“To the living!”
In a warm corner of the Puchi House, Vera’s team of four raised their cups high. The clink of wooden mugs rang clear.
Though Vera had shouted for their helper to escape alone, and his teammates had tacitly agreed, that didn’t mean they were truly ready to die.
Simply: four dead was better than five.
Now that the dust had settled, the lingering terror of facing death needed alcohol to wash away. They drained their cups, letting warmth chase out the chill in their hearts.
Of course, surviving mortal danger came with rich rewards.
Client Barton, grateful they hadn’t abandoned him at the critical moment, paid not only the agreed fee but a hefty bonus.
Vera accepted without pretense. It was earned with their lives.
On top of that, the city lord’s mansion issued a bounty for helping eliminate the cult.
Though far less than Barton’s bonus, it was still decent income.
As for celebrating at the Puchi House?
“Only their elven ice wine is still affordable…” Cirian said with a touch of relief.
Due to recent unknown troubles in the Elven Forest, the already rare elven ice wine had vanished from the market; prices had skyrocketed.
The Puchi House had raised prices too, but still within reason.
Vera guessed the mysterious potion master behind the shop might also brew, but Cirian denied it.
He explained, “Elven ice wine’s ingredients only grow in the Elven Forest and spoil quickly. Shipping raw materials out to brew would cost even more.”
The group discussed quietly and finally agreed Boss Dylan must have special supply channels to keep ice wine flowing steadily.
Cirian didn’t mention his private guess: Dylan—or his supplier—likely had connections with a certain ranger squad leader.
Of course, it was just idle speculation. He wasn’t a competitor; he wouldn’t bother digging. He was just glad to drink cheaper ice wine!
But “cheaper”…
Cirian gazed at the pale-green liquid in his cup. “You know, in Ysil Doline this is just everyday table wine for elves. Never thought leaving the forest would make it so expensive! A normal job’s pay only buys three bottles now! It’s…”
Vera tilted his head curiously. “Everyday wine? So elves have better stuff?”
“Of course!” Cirian smacked his lips. “The best is royal reserve, brewed from silver-dew flowers that bloom under moonlight. One sip is like drinking morning dew; the aftertaste dances with starlight on your tongue… If I get the chance, I’ll definitely bring some for you all to try!”
“Hahaha! You talk like you’re elven royalty!” Filing teased, clinking cups with him.
Amid the drinking, Bianca in her maid outfit led several similarly dressed Puchis to serve food.
The girl hesitated in her steps. While placing dishes, she stole four or five glances at Cirian, hurriedly looking away each time their eyes met, face turning bright red as she fled back to the kitchen with the Puchis.
Cirian and the others were used to it and paid no mind.
From his counter, Dylan saw everything but only silently calculated the Puchi House’s profits, far beyond outsiders’ imagination.
He had long seen through it: his little waitress wasn’t especially smitten with Norris or Cirian. She just couldn’t help staring at any handsome young man, then blushing furiously when caught.
Tch. Kids.
…
“By the way, Vera,” after a few rounds, Filing burped and asked, “when you collected the bounty at the city lord’s mansion, did you ask Lord Aidin the name of our savior?”
“Lord Aidin is far too busy to handle bounty payouts personally.” Vera shrugged helplessly. “I couldn’t exactly bother him just to ask a name, could I?”
“But we can’t not even know our lifesaver’s name!” Filing gestured excitedly. “If he hadn’t acted in time, I’d have a few extra holes in me!”
Vera nodded. “Next time we see Lord Aidin, we’ll ask. And who knows, maybe he lives in Mushroom Capital too!”
“He looked younger than you but no weaker,” Fiyin added.
Vera laughed nonchalantly. “I’m no unparalleled genius. Meeting someone more talented is normal!”
…
Meanwhile, in the Puchi Dungeon.
With official involvement, Norris’s vacation had to end early.
But he had no complaints. In Mushroom Capital, aside from sunbathing, he really had nothing he particularly wanted to do.
Back in familiar surroundings, Little Black was first to greet him, sniffing his scent thoroughly while pawing to check his body.
To prevent Sister Little Black from “accidentally” scraping off a few scales during inspection, Norris skillfully pulled two silver scales from his pouch and placed them in her claws.
After sending the satisfied Little Black away and briefly greeting Qiong, who had come to welcome him, he didn’t return directly to the mushroom garden but went to a pool in a cavern.
[Mimicry LV9]
The scaly face reflected in the water slowly changed, eventually becoming the human appearance he used in Mushroom Capital.
He had never deliberately shaped this face. Aside from hiding scales, this should be his original look.
He had always thought his appearance unchanged, but recalling Vera’s team’s reactions, it seemed this face had altered quite a bit from before.
Or perhaps Vera and Filing had never remembered his face to begin with…
A faint melancholy rose, but before it could take root, the Boss’s unrestrained laughter exploded in his mind.
Even worse, to vividly show himself rolling on the floor laughing, the Boss instantly spawned a Puchi at Norris’s feet that writhed and rolled dramatically.
“Lizard big brother, why do you turn into that look?” Little fairy Riel, who had arrived at the pool sometime, holding a large Puchi, asked curiously.
Riel was now connected to the mycelial network, not through parasitism but by transforming into a Puchi and linking directly.
With communication solved, the little fairy’s courage had grown. Backed by the Boss, she thrived here; everyone gave her face.
She now thought lizardmen, half-demons, mushroomkin; everyone was nice!
The dungeon’s rich materials let her study potion-making freely. Riel was very satisfied with life now.
Only lacking [Cold Resistance] limited her range mainly to the Puchi Dungeon.
“This is my original appearance,” Norris explained, pointing at the water’s reflection.
“Original appearance?” Riel tilted her head, clearly not understanding.
She looked a few more times and gave her verdict. “Looks so weak. Scales are cooler. If you had a tail…”
The little fairy suddenly went quiet, worried she had reminded Lizard Big Brother of his lost tail.
But Norris just laughed.
He looked at his scale-covered reflection again, tapping the hard scales with his claw; clear clinks rang out. “Yeah, scales are pretty good. They can even block diamond-tier attacks!”
Recalling his brief clash with Gavin filled him with excitement!
Fighting a powerhouse he once could only look up to; he regretted the Jida hadn’t been there to fight at full strength!
He wondered: if he grew stronger, could he one day walk Mushroom Capital’s streets without mimicry?
But then he smiled self-mockingly. “Probably still hard…”
(End of Chapter)
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