Chapter 166: Chapter 164: Adventurers

In the swamp that has buried countless corpses, today is another day of mosquitoes flying wildly, a scene full of vibrant life.

A giant mushroom cap suddenly appeared at the edge of the swamp, a Fat Otaku Puki dragging its heavy body, barely managed to climb up with the assistance of mycelial tentacles.

Then the second and the third… a total of seven Fat Otakus!

After coming ashore, they rolled around on the ground a few times. Although they still smelled bad, at least they were no longer dripping with dirty water.

They then lined up in a row, heading towards the staircase to the sixth floor.

Not far away, a small hole appeared, and Knight Puki emerged with its main form, spreading its wings and flying onto the cap of a Fat Otaku mushroom.

The stomachs of these Fat Otakus were filled with Lin Jun’s belongings: Demon Crystals, equipment, books, gold coins, and some miscellaneous materials.

While Xiao Hai was asleep, Lin Jun packed up her belongings, ready to move to her new home.

The new home is located on the sixth floor, near the edge of the Rift, where a new storage room had already been excavated in advance, and the surrounding demons had been asked to clear out the area.

Passageways connecting above and below the Rift had already been dug through, and not just one.

This location not only avoids worrying about ground rifts everywhere but also allows for direct escape to the Deep Area at any time, ensuring safety.

Even if humans discovered Lin Jun, they would either have to play bungee in the Rift or obediently go down layer by layer via the staircase and then come around.

And when they reached below… Lin Jun could still run back to the sixth floor along the passageway.

Of course, this was just an emergency escape plan; if it reached the point where the main form was being chased by humans, the situation would be quite dire.

The move was not rushed, after all, the humans didn’t immediately storm down but instead issued a public mission first.

Although Lin Jun couldn’t directly observe the internal situation of the Guild, she could gather a lot of information from the adventurers’ chats after drinking.

—————–

Dumb Wind Town, Rotten Willow Tavern.

The air was filled with the smell of bad liquor, stewed dishes, and sweat, as noisy as ever.

But today, the noise carried a hint of unusual hesitancy and subdued discussion.

“What do you think about the Guild’s latest task?” Horn was twirling an empty wine glass in his hand, asking his teammates who had already formed a stable party.

The dwarf shield warrior Old Hammer, with a grayed beard, experienced but full of scars, sipped his mug of murky beer.

He shook his head at the question, and his bushy beard quivered: “Here we go again, why do people always have an obsession with that group of Puki?”

Ranger Ai Mei was playing with a worn gold coin, dexterously flipping it between her fingers, making a light clinking sound.

“The reward is hefty,” she stated succinctly, her tone flat, but her eyes shone with shrewdness, “Thirty gold coins just to start for Silver Level, which is worth how many runs in the Underground City. And they’re recruiting remote professions, they say this time there will be Church Warriors and other experts at the front, those taking the task only need to provide remote support from a safe distance, practically like free income.”

Ai Mei suddenly thought of something and asked the priest in the squad, “Noah, aren’t you also from the Church? Do you know any special intel?”

Noah looked troubled and said, “I’m just an Apprentice Priest in the Church, what could I possibly know? How many official priests would go adventuring…”

“That’s true.”

Seeing the eager look on the ranger’s face, Horn couldn’t help but remind her, “Ai Mei, have you forgotten about the Steel Heart Squad? Four Gold Level and twenty Silver Level, all wiped out just to tackle one Big Black Mushroom. And this time, the Guild’s mission is to clear the entire fifth floor!”

Beside them, Old Hammer nodded heavily, putting down his wine glass and absentmindedly tapping the knife-scarred table.

“It’s not just Steel Heart,” his voice was lower, carrying a certain weariness and caution that came from witnessing too much death, “Who knows how many capable warriors have been buried at the feet of Puki! You all have been in Dumb Wind Town for a while, have you ever heard of anyone who brought back news about the Mushroom Forest or the Swamp? No news is the clearest news!”

