In Mushroom Garden No. 3, Norris and Louisa rested after a fierce sparring match.
“Thanks for the pointers, Blood Sis!” Norris, half-peeking from Jida, panted with a grin.
Louisa nodded, eyeing him with a hint of confusion.
“What’s up, Blood Sis? Need… a sip?” Norris tilted his head, baring his neck.
“No, not that.” Louisa shook her head. Blood wasn’t an issue anymore. “You seem… livelier lately.”
“Oh, really? Haha!” Norris scratched his head, laughing. “Guess I’m sleeping better. No more exhausting dreams like before.”
“Exhausting dreams…” Louisa echoed softly, her mind stirring. She’d had similar ones recently—any connection?
Norris perked up, pinging Lin Jun via the Mycelial Network. “Boss, I saw a shock Puffshroom in the prisoner chamber. Can Jida’s drill get that zap?”
No quick reply came. After a pause, a distracted voice answered, “Later.”
Norris leaned to Louisa, whispering, “What’s with Boss? Bad mood?”
Louisa shrugged. How would she know?
Lin Jun was in a foul mood.
Simple reason: he was getting pummeled every night!
Edin’s probe into “Strange Dream” turned up nothing useful.
Worse, since the second night, the invasions in Inanna’s dreams had doubled in force!
He could still shield Inanna, but his once-easy defense was now a desperate block.
It wasn’t just a mental scrape anymore—it felt like sticking his pinky through a pipe and getting pricked bloody!
At first, Lin Jun just wanted to fend off the intruder for a happy ending. Now, he burned to catch the mastermind and settle the score.
To turn things around, the fastest way was gobbling Dreamblooms to boost [Mind Guidance]’s level.
Inanna took the tough job—sneaking into her family’s vault for flowers!
Lin Jun figured she’d get caught eventually.
No big deal, though.
Inanna wouldn’t face harsh punishment, and if “Strange Dream” got exposed, Lin Jun had backup plans.
For now, he needed enough flowers to level up and end this nightly beatdown.
As for the Mycelial Network’s reach…
The duke’s mansion was two days from Mushroom Capital. Mycelial traces already dotted the area and beyond.
Even Norvid and Yafeng Port, neighboring cities, had Network tendrils creeping at their edges.
The Network’s spread widened the Puffshroom Masters’ range, and they started popping up in Norvid and Yafeng Port.
Their presence quickly sparked resentment from local adventurers and mercenaries.
Reason? They stole jobs!
A quest for a four-man team? Two Puffshroom Masters with their Puffshroom squads could handle it, paired up to cut losses.
It wasn’t just combat quests—trade caravans preferred Puffshroom Master escorts.
Unlike human mercenaries who prioritized self-preservation, Puffshrooms followed orders without hesitation, even sacrificing themselves.
For merchants, a small “Puffshroom loss fee” beat hefty mercenary payouts, slashing costs.
But these small cities had limited quests.
With efficient, cheap Puffshroom Masters snagging most jobs, traditional adventurers and mercenaries struggled to scrape by.
Some, thinking “join ‘em if you can’t beat ‘em,” headed to the dungeon for “baptism” to become Puffshroom Masters.
Most couldn’t adapt. Crushed by competition, they sulked in taverns, drowning woes, griping, and cursing the job-stealing Puffshroom Masters.
This resentment spread, fueled by shared complaints, brewing into widespread anger.
Then it exploded.
“Get out, freak!”
At a rowdy Norvid tavern’s door, a gray-robed figure was shoved out, crashing to the ground.
His hood fell, revealing faint white mycelial marks on his face—a Puffshroom Master.
His waiting Puffshrooms rushed to his side, clustering protectively.
Drunken mercenaries, faces mixed with booze, rage, and open hostility, blocked the tavern door.
Inside, cheers and jeers egged them on.
The tavern owner grumbled at losing a customer but stayed quiet in the heated mood.
The crowd’s noise emboldened the mercenaries, mocking the Puffshroom Master’s look.
He clenched his fists but held back.
Even ignoring the three mercenaries, a brawl could draw more from the tavern. He didn’t want a pointless fight.
Silently, he got up, ready to leave with his Puffshrooms.
But his restraint only egged them on.
They hurled insults, calling him a “mushroom-dependent loser.” One stepped forward, grabbed a Puffshroom’s leg, and yanked it up.
“Just mushrooms for stew! Let’s cook this tonight!” He squeezed, crushing the Puffshroom’s foot.
“Let it go…” the Puffshroom Master said.
“Or what?” The mercenary drew his knife, pointing it.
A jolt shot from the Puffshroom, numbing him.
Another Puffshroom whipped the knife away, and a shelled one smashed his face, knocking out teeth.
“You’re dead!” The other two mercenaries drew weapons, cursing, and charged.
Boom!
(End of Chapter)
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