The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 104 Teaching You to Be Happy

"The homeowner?"

Clearly, the mushrooms didn't know their owner very well either, as their answers were hesitant and stuttering.

"What do you want to know?"

"There are many things, such as what he looks like, what kind of person he is, how he 'separated' you from the group, and why he kept you here."

Oh, by the way, I heard you came to the dungeon a few months ago. Where did you live before that? And what was the reason you were in the dungeon?

If possible, could you please explain how you managed to cover my companion with fungi in such a short time? This is very important for me to record the story…”

No wonder Tang Qi's mouth was firing off questions like a machine gun.

He genuinely wanted to know more details—

In fact, for a "log," as long as it's a "personal experience," that's enough to guarantee a minimum score.

For example, at the Temple of Dawn, whether Tang Qi chose to protect Catherine or accept Dawn, it had no impact on the log itself.

Therefore, if you are simply pursuing the guaranteed reward, you don't necessarily need to understand the reasons behind everything.

But Tang Qi had already tasted the benefits of complex events—

His [Demeanor: Commoner Hero], [Ring of Unity], martial arts skills, and even the crucial [Poet's Inspiration], each of which is a formidable asset, all stem from the same complex event.

If he had simply chosen to flee with Merad when the orcs attacked, or had simply found a place to hide and avoid trouble, the gains would certainly not have been substantial enough.

These mushrooms were clearly 'stripped' from the underground city. If we can delve deeper into the reasons behind them, we might be able to get involved in an even larger event.

Moreover, he's going to publish his autobiography, and recording whatever happens will ultimately be more beneficial than harmful.

But from the perspective of observation, it feels more like a household registration survey.

Fortunately, the mushrooms were all mild-mannered and did not seem annoyed by his repeated questioning.

However, as a group of mushrooms that simply follow the crowd, they possess very limited information:

"The person who brought us here... well, he has two eyes, one nose, one mouth, and two ears. So he must be a human."

It wasn't that Tang Qi overestimated their intelligence.

Rather, they simply cannot distinguish the differences between each race.

From their limited understanding, anything capable of walking upright and meeting the above characteristics can be called 'human'.

Even the word 'human' was distinguished from the perception of dawn.

Anyway, they've never seen it before.

“We grew on the corpses of ‘humans’. Another ‘human’ brought us here and separated us from everyone else.”

He feeds us humans so that we can reproduce, and then takes some away from us from time to time...

But he hasn't returned for many days.

Tang Qi tried to understand:
"So, to 'separate' you, you don't actually need any complicated methods; just taking you to a more distant place will suffice?"

This means that the mushrooms' 'network' is very flexible; they connect when they are close together, and separate when they are too far apart, forming a second 'network'.
"Then I'm curious, do you have a clear boundary to determine how far apart you are before you separate or merge?"

"Needs contact."

"for example?"

Tang Qi stretched out his two hands, moving his fingers back and forth to mimic the shape of 'mycelium', before finally bringing his fingers together.
"Use mushrooms to connect them?"

“'Mushrooms' are our 'houses,' not us.”

Tang Qi blinked, looked around, and stared in surprise at the rows of 'houses' scattered across his feet and walls:
"If mushrooms aren't your true form, then what are you?"

"We are who we are, all around you."

Clearly, due to a lack of knowledge, Chenxi was unable to clearly describe their essence.

As Tang Qi pondered, he subconsciously took a breath.

The cool, pungent scent of mint once again entered his nostrils, causing him to sneeze.

He quickly slapped his forehead and said:

"You are [Spores]!?"

Then it dawned on me, and I understood the true nature of the creature before me.
"No wonder, no wonder that when I hear you 'singing' around the house, no matter where I go, the volume of the sound is always the same—"

Because you yourselves are 'spores' floating in the air, extremely tiny life forms, products of the aggregation of cells.

This makes you, who are already drifting with the wind, omnipresent…

In other words, what you are talking to is actually a consciousness composed of countless cells floating in mid-air.

From a physical perspective, there are countless of them.

The 'mushrooms' in front of them are merely the outer shells that provide them with shelter:

"This is also why you were able to quickly take over Dawn's body—in fact, the spores had already parasitized her body long before we stepped into the pit."

It was only after we officially came into contact with you that it began to take root and sprout.

"Is the breeding rate also under your control?"

"Yes, we are free to decide whether a new group is born. This often requires careful consideration to reach a conclusion—mainly depending on whether there are enough nutrients available at present to sustain life."

"So you don't mind that someone takes a part of you?"

"Of course we mind. But if it's the price that allows us to survive, we're willing to accept it."

"It's equivalent to taking a portion of your 'tribe members' as protection money. Anyway, the homeowner who brought you here will provide you with nutrients and help you reproduce."

And those spores that were 'abandoned' didn't even feel angry about it.

