Mushroom Lord in the Underground City

Chapter 506 - 496: Don’t Mess With Me

The Human Kingdom is urgently recruiting new soldiers, fortifying defenses, and struggling to lick the wounds left by the war.

The Demon Race isn’t faring much better, facing a heap of chaotic issues.

On the Eastern Front, after learning the news of the Three Mountains City battle’s end, the Dwarven army has orderly retreated back to the Mountains, continuing their struggle with the Elemental Spirits in the Underground City.

But what they left behind is a mess.

This time, the Dwarf King truly intended to "surround Wei to save Zhao" and assist the humans, deploying not only various siege weapons but also their cherished Magic Combat Puppets to the battlefield.

Duke Levi’s territory suffered a heavy blow, and now he has no choice but to request material support from the Imperial Capital to repair the Eastern Front line.

The unusual cold in the North has plunged the Steward family and Demon Race’s territories into a prolonged cold spell for the entire growing season, making a sharp drop in crop yield inevitable.

Food and heating supplies are scarce, and there is still a need to organize personnel to delve into the current Northern Territory for investigation, yet three teams have already returned with no news.

Not to mention that two Dukes perished in this war, their domains descending into chaos, with various factions secretly making moves.

The Pigmen refuse to follow the command of other leaders, and the Blood Duke’s families are arguing endlessly over land distribution.

Plus, there’s the issue of distributing the spoils post-war and the problem of a certain "Slime."

In short, Emperor Mortis has decided to convene a long-overdue imperial meeting.

...

Sigmund traveled light, accompanied by only a few Blood Knights, finally reaching the border of the turbulent blood curtain.

As the chief convict of this battle, he must personally travel to Muling Castle, unlike Eleanor and others who can attend remotely via image crystals.

If the Empire ultimately triumphed, due to his merits in capturing High Castle Fortress, he might have safely weathered this storm.

But the sudden turn of the war rendered everything null.

Originally, Xenophon, that fool, was there to share the blame, but now that pig-headed Xenophon died on the battlefield, all the pressure landed solely on his shoulders.

What’s worse, not long ago, he requested the Book of Miracles from the Emperor, and that forbidden tome now lies in a secret chamber in his tower, making his situation even more precarious due to rewards sought in advance.

Standing at the edge of the blood curtain, Sigmund gazed far at the sinister silhouette of Muling Castle, downing several vials of potions in succession.

Though Lin Jun did not recognize the components of these potions, she could clearly see the positive status effects appearing on the small panel in succession:

[Iron Will], [Mental Barrier], [Spiritual Protection]...

When he stepped into the great hall of Muling Castle, the Emperor had yet to appear, but the projection crystals representing various factions had already lit up.

Eleanor was conversing and laughing with several Blood Dukes, congratulating the prince on his newly embraced daughter.

As Sigmund stepped into the hall under a servant’s guidance, the clamor gradually subsided, all eyes focused on him, and even some schadenfreude chuckles sounded around him.

In this atmosphere of ill-will, Sigmund’s gaze fixed on the figure beneath the throne—that of the Enchanting Demon Mofulei.

She leaned against the shadows, her fingers entwined with wisps of pink mist.

Mofulei wasn’t one of the Twelve Pillars but was directly under the Emperor as an inquisitor, wielding control over the Empire’s most secretive intelligence and penal systems.

In this war, she suffered heavy losses as well, with nearly half of her meticulously trained spies lost, including one of her most valued disciples, Faya, who perished on the mission to infiltrate Three Mountains City.

When she appeared in the great hall, everyone understood that this inquiry was destined not to end easily.

Mofulei reclined on the steps of the throne, her purple eyes tinged with cruelty looking at Sigmund: "Coming so late, I thought you had fled, Sir Sigmund."

"Fled?" Sigmund frowned, surprised at the hefty accusation being thrown at him right off the bat, "As a Blood Duke, how could I flee? And where would I flee to?"

"Naturally, to your old friend," Mofulei chuckled, "You didn’t think your past with Alama could stay hidden from me, do you?"

"Then you should know that I have long since broken off with that guy, a non-compromise battle till death!"

"Once, I thought the same," the Enchanting Demon unrolled a scroll, "Until the strange ambush at High Castle Fortress. Clearly with a chance to place Alama in a dead end, yet you left at the crucial moment, giving Alama a chance."

"That ambush was my design; if I intended to let him go, why would I set up that ambush?" Sigmund retorted.

Mofulei acted as if she hadn’t heard and continued, "During the battle at Dragon Roar Valley, according to the surviving soldiers’ testimonies, clearly, you had a chance to end Alama directly, yet you deliberately delayed the situation, causing the situation to reverse."

"That was... my oversight. I didn’t expect those Puki to have such abilities."

She suddenly leaned closer, her finger pointing at Sigmund’s chest: "Was it really an oversight, or did you always harbor a lingering affection, one that surpassed your loyalty to the Empire, to His Majesty?"

"Absurd!" Sigmund glared at Mofulei, "I have nothing but loyalty to the Empire!"

"Lies can take countless forms..." As the Enchanting Demon locked eyes with Sigmund, her pupils suddenly swirled with a vortex of purple light, "And I only believe the answers I find myself!"

"You...!" Sigmund, prepared as he was, found himself struggling under such proximity.

His mental defenses crumbled like a spider’s web meeting a storm.

He couldn’t succumb to her charm; otherwise, many of his secrets would be exposed.

Among others, the presence of the roommate in his head absolutely couldn’t be revealed.

Yet, attacking Mofulei directly would be as good as admitting he had something to hide, and Mofulei knew this, which is why she chose to challenge him now.

As his consciousness began to blur, blood coiled from Sigmund’s sleeve to his palm, ready to act when he could no longer hold back.

"Stay away from me!"

Sigmund’s mental pressure instantly eased.

Regaining his senses, he noticed Mofulei before him, eyes rolled back as if struck heavily, collapsing to her knees with her forehead hitting the stone steps with a dull thud, silent like a slaughtered pig.

The schadenfreude laughter in the hall ceased instantly; no one expected Sigmund’s mental strength to be this formidable.

Keep in mind, though of lord status, Mofulei is an expert in mental domains, yet she was countered so drastically by Sigmund’s mental strength?!

In the deathly silence, only the convulsions of Mofulei’s limp body could be seen.

Once Mofulei’s limp body was silently dragged out of the hall by two Blood Guards, a blood-red ripple suddenly spread behind the throne; Emperor Mortis stepped out of the void and took the throne.

He didn’t even glance at the inquisitor being dragged away, seemingly unfazed by the prior disturbance, and simply began discussing matters with the other demons, excluding Sigmund.

Sigmund maintained a stone-faced expression but felt relieved deep inside, knowing he had temporarily overcome this hurdle.

He never thought he would ever feel grateful to hear that annoying voice.

So much so that when the roommate in his head kept grumbling about part of him being dyed purple, he didn’t impatiently interrupt it like he usually did.