Taking the yellow-covered book back from Little Black's hands, Lin Jun saw that half the torn pages were hanging limply from it.
Though it sounded strange, Lin Jun felt as if that page had lost its life.
The words on it were still appearing and disappearing continuously, but not like the beginning when it was densely packed with repetitions of the same line.
[About to fall! The page is about to fall!]
[Having a dragon person show up here is totally cheating!]
[Communication, dialogue, no violence]
[No matter who you are, we can have a good chat]
While the yellow book was typing, a weak magical fluctuation also emanated from it—the yellow book was using its signature skill!
Lin Jun noticed the magical fluctuation, but... nothing seemed to happen?
He had thought this book also wanted to charm him and Little Black.
But there was no change on his status panel at all.
Finding nothing unusual, Lin Jun still focused his attention on the text itself.
Hmm...
...ed... ...ed... have... power... good good...
Excellent!
His Level 2 Common Language skill couldn't understand it at all!
Damn, how he missed the days when he could read in his previous life. If only there were more humans...
Lin Jun, oh Lin Jun, how could you be so depraved?
Can't you learn without relying on Gluttony?
Once Dylan returned to normal, he'd start learning Common Language from him!
Making this small resolution, but the book's matter still needed to be resolved.
Holding the book up in front of Little Black, he originally wanted to ask something.
But looking at her clear eyes, Lin Jun still felt there was no need to ask.
It seemed he had no choice but to wait for the park's cultural representative—the literate Dylan—to wake up before continuing his research.
Tossing the yellow book on the ground, a suicide puffshroom plopped down on it with its rear, suppressing it.
If it made any suspicious moves, the puffshroom would explode for it to see.
Several puffshrooms lifted the unconscious Dylan and threw him into another hollow mushroom.
Inside were mycelium that could help replenish his magical power. From now on, these mushroom rooms would serve as dedicated employee dormitories.
————
"Hmm... where am I?"
Everything around him felt soft, like a comfortable big bed.
The mycelium in his body felt fully fed with magical power. He hadn't felt this fulfilled in a long time. Outside, he'd been sipping magic potions bit by bit, never daring to drink his fill at once.
Opening his eyes, the ceiling looked strange.
It didn't look like stone or wood, but rather like... a mushroom?
Dylan's eyes snapped wide open, recalling his memories from before he lost consciousness. Though confused, he remembered somewhat.
He immediately rolled over and climbed out of the big bed.
Looking back... it really was a giant mushroom!
"Awake? Stay right where you are once you're awake."
Receiving the boss's command, Dylan could only obediently stay put.
He wasn't quite sure what was happening, but it seemed he had made a mistake?
Soon, several puffshrooms came rolling over with his good buddy, the yellow book.
Also coming with them was that humanoid creature covered in sharp, thick scales.
Some kind of lizardman?
Didn't look quite right.
He'd never seen a similar race, and this oppressive presence... stronger than even diamond-rank adventurers...
Without doubt, if they fought, this guy who was a head shorter than him could punch him to death with one blow—the kind his special constitution couldn't save him from.
When approaching, he could sense the other through the mycelial network. A new subordinate the boss had recruited?
Truly worthy of being the boss!
But... why was she eating the puffshroom in her arms?
*Plop*—
His good companion was thrown in front of him.
The boss's instruction came through the mycelial network:
"Read out whatever it writes, and repeat whatever I say. Got it?"
The boss was preparing to dialogue with his good buddy?
Excellent, everyone could definitely get along through communication.
"Boss, no problem!"
Opening his good buddy, this page... how did half of it fall off?
...
Lin Jun watched as the real-time translator and the muscle responsible for intimidation were both in position.
Well then, let the pleasant interrogation session begin!
First...
"Remove the charm."
Dylan didn't understand what the boss meant, but still earnestly completed his translation task.
[Okay okay, I'll remove it]
After reciting this text, Dylan suddenly felt dazed, and after a while:
"Bo... Boss, what happened? I..."
【Fixed Status: Charm・Moderate】
Before he could finish speaking, Little Black, following Lin Jun's indication, stepped on the yellow book and grabbed the half-attached page.
Before any text could appear, after a brief "ripping" sound, that page completely separated from the yellow book.
[Ahhhhhhhhhhh]
The leather page, after separating from the book, actually slowly turned to ash, while faintly transmitting overlapping wails.
What kind of cursed thing was this?
This book seemed even more sinister than expected?
"Remove the charm," Lin Jun said again.
Dylan looked at his suffering good buddy, seeming somewhat at a loss. Only after Lin Jun repeated it once more did he speak the words.
This time the yellow book didn't respond, but Dylan suddenly clutched his head and screamed in pain.
Looking at Dylan writhing on the ground, Lin Jun simply had Little Black grab all the pages, ready to tear them all off.
Fortunately, this time the yellow book didn't dare play tricks. When Dylan stopped his agonized screaming half-dead, the charm status had disappeared from the panel.
"Sor... sorry... Boss... I..."
Though he'd been charmed, Dylan retained all his memories. After the charm was lifted and he recalled everything, he naturally understood what had happened to him.
Dylan remained prostrate on the ground, not only recounting the entire incident but also sharing everything he knew about soul artifacts with Lin Jun.
Throughout the entire process, the yellow book displayed not a single word, unknown what it was thinking.
But after hearing the story, Lin Jun was somewhat surprised.
He'd thought Dylan had simply been accidentally controlled by the evil book.
He hadn't expected it to actually involve vampires and demons.
"How are you? Need to rest?"
Lin Jun was speaking to Dylan, who looked like someone who'd been carsick all day and then vomited the entire journey.
"No need, Boss, please continue."
In that case.
"I advise you to confess everything honestly, and spare yourself some suffering."
The yellow book in the dragon person's claws didn't display a single word under Lin Jun's threat, actually appearing completely unmoved!
"Hard to crack?"
Little Black continued gripping all the pages with one claw while pulling out one sheet with the other, stretching it back and forth before slowly tearing it off bit by bit.
The page was the same as before—after being torn off, it turned to ash amid wailing sounds.
What surprised Lin Jun was that this time the yellow book didn't even produce text-version screaming!?
Impressive. Let's try tearing off two more pages!
"Um, could it be that it's... having its 'neck' pinched?"
Dylan pointed somewhat uncertainly at the bundle of pages that had been tightly clutched in Little Black's hand since earlier.
???
A book could have a neck?
Trying to have Little Black release the pages she was gripping...
[Speak! I'll tell everything!]
[Please get this black thing away from me!!!]
——
Duke Saint-Clair's mansion.
Inanna rubbed her sleepy eyes, rising from the down bedding.
Seeing the blanket squeezed to one side, she helplessly scratched at her disheveled pink hair.
In her sleep, transforming back to human form from puffshroom form, she naturally tended to push the blanket away. This had happened several times already.
But she couldn't help casting transformation magic on herself before sleeping.
She always felt that becoming a puffshroom, with only the ability to vaguely sense the surroundings, was particularly suitable for relaxing into sleep.
Thinking about it, since she wasn't particularly afraid of the cold anyway, it probably didn't matter.
Though it was still quite early, since she was awake anyway, she'd go to her teacher's place to begin today's magic studies.
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