Watching his sister play her trash-picking game with her pet, Salian chuckled, eyes full of fondness. “A red wood shard? Pretty rare.”
“Not just rare! Touch it, it’s amazing!” Airaven’s face flushed with excitement, shoving the shard into his hand.
The moment his fingers brushed it, Salian’s expression shifted.
His blood seemed to heat, a wild thrill surging in his chest!
Arousal spell?
Not the morale-boosting kind… something raw, brutal, like a bloodthirsty vibe!
What dangerous junk was this Puffshroom digging up?!
His smile vanished. He quickly channeled magic, a faint glow wrapping the dark red shard, lifting it from his palm to avoid contact.
After probing it several times, confirming it posed no greater threat, his tense shoulders eased slightly.
But this was clearly just a piece of something bigger.
The shard’s texture… familiar, like tree demon bark.
“Airaven,” his voice grew heavy, “where’d this come from?”
Seeing her brother’s sudden seriousness, Airaven sensed trouble, grabbing the Puffshroom on her head. “I-I’ll let Little Puff explain…”
She closed her eyes, holding the pose, silently communing with her pet via her talent.
Soon, the Scout Puffshroom extended a mycelium tendril, pointing out the window.
“There?” Salian looked that way.
Airaven explained, “Little Puff said it found it at its home… probably the dungeon.”
“The dungeon…” Salian mulled it over for minutes.
He warned Airaven not to touch random stuff her Puffshroom brought back—it was dangerous! Then he rushed off with the shard, leaving a confused Airaven and an all-knowing Puffshroom behind.
When faced with choices, Lin Jun always picked “all of the above.”
Since he’d sent Bastardos deep into the dungeon, no reason to let the elves, the rightful owners, sit idle.
Would they bump into each other down there?
Godwood Dungeon’s floors were vast. The odds were low, and if they met, slipping away was easy—Lin Jun trusted his scouting skills.
For now, he could only wait for results from the dungeon.
His gaze shifted back, checking floor ten.
A roaming Charm Puffshroom had “nabbed” another hunting werewolf.
Next, lead him out, let Norris and the “converted” werewolves cozy up, tossing lines like “you’re here already” or “give it a shot, no loss.” Let them taste the outside world’s thrills.
Stay or go? Their call.
Either way, the old wolves’ blockade was crumbling bit by bit.
Watching those old wolves scramble, helpless as their defenses eroded, was Lin Jun’s latest pastime.
In the dream battlefield, his skills hitting level six finally ended the one-sided beatings. Still a stalemate, but at least it wasn’t humiliating.
And Pink Puffshroom, the “inside thief,” was officially on duty!
Under the guise of testing skill gear, she frequented the treasury, sneaking out Dreambloom flowers and dumping them onto nearby mycelium.
A blatant, low-skill theft method. The steward was busy elsewhere, and her duchess status kept her under the radar.
For now, until the next inventory check, she’d keep getting away with it.
Lastly, the guy Lin Jun had been quietly watching forever was finally triggering his plot!
Ding-a-ling—
The bell at Puffshroom Home’s inn chimed brightly as a merchant-like guest pushed through the door.
Bianca, mid-swing hoisting a Puffshroom to dust ceiling corners, scurried back to the counter. “Guest, dining or lodging?”
With boss Dylan out, she handled the front.
Puffshroom Home now had actual Puffshrooms bustling about, and Bianca’s face bore mycelium traces, adding an odd edge to her cuteness.
Symbiosis with mycelium wasn’t rare in Mushroom Capital, but a young girl like her doing it was.
It required a near-death experience, after all.
Some botched it, stabbing themselves dead or bleeding out before symbiosis without a healer on hand.
The failure rate wasn’t high, but death was a real risk. Few girls had that kind of resolve.
For Bianca, it was about money—or the lack of it.
Of course, she’d done it under boss Dylan’s guidance. Lin Jun wouldn’t let his little clerk die by accident, though she didn’t know that.
With Puffshroom control, she worked three people’s jobs for two people’s pay!
So, despite Puffshroom Home’s growing business, Dylan didn’t need to hire more.
The merchant glanced at the familiar mycelium on her face, seeming to recall something, then snapped back. “Lodging. The room at the end of the first floor’s free, right?”
“It’s free. I’ll register you!” Bianca swiftly handled the check-in, handing over the key.
She was sharp. Months at the inn, she’d sensed that room at the corridor’s end held special meaning.
But it wasn’t her business. Dylan paid her double, enough to buy medicine and Tasty Mushrooms for her mom’s health. That was plenty.
Watching the merchant head down the corridor, Bianca returned to the kitchen to prep dinner for the guests.
When Dylan returned, lugging a backpack full of herbs, Bianca had a hot meal ready.
The herbs were cover for selling potions later, just picked up from the Adventurer’s Guild.
After a quick check on the inn, hearing a guest took the corridor-end room, Dylan was mildly surprised.
He’d recently contacted his known spies in Mushroom Capital. No one should be dropping by so soon.
A new face paying respects? Or someone with hot intel to share?
No rush. Dylan ate dinner as usual, then retreated to his room.
Through a hidden door, he entered the basement and met Bianca’s merchant.
“Big Bro Cloro?!”
“Dylan, my man?!”
(End of Chapter)
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