They don't want me to try anymore.

The next second, the restaurant door was pushed open, and a man in black with deep-set eyes, prominent brow bones, and a goatee strode in, scanning the restaurant.

Baron Follett frowned: "Daniel, that's very rude of you. I'm entertaining guests!"

"Oh, sorry!"

The man named Daniel made a perfunctory bow to the table, then shook his head and laughed, "However, I think it's far more impolite for our guests to encounter bandits on their journey than for offensive words."

"……what?"

"Lord Follett, those bandits have recently been robbing the prospecting and mining teams I hired, and they just attacked the old mine in the northeast. Today alone, we've lost at least two hundred gold coins!"

He leaned closer, glared at him, and said, "We can't wait any longer, my dear brother, you need to send troops into the mountains to subdue them!"

Upon hearing the words "send troops," Baron Follett's face twitched, seemingly unwilling to answer. He simply waved dismissively and said, "We'll talk about it later. Sit down first; we can't let the creamy lamb chops get cold."

Richard raised an eyebrow at the table.

Seriously, it's only my first day here, can't I even eat properly?

...However, the creamy lamb chops really shouldn't be cold.

Chapter 53 Another World Version of the Golden Apple Snail

The long-awaited banquet finally began.

After a series of introductions, Richard learned that the last person to arrive, Mr. Daniel, was the younger brother of Baron Follett—because there was only one title, and his status was merely that of a citizen.

Follett seemed to feel indebted to his brother and took good care of him, helping him become the owner of the largest coal mining company near Nyon.

Now, the dining table has power, education, and money—everything is there.

Although his entrance was rather irritable, once he sat down at the table, Mr. Daniel was very polite to everyone, and his conversation revolved around industry-related topics, making him seem much more capable than Follett.

However, about an hour later, Daniel glanced at his brother and stopped the conversation: "Pleasant times are always short... I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, I have important matters to discuss."

Follett, clearly reluctant after receiving a meaningful glance, politely left his seat and asked Bishop Benjamin to take his place and continue entertaining Richard and the others.

After they all went to the next room to talk, Richard asked Benjamin in a low voice, "Did we... come at the wrong time?"

"Please don't think that way, Mr. Richard."

Benjamin put down his cutlery and smiled gently, "The rampant fungal infestation has always been a headache for everyone in Nion City, and we sincerely welcome someone to come and clean it up."

"As for the bandits, it's a chronic problem in the area around the Abarania Mountains. It's gotten a bit worse recently, affecting Daniel's business and making him a little anxious."

"I heard that you were also attacked by bandits when you came here?"

Richard nodded.

"Yes, then you should understand the seriousness of the problem. Logically speaking, bandits must be eradicated at any time; it's unavoidable..."

"But they always hide deep in the dense forests and ravines, and we can easily suffer heavy losses when we try to wipe them out. So the Baron is in a difficult position. Please forgive his rudeness."

Oh, I see, that's how they got their cannons, right?

Benjamin made a praying gesture and said, "May Goddess bless this place, no matter what."

Everyone joined in the prayer.

Benjamin added, "There used to be a scholar here in Nyon who was researching fungi and venomous animals, but he fell ill and returned to his hometown two years ago. Currently, I am mainly responsible for the work of containing fungi and venomous animals. I will take you to the site after dinner."

"Thank you very much."

After the welcoming banquet, Richard felt he still had energy, so he declined Benjamin's suggestion to rest for half a day and set off for the area outside the city where fungal beasts were rampaging.

And just half an hour after they left.

In a hidden little warehouse in the Baron's mansion.

A kneeling man whispered to the empty corner, "Your Excellency, the men of St. Goethe have arrived. Should we postpone our plans?"

"They're just a few students doing internships, there's nothing to worry about."

A hoarse voice echoed from the shadows where the candlelight couldn't reach: "The strongest among them is only a high-level Bronze, insignificant to our grand plan!"

"Besides, don't we know very well what kind of people these noble sons of Idaril are? Arrogant, lazy, and self-important... They've only come here for a visit, and at most they'll go to the outskirts once or twice. The rest of the time they'll be lying on the bellies of women in the city."

"So what if they kill a few fungal beasts? My reserves are inexhaustible, something these foolish lambs can never imagine."

The figure kowtowed and said, "You are right, sir."

"Good that you understand. From now on, we should focus our efforts on the mountain people and the baron. We need more blood! When the time comes, they... will all be nothing but insects!"

Not long after.

Guided by Benjamin and several guards, Richard and his party arrived at the north side of Nyon.

Richard finally met one of the goals of his trip.

