Mushroom Lord in the Underground City-Chapter 366 - 358: Dream Ranking Number One

Snap—

A yarn-like creature named Shadow Worm was mercilessly stomped flat by Puki.

Its body did not leave behind remains like ordinary creatures; instead, it quickly disintegrated and dissolved, like erasing ink, leaving nothing for the fungal mat to decompose.

Even using [Spiritual Vision], Lin Jun failed to capture any trace of a soul from this discarded insect.

It was as if it had never truly existed, just a void briefly projected into reality.

From any angle, this thing seemed unable to be a source of power for the [Greed] skill.

Moreover, the material costs for the entire summoning ritual were quite considerable.

Despite this, Lin Jun still decided to continue delving into abyss magic research.

This seemed to be the only current path with potential to glimpse the truth of this world.

At least, it was more reliable than praying to gods for answers.

After cleaning up the leftover magic materials from the ritual, he began to organize the vast information he had just received.

The entire five-minute ritual didn’t provide as much information as the impact of a mere two-second exposure to the abyssal void.

Moreover, unlike last time’s plethora of universal information flood, this time, the majority of the information received was about the structural parameters of various biological bodies, with almost no useful information that could be analyzed for deeper meaning.

Is this a coincidence, or do different types of abyssal ceremonies leak different categories of specific information?

This point is worth recording for verification in the next experiment.

...

Sigh... feeling depressed.

Although he didn’t like to brag, Lin Jun was quite proud of what he had built and achieved along the way.

Owning a dungeon which he was getting increasingly adept at controlling; gradually developing a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship with humans, effortlessly spreading the fungal mat far and wide; nurturing a large group of subordinates in the Far North, expanding his influence; mushrooms even sprouted up all over the elf realm; recently, he even unexpectedly acquired the body of a blood duke, allowing him to savor delicious flavors again...

Everything seemed to be moving in a better direction.

Then suddenly, reality dealt a harsh blow!

All of it might just be a meaningless virtual game? He might even just be an NPC! How could anyone withstand that?

Troubled by nihilism, even the primary body in the swamp, the green mushroom cap, drooped lethargically.

Thankfully, when spirits hit rock bottom, Lin Jun had his unique method for dispelling worries—his top-ranked fun dream!

The ultimate source of joy that he normally dared not enter easily, afraid he would accidentally ruin it and never be able to play again!

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

Mushroom City, in a residential area not far from the bustling city center, was where the house Vera and her three companions shared was situated.

Thanks to purchasing it when Mushroom City was still under expansion, the price back then was dirt cheap, but now the real estate prices in this area had soared to an astonishing level.

Every time they talked about it, the three of them couldn’t help but be grateful for seizing such a great deal so decisively. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The house wasn’t very large; Vera occupied a smaller bedroom, leaving the more spacious, windowed master bedroom to the sisters Fei Ling and Fei Yin.

As for Sirean, he chose to live at a nearby tavern. Because of his presence, the tavern’s business was slightly better than usual, earning him a very favorable rate.

They had just successfully completed an escort mission to protect a batch of Puki headed for the Novid trading market.

The rewards were substantial, bringing them closer to their savings goal. Their dream was to open a small shop in the now-central area of Mushroom City.

As for what to sell, they hadn’t fully decided yet.

Maybe herbs collected and prepared by Fei Ling, or some basic magic books and scrolls. They were even considering starting a small Puki trading agency.

The goal was simply to have a stable little business of their own since adventuring wasn’t something one could do for life.

Outside the window, the night rain pattered softly against the glass. Vera lay on her bed, thinking about the future, and as her mind gradually blurred, she sank into a warm dream.

A faint, almost imperceptible sound of friction was masked by the rain.

Boom—!

Lightning split the night sky, illuminating a rounded figure filling the entire window...

...

Vera’s dream was quite ordinary, adventuring with her party, stepping in to help when encountering injustice, celebrating with hearty food and drink in the tavern after the mission, filled with laughter, much like reality.

But Lin Jun rated her dream as top because it truly had its unique qualities!

Vera’s dream could be...

A chilling, bone-piercing black wind barged into the lively tavern, whisking away Fei Ling and Fei Yin right in front of everyone!

The wind left behind a sinister mumble: "Finally found, the twins with rare blood!"

Vera roared, trying to chase after, but it was in vain. She could only watch as that evil wind disappeared into the horizon, leaving behind only the equally stunned elf, Sirean.

At that moment, a green mushroom elder emerged, solemnly informing Vera that the abductor was a powerful blood duke, and provided guidance—defeat the duke’s four kings first to stand a chance...

...

In the morning, the chattering birds on the eaves outside the window woke Vera.

He sat up, his face weary, covering his face with his hands, trying hard to recall the bizarre final Chapter of his dream.

"What the heck is a mushroom elder, and why are there five kings instead of four... and it’s Sirean at that..."

Throughout the dream, there were relentless tough choices: who to sacrifice, who to save.

When Sirean walked silently, took a seat as the fifth king, the shock and astonishment remained deeply etched in his mind.

Sleep-deprived, with a face that looked like the dead, Vera startled the twins as soon as he left his room!

When the four gathered, Sirean had just shaken off two overly enthusiastic female adventurers trying to get handsy with him.

He turned and saw the dispirited Vera, then looked at the radiant and lively Fei Ling and Fei Yin sisters.

This handsome elf ranger hesitated for a moment, opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed back his words of concern about moderation and gave Vera a complex, slightly worried look instead.

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

Unfortunately, the dream was too short, and the final planned twist remained unused.

If only he could create an eternal dream someday!

Nonetheless, this thrilling "creation" was invigorating enough.

Lin Jun felt most of the accumulated gloom within the mushroom cap dissipate, leaving him much more relaxed, finally ready to handle serious business.

And the so-called serious business, was dealing with those remnants of werewolves still hiding on the tenth level of his own underground city, continuing their futile resistance!

The frequent use of charming Puki to lure and abduct lone werewolves had become ineffective now.

After suffering numerous losses, the remaining werewolves had become very vigilant and were no longer easily deceived.

The scale of the werewolf tribe had shrunk dramatically, with a large portion being stubborn old wolves loyal to the so-called "Demon King" tradition. Lin Jun had no interest in recruiting these "hard-nosed" types.

Forcing them into his fold might lead astray other werewolves, so he preferred to let them rot on the tenth level.

However, the tribe still had some young werewolves worth converting. Lin Jun’s goal this time was to package them up and squeeze the last bit of value from this werewolf tribe! (Overslept, the third update delayed by a day)