Horn agreed with a nod, “In the end, Puki stays put without posing a threat as long as they’re not provoked, why go on a crusade?”

To Horn, Puki wasn’t dangerous; Fat Otaku draws were an indispensable part of his every venture into the Underground City. He had no desire for the Guild to eliminate Puki, for without Puki, demon carcasses would lose their value.

But he was just an ordinary adventurer, with little voice or power; the only thing he could do was not participate.

“Yeah, why go after Puki?” Noah looked at the Copper Level adventurer at the next table eating fluorescent mushroom porridge, perplexed, “After eliminating Puki, you’d have to get rid of the fungal mat and mushrooms too, right? Wouldn’t that mean cheap mushroom porridge would be gone as well?”

Old Hammer snorted, “Do the elites care whether us adventurers eat cheaply or not? Adventurers themselves don’t even care; the Guild issues a task, and the ringing coins are the ultimate ’should’ and ’shouldn’t.’”

Old Hammer looked meaningfully at Ai Mei as he finished speaking.

Ai Mei put the gold coin into her pocket, patting her leather armor, “Exactly, gold coins are the biggest reason. Thirty gold coins, enough for me to live carefree for years. I’m signing up. As for risks? Aren’t adventurers supposed to handle risks for a living?”

After standing up, she looked at Noah, “They’re both melee, they’re not eligible to earn this money; are you interested?”

Horn and Old Hammer silently sipped their drinks, saying nothing.

Though they were teammates, everyone was free; adventurers are responsible for their own choices and should not interfere with others.

Noah hesitated, looking around, and ultimately shook his head in refusal. Though he wanted the money, the earlier discussions had instilled some fear.

Ai Mei sighed in slight disappointment.

Then Old Hammer suddenly spoke up, “Go if you want, don’t worry about us finding someone to take your place. Actually, I plan to take a break until this whole storm blows over. What do you guys think?”

Horn shrugged nonchalantly, taking a break wasn’t a bad idea.

Noah nodded as well.

Before the ranger left, Noah instinctively reached out, lightly holding her wrist and whispering the customary blessing, “Ai Mei, may Ikezion’s glow bless your journey with success.”

“Don’t worry!” she grinned brightly, her voice full of her usual vigor, “When I get back, I’ll treat you all to the tavern’s new honey-glazed catfish belly! All you can eat!”

Not long after Ai Mei’s figure disappeared beyond the tavern’s wooden doors, accompanied by the creaking of the hinges, Vera entered with Fei Ling and Fei Yin.

Seeing them, Horn greeted, “Yo, Vera, where have you been lately?”

The adventurers who stayed long-term in Dumb Wind Town knew each other more or less, often just enough to exchange greetings when bumping into each other.

As Vera was about to say they went to the city to get Fei Ling’s teeth fixed, she felt a harsh kick to her leg.

She could only mutter, “Went to the city to handle some things.”

Horn knowingly nodded, sensibly not prying further.

The tavern’s noise enveloped them again, and not long into casual chatter, the topic, like a magnet, returned to the “latest task.”

“Vera,” Horn leaned forward slightly, “about that ’big task’ the Guild just posted, did you see it?”

“Yeah, glanced at it,” Vera said, picking up the drink left by the tiger-man waiter, brushing off some hairs, maintaining a calm tone.

“What’s your take? Any thoughts? Aren’t Fei Ling and Fei Yin qualified?” Horn probed, glancing at the silent twins sitting behind Vera.

At the mention, Vera shook her hand vigorously, displaying a look of “thanks, but no thanks,” even tinged with fear, “Don’t even mention it! Last time with Steel Heart, we barely avoided getting caught up and wrecked! This time? We’re hiding as fast as we can!”

She took a sip of her drink, a hint of regret in her voice, “Had I known things would go south, we would have stayed a few more days in the city!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep