Chapter 283: A Flow of Inspiration (End)

The next morning, the fat painter Kwalu came to the "Gulugua" shopping center some distance away from the school with his drawing board.

There were more and more of his peers at the Art Plaza, and it was hard to earn any extra cash if he stayed any longer. If he wanted to make quick money, he had to work harder and find space. He bought some new, less popular paints at the Pollen Paint Shop—Inspiration Mushroom's paintings consumed a lot of colors he didn't normally use—and while mixing the paints, he observed his peers around him.

This mall, owned by the Fufu tribe, saw a fair amount of foot traffic, with a high-end consumer base. Street artists primarily performed poetry and sang, while the few remaining painters specialized in more sophisticated landscapes. Fortunately, there was no competition for a sketch artist like him. This should have been a good thing, but the more Kwalu looked, the more he became suspicious.

"Business is bad, Kwalu." A small flower with cartoon features spoke to him.

Kwalu smacked his lips. "He's so smart. We poor students can't beat him."

Xiaohua was right. Every artist here was thoroughly prepared. Whether singing or reciting poetry, they all had plenty of mushrooms. One artist, a bird-headed artist, even took full advantage of the mushrooms, advertising "Custom Original Songs," attracting a crowd of wealthy women waiting to hear their songs. Kwalu was impressed by this idea, and he sat closer, eager to hear what the mushroom artists could produce.

"Master, please compose a song for my little Hada!" A wealthy lady with a plump figure held up her palm-sized puppy. "It has always been a good child who loves music~"

"My pleasure, ma'am. Please wait a moment."

The bird-headed artist turned, swallowed a mushroom, closed his eyes, and felt the complex stream of information pouring into his brain. As before, he didn't have time to process most of the fragments, and many seemingly strange images flashed through his mind, but the feelings in his body could not be faked.

He felt like his brain was stuffed like a large intestine. This was exactly the feeling he wanted! Inspiration came, inspiration came!

The bird-head artist raised his head and sang affectionately: "Puff~Puff, Pujipa~~"

The original song begins with a ventriloquist imitation, so vivid and realistic that the audience can't help but think of the toilet. The rich lady is shocked, and her dog nervously turns back to sniff, just to make sure it hasn't leaked.

The bird-head artist, still intoxicated by his inspiration, sang the second line with great emotion: "Puff, puff, puff, puff, puff! Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft!"

"What are you singing?!" screamed the rich lady.

The bird-headed artist realized something was wrong, but inspiration rushed in like diarrhea, forcing him to open his mouth and pour out his work: "If this comes out while I'm walking, my life as a pet will be over. So I'll make a loud noise to cover it up~ Woof woof woof! Woof woof puff!"

The little pug couldn't help but let out a "puff!" sound. The crowd screamed and scattered. The rich lady was so angry that she jumped up and down on the spot: "That's enough! Swallow your music! You won't get a single branch!"

The bird-head artist was speechless and couldn't help singing: "Puffy Puyy!"

Xiaohua quickly covered her face with leaves, and Kwalu was stunned. He turned to look at the other side of the entrance, where a mushroom poet was composing a poem for a couple.

"Your eyes~are like the boiling yellow of a swamp~

His singing is like the sound of a blessing bursting apart.

Lovers, sing the praises of a love that is richer than a durian~

May love turn into large intestines, connecting you forever~"

The female couple rolled their eyes and almost fainted. Her boyfriend was furious: "I'll beat you to your fucking intestines right now!!"

"It's not me, it's not me!" The poet waved his hands hastily. "It was Mushroom who wrote it!"

"Go tell that to Dachang!"

To the poet's right, the master landscape painter had finally completed another new work. He proudly turned the canvas around and showed it to the guest, "Please see this epic masterpiece, 'Blessings and Protection for the Brave'!" It celebrates the spirit of struggle and the heroic spirit of the warriors.

The guest took one look and screamed, "Poop!!"

The artist turned around and screamed even more miserably: "Oh my god, there's X!!"

The canvas was awash in dark green and deep black mud and an unknown substance. A group of heavily armed warriors, their guns blasting out streaks of golden color, sent the demons and monsters in the muddy pit fleeing in panic. The artist had creatively used a variety of unique pollens, so much so that even through the canvas one could smell the blessing. Visitors turned and ran without even a glance, fearing a single drop of contamination. The artist himself was even faster than him. The area surrounding the painting quickly became a deserted area, with all but a few canine citizens retreating.

