Chapter 2073: A Talk With The Shadow Cap Clan Queen

"Thank you!" Elayne said with genuine warmth as she received a small blessing from the Myconid Queen. A tiny spark of pure black light floated into her open palm and slowly formed a delicate black mushroom tattoo that was almost invisible to ordinary eyes. The mark settled against her skin with a faint, cool pulse of spiritual energy. "Now... I suppose you’re free to go. Troubling you further with the wars happening here... I don’t know if that is something you should be forced to involve yourself in."

"But Mother...!" the warrior standing beside the throne protested, his voice thick with concern. "Brother is still back in the colosseum, risking his life for all of us... Do you really wish to leave this opportunity aside after everything that has happened?"

"Hm..." the queen sighed deeply, her tall fungal form shifting slightly under the soft bioluminescent glow of the chamber. "I simply do not feel that it is right to demand more from someone who has already shown us such unexpected kindness."

"..." Elayne watched the exchange in silence for a moment before speaking again, her tone gentle. "Are you worried about him?"

"...Very much so," the queen admitted, her voice growing quieter. Tears of dark sap began to fall from her large, luminous eyes. "I insisted many times that he should not go, and yet he defied my orders. My eldest son, the pride of the Shadow Cap Tribe, chose to leave everything behind and join the colosseum battles... Besides the constant conflicts we face here in our own territory, I just want him to return safely. But as you can clearly see, we are already full of troubles of our own."

"..." Elayne nodded slowly, understanding the heavy weight of a mother’s fear. "I’m going to that same colosseum city to request an audience with Queen Spectria. While I am there, I will find your son, stop his foolishness if I can, and bring him back if that would make you happy."

"T-Truly?" The queen’s eyes widened in pure shock. "But why? Why would you do something so generous for me when I have offered you almost nothing in return?"

"Sometimes what this world needs most is simple generosity and kindness," Elayne answered with a kind smile that showed her white teeth. "In this gloomy underground realm filled with so much suffering and endless conflict... there is often a desperate need for even a small light in our lives. If helping your son open his eyes does not trouble me too greatly, then I do not feel bothered by offering that help."

"..." The queen remained silent for a long time, as if the words had forced her to rethink many decisions from her long life. "You... might be right. Thank you. I have little of true value left to offer... but please take this."

She carefully removed a bracelet from her own wrist and held it out. The piece was made of beautiful polished obsidian jewels that pulsed with a dark spiritual energy Elayne had never felt before. The power within it felt ancient, heavy, and strangely alive.

"W-What is this?" Elayne asked, genuinely shocked by the intensity of the aura.

"M-Mother!" her son cried out in alarm. "You’re offering her the Myconid Soul Bracelet?! But that is... our greatest treasure! It was forged from the crystallized cores of your ancestors over countless generations...!"

"Enough," the queen said firmly, silencing her son with a single look. "It is a gift from one queen to another... a way to repay, ahead of time, the incredible kindness she is freely offering us. This bracelet carries the essence of our ancestors. It will allow you to further evolve your Spores... and turn them into true magic itself."

"!!!" Elayne felt the deep, resonating power locked inside the bracelet the moment it touched her fingers. "But this is far too precious... I could never accept something of this value..."

"My son already carries the matching piece. The bracelet comes in a pair," the queen explained gently. "It will also help guide you to him when the time comes."

"I see... well, if that is the case... then thank you," Elayne finally nodded, carefully fastening the cool obsidian bracelet around her wrist.

The queen returned the nod with quiet dignity. "No... thank you, young queen."

After a short conversation about her son’s name, appearance, and the specific areas of the colosseum he usually fought in, Elayne left the elegant fungal house. The same warrior who had first challenged her now guided her safely back through the dense mushroom forest toward the exit.

"Incredible! To think you actually befriended the queen herself!" Marble exclaimed once they were outside, her eyes shining with pure academic excitement. "T-This is amazing news! I have never been allowed that far into their sacred grounds before!" She leaned closer with curiosity. "How was she in person? What did she look like up close? Did you manage to take even a small sample of her spores at least?"

"Please do not treat living people like simple test subjects," Elayne sighed, though there was no real anger in her voice. "Now it seems I have gained an unexpected ’side quest’ on top of everything else, haha."

She looked into the distance where the massive colosseum city rose from the cavern floor, its stone walls glowing faintly under the light of countless fungal torches. The group began moving toward it while riding a giant centipede Sporeborn that Elayne had created by fusing several smaller ones together. The creature’s many legs carried them swiftly across the uneven underground terrain.

After nearly an hour of travel across an immense stretch of cavern, they finally reached the city’s outer entrance. A long line of warriors, merchants, and curious travelers from all across the Netherworld waited to enter. The sheer number of people revealed just how connected this underground region was to the many other cavern systems that stretched around the world.

"Wow, so many warriors!" Mark said, staring at the diverse crowd with open interest.

"Incredible..." Blank muttered, his usual calm expression shifting into something sharper. "I feel... like I want to fight them... to prove myself." It was clear he had always been something of a secret battle junkie beneath his quiet exterior.

"In certain regions this place is rather popular among professional warriors," Marble explained. "I suppose many of them have come here specifically to test their strength... much like you."

As the group waited patiently in the long line, a tall, red-skinned and heavily muscular demon suddenly noticed them from farther ahead. He broke away from the crowd and ran toward them with surprising speed. A short white beard framed his strong jaw, and several prayer beads hung around his thick neck and arms.

"Oh! Hey! You’re the woman who bought my sword!" he called out with a broad, friendly grin. "Do you remember me? Well, isn’t this a surprise to meet you again all the way down here!"

It was the same merchant who had once sold her the powerful blade named Asteria.

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