Mushroom Lord in the Underground City-Chapter 242 - 237: Druid

The hastily set-up campfire crackled and popped, the dancing flames illuminating four contented faces. The four of them shared the most succulent and juicy portions of the wild boar, with fats dripping and aroma wafting through the air.

As Vera chewed, her gaze couldn't help but drift towards Sirean beside her.

After seeing each other honestly, Vera had to admit the other's male identity.

He pondered silently: Despite the clear flatness of the other's chest, why had he initially assumed she was female?

Was it that voice, like a flowing spring?

Or was it that refined face that blurred the boundaries of gender?

Vera thought helplessly, even if it happened again, he would probably still make the same mistake...

Although few elves roamed long-term in the United Kingdom, there were too many things in human territories that elves found disagreeable, Vera and the others had met a few half-elves.

Though they were all quite beautiful, none compared to Sirean's level of attractiveness.

"Sirean!" Fei Ling, with her mouth full of grease, suddenly recalled something and asked curiously, "I've heard that elves can grow wheat on barren land and make withered trees bear fruit, never running out of food. Is that true?"

Sirean was focused on the roast in his hand, and upon hearing this, hastily chewed a few bites and swallowed, nearly choking: "Cough cough... What kind of legend is that? It's too exaggerated!"

"But you do have a lot of food!" Fei Ling insisted.

The elf pondered for a moment, his gaze sweeping across a tree at the edge of the camp with leaves that were slightly yellowed.

"Seeing is believing." He stood up and walked to the tree.

Sirean clasped his hands before his chest in a prayerful posture and closed his eyes.

A deep, ancient melody in Elf Language flowed from his lips, like whispers in the woods.

As he chanted, a glimmer of green magic light emerged from his palms, initially like fireflies, then converging into a gentle emerald light, entwining his slender fingers like a living thing, and then drifting towards the fruit tree.

Tier Four Natural Magic — Song of Abundance.

Vera couldn't understand the lyrics but felt that the song was ethereal and pure, like morning sunlight and evening rain, cleansing the soul and bringing a peculiar peace.

Beside him, Fei Yin widened her eyes, staring unblinkingly at Sirean. Guiding magic power through chanting rather than by constructing a spell via Magic Nodes, this method of casting was novel to her. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

As the chant gradually faded, the magical aura seeped into the tree trunk, and a miracle occurred!

The fruit tree, now laden with heavy, ripe fruit, had its branches bend slightly from the weight.

"It's amazing!" Fei Ling exclaimed, like an agile squirrel, scampering up the trunk in a few swift moves and plucking the largest, reddest fruit, biting into it with a "crunch."

Sweet juice instantly overflowed.

"So sweet! Perfectly ripe!" she mumbled, plucking a few more and tossing them to the friends below.

Vera caught a fruit, took a bite, and couldn't help but ask, "Isn't this making a withered tree bear fruit? Why did you say it was exaggerated?"

"Take a closer look at the tree itself." Sirean calmly reminded.

At his words, they shifted their gaze from the enticing fruit to the branches and leaves supporting them.

The leaves, which were only slightly yellowed before, were now entirely withered and even began to fall. The whole tree seemed to have had its life force drained suddenly, entering an early decline apart from the magically induced abundant fruits.

Sirean's voice carried a tone of solemnity: "Natural magic doesn't create something out of nothing. This 'Song of Abundance' merely extracts the life force, nutrients, and magic deeply hidden within the tree, forcing it into the fruits we see now by mortgaging its future."

"Even so, it's remarkable!" Fei Ling slid down from the tree, "Elves live in the forest, using catalysis like this, it's no wonder they have abundant food."

Sirean slowly shook his head, his gaze passing over the prematurely withered tree to the east: "No, in the elves' forest, we seldom resort to such magic lightly. It depletes the very foundation of the plants, making it hard for them to bear fruit the next year. More importantly..."

He paused, showing them the inside of the fruit, which lacked seeds.

"These catalyzed fruits are sweet and delicious but have lost the capacity to nurture new life. They cannot continue the cycle of life. If recklessly overused, while it may seem like a short-term harvest, it is effectively a mortgage of the future, eventually leading to the forest's crying and the imbalance of the ecosystem."

The twins listened intently, understanding for the first time the profound reverence a Druid held for nature.

Vera, however, jubilantly said, "Now I see! Though it can't be used often, everyone in the camp will be delighted to have these fresh fruits!"

He called out to Fei Ling, "Come on, let's pick all the fruits and pack them!"

With the fruits packed alongside the remaining boar meat, the group headed down the mountain.

...

As dusk gathered, the wooden gate of the camp came into view, with the mixed noise from within and the smoke of the bonfire wafting out.

The two guards on duty at the entrance, initially leaning on their spears with weary expressions, perked up upon seeing the light from the Lighting Technique in the distance.

"Vera?" One guard recognized the figure leading the group, surprise in his voice, then his gaze fixed on the boar on Vera's back, "You actually went into the mountains? And even hunted a boar! We thought you'd gone to Novid too!"

Vera didn't say much, simply gesturing to Fei Ling, who immediately pulled two plump fruits from her bulging cloth bag and tossed them precisely to the guards.

"Catch! There's fruit too!" Fei Ling's voice carried a hint of pride.

"Any trouble at the camp?" Vera asked.

The guard who had previously recognized Vera took a hearty bite of the fruit, the sweet juice instantly filling his mouth.

With a touch of greed, he swallowed before leaning closer to Vera and speaking with some worry: "No trouble yet, but… another group of refugees came in today, dozens from the same village down south. We've already given out quite a bit of food to settle them… Now many are complaining that the porridge is thinner than a few days ago, and we're not sure if higher-ups have any solutions?"

"Sigh..."

Parting from the guards, Vera and his companions carried their harvest to the camp kitchen.

Along the way, countless pairs of eyes peeked through the gaps in the makeshift tents, from the shadows beside the bonfire, all fixated on the boar Vera was carrying.

Those gazes were filled with raw yearning but ultimately maintained a semblance of restraint.

Fei Ling couldn't help but mumble softly, with a trace of dissatisfaction, "Isn't there anything that can be freely catalyzed with that magic, without worrying about the consequences?"

Her words sparked Vera's thoughts. Without slowing his pace, he glanced at the elf Sirean beside him, and after a few seconds of contemplation, he spoke with a hint of uncertainty: "Sirean... Can your 'Song of Abundance' be used on mushrooms?"