Daily News: Insect Girls' Heavy Dependence

There's nothing we can do about it.

The corpse was so well disguised that it blended almost completely into its surroundings. Its facial features had been replaced by mushrooms, which were naturally covered with a thick layer of spores and insect eggs, making it almost undetectable without close inspection.

In an instant, Gowei's hand transformed into a sharp cleaver, a flash of cold light severing the corpse's neck. Then, with a kick, the severed head flew dozens of meters away like a ball, crashing into a pile of white spore-bearing eggs, sending up a spray of snow.

However, even with only its head remaining, the creature was still not dead. Countless delicate mycelia rapidly spread from the severed neck, wriggling like living worms, supporting the head as it swiftly crawled across the spore-covered snow. Finding a gap, it plunged into it, leaving only a trembling little mushroom protruding from its head, disguised as an ordinary fungus.

Wearing a gas mask, Richard laughed so hard at the bizarre and comical scene that he bent over backwards, his shoulders shaking violently. His muffled laughter could be heard even through the mask, making him look like a guy who had gone mad with amusement.

"What are you laughing at!" Govi ​​snapped, kicking the headless corpse at her feet to make sure it wasn't moving anymore before continuing to clear the surrounding ground.

These corpses hidden beneath the "snow" might still pose a threat to ordinary pioneers or third-tier bull-horse people.

But in front of this newly promoted fourth-order Papal Knight, aside from the initial shock, the rest was like a motionless silicone doll, easily dealt with like cutting melons and vegetables.

The pioneers in the team were on edge; experience told them they had to be extremely careful. They gripped their daggers tightly in one hand and used their canes or tools in the other to carefully examine every inch of the seemingly flat "snow" beneath their feet.

They searched for any unusual bumps or areas that felt different to the touch, fearing that there might be a mushroom monster about to "rise from its coffin" buried right beneath them.

As the cleanup area expanded, more and more bodies buried underground were discovered.

Some have completely turned into mushrooms, their limbs twisted into inhuman shapes; others still retain a roughly human shape, but their skin is covered with fungal patches, and various fungi grow on their facial features.

Looking at these strange artifacts that had been unearthed, Richard's smile gradually faded, his brows furrowed, and his expression grew increasingly grim. His mind raced as he thought:

Where did this so-called Lord of the Forest get so many human corpses? While the North is a harsh environment with people freezing, starving, or going missing every year, the numbers don't seem to add up…

Moreover, not all of these corpses transformed into the aggressive fungus-men; most were simply covered with mushrooms and mycelium.

The actions rely on some residual instinct or external manipulation... This situation is somewhat similar to the characteristics of another insect called the Corpse Manipulator that Glolo had previously explained to him.

Could the Lord of the Forest not only control the fungus-men, but also manipulate corpses infested with fungi? What does it intend to do with these corpses? Cultivate mycelium? Expand its territory? Or conduct some more sinister transformation experiment?

Govi, however, didn't have as many complicated thoughts as him. After kicking aside a corpse, her gaze was drawn to a cluster of exceptionally bright mushrooms nearby.

It was a red-umbrella, white-stemmed mushroom. Its cap was as red as blood, and its stem was as white as jade. It stood out in the forest, which was dominated by white and gray, but it also exuded an eerie beauty.

Of course she recognized it. The veteran pioneers knew that this red mushroom had strong hallucinogenic and addictive properties; even just inhaling a little of its spores or accidentally ingesting them through contact could induce euphoric hallucinations and a feeling of floating on air.

Until their lives are exhausted in this illusory paradise, they eventually become one of the corpses beneath this forest. Therefore, they are always extremely cautious and fully armed when collecting them.

On the other hand, within the secret circles of high-ranking priests in the Vatican, the red-umbrella white-stemmed mushroom is known as the "holy mushroom."

After being purified and diluted through a complex and dangerous alchemical process, its deadly toxicity can be formulated into a special potion that supposedly allows users to have a spiritual experience that brings them closer to the goddess.