Xiaohua next to him was extremely surprised: "What on earth happened?!"

Kwalu looked at the mushroom in his hand in horror and quickly threw it away: "Oh no, there's shit in the mushroom!"

The same horrific scene unfolded across the Third Vein. For a moment, the sound of puffing and screaming was incessant, and the pervasive aura of blessing invigorated the canine citizens. This summer, the city-state of Thorns, was painted with a golden touch. For a brief moment, the citizens of the Third Vein experienced the same feelings as the swamp dwellers of the past. It could be said that "the whole city was draped in golden armor!"

·

In the Seafood Bookstore, the little animals who had been prepared had closed the doors and windows in advance. The store manager announced that it was not advisable to go out today and suggested that everyone hide in the bookstore until the smell passed.

Chu Hengkong held a glass of iced tea and smiled, "Everything has its pros and cons. Everyone has already experienced the benefits of inspiration mushrooms. Today, I will reveal the risks of inspiration mushrooms, so that citizens can understand this mushroom more objectively."

Gulibo listened to the incessant puffing sounds outside the window and stared at his frozen chocolate, unable to swallow a single bite. He poured the chocolate into the seal's mouth and trembled, "Chu Hengkong, how on earth did you come up with such an idea... How could you do such a horrible thing without batting an eyelid..."

"How can you talk like that? This is to promote our advanced experience in breaking superstitions in the swamp!" Ji Huaisu gave a thumbs up.

Fander glanced at the communication crystal and said, "Everyone, please pay attention and give your testimony. The city lord just wrote to us and told us to keep our mouths shut and not tell Youyou about this... He's afraid that Youyou will collapse..."

"I've censored everything, don't worry."

Vander stared at the large title of the video material, "X Dragon City Swamp Jet Operation Combat Record", and thought that the effect of applying the code would probably be almost the same as not applying it at all.

"Can someone explain this to me?" Bang Bang Crucian Carp looked confused. "I still don't understand why pouring X—no, not Blessing—into the pond would make them all spray X."

The otter hummed a cheerful tune and was in a particularly good mood.

"You have to understand how the Inspiration Mushroom works. Its output relies entirely on imitating and learning from the sample library itself. Chu Hengkong not only added material to the sample library, but also increased the search weight of this material. As a result, no matter what keyword you enter, the first result will be the Jet Operation video. The Inspiration Mushroom will always prioritize using Blessing as the material for its patchwork."

Bang Bang Crucian Carp's expression became even more interesting: "So no matter what the mushroom eaters want to do, there's a high probability that one of them will do X!"

"Yes, yes, yes."

The old octopus, Fratali, lay on the table, tears streaming down his face. "You're all so evil! You've insulted my hard work with X! Every bite of energy I take tastes like X now. Do you know how this feels?!"

[I don’t want to eat this.] The big seal held up a sign.

"Even your store manager doesn't eat it!"

The old octopus slammed the table. Chu Hengkong glanced at it and said with a smile, "Professor Fulatali, you don't have to pretend. You should know better than us how risky this mushroom is."

Fu Lata looked out the window and whistled loudly. Ji Huaisu sneered, "The output content is essentially uncontrolled by the user, disregarding personal wishes and transmitting large amounts of information. These two items alone are a violation of security standards! If even a little contaminated information were leaked into the database, the consequences would be unimaginable. Why did you go to the dock yesterday? You knew it was dangerous, and you wanted to get out of town to hide after making a quick buck!"

"I beg you young people not to be so sensitive..." Fulatali said with a sad face.

Rico, who was happily reading a comic nearby, looked up when she heard this and said, "So the Divine Guards haven't taken any action yet. Are they waiting to catch the perpetrators red-handed?"

"There's no reason to act right away. It's much easier to deal with it after something's happened," Chu Hengkong said. "If something really happens, Cui Ke will definitely be the first one to arrive. Do you believe it?"

"It's something he could do..." Li Ke said angrily.

Things unfolded just as Chu Hengkong had anticipated. Shortly after lunch that day, Captain Cui Ke arrived with two pounds of bacon. The next day, the store manager, Da Hai Bao, was invited by "Poetry Daily Review" to write a column on inspiration mushrooms. He shared the principles and manufacturing process of the mushrooms with the unnamed creator of the inspiration mushrooms (omitting the details of the Fulatari ritual).

