Mushroom Lord in the Underground City-Chapter 246 - 240: The Refugees’ Future

Several people are now living in the Secret Forest with the Tree Demon, safe and sound. Food is provided by Puki, with mushroom soup readily available, but if they want to eat something different, they have to fend for themselves.

While the four of them are busy below, the situation on the surface gradually begins to change.

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Over on Fa’er’s side, the anticipated collapse of the Underground City has not occurred as expected, but the weight of harsh reality presses in on them relentlessly. With no other choice, they begin organizing manpower to return to the entrance of the Underground City, observing its condition while also gathering mushrooms.

However, when the Guild’s collection team finally arrives at their destination, the sight before them leaves them utterly dumbfounded — the mushrooms are in incredibly high demand!

As the earliest bold adventurers returned to the city with a bounty of mushrooms sold for a fortune, this enticing news spread like wildfire, instantly igniting the desire for wealth in all those around them.

What if the Underground City is on the brink of collapse and could cave in at any moment?

They wouldn’t enter the Underground City, just collect mushrooms on the periphery, and run at the first sign of trouble!

Besides, bad luck might not fall on them. Perhaps they’d collect a bounty of mushrooms and leave just in the nick of time, with the collapse following in their wake?

The risk of the Underground City collapsing is intangible, but the gold coins earned from mushroom picking are very real!

Driven by the frenzy of "seeking wealth amidst danger," more and more adventurers, like sharks scenting blood, flock to the area, joining this mushroom gold rush.

Yet the adventurers are not the only ones; in these times of widespread food scarcity, refugees are equally drawn to this cost-free endeavor. They bring their families, carrying worn baskets and buckets, joining in as well.

Thus, when the Guild’s organized collection team arrives, they are met with a multitude of speculators and fungal mats that have been picked over time and time again.

Forget about mature mushrooms; even those just sprouting, the size of a fingertip, have been quickly plucked by keen-eyed individuals and stuffed into their own containers.

On one hand, the Guild increases manpower to join this mushroom battle; on the other hand, they painfully bring out some of the stored materials from the Guild’s warehouse to trade for mushrooms in a barter system.

Such transactions would have been akin to giving them away for free two months ago, but now, Fa’er can only put on a deadpan face and let Mira Belle make the exchange!

For the adventurers, while these exchanges might not allow them to earn more, they save the time it would take to transport them to more distant cities, so they mostly do it willingly.

But this is not a long-term solution either.

In the Guild’s tent, Fa’er solemnly hands over a sealed envelope to Edin, "Edin, I’m sorry, but this time... you have to take on the role of the mediator."

Edin accepts the envelope, knowing the contents, as Fa’er has already explained it to him.

With a food shortage everywhere, and a war with the Demon Race having begun, all provisions are first supplied to the army. In such circumstances, the noble lords of the surrounding cities, even if they have reserves, are almost certainly not going to open their granaries to provide relief to the refugees.

The mushrooms near the Underground City have become the last hope for this group of refugees.

But Fa’er dares not let the refugees freely pick mushrooms; doing so would turn this place into a hell of survival of the fittest.

Moreover, even the trampling by these adventurers and few refugees has already destroyed some areas of fungal mats, significantly reducing production.

Fa’er wants to manage it, but the Guild lacks the authority to enforce control over many matters.

Therefore, he needs the assistance of the Saint Claire Family to gain management rights!

While the Underground City doesn’t belong to the Duke’s family, Dumb Wind Town, the land surrounding the entrance, is indisputably under the Duke Clan’s feudal control.

According to the law, all production on this land theoretically belongs to the Duke.

Of course, although this is the law, no noble in peacetime would be foolish enough to wield this unpopular power, as it gains no favor and only brings trouble.

But now is clearly an exceptional period, not to mention that Miss Inanna, the Duke’s Daughter, also possesses the King of Puki. These two factors combined make it entirely reasonable to claim that the fungal mats and their yields belong to the Duke Clan.

If he can persuade Miss Inanna to support him and subsequently obtain the Duke’s approval, granting him the authority to oversee fungal mat collection and allocate mushrooms, the food crisis among the refugees can be alleviated for the time being.

However, he still remembers that Miss Inanna seems to dislike him, and Edin, with his rapport with Miss Inanna and his flexible mind, became Fa’er’s only hope as a spokesperson capable of accomplishing this formidable mission.

Fa’er apologized to Edin because, indeed, it’s not an enviable task.

If successful, it would only mean saving some insignificant lives, but blocking others’ financial paths would undoubtedly invite the adventurers’ resentment, a resentment which both the Duke’s family and himself, as the Branch President, would likely share equally.

To put it bluntly, amidst a backdrop of food scarcity, reducing "redundant" low-value populations is already a cruel but effective solution.

Being a mediator for a target with almost no tangible benefits, Fa’er sincerely felt he was placing Edin in a difficult position.

He only hopes that Edin can persuade the Duke’s Daughter with his relationship, and then have Miss Inanna obtain her father’s consent.

Holding the letter, Edin looked at Fa’er and nodded.

This Branch President had already done everything within his power for these refugees, who were not kin to him.

Edin considered himself someone who would lend a hand to those in trouble on the road, but he would not go as far as Fa’er, willing to place himself under immense pressure for the survival of strangers.