Within the Adventurer's Guild council chamber, the atmosphere was heavy with tension.
The core "4+1" members were still present: Farr, Soraline, Fifteen, Aidin, and Lillian standing behind Aidin.
Soraline clenched her fists tightly, her knuckles turning slightly white as she was the first to speak, her voice low and filled with self-reproach: "This is my fault. When we encountered unexpected casualties on the second floor, I should have been alert to the situation spiraling out of control and immediately led the team to retreat. It was my underestimation and reckless advance that led to this crushing defeat."
Fifteen immediately followed, his tone carrying a hint of undisguised regret: "The responsibility lies with me. There was indeed an opportunity to kill that 'Puffshroom King' at the time—it was I who failed to seize it, allowing it to escape."
Aidin's gaze swept over the two of them, mentally pondering whether he too should symbolically admit some fault.
But upon careful reflection, aside from running faster than everyone else during the retreat... he didn't seem to have made any fatal errors.
He ultimately remained silent.
"Enough," Farr raised his hand, stopping their self-recriminations. "The root cause lies in my misjudgment. The massive number of over two thousand puffshrooms, the Puffshroom King with diamond-tier strength, plus the carefully laid ambushes and traps... all of these far exceeded my initial estimates."
He looked around at everyone, honestly admitting: "I was too hasty, making plans based on false or severely outdated intelligence, which led to this defeat. The primary responsibility lies with me."
"So what happens next...?" Aidin asked tentatively.
"We'll recollect and reorganize intelligence, then formulate a new subjugation plan." Farr's answer was resolute and decisive.
At this moment, Lillian, standing behind Aidin, spoke softly with a hint of confusion: "Couldn't we... try to negotiate with them, seek peaceful coexistence? Since they possess considerable intelligence, we should be able to communicate through 'telepathy,' right? This time the puffshrooms released everyone—why not try communication?"
Farr's gaze turned to Lillian, his expression complex, showing understanding but more importantly, unwavering realistic considerations: "I'm afraid that won't work, Lillian."
His voice was clear and calm as he analyzed systematically:
"The Amethyst Underground City is not some insignificant overseas island that could simply be occupied without consequence.
It's a resource production point—magic crystals, medicinal herbs, magical creature materials...
These puffshrooms haven't just occupied a single floor, but have invaded the entire underground city, and they're still spreading!
If left unchecked, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Even setting aside the issue of resource production—"
Farr paused, emphasizing his tone: "This place is located in the deep rear of the United Kingdom! With tensions escalating daily with the Hermit Empire, war could break out at any moment. If we don't deal with these puffshrooms before then, they'll become a massive destabilizing factor once war begins."
He looked directly at Lillian, delivering his cold conclusion: "Unless that Puffshroom King immediately emerges from the underground city and places itself under human control, we have no choice but to find ways to eliminate it. Do you think a magical creature leader who has just defeated a human subjugation force and demonstrated such formidable strength and intelligence would accept such humiliating conditions?"
Lillian fell silent for a moment, then gently shook her head.
Having just achieved victory, only to surrender unconditionally the next moment?
That indeed seemed highly unlikely.
"Exactly, absolutely impossible." Farr's voice carried finality. "Therefore, any talk of communication now is pointless—we can discuss it after we've defeated it!"
Soraline nodded silently. Though the puffshrooms had just spared her life, reality was far more complex.
She was first and foremost the Church's sharpest sword—cold duty always took precedence over personal feelings.
She could only say that if the Puffshroom King ultimately fell into her hands, she would try her best to give it a chance to choose, rather than killing it outright...
She then raised the most realistic current issue: "But our current manpower is nowhere near sufficient to support another subjugation attempt, is it?"
In terms of ordinary combat strength, adventurers could no longer be counted on. With death and severe injury rates exceeding one-third, even with substantial bounties, few would be willing to undertake such a mission.
Issuing another guild quest would only invite ridicule.
As for high-end combat power, the terrifying strength displayed by the puffshrooms was heart-stopping.
Even including the maid Lillian, their forces seemed like a drop in the bucket against that diamond-tier Puffshroom King and its massive mycelium legion.
Farr was well aware of this: "So I'll wait for the 'specialist' team heading to the core to arrive before taking action. In the meantime, I'll try to recruit several more diamond-tier adventurers through special commission channels."
"Um..." Aidin suddenly spoke up, carefully choosing his words as he suggested, "Why not consider seeking more external aid?"
"External aid?" Farr's gaze instinctively shifted to Soraline—the Church was already the most important external aid for this operation, but—
Soraline shook her head slightly, her tone apologetic: "I'm afraid that's not possible. The Church's core forces are currently focused on hunting down imperial spies—we're spread too thin."
Aidin: "I'm not referring to the Church, but to Duke Arama, the Saint Claire family. The Amethyst Underground City sits on their fief. Though it's under guild jurisdiction, once problems arise in the underground city and catastrophic consequences ensue, their territory would bear the brunt! Why not seek some support from them?"
Farr sighed lightly: "The reasoning is sound. But Duke Arama is personally leading his main forces in border confrontations with the Hermit Empire. The forces remaining to guard the rear of his fief are presumably, like the Church, deeply mired in spy purging operations. Whether they can spare manpower to assist us is questionable."
Aidin stepped forward, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible confidence: "I won't hide this from you all—I actually have some connection with the Duke's only daughter. I could write a letter. If it succeeds, it would be an unexpected blessing; even if it fails, we lose nothing."
"You know the Duke's daughter?" Farr's eyes flashed with interest as he murmured.
This wasn't entirely impossible.
Aidin's usual refined aristocratic bearing wasn't mere affectation.
Farr knew he was a genuine noble—though merely a viscount whose family had long declined and lost their actual fiefdom.
But a diamond-tier adventurer who was also a noble meeting the Duke's daughter at some social gathering was entirely reasonable.
As Aidin said, it was just one letter—if it could secure even a squad of soldiers from the Duke's forces, it would be pure profit.
If it sank without a trace, there was no cost involved.
"Excellent!" Farr decided immediately. "Then I'll trouble Lord Aidin to write that letter. If this succeeds, there will certainly be proper compensation!"
---
[Level Up: LV56→LV57]
[Seven Sins: Greed Triggered]
[Plundered Skill: Sacred Barrier LV2]
[Plundered Skill: Heavy Armor Mastery LV4→LV5]
[Plundered Skill: Light Magic LV3→LV4]
[Plundered Skill: Human Common Language LV8→LV9]
...
...
...
On the sixth floor of the underground city, a certain blue mushroom was reviewing its plans.
If this operation went well, it might be able to successfully expand to the surface.
Though the main goal remained seizing the underground city's core.
But... what if it failed?
What if this underground city was already terminally ill, and the core beyond salvation?
Plan for failure before planning for victory—arranging multiple fallback routes was never wrong!
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