As soon as this article was published, the discussion about the "inspiration mushroom" became a hot topic in the third-party community, with discussions on topics such as originality, copyright, qualifications, and autonomy surging. Both the pro-mushroom and anti-mushroom factions held their own opinions, stirring up a frenzy in the entertainment industry.

During this period of soaring attention, the Third Pulse Order Divine Guard announced that it would work with the Jingsha Cultural Bureau, the City-State Copyright Bureau, the City-State Writers Association, the Artists Association and the Mansa Star Fort Supreme Procuratorate to jointly carry out the supervision and development of inspiration mushrooms, put an end to copyright infringements such as illegal inclusion of samples, provide users with a variety of usage methods for their own choice, promote the healthy, legal and positive development of the inspiration mushroom industry, and ensure that mushrooms provide safe services for every citizen.

After this official intervention, the operating mechanism of inspiration mushrooms has been greatly improved, and private enterprises have also begun to cultivate their own inspiration mushroom brands. After a series of regulations on mushrooms were formulated, the mushroom industry finally became regular.

But all this is a story for the past. For those who exposed the risks of mushrooms, the matter was over the day after Operation Blessing.

"We have decided not to review the submitted books," said the editor of Dudu Otter.

Chu Hengkong raised his eyebrows: "I thought you would kill all the inspiration mushrooms."

"Plagiarism, something that involves the spirit of creation, is still the bottom line. Even inferior work that's clearly made with mushrooms is certainly unacceptable. Regardless of whether mushrooms were used, we will strictly control the content." Poison Otter clapped his paws. "But if we want to delve deeper into the mushrooms themselves, where will we stop? A section written with mushrooms should be eliminated, but should a single sentence be rejected? An entire book is handwritten, but some information was researched with mushrooms. Does that count? A person who was out of ideas at the time and then modified and incorporated ideas provided by mushrooms—how should that be judged?"

"We run a bookstore - not a court!" Bangbangji shook his head.

[Reviews are endless and pointless, creating panic.] Big Seal held up a sign, "We've revealed the pros and cons of Mushroom. From now on, it's up to the creators and readers to judge for themselves. We'll continue to only publish books we approve of. As for Mushroom's creation itself, let time be the judge."

The animals were always quick to see the light and to believe in the truth, goodness, and beauty of human nature. Chu Hengkong felt this was the reason the city-state always lived happily. If it were on Earth, it was hard to say what would happen in the future, but in the Jingsha city-state, he believed the creators would always come up with a fair and reasonable answer.

Today was another beautiful day, and sunlight streamed through the latticed windows of the mushroom house, making it warm. He went upstairs, hoping to find a book to pass the time, when he saw the shop assistant, Miaonu, sitting in front of a bookshelf, lost in thought. In her hands, she clutched a recently completed pollen painting depicting a beautiful sunrise.

"It's a very good painting." Chu Hengkong said.

"Yes, it's finished. But..." Miaonu said hesitantly, "I've never been good at color painting. I ate four mushrooms to complete this painting."

It stared blankly at the sun in the painting. "I wanted to show it to Mom... but I only just now understand how mushrooms work. I thought I was working hard on my painting, but have I actually never 'created' anything?"

Chu Hengkong squatted beside it and took out the travel guide.

"It's difficult to clearly define what creation is. Whether or not to use tools, and whether or not there is originality, are things that only professional creators have to worry about.

For the average enthusiast, I think there is another set of standards for judging creations, which has never been wrong throughout history."

He placed Miaonu's painting on the book.

Spore Material Painting-Sunrise

【Rating: Bottom】

[Origin: Senluo Secret Realm - Jingsha City-State]

Effect: The finished painting, after incorporating expressive material generated through suggestive spores.

[Missing: Miao Nu, a shop assistant at the Seafood Bookstore, has always loved the sight of sunrises. It is a precious memory left by the time his mother took him on trips when he was a child.]

"This painting has your feelings in it, doesn't it?" He patted Miaonu's head. "Then it is your painting."

Miaonu's eyes lit up, and he happily picked up his painting and ran out into the bright sunshine. The other little animals came over to comment on it and encourage his friend who was painting for the first time.

Today, the little animals are still happy, and they are happy because of creation and appreciation.

(End of this chapter)