Chapter 13: 13 Mushrooms Leave, Garden Empty

"Th-this..." The young Pugi Mushroom cap trembled as it looked left and right, searching for the intruder's figure. "What should we do? If they are really assassins..."

"Then you are doomed."

"Eh? Is there no hope of winning?"

Seeing Inanna clinging to illusions, Lin Jun analyzed the situation for her with no mercy:

"Think about it. We are trapped on this floor and cannot even run out, yet they can descend easily from above. The gap in strength is obvious, right?"

"Then what should I do?"

"How about preparing to self-detonate with a Magic Crystal at any moment?"

"Mutual destruction?"

"It would be a more dignified death."

"There... is some logic..."

When the Silver Thorn Squad reached the center of the Mushroom Garden, they saw a Pink Pugi topped with a large Magic Crystal, its body surging with mana, ready to self-detonate at any moment.

Lin Jun had thoughtfully arranged two Pugi on her left and right, making the display look much more imposing.

Detonating such a huge Magic Crystal would be nothing compared to the incident at the entrance.

The Night Owl immediately wanted to use its speed advantage to eliminate the threat instantly.

【Shadow Bind】

True to form for a teammate, Ivan's first move was a spell that countered the Night Owl.

"Calm down, you brute."

Only after Ivan's reminder did the Night Owl notice that the squad leader, Nova, was looking at the pink Pugi before them with an excited expression.

Feeling the direction indicated by the Location Crystal in hand, there was no doubt that this Pugi was their rescue target—Duke's daughter Inanna St. Clair.

Nova immediately knelt on one knee and performed a standard noble greeting toward Inanna.

"Young Lady Inanna, we are adventurers entrusted by your father, Duke Amara, to rescue you. We apologize for the distress you have suffered."

As he spoke, he also signaled the Night Owl, who was standing there dumbly clutching a dagger.

He was now incredibly relieved that he had stopped the Night Owl from clearing the area before entering.

He dared not imagine what would happen if my lord the Duke discovered that the adventurers sent to rescue his daughter were marked with his revenge seal...

Gulu—

It would not just be the Duke's pursuit; the Adventurer's Guild, to distance itself from such a mess, would absolutely issue a high-bounty warrant against them.

At that point, truly, the world would be vast, yet there would be no place for them to hide.

Thinking of this, Nova couldn't help but shiver, and his gaze toward the Night Owl grew even more hostile—she had indeed been getting more reckless lately; it was time to hold a self-reflection meeting upon returning.

"How would I know..." Glared at, the Night Owl muttered, sheathed her weapon, and knelt down, mimicking the squad leader's posture.

Although she couldn't understand the conversation, seeing several people kneel before Inanna, Lin Jun was able to confirm their intentions.

Inanna, even more excited, jumped up while the Magic Crystal on her head was still at the critical point.

Frightened, Lin Jun quickly urged her to calm down; if she blew herself up now, the joke would have gone too far.

"Old man... Father actually came to rescue me!"

Inanna did not know she had Location Magic on her; having heard the words of those two traitors earlier, she had always thought the Duke would be too busy to save her.

Just now, she had suspected that these people before her had come to cut off the roots completely; now she was somewhat tearful with joy, except that Pugi simply had no tears.

"Boss, did you hear? We can get out!"

"After we get out, you can plant mushrooms all over my family's private forest."

"The old man will definitely agree too."

"We can also... we can..."

"Boss, why aren't you speaking?"

"Lin Jun?"

A Pugi carrying an A-rank Magic Crystal, slightly smaller than the one on Inanna's head, approached her.

"Newcomer, you have done quite well these days. This is your bonus."

"Do not mention me to these people. I wish you good luck in the future."

Lin Jun finally responded, but the content of the response left her unable to understand.

"Don't you also want to get out? Why?"

"..."

"Young Lady Inanna, can we communicate like this?"

The voice rang directly in Inanna's mind as usual, but the speaker was not Lin Jun.

Inanna looked at the halfling old man before her and realized he had used the Telepathy spell.

"Yes..."

It is truly wonderful to see you safe and sound. I know you've been affected by a solidification transformation spell; don't worry. Once we leave the dungeon, we'll perform a reversal ritual for you. Please endure just a little longer.

"Mm."

Ivan felt that the figure before him was a shy, somewhat introverted girl, which did not quite match the information they had gathered earlier.

However, the Location Crystal was certainly correct; the one before them must be the Duke's daughter.

Thinking that a young girl suddenly suffered betrayal and had her life hanging by a thread, it was quite normal for her personality to change slightly.

"Young Lady Inanna, could you tell us exactly what you experienced?"

"I... I don't want to talk about it..."

Inanna remembered Lin Jun's words; after a moment of thought, she chose not to fabricate a story, but simply to say nothing.

Sure enough, after a brief pause, Ivan took the initiative to comfort her: "Ah, it's fine, it's fine. This was not an interrogation to begin with."

Ivan naturally understood what secrets might lie within this mushroom garden.

Otherwise, the duke's daughter could not have survived here; by her appearance, she got along very well with the Pujis here.

At other times, he would certainly have investigated to satisfy his curiosity.

But now, this is a mission concerning the reward of an entire city.

Even if this pink Pujis, the duke's daughter before him, needed to spray spores while standing on the Night Owl's head, he would have to help hold the Night Owl still so it wouldn't move.

Let alone some small secret here.

"We will be returning soon. Is there anything you need to take?"

At Inanna's signal, Ivan took out a box and stored the later magic crystal.

As for the one on top of Inanna's head, she still insisted on tying it there.

Ivan simply replaced the mycelial tentacles originally used to bind the magic crystal with a sturdy ribbon.

After Ivan briefly communicated with his teammates, he carried Inanna and returned by the original path.

As they moved farther from the mushroom garden, the connection of the mycelial network grew weaker.

Losing the vision provided by the mycelial network, Inanna momentarily felt as though she had returned to the moment she was first turned into a Pujis.

Loneliness, fear—

————

Watching the adventurer squad disappear into the passage, Lin Jun's true form, piloting the strongest Pujis, crawled out from his hiding place.

He certainly could not leave with Inanna.

Having spent so much time with Inanna, he knew that everything she said reflected her true thoughts.

But Lin Jun could not trust adventurers, let alone trust Inanna's father, such a high noble.

He was unclear whether there was anything on his person worth these people coveting.

Even if he were taken out, he would likely just be the duke's daughter's pet.

And if the duke discovered that killing his own daughter's pet would bring immense benefits, what would he do?

This was merely a hypothesis, but Lin Jun would never bet his hopes on others.

Moreover, not leaving with Inanna did not mean he would not follow them from afar, using these adventurers to carve out a safe path for himself.

He placed his collected Sun Stone fragments and a single S-rank magic crystal beneath the shell of the Super Pujis.

He gathered the only forty combat Pujis available.

Lin Jun took one last look at the mushroom garden he had created with his own hands, which had helped him through the most difficult period—it had already fulfilled its mission.

Following Inanna's faint mycelial network signal, Lin Jun also stepped into the passage.

(End of this chapter)