This dungeon has mushrooms growing on it.

Chapter 597, Section 596: The Fungus Castle Meeting
The light-emitting mushrooms growing upside down on the ceiling emitted an orange-yellow glow, illuminating the faces of every member at the council table.

This was the first cabinet meeting of Fungusburg, and those participating were all core members active in the Northern Territory.

According to intelligence gathered from spies who entered the northern border, some lords in the north of the empire have already begun to take action, and Fungus Castle must be prepared.

Louisa surveyed the crowd, her sharp fangs barely concealed behind her lips:

"We have now integrated the power of almost the entire Northern Territory, and with the strong defenses of Fungus Castle, plus the support from our leader Puji, we are definitely no less than any Imperial Duke, and may even be stronger!"

The empire has a vast territory and is constantly plagued by internal conflicts; it is impossible for it to mobilize its entire forces for a newly emerging border power.

Take advantage of their slow reaction and misjudgment to strike them hard.

Let's show them with a decisive victory that there's a tough nut to crack here.

Only in this way can we seize the initiative!

Across from her, Shou raised his eyes:
“Luisa, I understand what you’re thinking.”

But that was an empire!
The strongest force on the continent, with unfathomable depths of power.

A temporary victory might be possible, but what about afterwards?
Will this invite a more severe retaliation, dragging Fungus Castle into a full-scale war we are not yet prepared for?
"If the Empire were still at war with the humans and dwarves, I would support you, but the Empire is now free to do so."

Then, Shou began to explain his thoughts: "I think we should avoid direct conflict as much as possible, and even... we can show weakness appropriately, and outwardly make a gesture of submission to buy time, while secretly continuing to accumulate strength, and then seize the opportunity to act when the empire faces another change."

Louisa scoffed, as if she had heard the most ridiculous thing:
"Show weakness?"
Only a small tribal chief like you, who has only ever lived in the wilderness, would have such a naive idea as to show your soft throat to a pack of ferocious wolves.

Hunting will only convince every wolf that you are the easiest piece of meat to tear apart!

They will swarm you and devour you whole, giving you no chance to even feign submission!

Xinghuo then interjected, "Perhaps we don't need to confront them directly, nor do we need to show weakness."

Could we find a way to create some trouble within the empire?
To stir up friction between them and dwarves or humans, and create problems within the empire?

Given that the majority of the inhabitants of the Fungus Fortress are demons, it's not impossible that they might plant spies within the Empire's borders to create chaos.

This will divert the Empire's attention elsewhere, buying us more time.

Louisa immediately retorted, but this time her tone was slightly gentler:
"Spark, your idea is not unfeasible. There are indeed many contradictions within the Empire, and there are many opportunities to stir up trouble."

But time! What we need is time!
Planting spies, cultivating power, and creating chaos—these all require calculations measured in years.

The Empire's scouts and border lords may only give us a few months, or even a few weeks.

Your suggestion is worthwhile, but it's for the future and doesn't offer any real help in addressing the current difficulties.

The debate continues, with each proposal accompanied by a fierce clash of pros and cons.

In the corner of the long table, Norris sat quietly, his body almost disappearing into the shadows.

He placed his hands flat on his knees, staring at the texture on the table as if it held the essence of the world.

Two years ago, he was still digging for magic crystals in the mines. He didn't know anything about military and national affairs.
He even suspected that this might be another way for the boss to mess with him.

Norris glanced discreetly at the marshal sitting in the specially elevated main seat and chuckled.

The eldest brother just listened without saying anything; I wonder if he was also lost in thought?

...Lin Jun was certainly not in a daze.

He was simply brainstorming ideas.

Once he opened his mouth and set the tone, it would be difficult to hear any further opinions. Therefore, he simply listened silently for the time being, letting Piglet, Hunt, and Starfire argue.

It seems that the advice given by the little pig who has struggled in the empire, though radical, is indeed more reliable.

Although Xinghuo and Shou have grown a lot in managing the Fungus Castle and handling diplomacy during this period, their knowledge and experience are still quite limited.

That's normal. Little Pig is already 52 years old. In the vibrant core circle of Mushroom Garden, he's definitely considered an elderly person, the kind who sits at the same table as retired old Dylan. It's normal for him to be more experienced.

Based on Lin Jun's observations of the empire's ecosystem from Fei Xi, showing weakness does indeed easily attract prying eyes, and pretending to be fierce even when weak is the survival strategy of many demons within the empire.

However, the situation with Mushroom Castle is unique.

Mushroom Castle was not afraid of the army pressing in.

After all, the Frost Elemental Lord is still in Inanna's hands. If the battle turns against them, they can simply release it back into the ruins.

Although the temperature won't drop immediately, it will only take a month at most for the Imperial army, which lacks cold resistance, to find themselves unable to even warm themselves by the fire.

Lin Jun was more worried that after the empire realized that the army could not deal with Junbao, it would turn to the dukes, princes, or even the emperor himself to cause trouble for it.

Putting everything else aside, if they find the Frost Elemental Lord and manage to kill him, then this Field Spell Card will be broken.

Although the Emperor himself is currently keeping an eye on the slimes and the dungeons within the Empire, it is unlikely that he will personally travel to the North. But things are unpredictable, and who knows what unexpected events might occur?

If they really come, can we fight them?

Lin Jun thought about the newly acquired [Touch of the Soul], her divine weapon, and the delicious mushrooms she regularly offered as tribute to the emperor every month...

If this were an ordinary world, Lin Jun would have been thinking of poisoning the emperor. What a pity.

Overall, even when facing a surprise attack from a top expert, Lin Jun believed that she was not entirely without the ability to fight back, but her chances of winning were indeed slim.

Therefore, it is also necessary for Hunt to delay and accumulate strength.

Firstly, Lin Jun needs time to practice her newly acquired skills.

Secondly, thanks to the unique advantage of the [Life Source Essence], the growth rate of Lin Jun's forces far exceeds that of ordinary forces, and time is on the side of Fungus Castle.

Of course, we can't delay indefinitely, after all, this world seems to be waiting for a hero to save it!
Finally, the marshal in the main seat slowly raised one of his tentacles.

This simple action brought the argument, which was about to erupt into a heated debate, to an abrupt halt, and all eyes turned to it.

"If the Empire really sends troops to invade, we can't just let the enemy go, but we can't wipe them out completely either! We need to fight them to a standstill, or even be at a slight disadvantage."

Shou and Xinghuo were momentarily stunned, then their eyes flashed with realization and admiration: "Boss is brilliant!"

The little pig understood, but this undoubtedly meant she had to hold back when hitting, which in some ways was even more painful than not hitting at all.

But once the eldest daughter made a decision, she dared not object anymore.

To Lin Jun's surprise, at the end of the meeting, the Yellow Book also made a suggestion:
[Boss, regarding creating chaos within the Empire and planting spies... perhaps I could take charge of the arrangements.]
It paused, seemingly observing Lin Jun's reaction, before cautiously adding:
[Didn't you also want to perform some kind of magical ritual within the Empire?]
[Perhaps, I could combine these two matters... and handle them together.]
Looking at the yellow paper with the volunteer letter, Lin Jun hesitated for once.

(End of this chapter)