Chapter 582, Section 581: The Port Incident

"Oh my! What an adorable little Puji! I've always wanted to have one of these cute Puji!"

"Yes, yes, you keep saying 'puji' all day long, I'm so tired of hearing it. This time you finally ran into one."

Stinky Fish and Mengya whispered and discussed for a while in the distance, then put on friendly and warm smiles and slowly approached one after the other.

Regardless of whether that thing is the legendary Mushroom Clan or not, we'll get our hands on it first.

If so, sending them back to the Empire would be a great achievement.

If not, then consider it an extra meal on your wilderness survival journey.

However, Mengya's succubus appearance could still manage to project a semblance of kindness, while the old goblin's wrinkled face, with its pointed ears and flat nose, exuded a wicked, shifty-eyed charm no matter how much he forced a smile.

Fortunately, Chouyu was self-aware and deliberately lagged behind Mengya by half a step, hiding behind her to avoid being too conspicuous.

Mengya walked closer, and the little creature was still sitting quietly on a small patch of sparse fungal carpet, motionless.

She carefully bent down and picked up the round and chubby Puji, deliberately embracing it in her ample bosom, her voice sweet as honey: "Little cutie, how about I take care of you? If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes!"

Unbeknownst to her, in Number Thirteen's eyes, her feigned intimacy was exactly the same as how she had tricked Number Four into foolishly entering the Black Demon's Lair, clearly indicating ill intentions.

Moreover, Thirteen felt that the two lumps of fat were squeezing its mushroom cap so tightly that it was almost deformed, making it feel suffocated and uncomfortable.

It struggled to restrain itself from immediately extending its tentacles to pierce through the two treacherous individuals; with the strength of its knightly body, it could easily have done so.

In fact, Thirteen overheard the two demons' supposedly discreet discussion.

With their [vibration perception], the Mushroom Clan can hear sounds from a great distance as long as they concentrate. Mengya and Chouyu were just thinking they were having a secret conversation.

empire?

It had heard other compatriots mention it; it was said to be the largest country on this continent, teeming with countless non-mushrooms.

If such a massive number of non-mushrooms could be provoked to emit desperate cries... just thinking about it makes Thirteen tremble with excitement.

If we do that, the owner of the fungus will be happy, right?

If the owner is in a good mood, he might just let it go back to the mushroom farm.

Therefore, despite being squeezed uncomfortable by this non-mushroom, Thirteen still managed to extend a tentacle, which seemingly obediently wrapped around Mengya's bare arm, as a response.

This action, which was clearly different from ordinary Puji and had a clear interactive meaning, made Mengya and Chouyu's eyes light up at the same time, and they became more certain of their guess about the Mushroom Clan!

Mengya, in particular, was overjoyed! If this really was the Mushroom Clan, and they could be successfully brought back to the Empire…

Not to mention the time she wasted this time, even if she went back and slapped that mean-spirited, shapeshifting boss a few times, he would still have to put on a smiling face and accept it!

Promotion, wealth, and reaching the pinnacle of demonic power are all just around the corner!

With that thought, she hugged the "hope" in her arms even tighter, as if she wanted to meld it into her body.

Snap!

Unable to bear it any longer, Thirteen suddenly swung its tentacle and slapped hard against the bulging flesh that was making it panic.

Mengya cried out in pain, her arms loosened, and Thirteen took the opportunity to break free from her embrace, falling to the ground with a thud.

After landing, Thirteen quickly went to the side of the stinky fish, which was not much taller than Puji, and even put its tentacles on the old goblin's shoulder in a friendly manner.

Suddenly struck, Mengya, still not fully catching her breath, stared blankly at Number Thirteen and Stinky Fish standing side by side, her face full of confusion and disbelief.

Old Goblin Stinky Fish shrugged his thin shoulders, forcing a helpless yet smug expression, and said in a shrill voice:

"It seems... it prefers to be with me."

Mengya: "???"

...

Having obtained the thirteen, the two demons dared not delay for a moment and immediately changed direction, rushing towards the port at full speed!

In fact, deep down, Stinky Fish was still wary of obtaining a creature that resembled a mushroom so easily.

Things went unusually smoothly.

However, it was the high-ranking dukes of the empire who wanted to study and even control the power of the Mushroom Clan.

These low-level frontline personnel were simply tasked with "finding and bringing back".

As for any problems or risks that may arise later, those are naturally left to the bigwigs at the top to worry about.

Therefore, his vigilance was more focused on any immediate, potential threats. For example, this mushroom creature might be a member of a human adventurer team, and its disappearance could attract pursuit and retaliation.

As for the deeper and more complex hidden dangers, that's not something an old goblin like him needs to worry about.

Even in his heart, he had already begun to plan how to describe this experience in a more convoluted and dangerous way when he submitted his report in the future.

They traversed countless human patrols, endured breathtaking maneuvers, and made immense sacrifices...

Only in this way can the merit be made more substantial, making it easier for them to claim the reward they deserve.

...

The two demons traversed the forest, which had been riddled with holes by the rampant slimes, and finally, in the distance, the outline of the port came into view.

This city, the first to be taken from humanity by the Empire after the start of the war, is known to humanity as Angus Harbor.

However, the demons who occupy this place usually refer to it simply as a "port," a base that is not given a name and is only for use.

However, something seemed amiss. Thick black smoke was billowing from a corner of the city, and flames were spreading between buildings.

A chaotic commotion arose in the distance: shouts, clanging metal, and some kind of... hissing?

It was not the kind of organized battle cries and horns used by human armies during an attack.

Moreover, the defensive magic arrays on the city walls were abnormally turned off.

Just as they were filled with doubt and uncertainty, a blinding burst of magical light suddenly erupted in front of the heavy city gate of the port!

boom--!!!

The city gate was blown open from the inside!

Broken pieces of wood and deformed metal were flying everywhere.

Immediately afterwards, panicked demon soldiers swarmed out of the breach, abandoning their armor and weapons, their faces filled with pure terror.

Mengya recognized the figure who had just used magic to blast open the city gate; it was a diamond-level mage commander from the port garrison!

What happened? A human attack? Or a rebellion?

Before they could even process what was happening, the mage commander suddenly turned around amidst the surging crowd and hurled two more blazing fireballs into the city gate!

Boom! Boom!

The explosion's flames instantly illuminated the doorway. However, amidst the billowing flames, the smoke unusually stretched outwards, as if something had passed through.

The next moment, in the sight of Chouyu and Mengya, the mage commander who had just cast a powerful spell suddenly had his body cut in two!

Blood and entrails were splattered everywhere.

"Ugh... Ahhh!"

A piercing, distorted scream tore through the air as the upper half of his body fell to the ground. Not quite dead yet, he futilely clawed at the ground with his arms.

His splattered, warm blood briefly outlined part of the attacker's silhouette in the air.

A towering body, a ferocious carapace, and six scythe-like claws!

The monster roared and chased after the other demons who were fleeing in panic.

The stinky fish shuddered: "Aren't these those monsters from the sea? How did they end up on land?!"

Mengya and Chouyu didn't notice that a small eyeball floating in the sky was looking over from afar.

(End of this chapter)