Mushroom Lord in the Underground City

Chapter 535 525: Puki Forest

After embracing each other, the two Puki quieted down.

Of course, seeing their tentacles gesticulating wildly, it was clear they weren't truly silent, but had switched to private chat in the Fungal Network.

"Brother, why are you here?"

Recalling the previous time they returned to the Mushroom Garden with the Pink Puki, One was ambitiously talking about becoming the "Northern Mushroom Race Representative," and instructed it to work hard on rallying the Pink Puki and Ten Puki, while also taking care of the newly arrived Xiao Fourteen to unite them.

They even outlined a blueprint of "the North and the Kingdom responding to each other, with the future in the hands of the Mushroom Race."

How did the "Northern Mushroom Race Representative" suddenly appear in the Elf Forest?

"Ah, Fourth Brother... sigh." The thought from One was a long sigh, the mushroom cap drooping slightly, exuding a sense of weight from enduring setbacks.

One Puki, with a look of deep anguish, slowly explained the reason.

In its narration, the great Mushroom Lord originally intended for it to serve as the Northern representative. But at this crucial moment, the insidious and cunning Two suddenly caused trouble, openly questioning the Mushroom Lord's decision and attempting to seize this position.

"That despicable fellow!" One's thoughts were filled with anger, "It dared to question the will of the Mushroom Lord!"

The benevolent Mushroom Lord eventually decided to grant a fair competition: both sides would lead their subordinates in a contest.

Even though the most battle-savvy Fourth Brother was sent on a mission elsewhere, One still had strength not inferior to Two.

Under One were Five, Six, and Eight.

Under Two were Three, Seven, and Eleven.

For additional security, One also secured temporary support from Thirteen through certain promises.

The Mushroom Lord inserted the silver scales of the tailless Lizardman into the bodies of both teams' Puki in front of the black demon.

Originally, their chances of winning were great; although Five was not skilled in combat, its hiding skills were masterful, and they had more mushrooms as well.

What wasn't expected was that Thirteen had long been bribed by Two, leading to the unfortunate demise of Five.

And it disregarded the rules by teaming up with Two's group to surround them, outnumbering them!

Although eventually, all the Puki had their scales snatched by the black demon who noticed the commotion, One still lost the contest first.

The position of "Northern Mushroom Race Representative," symbolizing the highest authority and glory closest to the Mushroom Garden and the Mushroom Lord, eventually fell onto the triumphant mushroom cap of Two!

As for One, it was exiled to this forest, ruling over these seemingly unpromising long-eared humans...

Thinking of this, One's mushroom cap drooped even more, its tentacle tightly coiling around Four's, its thoughts filled with pain and resentment: "Ah, Fourth Brother, now that Two is favored, its arrogance is unchecked, daring to monopolize the Mushroom Lord's favor and glory... Every time Brother thinks of this, my mycelium feels a piercing pain!"

"Big Brother!" Four's thought immediately responded with determination, "I will always support Big Brother!"

One nodded its mushroom cap in relief, then lowered its thought to ask: "How are things progressing on your side? Is the rallying of the Pink Puki and Ten Puki going smoothly? Are they... willing to obey your orders?"

Four subtly tilted its mushroom cap slightly, the thought transmission also hesitating briefly: "Sort of... it's going fairly well."

"Good! That's my good Fourth Brother! Brother always knew you were the most reliable!" One's thoughts immediately felt invigorated, the mushroom cap lifting up.

Their lengthy secret conversation finally came to an end.

When they snapped back to reality, they realized that the clearing in the forest was already empty, with the mission group and the Elf Forest Patrol Guard leader Eco already gone, leaving only one elf forest patrol guard squatting idly under a tree not far away, waiting for them to finish talking.

...

The moment Inanna stepped into the Elf Forest, she almost thought she had strayed into a woodland outside Mushroom City covered deeply by a fungal mat.

As far as the eye could see, entangled mycelium produced luminous mushrooms between the ancient tree roots, and the figures of Puki, varied in shape, appeared and disappeared within the dappled light of the forest.

If not for the fact that each tree was so massive that it took ten people to embrace and its crown soared into the clouds, she would really have thought she had returned to the vicinity of Mushroom City.

Not only Inanna was surprised; none in the delegation had expected to see the profession of Puki Master here, let alone that the leader of the Elf Forest Patrol Guard, Eco, was one of them.

It was known that this was possibly the highest-level Puki Master in the world right now…

Moreover, the elves seemed to have developed a Puki culture distinctly different from that of the Kingdom.

Unlike the human Puki Masters who pursued the maximum limit of control, eager to be constantly surrounded by swarms of Puki to showcase their status, the elf Puki Masters' relationship with their Puki was more akin to domestic pets.

They did not pursue quantity, instead preferring to have a single Puki, even fashionably placing a Puki on their head.

The types they kept were also different.

In the Kingdom, there is every kind of Puki, while among the elves, perhaps because they reside in the tree trunks, there is a preference for Puki with small wings.

Despite these numerous differences, Inanna still felt a slight sting in her nose, quietly wiping away a bit of moisture from the corner of her eye with her finger.

She sincerely felt joy for the Puki's natural and harmonious acceptance by the elves.

The Sword Saint Puki, however, had the illusion of "Did I die for more than ten years only to be resurrected?" Clearly, it wasn't like this the last time it came here, was it?

And Eco... what's up with this guy?

It's hard to imagine that his hand was too heavy during their last encounter, and even the elves' secret potions were powerless to restore him, eventually having to rely on mycelium parasitism to survive, right?

The Sword Saint was filled with countless questions but found it inappropriate to ask directly.

There were old acquaintances who knew "Elvyn," and though transmitting thoughts through the Fungal Network was different from speaking out loud, a careless word might expose one's identity.

Who knows what reaction those elf acquaintances and the unfathomable Mushroom Lord would have; should the information leak, Alama would probably immediately abandon the defensive line, carrying the family heirloom Greatsword all the way to chase me down...

Hmm... maintaining the dignity of the "deceased Sword Saint Elvyn" is more important than satisfying that insignificant curiosity after all.

It is now and must be Puki No. 14!

So thought the Sword Saint Puki, currently being held by Inanna and receiving the usual caress.

...

However, as the team continued forward, they discovered the elves' acceptance of Puki wasn't without reservations.

Some teams, dressed in official uniforms and clearly belonging to the elf authorities, were organizedly casting Natural Magic in specific areas of the forest. A gentle green light flowed out of their hands, and wherever it passed, those overly lush fungal mats slowly retreated, revealing the original soil underneath.

Such scenes are not seen on the side of the Kingdom.

The delegation was eventually settled in a side hall on the wing of the Royal Palace to rest; the other elf leaders did not immediately appear.

This wasn't because the elves deliberately wanted to slight the Kingdom's delegation but because the timing was unfortunate, as they were engaged in an important meeting.

The core topic of this meeting was precisely the methods for maintaining the forest's ecological balance and fungal mat management.