The Yellow Codex's ability was quite interesting. In the past, within the Mushroom Garden, it had no opportunity to display it, and Lin Jun wouldn't possibly give it the chance.
This time, the Knight Puchi observed the process of controlling the Giant Beast Bone Field and its surroundings, gaining a further understanding of its skills.
In the initial stage, its method of influence was rather crude; it had to make the target stare personally at the handwriting on the page to charm the target to a certain extent.
Then, through repeated communication, it continuously deepened the charm effect while quietly guiding emotions, amplifying greed, ambition, fear, or loyalty within the charmed person's heart, thereby seemingly inadvertently swaying their choices at critical nodes.
The conditions and effects for this to take effect were even inferior to those of succubi. A succubus only needed the target to look into her eyes unguardedly to attempt a mental invasion and forcefully control the target.
However, when the number of individuals charmed in this way within the same area accumulated to a certain extent, a qualitative change occurred. An invisible mental field began to form and diffuse.
Just like those busy soldiers and civilians in the Giant Beast Bone Field.
Soldiers would unconsciously double-check the rune carvings on the periphery of the ritual during patrol intervals; craftsmen were exceptionally focused when polishing bone materials, striving for perfection; even civilians transporting earth and stone walked more urgently than usual.
Observing carefully, almost no one slacked off or played tricks, no one complained about delays. Everyone was operating at full capacity for the common goal of "completing that ritual," with astonishing efficiency.
Strictly speaking, they weren't even charmed, just working harder under the influence of the mental field.
This was the source of that trace of incongruity Viscount Cormac vaguely caught when he first entered this place.
This change was extremely subtle. For the influenced themselves, they couldn't detect any abnormality, only feeling "full of drive recently" or "wanting to perform well."
Their thinking remained autonomous, their reasons remained sufficient, only all reasons vaguely pointed in the same direction.
If no powerful external force intervened, no one pierced this layer of invisible veil to make the group realize something was wrong, then this large-scale mental field would constantly deepen, infect, assimilate, and gradually spread to the periphery.
Eventually, it could brew a solid mental structure akin to collective obsession or faith. At that time, all influenced individuals within the area would become captives of the Yellow Codex.
Of course, the speed of this process wasn't fast. There were many opportunities and accidents in between that could break this process.
But the concealment of large-scale suggestion itself compensated for this weakness.
Change to someone without sufficient understanding of the Yellow Codex; even if they noticed something wrong, it would be difficult to find the source and solution.
Unfortunately, he couldn't decompose the Yellow Codex.
Otherwise, obtaining this ability and using it in the Mushroom Fortress later, wouldn't everyone's work efficiency be greatly improved!
Of course, this thing also had quite a few flaws.
For example, the Yellow Codex couldn't leave the range of this mental field.
Once it left, all suggestion and charm effects would slowly weaken. People would probably return to normal in a natural state, maybe not even remembering why they were so full of drive back then.
Secondly, it was extremely fearful of "decapitation" tactics.
Coincidentally, the Empire had the ability to locate the Yellow Codex, so no wonder it failed and was sealed up back then.
...
regarding its own weaknesses, the Yellow Codex was naturally clearer than anyone else, so this time it was exceptionally careful.
Apart from purchasing materials under the name of mining to arrange the magic ritual, it didn't do anything else, just afraid of being seen through by those knowledgeable high-level figures in the Empire and associating it with the Holy Codex.
The Yellow Codex not only understood its own situation but also understood the Boss.
If it were discovered or even caught by the Empire, those Puchis wouldn't shout about companionship and friendship to save it. That Ruler of Puchis would only use his deformed soul to crush its core without hesitation, ensuring no secrets were leaked.
Exposure equaled death. For the Yellow Codex, saying this mission deep into the Empire's hinterland was a life-and-death gamble wasn't an exaggeration.
However, for that possibility of possessing a soul truly belonging to itself, even if it was just a glimmer of hope, it could only fight with all its might!
If purely starting from the Yellow Codex's own wishes, if this world wasn't heading toward the end, it might be more willing to wait for its master from three hundred years ago, that sealed Demon King, to retrieve it one day and fulfill that promise spanning a long time.
But time was running out.
It had also tried hard to release Lord Demon King before, but failed.
The Empire's recent crazy extermination of slimes made it vaguely guess that a part of the Demon King might have broken the seal... but that was far from enough.
Time really wasn't much.
Not to mention elsewhere, just the Puchi Dungeon and Tidal Sanctuary occupied by the Boss,
If Lord Demon King rashly intruded without being complete enough, there might even be danger.
Wanting to become complete again and restore to the extent of having the effort to help it shape a soul, heaven knew how many twists and turns and struggles still needed to be experienced.
It couldn't afford to wait.
Thus, it had to pin its hope on that evil, greedy, abnormal Boss...
...
Lin Jun didn't know how the Yellow Codex was badmouthing him in its heart.
Regarding the progress of the ritual arrangement in the Giant Beast Bone Field, Lin Jun was relatively satisfied.
The purpose of this magic ritual was to rely on the coordinates given by the Divine Tree to transfer the subsidiary space of that already destroyed dungeon to the Northern Territory.
The construction progress of the corresponding magic ritual in the Northern Territory was even faster than here at the Bone Field.
Once completed, Lin Jun could properly research the abyss, this place full of possibilities, without scruples.
Then, regarding the Northern Territory side.
Perhaps due to a dragon flying over not long ago, Duke Eugene's troops, which were originally ready to go, stayed put again, probably afraid of bad luck and bumping into the Red Dragon in the wild.
Lin Jun originally planned to drag it out day by day. Since he stayed put, Lin Jun was happy to be at leisure and wouldn't actively provoke him.
Eliminating the Red Dragon made the spirit of the Mushroom Fortress soldiers different.
However, mental uplift couldn't change the embarrassing fact that most Mushroom Fortress soldiers still wore leather armor.
Although Puchi Masters fought mainly by commanding Puchis, improving the defense of the command node was also quite necessary.
At least not like now, where a few stray arrows could take away a command node.
Coincidentally, the first batch of dwarf craftsmen here had stayed for two months, consumed a huge batch of ores fiercely, improved a wave of forging levels, and saddled themselves with quite a lot of contribution point debts.
Lin Jun timely gave them a chance to pay off contribution point debts quickly and even earn a big profit—go back and recruit more blacksmiths!
Recruiting every apprentice would earn considerable contribution points; recruiting official blacksmiths would earn even more!
Of course, they could also choose to take the opportunity to flee the Mushroom Fortress, relying on the skills honed in these two months to muddle along with an official blacksmith job in the mountains, ignoring Lin Jun's debt.
However, having experienced this kind of practice with inexhaustible ores, almost no dwarf wanted to return to the past days of being stingy and searching. Many even had the idea of taking the opportunity to bring their families to the Mushroom Fortress.
In fact, even if they really defected, Lin Jun didn't care.
Anyway, fungal mats had already started spreading in the mountains. Occasionally having one or two deadbeats to give himself a bit more fun wasn't bad either.
Of course, the Puchis exchanging sincerity for sincerity wouldn't say these threatening words.
In the end, most dwarves chose to return to the mountains to recruit people, and Lin Jun let Puchis escort them, waiting for them to bring back good news.
Everything in the Mushroom Fortress went smoothly, only after Inanna returned to the Ducal Mansion, a small situation occurred—Alama seemed to have finally made up his mind to find a partner for his daughter.
(End of Chapter)
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