Lin Jun held quite a favorable impression of this demon tribe.
Perhaps it was due to their long residence in the bitter cold of the extreme north, far removed from the continent's strife, that these demons possessed hearts notably more pure than others.
Take this exchange of magic cores, for instance—Shu had proposed that all present tribe members pool their contribution points together. If this were among humans, someone would surely jump out to question: "Why shouldn't those who aren't here also contribute their points?"
But the demons raised no such objections.
Most demons possessed an awareness that the tribe came before the individual—perhaps it was precisely this consciousness that enabled them to survive in the extreme north.
Simultaneously, the harsh survival environment of the extreme north had cultivated in the demons a paradoxical nature of being both easily satisfied yet incredibly resilient.
For them, being able to eat mushrooms until full was already a good day; to connect with the mycelial mat and feel that warm surge of magical power was nothing short of tremendous happiness; and now, to actually have the opportunity to bring back the magic cores of departed tribesmen—this was truly the most fortunate of fortunes!
As for work, whether it was leading the puffshrooms deep into mine shafts to excavate magic crystals, or patrolling the somewhat sweltering caverns to clear out magical beasts, they tackled these tedious and arduous tasks without complaint, even carrying a kind of steadfast satisfaction.
Simply put, they had low employment costs, were hardworking and enduring hardship, and possessed excellent individual qualities—in Lin Jun's eyes, they were practically perfect... well, employees.
Lin Jun and these demons were currently in what could be called a honeymoon period, and with the successful redemption of the first magic core, this harmony had taken a great stride forward.
Now, approximately one-sixth of the tribe's members had already connected to the mycelial network, becoming Lin Jun's "official employees."
And in Lin Jun's secret treasure vault, thirty-two magic cores belonging to departed demons lay quietly—a number Lin Jun had disclosed from the very beginning.
To exchange back the magic cores, at the current rate of contribution point accumulation, they would either need to spend one or two years slowly saving up, or have more tribesmen join the "workforce."
But regardless of which path they chose, the destination was crystal clear: the entire demon tribe would ultimately be completely integrated into Lin Jun's system.
The difference lay only in the process being slightly different.
Therefore, although the demons still carefully guarded their final bottom line, deliberately avoiding mention of the tribe's most core "cradle" in Lin Jun's presence, Lin Jun felt no urgency whatsoever.
The demons needed time to digest and accept this inevitable future.
And the more harmonious and cordial their relationship became, the less impact there would be on the demons' hearts when they finally accepted this outcome.
Lin Jun now had all the patience in the world.
In the past, he had been driven to distraction by the survival crisis of the underground city, spinning like a high-speed top that couldn't stop.
Now that he controlled the underground city and had a stable rear base, Lin Jun's mindset had become increasingly composed.
The outcome was already predetermined—whether the demons accepted it sooner or later was entirely up to their preference.
---
While Lin Jun remained unhurried and unperturbed, someone not far from the Purple Crystal Underground City was already frantic with anxiety.
Eleven days had passed since the humans' evacuation.
The camp was pitched on wasteland twelve li from the underground city. The townspeople and wealthy adventurers had mostly fled to surrounding cities, leaving behind primarily gaunt refugees.
"How are things at the underground city?" In a simple tent, Fal asked Edin, who was gripping a crystal tool nearby.
"It hasn't collapsed yet, but I went to check the first floor—there are spatial rifts everywhere inside," Edin replied with visible fatigue.
"You've had a hard time recently."
"It's my duty."
Only after Edin's figure disappeared beyond the tent flap did Fal let out a heavy sigh, turning to Mirabelle, who wore an equally troubled expression: "How long can the camp's food supplies last?"
Mirabelle's face was bitter: "Guild Leader Fal, at the current scale we can supply for seven more days, but in reality new refugees join the camp daily. Four days is probably the absolute limit..."
Having so many refugees gathered together and suddenly cutting off food supplies would be a major problem—far more troublesome than letting them starve scattered in various places!
"Can't we... request aid from the Guild Master?" Mirabelle asked tentatively, her voice barely audible.
Fal glanced at her, and Mirabelle immediately fell silent.
A letter was pushed across to her by Fal: "I already asked, but he can't spare any provisions either."
Mirabelle grabbed the letter and quickly scanned it, then exclaimed in a low voice: "War? The military has priority and requisitioned the stored grain?! Then what... what do we do?"
Lilian said nothing, only silently massaging the bulging veins at Fal's temples.
Fal closed his eyes and pondered for a long while: "Three days... if the underground city hasn't collapsed after three days, we'll risk... sending some people in to gather mushrooms."
Having made his decision and dismissed the deeply worried Mirabelle, Fal wearily picked up the bowl of meat porridge on the table that had long since gone cold.
Gulping down the entire bowl, Fal smacked his lips.
"Tastes awful..."
---
Deep in the mountain region beside the temporary camp.
An arrow shot through the forest, precisely embedding itself in a wild boar's neck.
"Hooray, we've got meat!" Feilin raised her bow and cheered in a suppressed voice, though her joy was unmistakable.
The camp's food was clearly running short—anyone could see that. Vera had decided to come hunt in the mountains to bring something back to help those refugees, or at the very least reduce some burden on the camp.
Vera's gaze unconsciously drifted to the elf beside them. After leaving the underground city area with them, this elf didn't seem eager to return to the forest, and had naturally remained with the team.
"Sirian," Vera spoke with some concern, "I heard that druids... don't really like people eating meat?"
"That's a rumor..." Feiyin quickly whispered a reminder nearby.
Hearing this, the elf's lips curved slightly upward, and he waved his hand candidly: "That's right, it's a rumor. Not only do we not dislike it, druids eat meat too. In fact, I've gone several days without meat and feel like I can barely stand! What we oppose is needless killing beyond survival requirements."
"I see!" Vera and Feilin exchanged glances, having unlocked new knowledge.
Having caught the wild boar, the group didn't head down the mountain immediately, but continued climbing upward until they reached a quiet pool where a clear mountain stream gathered among the rocks.
Vera pointed at the pool and said to Sirian: "This is the place. Bathing here is much better than crowding into that murky lake by the camp."
Sirian surveyed the environment and nodded in deep agreement. The lake by the camp was not only crowded but couldn't compare in water quality to this mountain spring water.
Vera hefted the heavy wild boar: "You three go wash first. I'll head downstream to process this fellow."
Feilin and Feiyin immediately cheered, eagerly beginning to unfasten the equipment straps on their bodies that had been worn for over half a month and were covered in dust and sweat stains.
"Hmm?" Vera paused, somewhat surprised. "Aren't you going to wash?"
"Of course I am," Sirian answered matter-of-factly.
"Then... why aren't you going with them?" Vera jerked his chin toward the pool's edge, where the twins had already removed their shoes and were testing the water.
The elf looked troubled: "Even if we're different races, bathing together with the opposite sex..."
Vera looked at Sirian's delicate features: "Huh?"
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