[Mushroom Cannon LV10]
Lin Jun’s first max-level skill, earned purely through practice, not [Greed] absorption!
If he could max out his other mushroom-related skills, maybe they’d fuse into something like “Mushroom Mastery”?
The cannon’s power had surged beyond its level nine strength.
Paired with [Resonance LV4], it was downright terrifying!
Speaking of [Resonance], as its level rose, it could coordinate more Puffshrooms.
The Resonance Cannon used before was a fusion of over a dozen Puffshrooms.
This battle revealed its flaws.
For one, its length—carried by multiple Jida—made it sluggish to turn, struggling to hit fast targets.
It was like a heavy artillery piece, built for overwhelming firepower, not pinpoint sniping.
With enough of them, blanketing a battlefield in blasts would be something to see.
But that led to the second issue—magic consumption!
A two-Puffshroom Resonance shot burned far more than double the magic.
The more Puffshrooms in sync, the worse the drain.
That’s why, after the first two shots, the cannon’s firing slowed.
The Puffshrooms’ own magic ran dry, relying on the Mycelial Network for slow recharges.
Still, with such firepower, these were minor gripes. Lin Jun wasn’t exactly short on magic!
Just two days after the fight, the spot on Little Black’s forehead, smashed by Galen’s punch, was already sprouting new black scales.
In about ten days, it’d be good as new.
Lin Jun bought a batch of gems for Little Black through human channels. They weren’t as perfect as her prized green gem, but their sparkling, vibrant colors beat plain glass beads. Little Black was thrilled.
The cost? Just some [Tastiness LV6] red mushrooms, with extras left over for Edin’s activity funds.
Notably, among humans, regular [Tastiness LV2] mushrooms were dropping in price.
Though rare before, with mushroom fields expanding fast, these once-precious treats were becoming common.
This price drop didn’t just hit mushrooms—it dragged down other [Tastiness]-infused fruits too.
Some nobles, hit hard by losses, fumed and pressured Farr to curb the mushroom fields’ growth.
Farr didn’t care.
Mushrooms, with their rising output and exports, were his biggest political and economic leverage.
With elves cutting back on food aid, Yafeng Town’s importance to the United Kingdom grew daily.
Plus, Farr’s father, head of the Adventurers’ Guild, didn’t need to favor him—his mere presence made schemers think twice about targeting Farr for a few coins.
Using food trade, Farr gained scarce management talent and quality building stone, pushing Yafeng Town toward becoming a true city.
Meanwhile, Little Black faced a new issue—too many shiny gems, her mushroom hut overflowing!
Each time she pried open the door, gems spilled out with a clatter.
She’d crouch, carefully picking up each fallen treasure.
But when she tried the door again… the cycle repeated.
Little Black wasn’t clueless. After a dozen tries, she gave up entering!
Hugging her thick tail, she found a cozy spot by the hut’s door, curled up, and slept in the open…
Thanks to her strong adaptability, [Cold Resistance LV8] kept her from freezing silly.
Now, sleeping outside let her snarl at any demonkin nearing her hut!
Lin Jun didn’t plan to expand her hut. It’d only delay the problem.
In just over half a year, she’d filled it. With her growing knack for collecting, even a bigger hut wouldn’t last.
Build a “shiny gem storage zone” with rows of mushroom huts? No way.
They say hardship sparks problem-solving wisdom. Lin Jun trusted Little Black’s smarts!
Though Galen’s capture held Lin Jun’s attention, the Mycelial Network’s growth at Godwood Dungeon didn’t stop.
At the dungeon’s entrance, atop the massive spiral structure’s surface layer, a small dirt pile shifted.
Several Puffshrooms nimbly emerged from a newly dug tunnel.
Ignoring nearby curious monsters peering over, they quickly scattered special mycelium spores to mark the tunnel’s mouth, then darted back into the dark underground network.
They’d reached the surface. Lin Jun planned to dig downward at an angle, staying 100–200 meters deep to dodge elven scout detection.
A 200-meter layer of rock and soil was a perfect natural barrier. Even Lin Jun’s Scout Puffshrooms couldn’t sense the surface from that depth—he doubted elves could either.
Not because he questioned elven detection tech, but because no powerful scanning could cover an entire elven city’s vast area!
Monitoring their grand elven palace tightly was impressive enough.
Of course, Lin Jun planned for the worst.
The Puffshrooms for this mission were handpicked. Except for the odd-looking Digging Puffshrooms, the rest looked normal, with no Magic Crystals inside.
If elves caught them, he could pass it off as “mutated wild Puffshrooms’ natural burrowing.”
Surely elves wouldn’t exterminate every digging critter like rats or moles?
His caution proved unnecessary.
The digging went smoothly, with no elven interference.
Aside from occasional underground water veins forcing reroutes, there were few obstacles.
Just as Lin Jun pondered helping the graveyard elves “return to nature” faster, the rock resistance ahead vanished. A Digging Puffshroom, caught off guard, tumbled into a void.
Not a natural cave, but a roughly carved, polished underground room.
Small, under ten square meters, it was empty—no people. Lin Jun would’ve sensed them.
A dusty wooden bed, a sealed box, an empty table, and a small Magic Crystal lamp sat in the corner.
Someone had lived here, but not recently.
The catch? This was nearly 200 meters underground!
What kind of room gets built at such a wild depth?
For now… time to check that box!
(End of Chapter)
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