Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 46 - 45: The Dark Mycelium

"But why would you seek me, Grape, when there are countless members in Andrey?"

"Mr. Plague Doctor is a Purifier," Grape scraped her belly fur with her claws, "The world outside is filled with holy light, and being accepted by that holy light as a Purifier means a smaller risk, and besides, you are one of the few who would not ignore our minority."

The Light Bat could sense it, the feeling of those around them, the instinct to seek benefit and avoid harm.

Lyle weighed the pros and cons, with Grape surely being an unstable factor, yet comparatively, she could also bring many advantages, she could save money. Moreover, Grape could speak; this meant she could glean some information, with her petite frame obtaining news through unorthodox means, should this mouthy adventurer truly have some special talents.

Lyle could not refuse, the benefits seemed to outweigh the drawbacks.

"You’re hired."

"Thank you, sir," Grape chirped happily, burrowing into Lyle’s pocket, "Yes, sir, I understand, to disguise myself well."

Grape saw this as a stealth mission; perhaps the outside world seemed to her like primordial ferocious beasts, not knowing whether the tranquility of everyday life might be a blow to her, Lyle did not interrupt her game of pretend.

"It’s time to find Mr. Gentleman, the literary department?"

The corridors of the castle remained unchanged, almost like an enlarged version of Lyle’s own four-walled home, yet each society revealed its unique identity starting from their doors, some were covered in barnacles, perhaps belonging to pirate clubs or marine study groups, some were adorned with vines, while others had doors installed in the ceiling, which Lyle referred to as orphan societies because they didn’t welcome visitors.

Counting the doors passed, if his memory served him right, it should be this one.

Lyle stared at the upright sculpture of the Pharaoh in front of him, arms crossed over his chest, holding a Crook Staff and Shackles, symbols of fairness and power, his body adorned with exquisite engravings, the typical black eye makeup giving life to those eyes, which fixed their gaze straight on Lyle, without a thought, another living being.

"Is this the literary society?"

"This is where thoughts accumulate."

I’ll take that as a yes.

"Can you let me in then?"

"You must first answer my question."

"Answer a question, are you a Sphinx?" The creature from Ancient Greece that would stop passing travelers, posing three questions, allowing passage only if all were answered correctly, consuming those who erred in even one.

"A Sphinx would eat those who answer incorrectly, do you wish for me to gnaw on your bones?"

"No, sir, you may pose the question."

"A Raymond is moving through the desert; he is five days away from a known destination. Before him are three identical water bottles, one contains ordinary water, sustaining for three days, one is poison, causing immediate death, and one is a detector that can identify the poison and also serve as a water source for two days. The poison contaminates the water. What would you do?"

"I would choose to purify with holy light and then use them all as water sources to proceed."

"...Is a person born good or evil?"

Isn’t that quite a leap.

Lyle thought silently, "A person at birth is neither good nor evil; all personality and behavior are molded by education and environment acquired later in life. There is no one born evil, nor anyone born good, only the pristine humans, worth being built upon and refined."

"..."

The Pharaoh remained silent for a while.

Its body began to crumble, the creature bound inside gained release, and it’s hard to imagine, one might even doubt it, but the stone began to wither. The stone, like fruit, shriveled and then turned to sand.

Behind the statue lay a shadow, like a large cloth spreading out in mid-air, its upper bulge engraved with a pair of pale eyes.

Time seemed to reverse, the scattered sand and gravel flowed backwards to their original place, forming bandage-like attire that wrapped around the piece of black cloth.

Those hands wrapped in bandages tied a butterfly knot on their side.

"I finally understand why you are known as the Purifier. You are far cleaner than us, without bias or bias. What a pity that I had an affair during the recruitment meeting; otherwise, I would have personally guided you to witness the darkness of this world. By the way, I am Mr. Dark, welcome to the Literary Society,"

Mr. Dark extended his bandaged hand, "The seal is lifted, you can shake my hand now."

Won’t you consider my hesitation?

Lyle took Mr. Dark’s hand, "I’ve heard a lot about you, Mr. Dark. I am the Plague Doctor."

Lyle exerted a little force, and Mr. Dark’s hand felt like a balloon, black air being squeezed out from the gaps, hissing like a snake in the air.

Lyle saw that on his glove, at the place of contact, a few areas had already eroded away the outer layer. And the next moment, he let go of the hand.

"You’ll get used to it," Mr. Dark said, rewrapping the bandages on his arm.

"Mr. Dark, your body..."

"Has been completely voided. Without the seal, I would probably destroy the world."

A walking natural disaster.

"The Salvation Association?"

"The Salvation Association." Mr. Dark took out the Black Dragon Badge and pinned it on his chest.

"Alright, come on in quickly, the gentleman has been waiting for a long time." Mr. Dark pointed to a colorful light screen, looking like a giant bubble.

The two walked in.

The floor of the Literary Society was multicolored. The light from the Light Bats shone on the bubbles floating in the air, giving off a dreamlike feeling tinged with girlishness. There stood colorful mushroom buildings akin to a fairytale world. The only flaw was the figures in black robes walking on the ground, all members of the Literary Society. Some were creating literature, some practicing magic, and others... were they proselytizing? Like mortals who had strayed into a land of immortals.

"Isn’t it beautiful?"

"Yes, the atmosphere of the Literary Society is really special."

"What if I told you that the floor you’re stepping on, those houses, even the tables and chairs, are all man-eaters?"

"?!"

"Young man, a beautiful exterior is used to hide a vicious interior. This is the result of natural selection. Those mushrooms, don’t they look beautiful? Do you think they grew so big on their own? We use the corpses of animals and plants as fertilizer for them, even alive humans; they can digest it all."

"Mr. Dark, speaking ill of someone behind their back is not a good habit. My darlings are not dangerous in the least."

Heading towards them was a Mushroom Person.

They were covered in colorful mushrooms all over, barely maintaining a humanoid form.

"Hello, newcomer. I’m pleased to meet you, I am the Mycelium." He removed the large mushroom from his head in a tipping-hat gesture, but did not put it back because in that short time, the original spot had already grown thick with mycelium.

"Don’t listen to Mr. Dark’s nonsense. My mushrooms normally grow just from drinking water." Which means you didn’t refute the fact that they eat people.

"The Mycelium is my supervisor; we both belong to... um... the category that should not be excessively contacted. His spores will parasitize everything they touch. Yes, his mushrooms can grow with just water, but blood and other bodily fluids will do as well. The spores also produce special digestive enzymes that dissolve contacted anhydrous matter into absorbable colloids."

"Yes, this mode of reproduction is uncontrollable."