Chapter 13: Mushrooms Go to the Garden
"This, this..." The young Puji Mushroom Hat trembled, looking around for any unfamiliar figures, "What should we do? If they're really assassins..."
"Then you're as good as dead."
"Wait? Is there no hope of winning?"
Seeing that Inanna was clinging to false hope, Lin Jun analyzed the situation without mercy:
"Think about it. We're trapped on this level and can't escape, but they can easily come down from above. The difference in strength is obvious, isn't it?"
"Then what should I do?"
"How about being prepared to self-destruct with the magic crystal?"
"Mutual destruction?"
"At least we can die with dignity."
"That... makes sense..."
When the Yin Jing Squad reached the center of the mushroom garden, they saw a pink Puji with a large magic crystal on its head, its magic power surging, ready to self-destruct at any moment.
Lin Jun had thoughtfully arranged two puffballs on either side of it, making it look even more imposing.
Exploding such a large magic crystal would be far more powerful than the one at the entrance.
Night Owl immediately wanted to use his speed advantage to eliminate the threat as quickly as possible.
[Shadow Bind]
True to form as a teammate, Ivan immediately cast a spell that countered the Night Owl.
"Calm down, you brute."
Under Ivan's reminder, the Night Owl noticed that Captain Nova was staring excitedly at the pink puffball in front of them.
Feeling the direction of the定位 crystal in his hand, there was no doubt that the puji before them was their rescue target—the duke's daughter, Inanna Saint-Clair.
Nova immediately knelt on one knee and performed a standard noble's bow toward Inanna.
"Miss Inanna, we are adventurers sent by your father, Duke Amara, to rescue you. We apologize for startling you."
He also gave a meaningful glance to Night Owl, who was standing there dumbfounded with a dagger in hand.
He was now incredibly relieved that he had stopped Night Owl from clearing the area before entering.
He dared not imagine what would happen if the duke discovered that the adventurers sent to rescue his daughter had been marked by his vengeance...
Gulp—
It wouldn't just be the duke himself hunting them down; the Adventurers' Guild would definitely issue a high bounty on their heads to distance themselves from such a mess.
Then there truly would be no place in the world for them to hide.
At this thought, Nova couldn't help but shiver, and her gaze toward Night Owl grew even more hostile—she had indeed become increasingly reckless lately, and it was time to hold a reflection meeting back at the guild.
"How should I know…" Night Owl muttered as she sheathed her weapon and knelt down, mimicking the captain's posture.
Though she couldn't understand the conversation, seeing the others kneel before Inanna, Lin Jun confirmed their intentions.
Inanna was so excited that she jumped up despite her magic crystal still being in a critical state.
Startled, Lin Jun hurriedly urged her to calm down; if she blew herself up now, that would be a joke gone too far.
"Old man… Father actually came to save me!"
Inanna didn't know that she had a locating spell on her. After hearing the words of those two traitors, she had always thought that the duke would be too busy to save her.
Earlier, she had suspected that the people in front of her had come to eliminate her, but now she was overjoyed, though she didn't shed any tears.
"Boss, did you hear that? We can go out now!"
"After we go out, you can plant mushrooms all over my family's private forest."
"The old man will definitely agree too."
"We can also… we can also…"
"Boss, why aren't you speaking?"
"Lin Jun?"
A Puji brought an A-grade magic crystal slightly smaller than the one on Inanna's head to her.
"Newcomer, you've done a good job these days. This is your bonus."
"Don't mention me to these people. I wish you good luck in the future."
Lin Jun finally replied, but the content of her reply left her puzzled.
"Aren't you also trying to get out? Why?"
"…"
"Miss Inanna, can we communicate like this?"
The voice sounded directly in Inanna's mind as usual, but it wasn't Lin Jun speaking.
Inanna looked at the half-human old man in front of her and realized that he had used a telepathy spell.
"Yes..."
"It's so good to see you safe and sound. I know you've been subjected to a transformation spell, but don't worry. Once we're out of the dungeon, we'll prepare a reversal ritual for you. Please bear with us a little longer."
"Hmm."
Ivan sensed that the girl before him was shy and introverted, which didn't quite match the information they had gathered earlier.
However, the locating crystal was definitely correct; the person before him must be the duke's daughter.
Thinking about how a young girl suddenly suffered betrayal and was on the brink of death, it was quite normal for her personality to change slightly.
"Miss Inanna, can you tell us what you went through?"
"I... I don't want to talk about it..."
Inanna recalled Lin Jun's words, paused for a moment, and chose not to fabricate a story but to remain silent.
Sure enough, Ivan paused briefly before offering reassurance: "Ah, it's okay, it wasn't meant to be an interrogation anyway."
Ivan was well aware that this mushroom garden might harbor some secrets.
Otherwise, the duke's daughter wouldn't have survived here, and she seemed to get along well with the puffballs here.
Under normal circumstances, he would definitely investigate to satisfy his curiosity.
But now, this was a mission involving the reward for a city.
The duke's daughter, now transformed into a pink puffball, would have to step on the owl's head to release spores, and he would have to help hold the owl still.
Let alone any little secrets here.
"We'll be returning soon. Is there anything you need to take with you?"
At Inanna's gesture, Ivan took out a box and stored the later magic crystal inside.
As for the one on Inanna's head, she insisted on keeping it tied there.
However, Ivan replaced the fungal tentacles originally used to bind the magic crystal with a sturdy ribbon.
After briefly communicating with his teammates, Ivan carried Inanna back along the same path.
As they grew farther from the mushroom garden, the fungal network's connection grew weaker.
Without the fungal network's vision, Inanna momentarily felt as though she had returned to the moment she was transformed into a puji.
Loneliness, fear—
————
Watching the adventurer squad disappear into the passageway, Lin Jun's true form emerged from hiding, piloting the strongest puji.
He couldn't possibly go with Inanna.
Having spent so many days with Inanna, he knew she was speaking her true thoughts.
But Lin Jun couldn't trust the adventurers, and he certainly couldn't trust Inanna's father, a high-ranking noble.
He wasn't sure if there was anything about him that these people might covet.
Even if he were taken out, his role would likely be no more than a pet for the duke's daughter.
And if the duke discovered that killing his own daughter's pet could bring him immense benefits, what would he do?
This was just a hypothetical scenario, but Lin Jun would never pin his hopes on others.
Moreover, not going with Inanna didn't mean he wouldn't follow them from a distance, using these adventurers to clear a safe path for himself.
He placed the sunstone fragments he had collected and an S-rank magic crystal under the shell of the super Puji.
He gathered the remaining 40 combat Puji.
Lin Jun cast one last glance at the mushroom garden he had created with his own hands, which had helped him through the toughest times—it had fulfilled its mission.
Following Inanna's faint fungal network signal, Lin Jun also stepped into the passageway.
(End of this chapter)