Chapter 117: The Mushroom People's Adventure Expectations

Li En's group met the agreed-upon temporary laborers beneath a large, mushroom-shaped rock.

But upon first seeing them, Li En thought they had been ambushed.

"Pfft!"

Accompanied by a soft sound, pale green mist spread out, and heavy footsteps appeared from all sides of the temporary squad.

It seemed they had been ambushed? The attackers were coming?!

Li En instinctively stopped breathing and drew his sword; the next moment, a voice rang in his consciousness.

"Partners, please do not act. Gu Gu has come as agreed. Gu Gu has brought the agreed-upon digging tools."

Figures, some tall and some short, walked out from the shadows; they were self-propelled mushrooms of various sizes.

"Mushroom people? Fungus people?"

These lives were neither cute nor terrifying; they looked like walking mushrooms. In fact, they truly were.

The only features clearly different from mushrooms were their thick little short legs and a pair of not-very-good eyes.

No wonder the temporary squad had not noticed them; as long as they buried themselves in the soil and closed their eyes, they were just like mushrooms in a forest.

"Stop." Li En called out to halt; he had seen this leader in a dream just last night.

The suddenly appearing mushroom people were of various sizes; the smallest were not even the size of Li En's little foot, while the largest were more than twice Li En's size.

They also brought large mushroom beasts for carrying equipment, and a pile of mining picks and other tools sat on the platforms.

Li En sheathed his sword; he had not only seen the other party last night, but he had long known they were a rare, neutral-to-good life form in the underground world.

"Is this the mental-link spore?" That bursting spore was perhaps the reason communication was possible now.

"Yes. Based on our experience contacting outsiders, rather than struggling to persuade them to accept our mental spores, it is better to simply throw them out." The pale yellow mushroom person seen last night stepped forward; he seemed to be the leader of this group of mushroom people.

The pale green mist that burst just now was fine mental-sensation spores; in a sense, they were also part of these mushroom people before them.

They had no normal language ability and could only communicate via telepathy using mental spores; if one did not accept these spores, the whole process was destined to be a case of chickens and ducks talking past each other.

"I am Gu Gu. The Mushroom King of the Gray Rock Mushroom Tribe, and the alchemist within the clan. Teacher and senior brother, greetings."

Do not be frightened by the title Mushroom King; in reality, he was merely the leader of a community of a dozen or so mushroom people; mushroom people basically lived in small village systems.

Mushroom people were actually a type of fungal life; they were far more ancient and wise than they appeared, possessing not only their own worshipped deities but also a complete set of alchemical techniques exclusive to their race.

And outsiders could not learn this set of techniques; after all, besides mushroom people, no one else could cultivate small mushrooms on their own bodies.

Their legendary alchemy, originating from deities, was basically made with fungal mushrooms as materials; it was completely different from the existing alchemical system yet could produce unique effects, especially excelling in detoxification and healing.

Their population was often small (not exceeding 20); this was their wisdom of life, actively limiting their own population numbers to secure survival.

Most powerful beings in the underground world were carnivorous; they had no interest in biting into mushroom people, who posed no threat and could even provide some materials.

Looking at Gu Gu, who clasped two large rough hands in a bow, the huge mushroom cap actually bowed slightly; Li En was also somewhat surprised.

It seemed this one was also somewhat too much of an outlier.

"Truly astonishing. I have seen many mushroom people tribes and Mushroom Kings, but this is the first time I have seen one so much like a surface-dweller."

Violet Miss Zi Qiangwei also showed a surprised expression, uttering words that made one doubt her age.

How many mushroom people have you actually seen?

"I am speaking on behalf of my contracted beast, Melur; she has traveled through many underground worlds." Er, was this addition at this moment not a bit like trying to hide silver by claiming there was none?

But Violet Miss Zi Qiangwei was right; this big mushroom person before them even wore a top hat and a bow tie; although it looked incongruous, it did have a bit of a human shape.

Normal mushroom people often appeared dull and slow; they basically had no interest in changes in the outside world.

When speaking with them, although the other party was friendly, they were mostly too lazy to pay attention; this one before them was truly a bit "un-mushroom-like."

"Perhaps it is because, when I was a little mushroom, I was born within the body of a surface traveler. His travel notes were my favorite reading material in childhood."

Body? You mean corpse. Li En felt that, to maintain sanity, it was better not to ask for clarification.

Li En vaguely felt that perhaps Kukku's selection criteria was the so-called...

"Outlier? Or freak?" Li En asked Kukku directly through his magical pet's mental link.

"Heh, are you talking about yourself?" Kukku's response was still full of pride and self-satisfaction.

But having a local who was quite easy to communicate with was indeed a good thing.

Soon, the temporarily assembled squad arrived at the designated location; there lay a wasteland that appeared to be utterly empty.

And if Kukku's guidance was not wrong, that unlucky Machine Clan should be down below.

"Solid for at least three meters." Larry knocked on the ground, sensed the vibrations on the surface, and shook his head.

But this did not mean Kukku had found the wrong location.

The underground world was never single-layered; hollow caves and multi-layered structures were already numerous, along with various internal passages, interlayers, and voids.

This did not even count the mystic realms and special passages created by various spells; it was very likely the Machine Clan was just deeper down.

Under normal circumstances, one should now detour to search for possible entrances.

