Killing him would’ve been easier, Lin Jun thought.
But Dylan was old, had lost his daughter, and killing his cross-species buddy in front of him might break him. So, the shapeshifter got to live.
Within mycelium range, Cloro couldn’t stir up trouble anyway.
And if the empire tried to pull him out?
A fake death would do.
Dylan was thrilled to work with Cloro, teaching him like a newbie—how to tap the mycelial network for magic, send messages through it, and control Puffshrooms.
The follow-up was all Dylan’s. For his old bro’s sake, he’d go all out.
Lin Jun’s focus shifted to his newly upgraded core skill.
[Skill Upgraded: Mycelial Network LV7→LV8]
Another skill that couldn’t be cheesed with Greed, just slow, steady grinding.
Last upgrade unlocked “nodes.” This time… hmm… visual sharing?
Let’s try it.
[Not even considering Karen?] The Yellow Codex flashed pink text on its gold-edged pages.
“Senior, I’ve said it—she’s a werewolf! And I’m…” Norris tried to argue.
[What are you? A tailless lizardman?]
[Race isn’t the issue, Norris. I’ve seen more cross-species couples than you’ve eaten mushrooms—even a vampire and bread got together!]
“But I… I don’t even like her…” Norris’s eyes darted, a vague figure flickering in his mind.
[Look at you! Humans see you as a monster, lizardmen shun you for no tail! Now a werewolf girl who doesn’t care about your race or looks likes you, and you’re picky?]
[Besides, Karen’s human form in sunlight is decent by your standards, right?]
[Youngsters always chase “true love,” but where’s all this perfect love waiting for you?]
Every word stung. Norris’s face fell, his defense weak. “This… what’s it to you, Senior? Why’re you so set on pairing me with Karen?”
[It’d be fun.]
“…”
[Hey, talk nice, don’t—]
Norris slapped the Codex back onto his shield’s center and dove into Jida.
He was rattled. Needed to cool off.
Suddenly, a vivid image slammed into his mind, freezing him.
A deep dungeon cave, by a small pool. Werewolf Karen, soaked, grooming her fur.
Water dripped from her gray-brown coat, loose fur floating on the pool’s surface.
Werewolves didn’t used to bathe—floor ten’s water was too scarce for casual dips.
Newcomers often reeked, a stench Puffshrooms couldn’t smell but Norris, stuck hosting, endured.
Things had improved. Most werewolves still hated wet fur but managed a monthly wash.
Karen was among the cleanest. Lately, Norris barely caught a whiff near her.
But why was this scene so clear in his head?
Could… could he actually, deep down, feel something for Karen…?
“No way!”
No matter how wild his imagination, he couldn’t conjure such a detailed, real-time vision!
“Boss! Is that you?” he blurted.
“You’ve changed, Norris!” Lin Jun’s mock-hurt voice rang in his head. “You’d rather think I’m messing with you than admit your brain’s finally waking up! I’m heartbroken.”
“So this image…”
“My doing!”
“Why show me this?!”
“It’d be fun.”
“…”
Norris curled into a ball, wondering where he went wrong to end up with such “great” teammates.
Reviewing his life, he realized he didn’t go wrong—he just never had a choice.
Even more depressing.
That’s about it. A video function.
Not like a recording spell that saves footage or conjures imagined scenes—it streams real-time visuals.
Not a game-changer for Lin Jun, but for his crew… hmm…
Video calls, maybe?
He tested it, pushing different live feeds at once. No strain.
Too bad there wasn’t urgent business to gather everyone for a video meeting.
Holding one just for kicks? That’d make him look like a slacker boss, fussing over nonsense. Bad vibe.
After some thought, Lin Jun grabbed shiny, quirky gem images from Mushroom Capital and sent them to Little Black.
That day, Little Black, hit with a “Dragon God vision,” frantically searched every corner of the Mushroom Garden but couldn’t find a place matching the sparkly spots in his head.
Yufan Port.
This southernmost kingdom port city, one of the closest to Mushroom Capital, was awkwardly placed.
Sailing west meant braving monster-infested open seas or threading treacherous, reef-packed waters.
Sea trade never took root here.
The port was built for docking hefty local fishing boats. Before, its catches were hauled long distances to far-off towns.
Now, Mushroom Capital’s rapid rise spiked demand for seafood, injecting life into Yufan Port and sparking a boom.
But, like in Norvid, tensions between Puffshroom Masters and traditional adventurers flared here too.
The port’s lord felt both pain and joy.
Lately, the conflicts seemed to escalate.
With only a small fief and a limited standing army, a major riot would crush him, even if he could quell it.
He needed to act fast.
He didn’t know how to fix the Puffshroom Master-adventurer feud, but boosting visible military presence to deter troublemakers was simple and effective.
Normally, he’d pay a price to request aid from nearby cities.
But in these tense times, lords hoarded their troops, wary of shortages.
Aid now would cost a fortune.
After much thought, Yufan Port’s lord turned to the one group with spare strength—the Church.
The Church, with its Light God’s authority, sent warriors whose presence dwarfed regular guards’ intimidation.
His request was quickly approved.
No surprise—keeping Mushroom Capital’s region stable was vital for the kingdom. Any aid request would get a response.
A “Wings of Judgment” team, recently tasked, marched to Yufan Port.
Clad in gleaming silver armor and holy emblem capes, their grand entry visibly calmed the streets.
Per the deal, they took over patrols in the city’s most chaotic zones.
Among them was Solarin, whom Lin Jun had met, fought, and let go.
She felt awful.
Activating [Truth Vision] to scan the city, she was overwhelmed by a chaos-soaked haze flooding her sight.
The twisting sensation hit her senses, recalling when Puffshrooms cornered her. She ended up puking on the street, far from gracefully.
Why did people live so casually in this terrifying place?
How could those chaotic, monstrous creatures roam the streets so freely?
Solarin, who hadn’t dug into Mushroom Capital’s intel before arriving, now just wanted answers—fast.
(End of Chapter)
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