Mushroom Lord in the Underground City

Chapter 473 - 463: Arrangements

Mushroom Garden.

Xiao Hai rubbed her growling stomach, perplexed, and looked around.

As a Puki passed by her, Xiao Hai grabbed it.

A regular Puki passing by was casually caught by her. She approached its cap and sniffed, hesitantly took a bite, and then disappointedly released her grip.

Her stomach could no longer do without Delicious Puki. Filling it with a regular Puki was wasting precious stomach space.

Life has become difficult for Xiao Hai lately.

There was a time when those Delicious Puki, which emitted alluring magic power, would voluntarily slip into her Mushroom House, and she only needed to enjoy the Puki delivered to her door.

But, no one knows when these Puki learned to hide.

What’s worse is that a magical fog now fills the Mushroom Garden. Within it, the magic fluctuation of Delicious Puki isn’t obvious; relying solely on [Magic Perception] made it hard to pinpoint their exact location.

She could only reminisce about the beautiful days of the past while casually searching through Norris’s Mushroom House. After confirming it was empty inside, she left with a downcast look.

Xiao Hai’s footsteps gradually grew distant. Moments later, No. 1 Puki cautiously crawled out of another Mushroom House, followed closely by a group of rotund Delicious Puki.

Puki—Puki—Puki—

They quickly crawled into the Mushroom House Xiao Hai had searched last using their short mycelium legs.

"Now, temporarily safe!" No. 1 Puki’s cap drooped powerlessly, recalling Xiao Hai’s pause in front of the Mushroom House they hid in, yet choosing to check the one next door instead, still left it trembling.

"Are we going to live like this, always hiding?" No. 4 Puki angrily swung its tentacle, smashing heavily on the soft mushroom bed, making a "puff" sound.

"But we can’t beat her!" No. 5 Puki curled up in the corner, shivering, "That black demon, even if we all attack together, we can’t hurt her at all!"

"But we are the honorable Mushroom Race!" No. 4 Puki excitedly exclaimed, "Even if we’re destined to be eaten, it should be after a heroic battle! Not hiding like a tailless lizardman forever chased by werewolves, so pathetic!"

No. 5 Puki’s voice carried a sobbing tone: "The Mushroom Lord has bestowed upon us the Delicious attribute. Isn’t this just to send us to that black demon to eat? We’re born as the demon’s feed! Sob sob sob..."

Watching No. 4 Puki’s loud proclamation of a desperate charge and No. 5 Puki thoroughly in defeatist mode, No. 1 Puki felt helpless.

Now, fewer Pukis follow it than initially, as some either venture alone or were drawn to the ambitious No. 2 Puki.

Among the remaining companions, No. 4 Puki is the most loyal and steadfast, yet also reckless and impulsive.

Facing the current predicament, it had no choice but to step up to reassure the mushrooms: "Do not speak ill of the Mushroom Lord! You lack understanding of the Mushroom Lord’s intentions! The Mushroom Lord bestowed Delicious on us and allowed us to escape the black demon, precisely to train our reconnaissance, counter-reconnaissance, and teamwork skills in this chase!"

It intensified the intention: "Have you all forgotten the skills the Mushroom Lord allowed us to choose after rebirth?"

With that, No. 1 Puki’s cap suddenly spewed a large amount of mist containing magic power that can interfere with Magic Perception.

"The Mushroom Lord wishes for us to learn cooperation and overcome difficulties together!" No. 1 Puki looked around, "What skills have you all chosen?"

"Acceleration."

"Acceleration."

"Self-Destruction."

And No. 5 Puki answered with action; the surrounding light twisted, and it vanished!

The scattered white mist was No. 1’s tears. With these bugs, when can the Mushroom Race be great again?

Suddenly, the entrance to the Mushroom House was forcefully opened, and Xiao Hai’s head squeezed in.

As her pair of golden eyes recognized the room full of Delicious Puki, they instantly lit up, like a weary traveler who finally found an oasis, eyes full of joy from finally getting relief.

No. 1 Puki’s heart trembled greatly!

It hadn’t expected the demon to be so cautious, even returning to recheck a Mushroom House she had just searched!

Unbeknownst to No. 1 Puki, Xiao Hai simply had a poor memory, unable to recall which Mushroom Houses she had already searched.

Seeing that all companions are trapped, with no escape, at the critical moment, No. 4 Puki stood out once more!

"For the glory of the Mushroom Race!"

"Fool!"

"No. 4, you..."

Boom—!!!

In the violent explosion, the Pukis and Norris’s Mushroom House were blown to ashes, leaving only the floating mycelium dust.

Xiao Hai stood in place, blinking mechanically. She whined indignantly, picked up the remaining severed leg of No. 1 Puki from the debris, barely filling her stomach.

Then, she had no choice but to continue searching for other Puki.

...

The mycelium cocoon cracked, and No. 4 Puki emerged from it with some apprehension, readying itself mentally to face collective accusations from others due to its "heroic sacrifice" leading to the total annihilation.

However, the anticipated chaotic scene of blame did not appear. In the room, there was only it and another Puki, No. 10, who always preferred solitude.

No. 4 Puki, puzzled, sent out an inquiry through the Fungal Network: "No. 10? Were you caught by the black demon too?"

"Hmph!"

No. 10 didn’t say much but contemplated Thirteen in its heart.

Previously during the escape, No. 13 at a critical moment tried using the soul connection between Puki to drag No. 10 from the Puki group mixed among the Mushroom Race to be a scapegoat!

Fortunately, No. 10 maintained the highest vigilance, not only failing No. 13’s attempts but cleverly tripping it with mycelium so that Thirteen fell, landing in the magic claws.

But No. 10 never expected Thirteen not only survived not getting eaten by the black demon but also somehow quickly allied with it and became a disgraceful guide!

The soul-level resonance made it almost impossible for Puki to hide from each other, leading to No. 10, despite its cautiousness, being caught within half a day under Thirteen’s treacherous guidance.

This vengeance must be pursued, sworn by the Mushroom race!

As for the boorish No. 4, No. 10 couldn’t be bothered explaining these twists and turns.

It cared more that this rebirth made its body seemingly more robust and filled with more abundant power, ready to find an opportunity to test it.

But... this doesn’t seem like the sunroom?

No. 10 and No. 4 almost simultaneously turned around, their perception locking onto the pink-haired Mushroom Servant staring at them with wide eyes in curiosity.

At that moment, the Mushroom Lord descended with a mushroom decree: "Your mission henceforth, protect Pink Puki!"

"Obeying the Mushroom Lord’s will!" No. 10 almost immediately entered a state of alert receiving the command, calmly assessing the surroundings and the status of the protection target.

And No. 4 Puki was stunned, reaching out with mycelium tentacle to touch Inanna’s arm: "You... are you also a Puki?"