Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 117 The Mushroom Man's Adventure Expectations
Rean and his group encountered the temporary laborers they had arranged to meet under a large, mushroom-shaped rock.

But when he first saw it, Rean thought he had been ambushed.

"puff!"

With a soft sound, pale green smoke dissipated, and heavy footsteps echoed from all directions around the temporary squad.

It seems we've been ambushed? The attackers are coming?!
Rean instinctively stopped breathing and drew his sword, but the next moment, a voice rang in his mind.

"Partner, please don't do anything. Mushroom has come as promised. Mushroom brought the digging tools we agreed on."

One by one, figures, some tall and some short, emerged from the shadows; they were self-propelled mushrooms of all sizes.

"Mushroom Man? Mushroom Man?"

This life form is neither cute nor scary; it looks like a walking mushroom. In fact, it really is.

Its only distinguishing features from mushrooms are its short, stubby legs and not-so-good eyes.

No wonder the makeshift team didn't notice; as long as they buried themselves in the ground and closed their eyes, it was as if they had really walked into a mushroom forest.

"Stop!" Rean shouted. He had only seen the leader of this group in his dream last night.

The mushroom-like beings that suddenly appeared varied in size, with the smallest being smaller than Rean's little foot and the largest being more than twice the size of Rean.

They also brought large mushroom beasts to carry equipment, and a large pile of tools such as picks were placed on the platform.

Rean sheathed his sword. He had not only met the other party last night, but also knew that they were rare, neutral, and benevolent beings in the underworld.

"Is this the spore of the mind link?" That bursting spore might be the reason we can communicate now.

“Yes, based on our experience dealing with outsiders, instead of painstakingly persuading them to accept our mind spores, we might as well just throw them out.” The pale yellow mushroom man we met last night stepped forward; he seemed to be the leader of this group of mushroom men.

The pale green smoke that just burst was tiny spores of spiritual energy, which, in a sense, are also part of these mushroom-like beings before us.

They lack normal language abilities and can only communicate telepathically using mind spores. If they do not accept these spores, the entire process is destined to be a misunderstanding.

"I am Mushroom. The Mushroom King of the Gray Rock Mushroom Tribe, and also the tribe's alchemist. Greetings, teachers and senior brothers."

Don't be intimidated by the name Mushroom King. He is actually just the leader of a community of about a dozen mushroom people, who are mostly based in small villages.

Mushroom people are actually a type of fungal creature. They are far more ancient and intelligent than they appear, possessing not only their own gods but also a complete set of alchemical techniques unique to their race.

This technique is something that no outsiders can learn. After all, apart from the mushroom people, no one can cultivate small mushrooms on their own bodies.

Their alchemy, which is said to have originated from the gods, is based on fungi and mushrooms and is completely different from the existing alchemy system. However, it can produce unique effects, especially in detoxification and healing.

Their groups are often small (no more than 20 people), which is also a kind of survival wisdom for them, actively limiting their group size to ensure survival.

Most of the powerful beings in the underworld are carnivores, and they have no interest in eating the mushroom people who pose no threat or even provide some materials.

Seeing the two large, rough hands clasped together in a gesture of respect, and noticing that the giant mushroom-shaped hat was able to bow slightly, Rean was somewhat surprised.

It seems that the person in front of us is somewhat too eccentric.

"It's truly astonishing. I've seen plenty of mushroom people and mushroom kings, but this is the first time I've seen one that looks so much like a terrestrial being."

Purple Rose also showed a surprised expression and said something that made people doubt her age.

How many mushroom people have you actually seen?
"I was speaking on behalf of the contracted beast, Merul. She has traveled to many underground worlds." Uh, isn't this addition at this point a bit like protesting too much?
But Purple Rose was right. The giant mushroom-like figure in front of them was even wearing a top hat and a bow tie. Although it looked out of place, it did resemble a human.

Normal mushroom people often appear dull and slow, and they have little interest in changes in the outside world.

When you talk to them, they are friendly, but most of the time they are too lazy to respond. This one in front of you is really not "mushroom".

"Perhaps it's because when I was a little mushroom, I was born into the body of a land traveler. His travel notes were my favorite books when I was a child."

Body? Corpse, right? Rean thought it was better not to ask to maintain his sanity.

Rean had a vague feeling that perhaps Kuku's selection criteria were what was called...
"An anomaly? Or a freak?" Rean asked Kuku directly through the mind link with his magical pet.

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

But having a local who is easy to communicate with is definitely a good thing.

Soon, the temporarily assembled team arrived at the designated location, which was a seemingly barren wasteland.

If Kuku's directions are correct, that unfortunate machine should be below.

“A solid one is at least three meters long.” Larry tapped the ground, felt the vibration, and shook his head.

But this doesn't mean Kuku has chosen the wrong place.

The underground world is never a single layer; there are many hollow caves and multi-layered structures, as well as various internal passages, interlayers, and cavities.

This doesn't even include the secret realms and special passages created by various spells; it's very likely that the Mechs are even deeper inside.

Normally, we should be taking a detour now to find a possible entrance.

A thorough search is the standard procedure; with a bit of luck, you can find it in a few days.
"Start digging!" Kuku snapped his fingers cheerfully, and the others immediately began work.

A normal search for the entrance? It doesn't exist. Since there might be a deep passage below, let's dig it out. If it were a rescue operation by another race, this might lead to a collapse, and it's not something to be done lightly. But for the Mech race already buried deep underground, what is there to hesitate about?

"boom!"

Those mushroom people are actually experts at digging holes. With one punch (let's assume it's a punch for now), they can create a deep pit. The absolute power of these life forms is not low.

Mushroom people are not considered strong in the underground world because they are afraid of fire and to some extent afraid of strong light. Their weaknesses are too obvious, so generally no one wants to provoke them.

They're skilled in alchemy and poisons, their melee combat is formidable and they're fearless in the face of death. Most importantly, taking them down just adds another piece of mushroom debris to the mix.

Battlefields often leave behind some remnants, and next year a new tribe might spring up on the ground and launch a revenge war against you.

If you trade with them normally, you can also buy some dried mushrooms regularly to improve your taste.

Although no one dared to drink those alchemical potions, they were generally quite effective when it came to saving lives.

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

"We want to go out and take a look." The mushroom-man King Mushroom didn't hide his intentions.

"It's you? Or your community (the Mushroom People are organized into communities of less than twenty people)?" Rean was a little surprised. You're not planning to go out as a group?

"We are one." It seems they really are preparing to set off together.

The Mushroom People have a long history of using telepathic communication, and their interconnected telepathic networks are a tradition, with no secrets between them.

They have virtually no selfish desires, do not need to reproduce or eat (in the conventional sense), and can go without clothes or possessions, making them a form of collectivism in a completely different sense.

In addition, the long-term psychological network has also led to the convergence of their individuals. When an outlier appears, the entire community may gradually become outliers.

"I should be able to help, but can you stand the sun outside?" After thinking it over, it seemed like I could help.

Mushroom people are, after all, a type of fungus, and instinctively they gravitate towards shady and damp places. There's a reason they live in the underground world; the outside sun would be their greatest enemy.

"I invented a medicine that can gradually change our constitution. Our mushrooms are not afraid of the sun, and our community loves the sun."

Well, he really is a scholar. As expected, there are no normal people who can resonate with Kuku's soul.

But what GuGu said was also the truth. For them, the environment can be overcome; the most dangerous thing is always the human heart.

The people underground might not even want your little bit of mushroom meat, but some people above ground might sell you for a few copper coins.

"Sure, maybe I have a place suitable for you to stay."

The dock area is truly indiscriminate in its people; if they cannot adapt to the environment quickly, the underground caves that connect to the underworld can also serve as their dwelling.

Dimon will probably take care of these "little brothers," and he's always short-handed on his side.

"You can prepare more alchemical potions, after all, just staying alive on the ground costs money and taxes."

"Well, aren't the people on the ground afraid to take our medicine?"

Oh, you actually know that?

The materials used by the Fungal Alchemist are all kinds of fungi and mushrooms, and mushrooms cultivated with organic matter grow the fastest. It goes without saying that the underground world has no shortage of organic matter compost fields.

"Once you're on the surface, don't use corpses to grow mushrooms, at least don't do it openly. Even if they guessed it, just don't admit it."

As he spoke, Rean gave a wry smile.

"As for whether they dare to eat it, adventurers who can go to the underground world are not the same as ordinary people. They can go to professional alchemists to buy medicine."

"The residents of the dock area are lucky to be alive, so they don't care what kind of medicine is made of. All kinds of treatments will sell very well."

Rean's words were almost a guarantee; he really had no reason to refuse these mushrooms going to Radiant City.

After all, this mushroom and its kind shone terrifyingly in both the detection of evil and the judgment of sin. Indeed, Rean dropped the detection of evil without hesitation when he saw them.

This might not be a good habit on the streets above ground, but it's basically fine in the underground world.

"I'll take you to see that princess then. She might ask to see you on her own initiative. Remember to ask for a high price." Rean patted the big mushroom, then looked at the deep pit that had already been dug.

With the underground dwarfs and mushrooms working, the digging efficiency was really high; they didn't even need to use explosives.

When the soil, which was about four or five meters deep, was dug away, the cavity underneath was exposed.

However, just getting close to the cave sent a chill down one's spine, making one instinctively reluctant to step inside.

Rean moved closer and felt the continuous chill on his face, a feeling that made him uncomfortable, but upon closer inspection, it was as if there was nothing there.

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

This feeling, similar to that of Shadow Dragon, made Rean instinctively uncomfortable; this was a pool of negative energy where life and death had gathered.

“It’s very likely that there are shadow creatures or undead, and if it’s the latter…” Rean sighed, thinking of the candidate he had recently rejected.

Can't be this unlucky? I just encountered one potential mind flayer candidate, and now another one has appeared?
(End of this chapter)