Chapter 492, Section 491: Lin Jun Has an Idea

The cessation of hostilities did not truly pull the kingdom out of the shadows.

Although the demons suffered heavy losses and were temporarily unable to fulfill their ambition of destroying the kingdom, the loss of High Fortress was like the kingdom losing the gates of its castle.

From then on, the empire held absolute initiative and could make a comeback at any time after resolving other issues.

Although there are other formidable cities like Oath City in the south of the kingdom, none can completely block the enemy's offensive with the natural defenses of High Fortress.

Not to mention, large swathes of the Northwest are still under the control of the Demon Clan, and sporadic conflicts and frictions have never ceased.

The approaching fog, which had threatened the demon race's shipping lanes, might, in the long run, naturally curb the activity range of the northwestern demon race, forcing them to retreat to the vicinity of the High Fortress.

However, after the Battle of Sanshancheng, the fog quietly dissipated.

Standing on the west coast and gazing into the distance, there is no longer any trace of mist where the sea meets the sky. As for where it has retreated to, no one has yet gone to investigate it in depth.

In response to the threat, humanity was forced to begin constructing an unprecedented defense system centered around Oath City.

Countless citizens and mages, mobilized by the kingdom, began to participate in this massive project, hoping to protect themselves in the next great war.

The war brought countless wounds. The shop assistant at Puji House received news that her father had been killed in action, reportedly at the very beginning of the Battle of Sanshan City.

Bianca and her mother received a substantial sum of compensation, with Lord Far personally overseeing the matter, ensuring that no one dared to embezzle any of it.

Unfortunately, this money cannot erase the sorrow.

Old Dylan wanted to give Bianca a break, but the stubborn girl insisted on working in the kitchen.

When Dylan had a moment to himself, he would vaguely hear soft sobs coming from the kitchen, and sometimes the maid uniforms that came out with dishes would be stained with wet water.

War also created countless living heroes whose names are sung by the people.

For example, there's Naxi, the demon-slaying archer from a village in the west.

After her hometown was destroyed, she emptied more than ten quivers with just a bow and arrow, shooting blood and gore from the fingertips of her right hand, and successfully covered the villagers' retreat to Jingu City.

For example, the fortress mage Olivia.

When the city gates were breached, the elderly female mage poured all her magic into the ground beneath her feet, using her superb earth magic to erect high walls within the city, buying precious time for the evacuation of the soldiers and civilians. She herself almost failed to escape, and was eventually rescued by an elf named Night Owl.

Of course, the most dazzling hero is Inanna St. Clair.

This duke's daughter perfectly embodies the saying "like father, like daughter."

When the two dukes and their remaining army were trapped by the demons in Dragon Roar Valley and were on the verge of death, it was Inanna who appeared just in time!

It is said that she controls powerful storm elements with her left hand and commands endless puffs with her right, defeating the invading demons and preserving this vital force for humanity!

Through word of mouth, the term "mushroom tribe" gradually spread.

Inside Dragon Roar Valley, although Number Ten was quite low-key, he almost always followed behind Pink Puji to protect her safety.

But Number Four couldn't stand being alone at all.

Without Lin Jun's explicit prohibition, it roamed freely throughout the valley all day long, and would even actively seek out the Puji Master to spread the glory of the Mushroom Clan.

A talking Puji came to them, which initially startled quite a few people.

This was completely unexpected by Alama and Lorenzo.

Little did they know that Number Four had no intention of hiding itself at all; on the contrary, it was practically ready to stand on stage and hold a promotional event.

So much so that the two dukes had to step forward and offer an explanation.

After the Battle of Dragonroar Valley, the surviving warriors naturally loved the Puji who had saved their lives, so much so that most of what is said about them now is praise.

There are also those who believe in the "mushroom threat," but such opinions are mostly concentrated among minor nobles and scholars.

In the tavern, the one-armed veteran would slam his fist on the table and retort to the skeptics: "To hell with the scholars! If it weren't for those talking mushrooms, I'd be a skeleton in the canyon by now!"

Such firsthand testimonies are clearly more likely to gain the approval of ordinary soldiers and adventurers.

As for nobles like Alama and Lorenzo, they have not commented on the matter.

The mushroom race also attracted the attention of the demon race.

The Battle of Dragon Roar Valley almost changed the entire course of the war. As one of the most important factors in that battle, Puji could not possibly have failed to attract the attention of the demons.

Through intelligence gathered by spies planted within the kingdom, the demons quickly learned about the mushroom tribe.

Many demons have linked the Mushroom Clan to the demon tribes that suddenly rose to prominence in the North, speculating that those tribes likely also controlled at least one Mushroom Clan.

However, the North has now almost become a deadly ice field, and the demons cannot even be sure how many tribes living in that land are still alive.

When the demon lords gathered on the northern border, their primary discussion revolved around finding the source of this unusual weather. If they couldn't resolve this strange weather problem, their territories would soon become ghost towns.

In general, the demons are currently preventing the fungal carpet from spreading into the empire, while each lord has sent their subordinates to gather intelligence on the mushroom race, attempting to find or seize a mushroom to study and see if it can be safely utilized.

Aside from the emperor, he had no time to care about the Puji and the Mushroom Clan.

Now, the Emperor's forces, whether Blood Guards or spies, are all being sent out to search for something similar to a slime.

He didn't publicize the fact that the Demon King had escaped the seal. In fact, very few demons knew that the Demon King's remains were sealed in Twilight Fortress.

The fact that the Demon King's race is not demons is not something everyone knows.

Only a very small number of people who knew a little about the inside story could guess what the emperor was doing, and these people were smart enough not to spread the word. At least Sigismund was unaware of it.

...

In any case, the situation outside has eased up for the time being, and Lin Jun has time to take stock of her gains.

[Level: LV69]

Generally speaking, Linjun's upgrade relies on the automatic collection of fungal mats.

Compared to the experience gained from the extensive fungal carpet, the experience gained from the normal decomposition of corpses is simply incomparable.

Unfortunately, there were just too many corpses this time!

When the mushroom forest covered the Three Mountains City and decomposed all the corpses, Lin Jun was just one step away from becoming a lord!

Of course, the experience gained is secondary; the biggest improvement in this battle was in various combat skills.

Heavy Strike, Trample, Swordsmanship, Archery, Blade Storm, Spell Level...

Many commonly used skills are at max level, and even some less popular skills have been unlocked in the skill book.

Lin Jun even received two new titles because of this.

[Weapon Master: Increases weapon damage by 10%]

[Mastery of All Elemental Element: Increases spellcasting effectiveness by 10%]

For Lin Jun, the latter was more useful than the former. The automated Puji army was still a bit clumsy when using weapons, and the corresponding skills could be given to the numbered Puji to maximize their combat effectiveness.

Of course, there was also the biggest gain—[Sword Mastery].

It was as if countless skills had been compressed and condensed in a special way. Lin Jun couldn't bite into it; she could only let it dissolve little by little in her soul.

Recently, Lin Jun has been checking the progress several times a day, getting impatient but helpless.

On this day, when the numbered Puji, including number four, who died in the battle of Sanshan City, was resurrected.

Lin Jun stared at her sunstone, then looked at the sword saint's soul hanging at the other end of the [Sword's Ultimate], and suddenly wanted to conduct an experiment.

(End of this chapter)