Chapter 337: Chapter 329: Old Acquaintance

Looking at his sister still playing the trash-collecting game with her pet, Salian couldn’t help but chuckle lightly, his eyes full of indulgence: “A red wood fragment? That’s quite peculiar.”

“It’s not just peculiar! Feel it, it’s truly magical!” Elarwen’s face flushed as she excitedly shoved the wooden fragment into his hand.

The moment his fingertips touched the fragment, Salian’s expression changed dramatically.

His blood seemed to heat up slightly, and a wave of excitement surged in his heart!

Stimulating Technique?

It’s not the morale-boosting Stimulating Technique… it’s something more primal, more violent, similar to the Bloodthirsty Technique!

What dangerous items is this Puki bringing back?!

His smile vanished, and he swiftly channeled Magic Power, enveloping the dark red wood fragment in a faint glow, suspending it above his palm, no longer touching it directly.

He investigated several times, ensuring that the fragment itself wasn’t enough to pose a greater threat, and only then did his tense shoulders slightly relax.

But this is clearly just a part of something larger.

The texture of the wood fragment… carries a familiar pattern, much like the bark of a Tree Demon.

“Elarwen,” his voice turned somber, “where did this come from?”

Seeing her brother’s sudden serious expression, Elarwen also realized something was amiss, grabbing the Puki on her head: “I-I’ll let Xiao Ji explain…”

She closed her eyes and maintained this posture for a moment, engaging in silent communication with Puki using her Talent.

After a moment, Scout Puki extended a mycelium tendril, pointing in a certain direction outside the window.

“That way?” Salian looked in that direction.

Elarwen explained: “Xiao Ji said it found it at home… its home is probably referring to the Underground City.”

“Underground City…” After contemplating for several minutes.

Salian instructed his sister not to randomly touch the strange things Puki brought back anymore, as they are very dangerous!

Then he hurriedly left with the wood fragment, leaving Elarwen, who still didn’t understand what had happened, and Puki, who knew everything, in the house.

…

When faced with choices, Lin Jun always opts for all of them.

Since Half-demon Bastardo has already been sent deep into the Underground City, there’s no reason for the legitimate host Elf to remain idle.

Will the two sides encounter each other in the lower levels?

The levels of the Divine Wood Dungeon are vast, the probability is low, and even if they do cross paths, a hasty retreat is possible. Lin Jun is confident in his scouting abilities.

For now, he could only wait for the results on the Divine Wood Dungeon side.

His gaze returned, checking the tenth level as well.

The wandering Charm Puki had “captured” another werewolf out hunting.

The next step was to lead him out, then have Norris and the other “converted” werewolves approach and engage him with phrases like “since you’re here,” and “there’s no harm in trying,” letting them experience the wonders outside.

Whether they decided to stay or leave afterward was up to them.

In any case, the blockade set by the Old Wolves was gradually being dismantled.

Watching those Old Wolves becoming increasingly harried as their defenses were nibbled away bit by bit, yet powerless, provided Lin Jun with quite a bit of amusement lately.

On the Dream Battlefield side, after his skills advanced to level six, he finally broke free from being one-sidedly beaten. Although it remained at a stalemate, it wasn’t suffocating anymore.

Moreover, Pink Puki, the “household thief,” was officially on duty!

Under the guise of testing various Skill Equipment, she frequently entered the treasury, always managing to pocket some Beautiful Dream Flowers and toss them all to the nearby Fungal Mat.

A fairly straightforward and untechnical method of theft, the steward seemed occupied with other matters, and combined with her identity as the Duke’s Daughter, she hadn’t been caught yet.

It seemed that until the next inventory check, she could continue to roam free.

Lastly, it was what Lin Jun looked forward to most, having secretly observed for a long time, the story trigger was finally about to unfold!

…

Ring—ring—

The bell of the Puki’s House inn chimed crisply as a guest looking like a Traveling Merchant entered.

Holding up a Puki to clean the dust from the corners of the ceiling, Bianca hurriedly slid back behind the counter: “Is the guest here for a meal or an overnight stay?”

The owner Dylan was out on business, so it was naturally her responsibility to handle the reception.

These days, Puki’s House indeed had real Puki bustling in and out, and there were a few traces of mycelium on Bianca’s face, adding a touch of peculiarity to the little girl’s cuteness.

Coexisting with mycelium was no longer a rare occurrence in Mushroom City, but it was still uncommon for such a young girl to accept coexistence.

After all, it required a near-death experience to accomplish.

Among them, there were instances where if things went wrong, one ended up inadvertently stabbing oneself to death, or without a healer, bled out before completing the symbiosis.

Though the proportion of unlucky accidents wasn’t high, it was still an undertaking with the risk of death, and few girls possessed that kind of resolve.

As for Bianca, it was entirely due to a lack of money that she had to go through with it.

Of course, after she made her decision, it was under the guidance of owner Dylan that she completed the symbiosis; naturally, Lin Jun couldn’t let Dylan’s little employee die unexpectedly, though she herself was unaware of all this.

With the ability to control Puki, she could handle the work of three people alone and earn the wages of two!

As a result, even though business at Puki’s House had gradually increased, Dylan didn’t need to put effort into hiring new employees.

The Traveling Merchant glanced at the familiar mycelium on the girl’s face, seeming to recall past events, but quickly snapped back and said, “For a stay, the innermost room on the first floor is still available, right?”

“It’s still available. I’ll register you!” Bianca swiftly handled the guest’s check-in and handed over the key.

Bianca was a clever girl; after spending a few months in the inn, she vaguely realized that the innermost room on the first floor had a different significance.

But that clearly had nothing to do with her. Owner Dylan paid her two salaries, allowing her to buy medicine and Delicious Mushrooms for her mother to nourish her health, and that was enough.

Watching the back of the Traveling Merchant as he turned into the hallway, Bianca turned and headed back to the kitchen. She still had to prepare dinner for the guests in advance!

…

When Dylan returned with a large backpack full of herbs, Bianca had already prepared a steaming meal for him.

These herbs were intended to serve as cover for the subsequent sale of potions, just brought back from the Adventurer’s Guild.

After simply inquiring about the situation in the inn, and learning that the room at the end of the hallway had a guest, Dylan was slightly surprised.

Because he had recently contacted the spies he knew in Mushroom City, and logically, none should be visiting him shortly.

Was it a newcomer visiting to pay their respects? Or perhaps someone had special information to share?

Not rushing, Dylan finished his dinner as usual before returning to his room.

Then, he entered the basement through a hidden door and met the Traveling Merchant Bianca had mentioned.

“Brother Keroro?!”

“Brother Dylan?!”

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