Mushroom Lord in the Underground City-Chapter 317 - 309: Are You...

Sixth floor, edge of the Rift.

A group of Tree Demons gathered here, their gnarled roots rubbing against the rocks, emitting a faint rustling sound.

One of the Tree Demons extended a branch, pointing toward the darkness below, its emotions so agitated that its leaves were trembling slightly: "Boss... is what you said true? Can we really go down?"

Next to it, the Tree Demon Xiao Lv lightly tapped it: "You shouldn’t question the Boss!"

"Sorry... I’m just too excited..."

"No worries, no worries," Lin Jun said nonchalantly, "Since you’re so eager, let’s let you try first."

"Eh? Me? First?!"

Beside the Tree Demon were a few bats under its command, which were immediately controlled by Lin Jun. They grabbed the main branches of the Tree Demon, fluttering their wings, lifting it off the ground, and flew towards the heart-rending depth of the Rift.

The other Tree Demons around fell silent, nervously watching their comrade’s descending figure, as it gradually approached the boundary that would trigger lightning...

The lightning did not appear.

"S-Success! I’m fine! I’ve successfully descended!" The Tree Demon excitedly reported its success within the Fungal Network, and its figure completely merged into the darkness below. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"Just as I said," Lin Jun spoke again, "Below lies a more expansive space, a richer magic power environment, and none of those pesky human Adventurers. I plan to migrate all of you down there."

After days of attempts and sensations, Lin Jun finally found the area of management permissions within the incredibly complex core.

However, what was found wasn’t the air wall switch between levels, but the permissions settings for native demons within the Underground City.

In the ever-changing stars of the Underground City, where demons were born and died daily, finding the corresponding stars for these Tree Demons was indeed quite a hassle.

But once found, permissions for their movement could be granted or revoked.

Lin Jun did not find anything representing Adventurers in these stars, nor were Xiao Hai, Norris, or others there, suggesting it only included local demons.

"Boss," Xiao Lv respectfully reported, "The batch of tender branches we planted last time have all grown into Demon Wood, but many have not awakened and need members left to care for them."

"That’s fine," Lin Jun agreed, "Let those who haven’t reached the level cap of this floor stay to tend to the seedlings. Xiao Lv, you lead all those who have reached the cap to go down first."

The reason for this arrangement was simple; just in the short time that the Tree Demon successfully descended to the bottom of the Rift, its level had risen from the previous bottleneck at Level 30 to Level 31!

Soon, more than half of the Tree Demons were transported below the Rift by the bats Puki.

Lin Jun designated several plant-dense, magic-rich caverns as their initial habitat, allowing them to adapt to and transform their new environment.

Regarding Tree Demons, Lin Jun had long studied the documents.

For ordinary Tree Demons like Xiao Lv, the level cap is usually Level 50.

Though some rare variants possess greater potential, that is of no concern to Xiao Lv and its race.

While this Level 50 cap may not seem high, it’s already quite commendable.

Cave Dwellers, for instance, have a cap of only Level 35, not even reaching the Gold Level.

However, Cave Dwellers have advantages that Tree Demons cannot compare to—their reproductive ability.

Cave Dwellers are oviparous, laying dozens of eggs at a time.

In the past, harsh living conditions, lurking dangers, and insufficient food naturally resulted in low survival rates.

Now, with conditions nearly free of danger and ample mushrooms, population growth has become inevitable.

In just a few months, their numbers have increased by nearly a hundred.

If it weren’t for their various bad habits, Lin Jun would have even considered focusing on cultivating them.

What a pity...

Having finished dealing with the Tree Demons, Lin Jun turned his attention to the Werewolves on the tenth floor.

This group, which once stood equal with the Vampires in the past, now cooped up within the Underground City among their race, made Lin Jun consider whether to use the travel permissions to get them to submit.

Of course, directly dropping in front of them would obviously lack credibility; a spokesperson was needed.

...

Xiao Lan squatted again at the edge of the stairs, idly flicking his tail.

Since getting acquainted with Puki, he spent five out of ten days waiting here.

However, recently, he seemed a bit downhearted, not because he hadn’t met Puki, but because after returning with meticulously trimmed fur last time, he became the laughingstock among the Werewolves.

They said his fur looked like it had been nibbled by rabbits...

However, he did not blame Puki. That green water that made his fur grow unveiled a corner of the fascinating outside world to him, greatly satisfying his curiosity.

Compared to the glimpse of the vast world, the awkwardness of his fur was only temporary, and he had already used his paws to properly pay back those who laughed at him.

Glancing at the still empty depths of the stairs, he figured the Big Mushroom probably wouldn’t come today either.

Just as he was about to get up and leave, his nose caught a whiff of a most familiar yet strange scent.

He immediately lowered himself, nostrils twitching as he carefully sniffed the ground and air, following that scent as it grew closer...

Just then, the air in front of him rippled, and a Puki appeared out of thin air, with two filamentous tentacles steadily pressing against his almost touching wet nose.

"Big Mushroom, you actually have this ability!" Xiao Lan exclaimed in disbelief, then sniffed again in confusion, "But... your scent seems a bit different from last time?"

"Stop analyzing my scent, I can’t smell it myself." Puki flew up, landing on his broad furry shoulder, "Do you remember what I told you last time?"

"You’re a professional fur groomer?"

"Not that... the thing about taking you ’down’!"

"Really?!" Xiao Lan’s ears instantly stood up straight, his wolf eyes wide open, "Now? Right now?"

"Really, right now!"

"What do I need to do?"

"Just walk down."

With skepticism, Xiao Lan moved closer to the entrance of the stairs, cautiously extending his paw forward, probing, and to his surprise, the expected air wall didn’t appear; his paw passed through the former boundary without hindrance.

Unbelievably, he really, step by step, entered the stairs with his whole body!

"I didn’t trick you, did I?"

"How... is this possible?" Xiao Lan looked around, "The old guys in my tribe all said only..."

He paused mid-sentence.

"Only what?" Lin Jun asked.

Xiao Lan hesitated, then spoke, "The old guys all said only when that Demon King returns can we Werewolves leave!"

Continuing downward, his paw brushed against the cold, rough stone walls of the stairwell, each step careful and deliberate. His furry big head constantly turned left and right, greedily observing everything in the passage. Even though there was no special scenery here, he was still watching intently.

Halfway down, he suddenly stopped and asked worriedly, "Uh... once down there, am I not gonna be able to come back up?"

"No way! Rest assured, from now on, this door is open to you without any obstruction!"

Relieved, Xiao Lan took in a deep breath of the cold, damp air in the stairs, his chest rising and falling slightly with excitement: "It’s like... a dream."

Finally, they reached the end of the stairs, stepping into the vast cavern once belonging to the Flame Demons, long devoid of flowing lava.

"We actually... came down!" Saying this, Xiao Lan suddenly thought of something and stared directly at Puki: "Are you the Demon King?"

"No, I’m the Hero." Lin Jun admitted honestly.

After two seconds of silence, Xiao Lan suddenly held his stomach and burst out laughing: "I knew it, those old guys never spout reliable stuff!"