This Dungeon Grew Mushrooms - Chapter 581
“Wow! What an adorable little puji! I’ve always wanted to raise one this cute!”
“Yes, yes, you go on about puji all day long. My ears are practically growing calluses from it. Guess you finally got your wish this time.”
Stinky Fish and Moya whispered among themselves at a distance for a moment. When they turned back, their faces had transformed into warm, enthusiastic smiles as they slowly approached from front and back.
Whether this thing was truly the legendary mushroom folk or not, they would snatch it first and sort it out later.
If it was, sending it back to the Empire would be a great merit.
If it wasn’t, then it would just be an extra meal on the road to survival.
That said, Moya’s succubus appearance could at least barely pass as friendly, but the old goblin’s wrinkled face, pointed ears, and collapsed nose looked shifty no matter how he tried to smile.
Fortunately, Stinky Fish had some self-awareness. He deliberately lagged half a step behind, hiding behind Moya so he wouldn’t be so eye-catching.
When Moya reached him, the puji was still sitting motionless on a small patch of sparse fungus carpet.
She carefully bent down and scooped the round puji into her arms, deliberately pressing it against her ample chest. Her voice turned syrupy sweet.
“Little cutie, how about letting big sister raise you? If you don’t say anything, I’ll take that as a yes~”
What she didn’t know was that in Thirteen’s eyes, her deliberately affectionate posture looked exactly the same as when Thirteen had once coaxed Four into foolishly crawling into the Gray Demon’s nest.
It was obvious at a glance that she had bad intentions.
And Thirteen only felt that the two lumps of excess flesh were squeezing its mushroom cap nearly out of shape, making it unbearably stifling.
It restrained itself with great effort, otherwise it would have already lashed out and skewered the two schemers on the spot. With the strength of its knight puji body, it could absolutely do that.
In fact, the two demons’ so-called secret discussion had been heard clearly by Thirteen.
With Vibration Perception, as long as a mushroom focused, it could hear sounds from very far away. Moya and Stinky Fish were only fooling themselves by thinking they were whispering.
The Empire?
It had heard other mushroom folk mention it before. Supposedly, it was the largest nation on the continent, packed with countless non-mushrooms.
If it could stir such a massive number of non-mushrooms into despairing wails…
Just thinking about it made Thirteen tremble with excitement.
If it did that, the Mushroom Lord would be pleased, right?
And if the Mushroom Lord was pleased, maybe he would let it return to the Mushroom Garden.
So, despite being squeezed uncomfortably by this non-mushroom, Thirteen still forced itself to extend a tentacle, obediently wrapping it around Moya’s bare arm as a sign of response.
This clearly interactive behavior, so different from that of ordinary puji, instantly made Moya and Stinky Fish’s eyes light up, further confirming their suspicions that this really was a mushroom folk!
Especially Moya—she was so excited she was practically over the moon.
If this really was a mushroom folk, and she successfully brought it back to the Empire…
Forget about wasting time on this mission—even if she went back and slapped her nasty shapeshifter superior a few times across the face, he’d still have to smile and take it!
Promotion, riches, reaching the peak of demon life—everything was right there within reach!
Thinking this, she hugged the “hope” in her arms even tighter, as if she wanted to knead it into her body.
Smack!
Having reached his limit, Thirteen suddenly swung its tentacle and viciously lashed the lump of flesh that was crushing it.
Moya cried out in pain and loosened her grip. Thirteen seized the chance, slipped free, and landed on the ground with a puji sound.
After landing, Thirteen quickly moved to Stinky Fish’s side—who was barely taller than a puji at all—and even “friendly-like” draped a tentacle over the old goblin’s shoulder.
Still stunned from the sudden blow, Moya stared blankly at Thirteen and Stinky Fish standing shoulder to shoulder, her face full of confusion and disbelief.
Old goblin Stinky Fish shrugged his scrawny shoulders and pulled a helpless yet faintly smug expression, speaking in his shrill voice.
“Looks like… it prefers hanging out with me.”
Moya: “???”
…
After acquiring Thirteen, the two demons didn’t dare waste a single moment. They immediately turned around and rushed toward the port at full speed.
In truth, deep down, Stinky Fish was wary of how easily they had obtained a creature suspected to be mushroom folk.
Things had gone far too smoothly.
However, the ones who wanted to research and control the power of the mushroom folk were the lofty dukes of the Empire.
Small frontline figures like them had only one task: find it and bring it back.
As for whatever problems or risks might arise afterward, that was for the big shots above to worry about.
Thus, his caution was focused more on immediate threats—for example, whether this mushroom folk might be a companion of some human adventurer party, whose disappearance could bring pursuit and retaliation.
As for deeper, more complex dangers, that wasn’t something an old goblin like him needed to fret over.
He had even begun plotting how to embellish this encounter in the report later.
How many human patrols they’d crossed, how many heart-stopping close calls they’d endured, how much effort they’d expended…
Only by doing so could this merit seem weighty enough to justify demanding the rewards they deserved.
…
After passing through a forest that had already been gnawed into a riddled ruin by rampaging slimes, the outline of the port finally came into view in the distance.
This city—the first one the Empire seized from humans after the war began—was called Angus Port by humans.
But among the demon race occupying it, it was usually just referred to as “the port,” a nameless outpost meant only for use.
However, something seemed wrong.
Black smoke was rising from one corner of the city, flames spreading among the buildings.
Chaotic noise drifted over—shouting, metal clashing, and some kind of… screeching?
It wasn’t the organized battle cries or horn calls that accompanied a human military assault.
Moreover, the defensive magic arrays on the city walls were all inexplicably shut down.
Just as they were feeling uncertain, a blinding burst of magical light suddenly exploded at the heavy city gate!
Boom!!!
The gate was blown open from the inside!
Shattered wood and twisted metal flew everywhere.
Immediately after, panicked demon soldiers poured out of the breach, armor discarded, faces filled with pure terror.
And the figure who had just cast the spell to blast open the gate—
Moya recognized him.
He was a diamond-rank mage officer from the port’s garrison forces!
What happened? A human raid? Or a rebellion?
Before they could make sense of it, they saw that mage officer suddenly turn back amid the fleeing crowd and hurl two blazing fireballs into the gate passage!
Boom! Boom!
The explosion lit up the tunnel in a flash of fire. Yet in the rolling flames, the smoke was strangely pulled outward, as if something had passed through it.
In the next instant, right before Stinky Fish and Moya’s eyes, the mage officer who had just unleashed those powerful spells was abruptly severed in two at the waist!
Blood and viscera sprayed everywhere.
“Ugh… aaaaah!”
A shriek so distorted it barely sounded human tore through the air. The upper half of his body fell to the ground, not yet dead, arms scraping uselessly against the stone.
And the warm blood splashing through the air briefly outlined the attacker’s form.
A towering body, grotesque carapace, six scythe-like claws!
The monster roared and charged after the other fleeing demons.
Stinky Fish shuddered violently.
“Aren’t those the freaks from the sea?! How the hell did they come ashore?!”
Neither Moya nor Stinky Fish noticed that high above, a small floating eyeball was quietly watching from afar.
