Chapter 157

In the largest passage of Cave 3, the cattle-horse Turret Puji are busy sowing spores.

Although letting the fungal carpet spread over by itself is fine, Lin Jun obviously intends to speed up the progress a bit.

This Huang Huang Pishu, it has ability, but its heart is not united, and it is playing its own small abacus every day.

The passage extends tortuously, and the end connects to a desolate cave.

There are only a few mosses and tiny insects in the cave; although the space is not small, it is almost completely unobstructed and cannot hide anything.

There is only one kind of slow-moving big snail, shrinking in its shell in twos and threes, quietly attached to the rock wall.

Compared to the snake cave that the little pig is attacking, it is much more desolate here.

Moreover, no Troglodytes were seen.

Lin Jun didn't immediately turn back to find Huang Huang Pishu to settle accounts, but let the Turret Puji search around, and sure enough, there was a harvest—some footprints with three toes.

This is consistent with the characteristics of the Troglodytes Lin Jun has seen.

Unfortunately, this can only prove that Troglodytes have been here, but don't know where they came from.

Unlike the soft soil in the cave, the passages are reinforced by earthworms, making it difficult to leave traces.

And this cave, like most caves in the deep layer, connects to more than a dozen passages.

He didn't go to do any exhaustive method; Lin Jun doesn't have many idle Turret Puji on hand now, the Great Expedition is like a bottomless pit, no matter how many Turret Puji are thrown in, it's not enough.

Those footprints are relatively new, indicating that Troglodytes have been here recently.

Lin Jun let some mimic Turret Puji turn into the appearance of stones and wait for the rabbit.

This wait lasted for two days; during this period, a mimic Turret Puji was even targeted by a big snail smelling the scent, and when Lin Jun noticed it, it had already been eaten halfway.

Fortunately, Lin Jun didn't wait in vain in the end.

Seven Troglodytes carrying a huge curved tree bark walked out from a passage with a relatively gentle slope.

As soon as they came out, most of them lay on the ground and started collecting moss to put on the tree bark they carried.

So that's it, eating moss is consistent with their image and status.

Just... why is there one standing in place and not working?

Only the Troglodyte standing there is holding a simple spear, and the other Troglodytes are empty-handed.

On guard?

Troglodytes will use simple tools, so it seems natural that they will cooperate.

It's just that this one with a spear doesn't feel like a sentry to Lin Jun.

Neither is it on guard everywhere, nor is it driving away the snails that are close and interfering with the Troglodytes collecting moss.

It's just holding the spear, leaning against the rock wall, waiting for other Troglodytes to fill the tree bark with an attitude that Lin Jun thinks is very slacking off.

A word floated into Lin Jun's mind—supervisor.

Mainly because its behavior is too consistent with this identity; its meaning of existence seems to be just "being present," using pressure to drive the industrial slaves to work, while it doesn't need to pay physical labor, and the spear in its hand is far more significant for deterring its own kind than defending against foreign enemies.

And the scene that followed almost confirmed this speculation to Lin Jun.

When an industrial slave was struggling to scrape a large piece of fat moss, the range of motion was a bit large, and it accidentally splashed a piece of moss with wet mud out, which happened to splash on the foot claws of the "supervisor" leaning against the rock wall.

"Sss-ga!" A sharp, ear-piercing hiss erupted from the supervisor's mouth, with obvious rage.

It didn't even go to wipe the mud off its foot claws, but stepped forward fiercely, the stone spear in its hand stabbing fiercely at the industrial slave who looked up in terror with the sound of breaking wind!

The target was not the vital part, but the industrial slave's tail.

"Pfft!" The stone spear tip pierced into the slave's tail with a bit of stagnation; obviously, this kind of simple weapon was barely usable even if it was used against its own kind.

The industrial slave let out a painful wail, curled up on the ground holding its injured tail, and made a fearful whimper.

The movements of other industrial slaves stopped instantly; they all lay low on the ground, shivering, not even daring to breathe.

The supervisor seemed very satisfied with this effect. It wiped the blood-stained spear tip on the moss casually, didn't pay attention to the injured industrial slave anymore, just sent out a series of low, threatening sounds from its throat, seemingly warning everyone to continue working and not to stop.

The injured industrial slave endured the pain, grabbed a handful of moss with trembling claws to press on the wound to stop the bleeding, and then gritted its teeth to continue scraping the moss, its movements more cautious and full of fear than before.

Seeing this, the "supervisor" slowly paced back to the rock wall and resumed the posture of leaning.

It just didn't know that a stone ten steps away was actually a mimic Turret Puji, and an existence watched its performance just now with relish.

It was indeed with relish.

A group of Troglodytes actually developed slavery!

And it's not the kind of slavery maintained purely by individual violence; the gap between the supervisor and the slave on the panel is minimal, and these few slaves could easily tear the supervisor to pieces if they swarmed up.

But they didn't dare to resist in the face of the supervisor's abuse.

This shows that the Troglodytes' slavery is already a relatively complete social form.

Clearly they are all the same species, clearly there is not much difference.

But this is good news for Lin Jun.

Originally thought they were just some existence similar to primitive people, now it seems that their intelligence level is higher than he expected.

Didn't let the Turret Puji suddenly make a move to capture these Troglodytes, but quietly watched them fill the large tree bark with moss mixed with a little mud, and then carried it back under the command of the supervisor.

And a scout Turret Puji followed them from a distance under the control of [Dependent Manipulation].

Although Troglodytes also have skills like [Vibration Perception], the level is only about lv3.

Lin Jun's detection skill level is higher than theirs, the range is larger than theirs, and there is no pressure to follow.

The Troglodytes went all the way up, passing through several completely desolate caves without monsters; it seems they are "safe passages" explored by Troglodytes.

It's just that Lin Jun always has a strange feeling...

When coming to a special cave that was riddled with holes by earthworms, Lin Jun figured out the source of the strangeness—isn't this the place where he fought the earthworms at the beginning?

So the old home is not far away?

Troglodytes actually live near here?

Lin Jun definitely hadn't seen Troglodytes before, so looking at it this way, Troglodytes must have come over with the magic tide.

Watching a few Troglodytes climb onto a familiar passage, a guess emerged in the mushroom cap.

No way...

Following behind the Troglodytes, walking the familiar path and familiar passage.

After several hours of trekking, the cave where the old mushroom garden was located finally appeared in his perception...

So, after he left, this place was taken over by Troglodytes?

The scene in front of him no longer has half a similarity with the mushroom garden in his memory.

The passage entrance that used to be guarded by combat Turret Puji is now completely sealed by a huge living giant tree.

The giant tree's thick, dark brown main trunk, like blood vessels, is deeply rooted in the rock.

On the side of the giant tree facing the passage, there is an irregular entrance dug out roughly, with claw marks and gnawing traces left on the edge, like an ugly sore.

A few Troglodytes holding simple weapons are guarding this entrance.

At this entrance, Lin Jun even found traps they set.

Several trap pits covered with grass and wood; huge stones suspended by vines.

These traps were not overly concealed, probably because the usual enemies were some weak-minded monsters that couldn't recognize them.

The scene in front of him can be called a primitive and simple castle.

Obviously, it's not an accident that these weak Troglodytes can survive in the deep layer.

It's just that... they don't seem to have eradicated the mushrooms that originally grew here; separated by the living wood fortress, Lin Jun can feel that there are a large number of fungal carpets, mushrooms, and even... Turret Puji inside?

(End of chapter)