Because they are part of a collective, they have no individual characteristics.

The existence of these life forms before him was beyond Tang Qi's existing knowledge, and it took him quite a while to fully digest the information.

Until finally, a strange thought suddenly came to his mind:

What would it feel like to take a bath with spores? Like a spiritual connection?

He quickly shook his head, banishing the bizarre thought from his mind.

"But you suddenly appeared in the dungeon in the last few months, right? Before that, where did you live?"

“We had always lived underground, but then we decided to escape to this place.”

What did you encounter?

"Danger. A threat that could make us abandon our safe haven and flee to distant places at all costs."

"Is it some kind of subterranean creature?"

"Unable to confirm."

"So you decided to migrate based on intuition..." Tang Qi could understand.

This instinctive awareness of danger is actually a form of maladaptation to sudden changes in the environment.

Just like fish in the sea spontaneously gather together before a storm arrives.

The earth is about to tremble, and birds will receive a 'signal' in advance and try to escape the perceived danger zone.

The mushrooms probably encountered a similar situation.

Based on this, it's inevitable that Tang Qi would make more connections—

Did the orcs who shouldn't have appeared in the Dawn Forest receive a similar signal, which ultimately led them to cooperate with humans and occupy the land of Starplum Town?
Everything was still just speculation, but that didn't stop Tang Qi from taking out paper and pen from his dimensional bag and recording them on the last page of his log.

That was the target that Tang Qi had been puzzled about so far, but had not yet been able to find any clues about.

In the first position, Tang Qi filled in:

Why did the log end up in my hands?

[The history of the Golden Kingdom and the Dawn?]

Because they are so far removed from the present, Tang Qi temporarily categorized them as 'long-term goals'.

The immediate and achievable goal is:

[Ruins and dragon eggs located near Xingmei Town?]

What is the connection between the orcs and DragonGoldCity?

After a moment's thought, he wrote on the fourth line: "Why do mushrooms migrate?"

Then, as if struck by a thought, he looked at the dog-headed man who, having nothing better to do, had already begun flipping through the newspaper to absorb knowledge:

"Kuru, you once said that you also migrated from underground, right? Was it because you sensed some kind of danger?"

"Rua!"

This in itself represents a kind of affirmation, allowing Tang Qi to write "The Reasons for the Kobold Migration".

Once you list out a few points of confusion, it's hard not to notice their commonalities.

"Kobolds, mushrooms, orcs... all seem to be in a state of 'migration'."

This can hardly be called a coincidence.

Only now did Tang Qi finally realize that everything he had experienced seemed to have a pattern...

But he quickly suppressed these thoughts and focused on the present:

"Okay, now there's only one last question—"

Can you relinquish control of my companion's body and return the initiative to her?

“If you allow it, we would prefer to leave a spore in this body—well, what you call a spore.”

The mushrooms' tone even carried a hint of pleading.

"Of course, we don't intend to do anything to your friend."

Rather, it is just—

We'd like to talk to you more.

Tang Qi raised an eyebrow, then recalled the feelings he had shared when he played music with the mushrooms.

lonely.

“Before being ‘stripped away,’ we didn’t have any intention of communicating with anyone.”

Because newly formed 'spores' are always connected to their predecessors that have existed for a long time—

They are knowledgeable and have seen every landscape underground, so much so that they can always release happy factors, allowing everyone to feel a shared emotion and experience joy from it.

But having left behind our predecessors, we lack this ability, and we are unable to feel the meaning of life in the desolate underground.

It's as if our fungal life is destined to continue in an eternal cycle of reproduction and harvesting..."

Newly sprouted mushrooms always 'accept happiness', but don't know how to 'create happiness'.

This might be why the mushrooms were sad late at night.

They need a source of 'happiness':

"But your appearance and your music seem to be helping us get rid of this sorrow."

You are absolutely right, 'music is a good way to express emotions'.

We hope to play the same music with you and immerse ourselves in the emotions it evokes.

This allows us to perceive meaning beyond reproduction, and to look forward to it.

Their sincerity plunged Tang Qi into a prolonged silence.

Unable to perceive Tang Qi's thoughts, the mushrooms felt rejected and, in their sadness, uncontrollably began singing melancholy tunes:
Please forgive our intrusion.

We will now disconnect your partner…

Tang Qi then came to his senses and quickly waved his hand, saying:

No, please don't misunderstand.

I did not intend to reject you—

"It's just that I know so many songs that I'm not sure which ones I should teach you right now."

"Pfft!"

Suddenly, a strange sound reached Tang Qi's ears.

The mushrooms quickly explained:

"Sorry, this is just our reaction when we're happy. We hope it didn't scare you."

"You really scared me."

Tang Qi finally made a decision, sweeping down a cheerful chord.

Music is a bridge for communication.