This is seen by some fanatics or ascetics seeking divine revelation as a ladder to godhood, despite how absurd, dangerous, and taboo this ladder is.

As a Papal Knight, Govi ​​had heard of this, but that was all. She curled her lip, disdainful of this path of seeking divine favor through external means, not to mention, she didn't believe in goddesses at all!

Discard the red-umbrella, white-stemmed mushroom, and crush the red mushroom into the soil with your boots, then ignore it.

On the other side, Richard had already squatted down, no longer paying attention to the corpse, but instead carefully studying the exposed soil around him.

He grabbed a handful of material from the ground; it wasn't real soil, but a thick layer of soft, loose, porous fibrous debris.

Their colors range from light brown to grayish-white, and they feel dry and light to the touch. They appear to be the remains of some kind of fungus after it has grown, died, and decomposed, or perhaps the excrement of the mushroom worm itself.

Throughout the forest, once you dig away the surface layer of snow and insect eggs, you'll find almost entirely this fibrous soil underneath, piled up in layers of unknown depth, and quite springy to the touch.

Richard twirled the fiber scraps in his hand, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

He remembered that one of the main raw materials for papermaking on Earth was plant fiber... The texture of these fungal fiber scraps in front of him seemed quite suitable?

If we could collect them and process them through washing, bleaching, and pressing, we might actually be able to make paper.

In this world, the paper used by ordinary people is mostly tanned animal hide, such as parchment and kraft paper, which are precious and need to be repeatedly scratched before use.

While truly thin, inexpensive plant fiber paper suitable for large-scale writing does exist, its production is scarce and its processing is complex, resulting in high book costs. These books often need to be chained to libraries or the studies of the wealthy to prevent theft.

Only top-tier nobles like the Duke of the North could afford to support an entire underground library that houses paper books.

Even Yekaterin could easily purchase printed romance novels for entertainment, which in itself was a symbol of status and wealth.

If... Stormwind could develop a paper industry using the seemingly endless fungal fiber scraps in this forest...

Richard's eyes lit up slightly as he continued to ponder: This could not only provide Yekaterin with a new, sustainable economic pillar, increasing tax revenue and employment, but perhaps... it could also reduce the cost of paper.

In that time, books will no longer be so out of reach, and more ordinary people, even children from poor families, may have the opportunity to afford to study and learn to read...

The dissemination and popularization of knowledge can often trigger greater changes.

The thought sent a surge of excitement through Richard's mind, temporarily dispelling the gloom he felt in the face of the bizarre corpse and the potential fifth-order threat.

Of course, all of this is predicated on the premise that they can eliminate the huge threat posed by the Forest Lord who is entrenched here, and safely develop and utilize this land.

He stood up, brushed the fiber off his hands, and turned his gaze back to the depths of the forest, towards the direction of the huge and eerie four-colored mushroom.

That place may be the source of danger, but it may also hold the answers to their journey, and... the opportunities for future development.

"I've rested enough."

Richard spoke to Gove and his teammates, his voice muffled through the gas mask, yet resolute.

"Clear a safe passage and let's get closer to that giant mushroom. Watch your step and your surroundings, be wary of anything alive, especially those giant tentacles! Govi, you have experience, you go first. If there's anything unusual, don't ask for permission, just act."

"It should have been done a long time ago."

Govi flexed her wrists, her entire body now clad in armor, her arms gleaming with a cold light as they took on the form of a slashing sword.

She took the lead and walked towards the four-colored mushrooms covered with spore eggs, which looked like sleeping giants.

The pioneers followed closely behind, each carrying a giant axe in one hand and a long scouting stick in the other, their expressions vigilant yet resolute.

The forest was silent, save for the rustling sound of footsteps on fibers and insect eggs, and the faint, rhythmic undulations of the giant mushroom in the distance.