A carpet search was standard; with good luck, it could be found in a few days.

"Start digging!" Kukku happily snapped his fingers, and the others immediately began work.

Looking for a normal entrance? It did not exist; since a very deep passage might exist below, just dig it out.

If this were a rescue mission for another race, such a potentially collapsing excavation method could not be played with casually; but for the Machine Clan already buried deep, what was there to hesitate about?

"Boom!"

Those mushroom people were actually experts at digging holes; with one punch (let's call it a punch), they created a deep pit; the absolute strength of these lives was not low.

Mushroom people were not considered powerful beings in the underground world because they feared fire and were somewhat afraid of strong light; their weaknesses were too obvious, yet generally no one was willing to provoke them actively.

Since they played with alchemy, they naturally played with poisons; their melee strength was not weak, and they feared neither life nor death; most importantly, killing them just resulted in more mushroom debris.

Battlefield fragments often remained; by next year, a new tribe might grow up from the ground and launch a war of revenge against you.

And if one traded with them normally, one could regularly buy some dried mushrooms to improve one's palate.

Although no one dared to drink those alchemical potions, when it truly came to saving lives, their effects were generally excellent.

Even the domineering Dark Elves have no need to provoke the Mushroom People for no reason. What's the point of capturing a dozen or so Mushroom People? The loot is nearly worthless.

"We wish to go out and see." That Mushroom King, Gu Gu, did not conceal his goal either.

"Is it you? Or your community (Mushroom People organize in communities of fewer than twenty)?" Li En was somewhat surprised. You don't plan to go out as a group, do you?

"We are one." It seemed they were indeed preparing to set out together.

The Mushroom People have long used telepathic communication; linking their mental networks is tradition, and there are no secrets between them.

They have virtually no personal desires, do not need to reproduce or eat (in the conventional sense), require no clothing or possessions, and are a collective in an entirely different sense.

Coupled with their long-standing mental network, this has led to the homogenization of their individuals; when one outlier appears, the entire community may gradually become outliers.

"I should be able to provide help, but can you endure the sun outside?" After a moment's thought, this favor seemed one he could grant.

The Mushroom People are, after all, a type of fungus; they instinctively gravitate toward cool, damp places. There is a reason they dwell in the Underworld; the sun outside would be their great enemy.

"I have invented a potion that can gradually alter our constitution. Our mushrooms fear not the sun; our community likes the sun."

Very well, he truly is a scholar-mushroom. Indeed, none who can resonate with Lord Lord Lord Kuku's soul are normal.

But what Gu Gu said was also the plain truth; for them, the environment can be overcome. The greatest danger has always been the human heart.

The Underworlders might look down on that bit of mushroom flesh of yours, but some Surface-dwellers could sell you for a few copper coins.

"Very well. Perhaps I have a place suitable for you to live."

The Docks District truly does not discriminate against people. If they cannot adapt to the environment quickly, the underground cavern connecting to the Underworld can serve as their dwelling.

Damon should take care of these "underlings," and his side is always short on people.

"You should prepare more alchemical potions; after all, merely surviving on the Surface costs money and taxes."

"Uh, but don't Surface-dwellers dare not eat our medicine?"

Uh, you actually know that, do you?

A Fungal Alchemist's materials are all various fungi and mushrooms, and mushrooms cultivated with organic matter grow the fastest. It goes without saying what the Underworld lacks least: organic compost fields.

"Once on the Surface, just don't use corpses to grow mushrooms—at least not openly. Even if they suspect it, if you deny it, that's that."

As he spoke, Li En showed a bitter smile.

"As for whether they dare eat it... adventurers who venture into the Underworld are no different from ordinary people; they can seek out professional alchemists to buy medicine."

"The residents of the Docks District are lucky just to survive; they don't care what materials the medicine is made from. Various healing potions will sell very well."

Li En's words were also nearly a great guarantee; he indeed had no reason to refuse these Mushrooms entry to the City of Radiance.

After all, this Gu Gu and his kind were terrifyingly bright in Detect Evil and the Judgment of the Sin Domain. That's right; the moment Li En saw them, he cast Detect Evil without hesitation.

This might not be a good habit on the Surface streets, but in the Underworld, it is basically correct.

"When the time comes, I'll take you to meet that Princess. Uh, she might seek you out herself; just remember to ask for a high price then." Li En patted the large mushroom, then looked toward the deep pit already dug.

With the Underground Dwarves and the Mushrooms working, the efficiency of digging the pit was truly high; they didn't even need to use explosives.

When roughly four or five meters of earth were excavated, the cavern below was revealed.

However, as soon as one approached the cavern, an instinctive shiver ran through the body, an instinctive reluctance to step inside.

Li En approached and felt a continuous cold wind brushing his face; an unpleasant sensation emanated from it, yet upon careful perception, it seemed as though nothing was there at all.

"Uh, negative energy? Someone died down there."

This sensation, similar to that of a Shadow Dragon, made Li En feel instinctively uneasy; this was a pool of negative energy gathered from life and death.

"There are likely Shadow Creatures or Undead, and if it's the latter..." Li En sighed, recalling the candidate he had recently kicked out.

Could it be this unlucky? Having just encountered a possible Mind Flayer candidate, now another one appears?

(End of this chapter)