saying a word.

To them, Number Four's description seemed more like a phenomenon of group evolution, where when the number of Puji reached a certain critical point, collective consciousness would give rise to a higher existence known as the "Mushroom Clan".

The so-called "Puji Will" is more like a worship of one's own race, a metaphor for a collective consciousness.

After all, we can't really understand this "Puji Will" as an individual entity, can we?
That kind of thing simply cannot exist.

As the conversation deepened, they gained a lot of information from Number Four.

For example, the so-called "Thirteen Mushroom Clan" and "Pink Puji".

Number Four also included Inanna in the Mushroom Clan. When mentioning this, it even stretched out its mycelial tentacles and patted the back of Inanna's hand comfortingly, hoping that she wouldn't mind that she was the only one without a number or name.

When Alama heard a puji classify her daughter as one of its own kind, the corner of her mouth twitched involuntarily, and she raised her hand to her forehead again.

What Lorenzo found slightly strange was that although Number Four called them "non-mushrooms" and referred to himself as "the noble and glorious mushroom race," he seemed to be putting on a very high pedestal.

Throughout the entire exchange, he did not use any honorifics, and Number Four did not react to this at all, seemingly completely unaware of the issue of etiquette.

Aside from the way they address each other, there's no sense of arrogance in their interactions; in terms of aristocratic air, they're even less impressive than some minor human lords.

When the topic turned to "mushroom servants," also known as Puji masters, Puji No. 4 directly used its understanding of mushroom people to describe the future treatment of Puji masters.

Puji will provide services such as delicious mushrooms, Puji companions, mushroom house accommodations, and mycelium treatment, while Puji masters need to compost the fungal carpet from time to time to prevent it from being damaged.

And when Lorenzo asked what to do if the Puji Master was unwilling to do those things.

Number Four waved its tentacle, fiercely declaring that it wouldn't give them those things!
To be honest, Lorenzo didn't hear anything about "enslavement" in the recording at all.

Rather than enslavement, it was more like the Puji Masters exchanging a tiny amount of money for huge benefits.

This little guy's understanding of the word "enslavement" is clearly different from theirs.

Lorenzo also tried to communicate with Number Ten next to him, but soon found that the latter was much more cautious than Number Four. Unlike Number Four, who would answer three questions for every one question asked, Number Ten would also take the initiative to introduce the topic.

It seems that not every Puji is as... straightforward as Number Four.

Lorenzo had no choice but to turn his attention back to Number Four, who was easier to talk to, and only asked Number Ten when Number Four couldn't explain clearly.

The exchange ended not because the two human leaders finished talking with Puji, but because the mage who was maintaining the chanting finally couldn't hold on any longer.

After the exchange, watching the two puppies follow Inanna closely as she left, Lorenzo beckoned to the pale-faced, almost exhausted mage accompanying him and asked in a low voice, "Did you sense anything?"

The monk gasped for breath, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead: "That guy called Number Four... his mind was almost completely open, and his emotional fluctuations were clearly visible. He didn't seem to be lying."

Lorenzo nodded slightly, which coincided with his judgment based on experience during the conversation.

“What do you think?” Lorenzo asked, turning to Alama.

Alama took a deep breath, temporarily setting aside his worries about his daughter, and said, "One side of the story can be believed, but not entirely. As for how to deal with it, it remains the same: we cannot abandon any force that can help us fight the demons. However, I have some concerns..." Before he could finish speaking, Lorenzo understood: "You're worried that the demons might also acquire other mushroom tribes?"

Alama nodded: "We've all witnessed the power of the Puji. In any case, it's always safer to keep these mushroom tribes under our own control. But where should we begin?"

“Puji can’t live without creep.” Lorenzo stood up and looked at the sprawling creep outside. “We should pay more attention to areas with creep in the future. The Puji dungeon is also worth exploring again. After all, it’s the origin of everything. Maybe we can find something there. Of course, all of this is based on the premise that the kingdom still has a ‘future’.”

The two of them sighed in unison.

Although the heavily damaged Sigismund retreated to High Fortress, the crisis at Three Hills was not truly over.

They were still at a significant disadvantage, and it was uncertain how long the city's defensive magic array could hold out.

They were trapped in this valley, and although they had enough to eat and drink thanks to the mushrooms, they would not escape the fate of destruction once the Three Mountains City fell.

They are currently working hard to clear the collapsed canyon, trying to create a barely passable path, hoping to do something more. However, progress is slow, the broken rock walls could collapse again at any moment, and every step is like walking on thin ice.

Just then, Inanna returned, holding the wriggling Number Four in her arms.

Number Four was clearly unwilling to be held like this, but dared not struggle too much for fear of hurting Pinky and disobeying the Master's orders. So it could only wriggle restlessly like this, trying to get out.

However, Inanna was an expert at holding Puji, and no matter how much it struggled, it was to no avail.

She held up the Puji in her arms and said, "Old man, Xiao Si said it can help us dig tunnels!"

"It? How do you do it?"

……

When a huge burrowing machine was pushed to the rock wall by the combined efforts of the group, and began to dig with a low "buzzing" sound, the hard rock layer was easily broken open like cheese.

Alama and Lorenzo both had expressions that said, "What is this thing?"
-
Outside Sanshan City, the Demon Clan's camp.

Vesalius's cold gaze pierced through the twilight, locking onto the city shrouded in the glow of a giant magic circle.

Humanity's last and most crucial force of resistance retreated behind that seemingly indestructible barrier of light.

"Still no news from Hess?" He didn't turn around, but asked his subordinates who were waiting behind him.

A vampire quickly stepped forward and knelt on one knee: "My lord, we still haven't received any news from Lord Hess. We've only received reports from the coastal outposts mentioning an abnormal expansion of the sea fog... I suspect that Lord Hess may have inadvertently wandered into the fog zone..."

“The abnormally expanding fog…” Vesalius’s tone grew even more somber. “Even if he had stumbled upon it by mistake, with Hess’s strength, he shouldn’t be trapped and unable to get out. After all, that’s not the depths of the fog!”

Unfortunately, his subordinates clearly couldn't answer his question.

Lately, things have been going wrong, and even with Vesalius's deep composure, he couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated.

First, that fool Xenophon actually had someone summon the Storm Elemental Lord in full view of everyone.

Not only did he lose his own troops, but he also caused considerable losses to his main force, forcing him to temporarily halt his offensive and wait for Sigismund to join him.

In particular, that troll army is a powerful weapon for conquering cities and strongholds, and is one of the few high-quality cannon fodder that can charge through defensive magic arrays.

Who would have thought that the usually steady Sigismund would falter at this crucial moment, causing such a huge mess that the entire troll army was wiped out, with not a single one left!
That's fine, Vesalius was never the kind of mediocre person who had no backup plan.

The Abyss Beast, which was previously used to ambush the Sword Saint, had its core destroyed, but most of its body remained intact.

Once the new core arrives, this war behemoth can be awakened once more.

At that time, unless the sword saint risks his life and drags his wounded body out to fight again, the abyssal beast will be able to tear apart that obstructive magical barrier.

But he never expected that even a powerhouse like Hess, who was among the top in the Hall of Fame, would disappear without a trace during a simple escort mission!
Among all the demons, there wasn't a single one who was reliable?

Leaving aside the matter of settling scores with these dragging-down guys later, it seems that continuing to drag things out won't do any good.

Vesalius decided to wait a few more days. If there was still no news from Hess, he would have no choice but to launch a full-scale attack regardless of the losses!

(End of this chapter)