The creature, known as the Fungus Beast, was about half a meter long. Its body was dark brown and had no definite shape, resembling clay. Its surface was covered with many sticky filaments that seemed to function as hands and feet.

It doesn't look like a normal, native creature at all!

They lie in the forest canopy, and when a creature passes by, they pounce down, grab its mouth and nose, suffocating it to death, and then slowly digest it...

"That's about it."

Benjamin used a burst of blazing holy light to obliterate the fungal beast that was devouring the carcass of a wild deer, and said:

"They are everywhere in this forest. Most of the time they are weak and only have a certain level of intelligence, but there are exceptions sometimes, so you have to be careful."

"Because they reproduce in large numbers every year, posing a threat to humans and livestock, so... if possible, please eliminate at least three hundred of them."

"However, please do not use fire-based spells, as they can easily start wildfires."

Richard nodded in agreement: "Leave it to us."

"The goddess will bless you... Finally, this is the information left behind by that scholar. If you have any questions, you can find me in the church in the city."

After giving his instructions, Benjamin and several guards turned and left.

After walking more than ten steps, he turned his head slightly and looked at the group of people who were about to venture deeper into the forest, sighing inwardly.

He recalled the two men from last year, who casually brushed him off, complaining that the fungal beasts were too disgusting and that venturing into the forest was too troublesome, and then went to the city to listen to the opera... but they were certain that no one in Nyon would report them to Saint Goethe and cause them to fail.

Hopefully, these students are responsible enough...

"Don't even mention three hundred, I think killing a thousand wouldn't be enough!"

After trekking two kilometers through the forest, Richard shivered as he looked at the dense swarms of fungal creatures on the tree trunks in the distance.

It's no wonder it's a product of time-space chaos; it's definitely an invasive species, like a magnified version of a golden apple snail with its shell removed and its fibers stretched out!

It looks disgusting, and it really makes you want to burn it.

"But at our pace, we can only eliminate about three hundred a week, right?"

Zoe smashed the fungal beast in front of her to death with a hammer, then helped Katyusha clean the sticky stuff off her shield, and then had to catch her breath for a while.

Although the fungal beasts they encountered were easy to deal with, and could be defeated at the Black Iron level, killing them completely still required considerable physical effort.

This thing is like a lump of mud, lacking any clear vital points; it's like nothing happened if it gets shot or slashed.

Come to think of it, fire is definitely the best tool, but unfortunately, this is a forest...

Zoe wiped the sweat from her forehead and glanced at Luna beside her out of the corner of her eye—the mysterious nun who she couldn't shake off was now acting with ease and not tired at all, which made her somewhat admire her stamina.

But on the other hand... Hey! You old woman, why do you always unconsciously touch the chain whenever you look at Richard? You must be thinking something bad, right?

Damn it, I'll be keeping an eye on you!

"Got to find a way."

Richard, oblivious to the chain of suspicion running through the girl's mind, wiped the sticky residue off his feet and pulled out the diary from his pocket again—the research material left behind by Benjamin.

This document records many of the scholar's findings, such as his belief that the fungal beasts were not native species mutated under the influence of chaotic magical energy, but rather descendants of a powerful creature from another world...

For example, what are the habits of fungal beasts? What is their magic resistance? Do they have any value in alchemy? Are they edible? Do they taste good? Can they be used to make magical tools? Hmm, Richard was somewhat shocked by the other party's unusual tastes.

After reading more than half of it, one piece of information caught Richard's attention.

“I tried to capture and tame these fungal beasts, but I found that they were all male and unable to reproduce, which contradicts the fact that their numbers were increasing rapidly in the forest…”

"After more careful observation, I finally found the female fungus deep in the dense forest. She was brightly colored and eye-catching, able to attract males from more than ten kilometers away..."

"However, in five years, I have never captured a live female. Many times I clearly saw her walk into the trap, but upon checking afterwards, I could only find a male. It's so puzzling..."

After reading these descriptions, Richard couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.

Judging from the average strength shown by the fungal beasts so far, if there really is a certain number of females in this group, then this scholar, who is obviously a mage and proficient in alchemy, should have been able to capture them no matter what.

It's unusual that they haven't caught a single one.

Wait, could it be...

Richard, a transmigrator who had frequently watched the animal world in his previous life, suddenly had an inspiration.

Could it be that those fungal beasts in the trap net were actually females at the beginning?

Perhaps, this thing is... capable of changing gender?

Chapter 54 The Central Committee has decided, you are now a girl!

A fungal beast slowly crawled through the forest.