Mushroom Lord in the Underground City

Chapter 659: Chapter 648: Storm

"What on earth are you two doing?"

Little Pig crossed his arms, his scarlet eyes coldly staring at the two.

Ming and Norris knelt on the ground, eyes fixed on the floor, too afraid to speak.

"I asked you to practice to adapt to the battlefield atmosphere, yet you charged directly into enemy lines. Do you think you’re dying too slowly?"

"Especially you, Ming!"

Louisa’s fingertip sharply poked Ming’s forehead, which had recovered completely thanks to the Water of Life.

Feeling like she was pushing against a heavy iron gate, Louisa silently withdrew her finger and continued her scolding.

"Not listening to commands and acting on your own, do you think the battlefield is your personal stage? Do you realize this not only caused Norris to suffer with you but also disrupted the delay plan set by the boss? Are you only capable of causing trouble for the boss?"

Causing trouble for the boss!

These words visibly made Ming tremble, with tears the size of beans falling drop by drop.

Next to him, Norris saw Ming’s expression and remembered his age, wanting to say a few words in his defense.

However, as soon as he raised his head, Louisa’s glare forced the words back down his throat:

"And you! Why didn’t you pull him back immediately? And why didn’t you contact me right away when he disobeyed orders? Did you wait until it was really dangerous to think about calling for help? Are you also just a child?"

"I was wrong, I was wrong..."

[Hehehe]

Nearby, the Yellow-covered Book, now two layers thinner, savored the two’s emotions with schadenfreude.

...

Ming’s disobedience of Norris’s commands was just a minor issue.

Afterwards, a minor punishment to serve as a warning should suffice to teach him a lesson.

Even Lin Jun could use Xiao Hai, not to mention Ming, who is normally intelligent and trained from a young age.

However, he indeed disrupted Lin Jun’s delay plan this time.

With the main commander dead and the right wing collapsing, the Imperial Army began retreating.

The two Dukes probably won’t disregard the Northern Territory like before.

However, it shouldn’t directly draw the Empire’s attention; after all, it’s merely two Northern Territory "experts" striking down a Palace General unexpectedly, and the situation is still within control.

Lin Jun was quite satisfied with the performance of the flying Puki group this time.

Previously, although Puki could fly, they struggled due to their size, and their flight was slow.

Grateful to the Red Dragon whose name has been forgotten, they gifted Puki the precious skill of [Flight Mastery].

From now on, the skies shall belong to Puki too!

On the other side, the Abyssal Laboratory had already started operating.

To say operating, it was more like Lin Jun entering the Abyss daily to fish around and see what he could find.

Following the records from the Book of Miracles, a few usable Abyss Magic spells were indeed discovered, and after familiarization, they could be tried out.

The last matter is regarding faith in Fungus Castle.

Even though almost everything was under Lin Jun’s control during this war, the Fungus Castle soldiers’ casualties were still present.

Eighteen soldiers died one after another.

Since they all died on the Fungal Mat, Lin Jun naturally tried to turn them into Puki.

However, only three soldiers successfully transformed into Puki, while the souls of the other fifteen, though somewhat sticky, weren’t strong enough to support their transcendence into Mushroom.

This isn’t acceptable.

Fungus Castle, as his stronghold, cannot have such a low conversion rate.

The truth is, while they enjoy life at Fungus Castle, they lack clear faith.

Lin Jun must increase propaganda and guidance in this regard.

Fortunately, unlike in other areas where faith must be propagated stealthily, Fungus Castle, being his stronghold, allows Lin Jun to promote it his way.

Including the three soldiers who successfully reincarnated, they can be openly displayed as demonstration cases.

Even the object of faith could not just be the abstract "Mushroom Lord," but the concrete Marshal Puki.

In short, it’s time to erect a handsome statue for Marshal Puki.

Coupled with faith propaganda, the propaganda should have a catchy name, let’s call it... the Truth of Mushroom Garden!

As for the specific content, this clerical work can be left to Xing Huo to study!

...

When Eugene received the news brought by the defeated troops, his first reaction was disbelief.

"Say it again."

The confidant of Leonard, still wrapped in blood-stained bandages, with an empty sleeve dangling at his side, face full of dirt, without the Water of Life, couldn’t recover as quickly as Ming.

"The General... has fallen in battle!" He repeated the news of the General’s death in grief.

"Those tribespeople, how dare they? Just before they were pressing forward, how did they suddenly fall?" Shocked, angry, and confused, suddenly losing an invaluable subordinate, Eugene felt heartache.

The General’s confidant shivered as he began to recount that battle.

"Duke, you must avenge the General!"

After listening, Eugene’s expression returned to normal.

He acknowledged with a sound, then waved to have Leonard’s confidant taken away.

Eugene leaned back in his chair, beginning to reflect that he might have underestimated this Fungus Castle.

Those two who killed Leonard weren’t the most important; his subordinate clearly explained — one was blown up, the other trapped, both heavily injured.

Ultimately, it was a Palace Level confrontation, and such individuals are not rare in the Empire, nor among his men.

The key lies in those flying Puki!

He’s recently collected much information about this new Puki Master career.

Similar to controlling Demons through contracts, just conveniently supplemented.

It also has its limitations.

For instance, everyone has a control limit, averaging around twenty creatures.

Additionally, Demons under contract continue executing orders even if separated after orders are given.

But Puki Masters aren’t the same; their control range for Puki is fixed within a kilometer.

However, those flocks of flying Puki, regardless of number or distance, clearly don’t match this description.

What does this imply?

Does it mean the development of Northern Territory Puki Masters surpasses that of the United Kingdom where the career first appeared?

This time, fortunately, it was just a setback; although Leonard is gone, the troop losses remain bearable.

He doesn’t wish to be pummeled by Puki like Sigmund, who is now recruiting soldiers and recovering strength.

After consideration, he reconnected with Duke Dean of the Demon Race, discussing the next joint operation.

And this time, he’s ready to go all out, even willing to offer some costs and seek help from other Lords not in the north.

After all, he doesn’t wish to be constantly threatened by the tribes rising in the north.

What surprised him was Dean’s immediate affirmative response upon receiving the news, as if more enthusiastic than himself, despite only a small portion of his territories bordering the north.

What he didn’t know was that Ming, whom he disregarded, was the reason for Dean’s enthusiasm.

Dean wanted to ascertain whether Ming’s abilities, beyond [Physical Resistance], were due to his innate talent or if the Northern Territory’s Demon Race had developed stronger Demon Pattern usage methods.

If it’s the former, then that’s acceptable; though rare, geniuses aren’t too scarce. Attempting recruitment with threats and inducements, and if unsuccessful, eradicating the threat early is advisable.

But if it’s the latter, it signifies an opportunity to elevate the overall strength of the Demon Race again, which, as the leader of Empire Demon Race, he cannot miss!

...

A storm brewed in the Empire’s north, while on the other side in Fungus Castle, the Fungus People witnessed the first batch of three newly transformed Shroomers.