"So. What is it?"
The sticky tone unique to a voice Puchi echoed through the narrow tunnel.
In this tunnel, aside from the Puchi, the only other thing present was the Yellow Codex that Norris had sent down. Norris himself had not stayed.
[Most exalted Boss, your humble servant only wishes to ask… those Puchi in the Mushroom Garden today… those unusual ones… where did they come from?]
"Hmm…"
The voice Puchi’s sound dropped a little.
"So you want a report from me now?"
The Yellow Codex hurried to explain.
[No. I wouldn’t dare. I would never dare. How could I ever ask Boss to report to me?]
[I only… only wished to know… those Puchi…]
"You want to know the secret of their souls?"
Lin Jun pierced straight through the Yellow Codex’s little scheme.
It was not hard to guess. The Yellow Codex had the ability to perceive emotions and observe souls. There was no way it had missed how strange those intelligent Puchi’s souls were.
On the way over, as Norris carried it here, Lin Jun had already more or less deduced what it wanted.
The Yellow Codex latched onto the line immediately, the words thick with flattery.
[Yes, yes, yes, nothing escapes Boss’s wise eyes.]
"I do not have eyes."
[Wise heart then. Boss, your wise heart sees through every thought I have.]
A mycelial tendril slid in from the side, gently brushing across the Yellow Codex’s pages, flicking off a few strands of fungus.
"I do not have wise eyes or wise heart. If I did, would I have let Holy Codex-sama fool me and trick me so hard back then?"
[Boss, I know I was wrong. I truly know I was wrong.]
The lines twisted almost into a crying face.
[I have already turned over a new leaf. Now I am just a peaceful, honest, loyal book.]
[Please forgive the foolish things I did in my mushroom-ignorant past.]
Lin Jun was unmoved.
"Coming to beg forgiveness now clearly means you want something. If you keep circling around and still do not say what you really want, I will send you back to the Puchi Tower to reflect in a corner."
[I dare not hide anything.]
[I only wish to know where those Puchi’s souls came from.]
[Those souls that are not naturally born, yet are truly real and fully independent. From them I want to find…]
In Lin Jun’s senses, the Yellow Codex’s core, wrapped within his soul, suddenly flared with intense emotion.
[Find a way to craft a true soul for myself.]
"I see."
Lin Jun remembered that the Yellow Codex had indeed mentioned this wish once before.
But he knew his own situation.
Those Puchi were born by using the Sunstone to pry off little pieces of his own soul, like picking off bits of scale. That did not sound like "soul creation" at all.
Still, if the Sunstone was connected to souls, there might be other abilities he had not unlocked yet.
It was just that…
"And what does your wish have to do with me? What have you done for the Mushroom Garden?"
[The vampire promotion ritual…]
Right. There was that.
"Do you really think helping Piggy advance a rank cancels out the stunt you pulled on me? You have not even finished paying for that. You want to enjoy the reward and pay later?"
[I want to atone faster too. If there is anything Boss needs me for, just command me.]
"Holy Codex, Holy Codex… You really do not understand your situation."
The tendril suddenly coiled around the book’s spine and lifted it into the air.
"You are this old, and you still wait for me to order you around? If I do not tell you what to do, you cannot figure out how to be useful on your own?"
[Boss, I…]
"You think I am going to trust you again? The only thing you can do is rack up enough merit, big enough and many enough, until I feel like overlooking the past and helping you chase that wish of yours."
"Go back and reflect properly."
With that, Lin Jun flicked the Yellow Codex away. It landed on top of a cannon-fodder Puchi, which then carried it off to find Norris.
After it dodged execution thanks to the piglet’s promotion ritual, the Yellow Codex had been half-slacking ever since.
It did what it was assigned, but showed no initiative at all.
Now this was better.
Coming to him with a request was a good sign.
The knowledge inside the Yellow Codex, even if you ignored the buried secrets, was already a treasure trove. Things like the blood-stealing ritual alone were invaluable. The question was how much of it the book was willing to sort out and offer.
As for whether he would eventually let the Yellow Codex bask in the Sunstone’s light… he would decide when the time came.
The choice was his either way.
On the other side, the cannon-fodder Puchi delivered the Yellow Codex back into Norris’s hands.
Norris flipped it open by habit, and the first thing he saw was his own name.
[Norris!]
"What is it, Senior?"
[From this day on, we must work for the rise of the Mushroom Garden. Go apply for materials. I am going to reinforce the Fungal Fortress’s defenses.]
"Huh? What?"
Norris gaped like he had seen a ghost.
So the boss really had locked the Yellow Codex in a dark room for ideological reform and force-fed it the doctrine of loyalty.
[Why are you still frozen there? Move. The Mushroom Garden’s safety rests on us.]
Under the Yellow Codex’s relentless nagging, Norris muttered "is this really necessary," but his body still chose to obey. He went off to find Saku to try and apply for materials.
Out at sea, three demon warships forged of dark iron and the bones of some colossal beast split the waves heading south.
On deck, bloodborn with pale skin and red-glowing eyes supervised half-demons and dhampirs as they checked ropes and the spiked bulwarks.
After yanking a knot tight, one half-demon muttered to his companion beside him.
"This is cursed. I thought we were getting a whole week of rest, then they kicked us out of bed in the middle of the night and shoved us on a ship without a word."
His companion glanced around, then leaned in and lowered his voice.
"You do not get it. When they only tell you at the last second, it usually means something important is on board. They do not want the news leaking and someone ambushing us on the way."
"Ambush?"
The first half-demon snorted.
"Human ports along the coast are practically wiped out by now. They do not even have proper warships left."
"Do not forget the archipelago lot. I heard some ships were attacked recently. Must have been them. And even if the cargo makes it off the ships, it is not like they cannot hit us on land."
"That is true…"
"What are you two mumbling about?"
A cold voice snapped from behind them. The two half-demons jolted and snapped to attention.
A bloodborn viscount stood with arms folded, watching them leisurely. A faintly amused smile crossed his pale face.
"What is this? Curious about what kind of treasure we are carrying?"
Clearly, he had heard every word of their conversation.
Exposed, the half-demons decided to just own it and nodded.
Talking off-duty like that was against regulations, but not enough to be a serious crime.
"Boss, be kind. Give us a hint?" one of them ventured.
The viscount’s lips curled into a meaningful smile.
"Before we set off, I would not have said a word. But now… since we are already at sea, it does not matter if I tell you."
"In the hold below, this ship is carrying the energy core of an Abyssal Beast."
"Abyssal Beast core?"
The two half-demons shouted in unison.
They had never seen one, but they had heard plenty of stories about how terrifying Abyssal Beasts were. They also knew that a human Sword Saint had recently cut one down.
So this voyage was clearly meant to deliver a replacement core for that beast.
They felt the weight of their mission immediately.
"I really want to see what the core looks like…" one of them sighed.
"In your dreams," the viscount snorted.
They were still talking when the ship suddenly lurched to starboard.
At the same time, a half-demon mage in charge of the defensive array bellowed at the top of his lungs.
"Sea beast. Sea beast attack."
(End of Chapter)
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