Chapter 258 257. Puji Dungeon
"This...this damn mushroom...why...is it so...hard to chew?"
Glenn grimaced, even his jaw seemed to be exerting force, and the veins on his fingers bulged as he tore a small handful of mushroom fiber off the tough mushroom cap and stuffed it into his mouth.
He remembered that the mushrooms in his own mountains were crispy and opened up easily when bitten. Why were the ones here so chewy?
Is the difference between varieties so big?
Thinking about those terrifying people with explosive combat power...
Well, even Puji can mutate into that state, so it seems... reasonable that mushrooms are a bit harder to chew?
"You probably didn't cook it thoroughly enough," Tolin, who had just pushed the door open, said. "The mushrooms here are tough. They need to be stewed for a while longer until they're soft and chewy."
As he spoke, he found a sturdy stool opposite Glenn and sat down.
The two of them are currently living in a house arranged by the guild. They could have gone directly to the guild kitchen to get food, but Glenn seemed to prefer to do it himself.
"How's your foot?" Thorin asked after moving the stool and sitting down.
"Thanks to you," Glenn lifted up his loose trouser legs, revealing two hairless, dazzlingly white legs that looked like two pieces of white lotus roots just pulled out of the ground. "They've grown back completely."
After revealing it for a moment, he quickly lowered his trouser legs, as if any longer look would be torture.
"Poof!" Even though it wasn't the first time he saw it, Tolin couldn't help but burst out laughing. He hurriedly covered his mouth with his hands and turned his face away, but his shoulders were shaking uncontrollably.
A dwarf! A dwarf who prides himself on his bushy beard and rough complexion!
But she has two such white, tender and smooth legs!
Especially when the guy with such legs is someone you know, the sense of funnyness is more than doubled!
"Enough, enough! How many more times do you want to laugh before I stop?!" Glenn's voice was muffled, but it was rare that he didn't curse out loud like usual.
No matter how much he disliked these new legs, he had no choice but to endure them.
This bottle of precious regeneration potion was specially approved for them by the Guild President Fal because of Thorin's surname "Deep Furnace".
Glenn owed Thorin a favor, so he couldn't bring himself to complain.
Tolin suppressed his smile, cleared his throat twice, and tried to regain his composure. "Ahem... New limbs need more exercise to regain their strength. After you finish eating, you'd better go out and stretch your muscles."
"Alas..." Glum sighed heavily and suddenly said, "I owe you one."
"Then... can I get a discount on the hiring fee next time?"
"Stop it! Let's get back to the basics!" Glenn instantly regained his mercenary nature.
"Then your favor is useless. Don't even mention protecting me. That's your job!"
As the two chatted, the topic naturally turned back to this strange underground city.
"So what's going on with this Amethyst Dungeon? Why is Puji so brutal after the mutation? I've never heard of it before." Glenn asked.
"I was curious, so I asked around. It seems the drastic changes have only begun to occur over the past six months. It might be related to the successive demonic tides and the dungeon's collapse. As for the true circumstances, no one can really say. Anyway, I've heard many human adventurers have started calling it the Puji Dungeon."
"Pfft...dungeon?" Glenn rubbed his face vigorously with his palms, as if trying to erase this absurd name.
When did Puji, a word that is almost synonymous with "moving food", become the name of a huge underground city?
"Lord Thorin Deepfurnace, your crystal message is here!" The voice of a staff member suddenly came from outside the door.
The relief on Tolin's face instantly vanished. After a moment's hesitation, he quickly stood up and replied, "Coming."
When he came back, his steps were much heavier, his lips were tightly pursed, and even the remaining smile from when he was joking with Glenn had disappeared. He exuded an indelible sense of depression.
"What's wrong?" Glenn asked.
Tolin sighed, said nothing, and just handed over a piece of information paper.
[How much more do you want to bring shame to the clan? Get back here!]
Glenn took one look at it and silently pushed the paper back.
"It seems that being a young master is not easy for you!"
"I've already said...what kind of young master am I..."
————
【Corrosion Curse LV5】
Several cursed Pujis were wandering around in the cave, causing plants to wither wherever they went.
It looks similar to the aura skill, but after careful study you will find that it is different.
Similar to Puji's [Petrification Ray], it is an aura effect, and the petrification progress will stop immediately after leaving the range.
This kind of curse is different. Even if Puji has already run far away, the smell of decay and its effects still exist along the path it has passed, and continue to damage the environment, but they will gradually weaken over time.
It feels like radiation.
This skill damages the environment and is not conducive to long-term development, so it is better to use it less.
As for the [Sensory Enhancement] obtained.
Puji has a ghost sense, which is a useless skill. At most, he can just give it to others.
Lin Jun has sealed that crack.
After initially understanding the layer switching mechanism there, Lin Jun couldn't find a way to pass through it smoothly. This also made him less interested in the other rifts connecting to the shallow cursed areas.
Let's turn our attention to the crevices in the dense forest where the resources are more attractive.
But before that, Lin Jun planned to observe the birth of a life first.
After a long period of preparation, the Demonic Tribe was finally ready to welcome a new member.
Because it was a sensitive topic, Lin Jun did not ask directly.
He gradually pieced together information about their "cradle" and unique way of birth from the fragments of daily conversation among the demons.
Lin Jun was quite curious about this reproduction model that could independently determine the time of birth.
Although the demons did not invite him to observe, the mycelium network had already spread throughout the entire tribe, and the birth process naturally could not escape his sight.
In Mushroom Garden No. 3, the demons each confirmed their contribution point expenditure.
Another magic core was exchanged back by the demons, but this time a fat worm with [Cold Resistance LV8] was also added.
Shou commanded his tribesmen to carry the fat worms back to the tribe.
The long-awaited ceremony for the birth of new members attracted many demons to temporarily put down their work and follow back to witness it.
Their departure made the allocation of Puji a little tight, and Lin Jun had to temporarily reduce the number of Puji in some other areas to ensure the normal operation here.
There's nothing that can be done about it. The demon is currently doing odd jobs here and can come and go freely.
It is possible to force them not to go back, but this will inevitably damage the hard-earned good relationship between the two sides and is not cost-effective.
After all, parasitism is not mind manipulation. It can only increase favorability, or directly jump to taking life.
If you really want the demon to work hard for you and turn him from a part-time worker into a formal subordinate, some steps are needed.
…
Qiong was missing from the group returning to the tribe.
It's not that he doesn't want to go back, nor is anyone forcing him to stay.
He only provided very few contribution points for this exchange, as most of his previous contribution points were used to eat delicious mushrooms.
Feeling guilty and a bit self-punished, Qiong chose to stay in the mushroom garden and continue working. After all... the boss said that he would provide double contribution points in the next two days!
(End of this chapter)
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