The environmental changes caused by mushrooms were truly not intentional on Lin Jun's part.
Currently, most of Lin Jun's fungal mat was in a state of autonomous growth and spreading.
But as the territory continued to expand, the fungal mat also encountered a new problem: there was a natural upper limit to mana transmission.
Even though Lin Jun had already constructed multi-layered underground mycelial networks, like laying massive mana pipelines, striving to improve the overall transmission capacity.
But ultimately, it was impossible to gather one hundred percent of all mana produced by fungal mats distributed everywhere back to the Puchi Dungeon for his centralized use.
This situation wasn't obvious in areas close to the Puchi Fortress in the Northern Territory or the Puchi Dungeon.
Both places were Lin Jun's mana consumption centers. Subordinates adding skills and generating high-tier Puchis were almost all completed in these two places, so all mana could be fully utilized.
However, in edge areas farther away, such as this territory named Misty Haze Fort, the situation was different.
When the mana produced by the local fungal mat was excessive but couldn't be fully transported back to the dungeon, the surplus mana would gradually accumulate in the local fungal mat.
If there were human activities in that area, reclaiming mushroom fields for regular harvesting, this excess mana would naturally transform into crops of edible mushrooms, consumed by gathering, reaching a new balance.
But like Misty Haze Fort, which experienced a period of abandonment and lack of management, the situation got out of control.
When the concentration of mana accumulated in the local fungal mat exceeded a certain critical point, it would spontaneously catalyze various special mushroom variants specifically used to consume surplus mana.
Thus, glowing mushroom trees rose from the ground, petrified mushrooms formed forests, and some corners might even grow more dangerous corrosive mushroom clusters...
The essence of these seemingly bizarre and even dangerous scenes was merely the forced mana-wasting behavior of the local fungal mat when production capacity was excessive but there was nowhere to channel it.
It was just that this situation wasn't very friendly to the local humans.
Solving this problem was also easy.
Either restore production and open up mushroom fields on a large scale to consume the surplus mana output.
Or, Lin Jun could intervene actively, consciously guiding the fungal mat in this area to transform surplus mana into relatively harmless giant mushroom trees or other controllable forms.
Of course, as the extension of Lin Jun's will, the Mushroom Tribe naturally also possessed partial authority to control the fungal mat.
Vera and the others weren't very clear about the complex mana cycle principles behind this, but Sirian still quickly detected the problem of mana surplus.
Under his hint, half of the task of rectifying the territory's environment fell on the small No. 5 Puchi.
As for the other half, it was urging Vera to organize the subjects as soon as possible to reclaim mushroom fields and channel surplus mana through regular consumption.
It had to be said, the easy availability of food fostered inertia to some extent.
Due to the abundant mana in the local fungal mat, besides catalyzing those strange special mushrooms, ordinary edible mushrooms and even Delicious Mushrooms grew everywhere.
With the population reduced by forty percent, hungry subjects only needed to go out for a stroll to pick enough fresh mushrooms to fill their families' stomachs.
Over time, many people contentedly became slackers, losing the motivation to reclaim land and work. Instead, this intensified the fungal mat's mana accumulation, catalyzing more mutated mushrooms, entering a vicious cycle.
To rekindle the subjects' enthusiasm for production, Vera and Butler Harold racked their brains and ran around coordinating.
Finally, in his capacity as the Lord, Vera purchased all mushrooms gathered by the subjects in large quantities and allowed them to exchange mushrooms for supplies like cloth, salt, and sugar at a relatively favorable ratio.
This scheme of bartering with mushrooms barely made the subjects pick up their tools again and head toward the fields waiting to be reclaimed.
The purchased mushrooms piled up like mountains. Vera, through Duke Lorenzo's help in pulling strings, contacted some merchant associations.
A portion of the mushrooms was transported to the defense line to supply military needs, while another portion was transported to some areas with poor mana and low mushroom yield.
The former had a very low purchase price, while the latter required bearing the costs and risks of long-distance transport.
After calculating, Vera made almost no money from this chain.
But his intention wasn't profit. As long as he could solve the problem of "mushrooms advancing, humans retreating" and the ecological imbalance of the territory, it was enough.
Accompanied by Sirian, Fayling, and Fayin, No. 5 Puchi moved its short legs and began inspecting the territory.
Wherever it went, those mushroom trees emitting hallucinogenic spores and petrified mushrooms that turned everything around them to stone were controlled by it to dissolve into the fungal mat, ultimately being replaced by tall but harmless giant mushroom trees one by one.
In fact, if Lin Jun did it personally, relying on his global control over the fungal mat, he could probably complete the mushroom type replacement of the entire territory in a day or two, and that was without using mana acceleration.
But No. 5's ability was ultimately limited. It lacked that perception overlooking the whole picture and could only be like a diligent gardener, patiently transforming small area by small area.
Even so, its results were enough to surprise Fayling and Fayin pleasantly, surrounding it and praising its capability!
Fayin even specially spent a sum of savings to purchase a precious Telepathy Stone, just to communicate with No. 5 more smoothly!
The hard petrified ground cracked continuously. One after another, giant mushroom trees over thirty meters high broke through the soil, replacing the original patch of cold petrified mushroom clusters.
"Great! No. 5, thanks to you!" Fayin patted No. 5's round mushroom cap happily, making soft "pupu" sounds.
"Hehehe..." No. 5's mushroom cap glowed with a faint fluorescence due to happiness.
These recent days were perhaps the happiest time since its birth.
Previously among the Mushroom Tribe, it was always the most inconspicuous one. It was afraid of fighting, and its combat awareness was also poor. Apart from running away faster than other mushrooms, it really had nothing worth praising.
Although other mushrooms wouldn't bully it, no one cared much about it or praised it either.
It could only follow behind Big Brother No. 1, silently being a wallflower.
When the Fungus Lord suddenly gave it a mission to follow this team of strange human adventurers alone, No. 5 was full of apprehension and fear inside.
Leaving familiar compatriots and being in a completely strange environment, it was afraid it wouldn't do well, afraid of being disliked, afraid of failing the Fungus Lord's expectations!
Fortunately, Vera and the others were kind and accepted it.
And now... looking at this mushroom forest transformed by its own hands before its eyes, listening to Fayling and Fayin's sincere praise of "Little Five is really amazing" beside it, it felt a sense of satisfaction it had never had before!
It was being needed, being recognized!
It was useful here!
It sat on top of Fayin's head, gently curling one tentacle around Fayin's finger, while the other tentacle pointed to the next hallucinogenic spore forest that needed rectification. Its mushroom body stood straight, looking full of motivation.
Here was where it belonged!
Sirian appeared on a small slope slightly further away riding a horse, waving and shouting to the twins: "Come back to eat first! Continue with the remaining areas in the afternoon."
Hearing Sirian's voice, No. 5, who was just holding its head high and full of motivation, immediately slid down from Fayin's head cowardly. With a whoosh, it drilled into her loose mage robe.
It was still afraid of this non-mushroom who roared at it upon meeting.
...
No. 5 here found its belonging, but No. 13 fell into confusion.
Lin Jun had thrown it into the fallen area on the West Coast.
Within its field of vision was bare land, lacking traces of fungal mats.
Worse, among the shadows of rugged reefs in the distance, one or two jelly-like slimes would jump past from time to time.
In the Mushroom Tribe's view of likes and dislikes, this creature was synonymous with "evil."
The Fungus Lord didn't give it clear mission instructions, just suddenly threw it here.
No. 13 stood alone in place, sensing this strange and hostile environment, and couldn't help thinking:
Fungus Lord... could it be he doesn't want me anymore?
(End of Chapter)
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