Mushroom Lord in the Underground City-Chapter 272 - 264: Leveled Up Just by Sunbathing

Let’s not mention the matter of a certain blue parrot being rescued and chirping complaints.

Lin Jun temporarily shifted most of her attention away from that.

The reason is simple: on this bright and sunny afternoon, she suddenly reached level sixty!

No hard training, no defeating powerful enemies, just basking in the sun and laying out the fungal mats naturally led to level sixty.

To be fair, it had been quite a while since she reached level fifty-nine.

During this time, she upgraded the Sunstone, spread to the surface for photosynthesis, and even received human "feeding".

On the surface, under Lin Jun’s guidance, humans finally "discovered" the correct way to cultivate high-yield mushroom fields!

One key is light—under the sunlight, the yield of mushroom fields doubles, but the trade-off is the need for more diligent watering to maintain moisture.

Another tip is fertilization—using demon corpses to create fertile land.

Fungal mats nourished by demons not only see a surge in mushroom yield but also make it easier to cultivate fresh and delicious red mushrooms!

With the active cooperation of humans, the fungal mats on the surface have long surpassed the original borders of Dumb Wind Town, rapidly spreading to the surrounding cities.

Moreover, those sunlit fungal mats are not lacking in management, given that the thousands of refugees originally here have yet to be fully allocated, let alone the new refugees continuously arriving.

However, most of the current refugees are coming from the northwest, fleeing to escape war.

It’s said that the situation on the front line is not good, with humans constantly retreating—the lands where those who don’t want to be killed or captured by the Demon Race naturally seek refuge.

Amidst these desperate migration groups, there’s an unbelievably absurd yet tantalizing rumor: Dumb Wind Town has endless mushrooms!

In the past, no matter how unhappy life was, as long as survival was possible, few would believe such an outrageous rumor.

But during war, nowhere welcomes these refugees.

Young males might still have the chance to join a lord’s army or a gang, but most others have no such opportunity.

Many gathered here with the mentality of grasping at straws, following the direction of the rumors.

Among them, there’s encouragement from other local lords; regardless of the rumor’s truth, they could shed some troubles.

Even though Dylan returned from over there to Dumb Wind Town in less than a month, that was the result of rushing back alone.

Ordinary civilian families, traveling with household belongings, progress at less than half the speed.

Many perished on the journey for various reasons.

Yet, holding onto that fleeting hope, the refugees finally arriving at Dumb Wind Town discover—the legend is true this time!

There really are endless mushrooms here!

Not only endless, but they can even be exported to nearby cities!

Basking in the sunlight can foster mushroom growth, with short growth cycles and no pest issues!

Batch after batch, seemingly unaffected by the seasons. Recently, autumn passed, and as temperatures gradually dropped, mushroom yields improved with the explored cultivation methods!

Refugees arriving can immediately enjoy a bowl of mushroom soup; though the taste is monotonous, starvation is not a concern.

Those who register for mushroom field cultivation and are selected can receive other supplies.

Faced with the tidal wave of refugees, Fa’er no longer worries about feeding everyone but managing this explosive population growth!

Dividing living zones, organizing new mushroom field cultivation, allocating jobs, mediating endless disputes...

Dumb Wind Town’s population size has long surpassed that of a typical town, inevitably enlarging towards a small city size. Fa’er understands this, but a city does not operate on human numbers alone.

The soaring population brings countless urgent issues in public order, sanitation, resource distribution, and more. Infrastructure and management can’t keep pace with development speed, causing his stress.

...

In summary, Lin Jun’s current expansion and development are smooth sailing.

With the magical power continuously gathered from the vast fungal mats, this upgrade was naturally achieved.

In fact, considering that it took so long to reach level sixty with such immense assets, this upgrade difficulty has been quite hardcore!

Like every major breakthrough, a familiar "+" sign quietly appeared at the end of the skill bar on the status panel.

A long-awaited talent skill selection!

Please, no more juicy-type things!

Unfortunately, a Goddess of Fortune doesn’t exist here, or Lin Jun would definitely pray to a couple at this time!

[Available Skills:

Spiritual Guidance (controls hallucinogenic effects)

Resonance (some skills can stack to amplify)

Negative Energy Collection (converts various negative energies into magical power and experience)]

Emmmm...

Spiritual Guidance seems like a complementary skill for Hallucinogenic Spores!

Is it that kind of ability to show others the illusions you want them to see?

Perhaps making people see swarms of black crows?

Some sort of degraded Sharingan... Wondering if it counts as a spiritual skill.

It seems useful, but uncertain how to use it immediately.

The first application thought of was scaring Norris...

Putting it aside, checking the second one, Resonance.

With skill stacking, Lin Jun already has several Puki release [Infrasound Attack] to achieve stacking effects, so what’s special about this [Resonance]?

Like the previous one, the skill description is too simple, leaving Lin Jun uncertain.

As for the third one, it’s straightforward, but what does "negative energy" include?

Maybe curses count as a kind of negative energy?

Beyond that, Lin Jun can’t think of anything else.

It seems this skill is indeed unnecessary.

The sunlight on the surface is abundant, no need to covet negative energy from Scarecrow Abyss.

Perhaps with this skill, clearing curses from Scarecrow Abyss could be possible?

However, this doesn’t mean anything to Lin Jun...

It seems the choice must be from the first two.

Nevertheless, Lin Jun didn’t rush to decide but temporarily closed the panel.

At level fifty, Lin Jun was still a lone mushroom, facing unknown skills only choosing by appearance.

But things are different now!

-----------------

Edin’s fingers slide across pages of rough paper, the files stacked before him mostly recording frictions and disputes arising between refugees or between refugees and original townsfolk.

As a vital member of the current guild, Fa’er was unreserved with Edin, decisively assigning many issues for him to handle.

This is both a responsibility and implies power, but Edin hasn’t used this power for personal gain, or perhaps, not yet...

While buried in a report of a land dispute over mushroom fields, Edin’s actions suddenly paused.

Seconds later, he returned to page flipping, though his fingertip movements bring a subtle distraction.

Edin’s attention focused on the fungal network, as the boss seemingly set a new task.

"Investigate the three skills..."

The Adventurer’s Guild naturally archives extensive records of various skills, but access permissions are not guaranteed for everyone.

Fortunately, Edin’s current status precisely holds this access.

Meanwhile, a Duke’s Daughter who stayed in the Underground City for days, causing the guild to send someone every couple days to ensure her safety, also waved her hand, "No problem! Leave it to me!"