"Wh... why?" No. 12 threw itself onto its skull throne. "They were all Mushroom Converts. These skulls are the symbols of their piety, and I even got their permission before using them!"
Julia blinked: "Lord Mushroom Envoy, that is indeed true, but outsiders will probably find it very hard to understand. It will scare them."
"What's so scary about a few heads..." No. 12 muttered, but still let Julia pick it up and direct the other believers to carry its exclusive throne to the back and hide it.
No. 12 was in a somewhat low mood; it had originally wanted to let No. 5 see its masterpiece.
However, the matter of entertaining No. 5's friend still had to be done. The newly set down No. 12 rolled gulu gulu into a large cauldron filled with water, calling for Julia to start the fire and bring some seasonings.
...
Gazing at the camp of the Church of Mushroom from afar, Vera pulled on his reins.
The camp was located on a gentle slope. The well-arranged mushroom houses glowed with a soft grayish-white under the afternoon light. It was much cleaner and tidier than he had expected. There was no piled-up garbage, no haphazardly built shacks, and he could even see people holding brooms cleaning the open spaces in front of the houses.
Walking closer, he saw quite a few people gathered in the open space at the center of the camp.
A believer wearing a plain robe was standing between several mushroom houses, holding a brush in his hand and explaining something to the onlookers, who were refugees.
He gestured as he spoke, occasionally reaching out to pat the mycelial pillar beside him, as if demonstrating something.
Vera listened attentively.
"These gray spots are normal, no need to scrape them. But if they are cyan and soft, you must gently brush them off with this brush, otherwise they will release hallucinogenic gas after a while! By the same logic, mushrooms with some cyan spots can be appropriately kept at the base to fend off wild monsters..."
Someone dressed as a refugee asked: "What about rainy days? Will this mushroom house collapse?"
"It won't," the believer smiled. "These mushroom houses are all the masterpiece of Lord Mushroom Envoy. They are sturdier and tougher than wood. Under normal wind and sun, there won't be any leaks."
Thanks to No. 5, Vera had been exposed to a lot of this kind of knowledge recently. He naturally knew that what the believer said was correct, even professional; he was truly introducing it with his heart.
Vera tilted his head and said in a low voice to Sirian beside him: "It looks... not really like an evil cult."
Sirian was slightly behind him: "That's hard to say. The thing evil cults are best at is looking like they aren't evil cults."
Vera nodded and continued forward.
And No. 5, who had been placed in front of him, couldn't hold back anymore and scrambled up to the top of his head: "I'm here!"
Sensing the voice in the mycelial network, that believer looked up with some confusion: "Lord Mushroom Envoy? No, the Mushroom Envoy is clearly inside..."
Amidst the confusion, Julia walked out leading a group of believers.
"We didn't know Lord Vera was visiting, please forgive our lack of a proper welcome. We were just saying we wanted to ask for your permission to pass through Mistveil Fort!" Julia said, her eyes unable to resist stealing glances in Sirian's direction.
Actually, it wasn't just her; most of the believers present were secretly looking at this exceptionally beautiful elf.
Although Vera and his group noticed it, they were accustomed to this. Or rather, it would be strange if Sirian didn't attract attention.
Vera nodded politely: "I heard you had arrived nearby, so I just came to take a look."
Julia stepped aside: "Lord Vera, please come inside and have a seat to talk."
Entering the round, low temporary mushroom house, Vera clicked his tongue in wonder at this mushroom architecture he hadn't seen before.
He suddenly had a feeling: since mushroom houses were so convenient, would they completely replace people's houses in the future? Or even nobles' castles?
The latter probably wouldn't work; mushrooms still weren't sturdy enough.
On the table inside the room sat several bowls of steaming hot meat stew.
Sirian knew there wouldn't be any danger, but he still picked up a bowl first.
As a druid, he had the highest toxin resistance among the four of them, and his Purification spell could also clear various toxins very well, making him the most suitable candidate to test for poison.
Taking a small sip, a shudder ran down him from top to bottom, but it was well concealed.
He frowned at the soup in front of him.
[Deliciousness LV10]
These guys, did they want to make Vera make a fool of himself?
Seeing Sirian shudder and then remain unresponsive, Vera asked in a low voice: "What's wrong? Could it be...?"
Sirian shook his head and took another sip: "It's fine, but when you drink it, it's best to take small sips."
Vera, looking confused, took a tiny sip.
The deliciousness spread from the tip of his tongue all the way through his body. Thanks to having tasted No. 4's tentacle before, Vera, under the premise of being prepared this time, tried hard to tense his body straight and finally managed not to twist himself into a ball on the spot.
Watching Vera's appearance, Feiling and Feiyin silently placed the bowls they were holding back down.
The group's performance unconsciously brought a smile to the corners of Sirian's eyes, and he conveniently took another large gulp of soup.
At this time, dripping wet and still steaming hot, No. 12 finally walked in.
"Pfft—!"
Vera was sprayed into a drowned rat right in the face by Sirian. The Lord's dignity ultimately couldn't be maintained.
While Sirian was busy helping a helpless-looking Vera wipe his face and clothes clean, the two Puchis had already bumped their mushroom caps together on their own accord, hooking their tentacles together to start communicating.
Ultimately, under the mediation of No. 5 and No. 12, the communication between both sides was considered quite pleasant.
Vera also decided to provide some convenience while the Big Mushroom Charity Foundation passed through his territory.
However, after returning, Vera suddenly said during a casual chat with the three of them: "The Mushroom Tribe members truly all know each other."
"What about it? Maybe they were all born in the same area before. Didn't No. 5 also say that before meeting us, it lived together with other Puchis."
"I was just thinking, their numbered names, did they choose them themselves, or is there really some Mushroom Lord who named them?"
"Is there a difference?"
Vera walked to the window, watching No. 5, who had started dancing in the open space again: "If that Mushroom Lord truly exists, I actually want to try communicating with him. The god of the Mushroom Tribe, what exactly is he like?"
Sirian wore a 'what kind of death wish do you have' expression: "Taking the initiative to make contact with that kind of unknown entity, I don't think that's a good idea..."
...
On the other side, as Elinore once again sold more than a dozen carts of Delicious Mushrooms to various parts of the Empire, Lin Jun, who was enjoying the wrestling match between the tailless Lizardman and the werewolf, suddenly had a few lines of the status panel pop out in his consciousness.
[Condition Met: Over 70% of the world's population has tasted you and found it delicious.]
[Achievement Unlocked: The Taste that Conquered the World (Acquired Special Skill: Peerless Flavor)]
[Skill Acquired: Peerless Flavor]
Lin Jun: ???
How did I suddenly conquer the world? And the discarded [Peerless Flavor] actually found its way back on its own?!
"Tasted you," what kind of ghost description is this.
However, getting a level-less skill for free was definitely a massively good thing. Let's test the effect first!
"Norris, Cullen, stop sparring for a moment. Come over here, I have some good stuff..."
(End of Chapter)
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