Chapter 463: Chapter 453: Rewards and Merits

At the rear of the Kingdom, in the barren wilderness, a convoy of humans had just set up camp.

As dusk deepened, several campfires flickered in the growing darkness, dispelling the chill.

A few soldiers sat around one of the campfires, chatting idly, their eyes eagerly fixed on a big iron pot bubbling away over the fire.

A young soldier, bored, used a stick to scrape the soles of his boots, removing the sticky mycelium mixed with dirt. He couldn’t help complaining: “This damn road is really unbearable now! It’s covered with these sticky threads, if I don’t scrape them a few times a day, my shoes get so heavy I can’t lift them!”

“You see this and think it’s bad?” The scar-faced veteran beside him smiled mysteriously, suddenly pulling something from his chest and quickly waving it in front of the young man.

It was a plump, thick mushroom with a bright red cap. Before the others could look closely, he quickly tore the mushroom apart and threw it into the boiling pot.

“Delicious mushroom!” The young soldier’s eyes instantly lit up.

“Shh—! Keep your voice down!” The veteran glanced around nervously, “Want the whole team to come over and share a bite?”

The young soldier nodded, asking curiously, “Where did you get it?”

“Lucky day, found it by the roadside.” The veteran smacked his lips proudly, “Now do you still think the fungal mat is bad?”

The young soldier shook his head like a rattle.

A year ago, he, as a lowly soldier, wouldn’t have had the chance to taste such a delicacy enjoyed only by nobles!

The veteran chuckled and continued, “Speaking of which, ever since these threads covered this area, camping nearby has become much more convenient.”

“Oh? How so?”

“You’ve never run this route before, have you?” The veteran pointed to the dark wilderness, “There used to be a kind of big rat around here, called… what was it? Their size almost matched a chicken, and their teeth were incredibly sharp. They liked to come out silently at night, secretly gnawing through wheel rims and supplies. Back then, whenever we stayed overnight, we had to double the night watch, and we’d often be startled awake by them, unable to sleep soundly. Until these threads spread over, those annoying creatures finally quieted down. Otherwise, tonight someone among us would definitely be unlucky enough to be assigned to guard the trucks.”

“With the fungal mat, the big rats disappeared? Why?”

The veteran shrugged, “How should I know? Maybe these sticky threads bothered their paws, so they moved away.”

“Speaking of which, I think I heard some noise… could it be the big rats you mentioned?” The young soldier said, pressing his ear to the ground.

The veteran tried too but heard nothing.

“My hearing is better,” the young soldier explained, “But the sound is continuous, probably not rats then…”

…

In the underground network, countless Puki were linked head to tail, like a living train, wriggling swiftly through the winding tunnels.

These Puki had joined the team continuously during the knight’s return journey.

According to common sense, there was no need to be so cautious.

After all, in areas with fungal mycelium networks, Lin Jun had long cleared out demons that liked to burrow and could threaten the network’s safety; otherwise, maintenance costs would be too high.

But since this was his own life-bound divine artifact, caution was never excessive.

To be honest, Lin Jun always felt he hadn’t fully unlocked the potential of the Sunstone.

Look at others’ Yesheng Wood Core, just the functionalities he knew included: using life energy to attack, transferring life energy, opening the gate to the Divine Wood family…

Then look at his Sunstone, it’s either used for sunning fungal mats or sunning vampires.

Couldn’t it be developed to have direct attack or other more practical functions like the Wood Core?

He just hoped the complete Sunstone could bring some new surprises.

Otherwise, the ultimate fate of this stone would likely be to be embedded in his still-conceptualized “Ji Divine Soldier” as a super energy core.

It would take several days to transport the Sunstone back, so Lin Jun could finally use this interval to attend to other matters.

For instance… rewards distribution.

…

Pujie Dungeon, Deep Area.

Edin was following the guiding Puki to the designated meeting place.

Under the effect of expensive potions, his severed arm had regrown, though the newly formed skin was overly pale and delicate, making it hard to show openly. Thus, even though it was summer, he still wore a formal noble long suit and white gloves.

As he walked, Edin kept wondering if the boss was going to distribute rewards.

After successfully completing the previous mission, the boss had been busy with various matters and hadn’t called him. Though he hadn’t actively inquired, his heart was filled with anticipation for the promised S-Class Demon Crystal.

He’d even planned how to make the most of different-sized S-Class Demon Crystals once he got them!

It was said that the meeting this time would include many core members of the Mushroom Garden. Edin had been active in Mushroom City for a long time; apart from Inanna and Dylan, he rarely interacted with other colleagues.

He decided to take this opportunity to get along well with his colleagues.

Mushroom Race, Vampire, Werewolf, Lizardman… oh, that Lizardman was Norris, Edin remembered him.

Even so, the high proportion of Demon Race among the core members of Mushroom Garden still made Edin’s eyelids twitch uncontrollably.

This was practically a Demon Race gathering scene!

Even knowing they were all comrades, Edin still felt the urge to use illusions to hide his real form at first glance.

Until his eyes fell on the little elf Riel, sitting amid a group of Demon Race, swinging his legs and munching happily on a bag of dried mushrooms, Edin’s tense nerves finally relaxed somewhat.

Once all the attendees had gathered, Marshal Puki, surrounded by a procession of vibrant-armored ceremonial Puki, slowly ascended the central stone platform.

Norris stood solemnly at the edge of the stone platform, holding the yellow-covered book, and announced loudly: “Edin!”

“Meritorious service, rewarded with a piece of Demon Crystal! Endowed with a bite!”

As soon as the words were spoken, several Puki immediately carried another round Puki over to Edin’s front.

Edin looked at the scene before him, somewhat bewildered.

Was this living Puki the reward for himself? But wasn’t it supposed to be an S-Class Demon Crystal? Or perhaps this Puki itself was the so-called “gift”?

Lin Jun seemed to suddenly remember something: “Ah! I almost forgot!”

The Puki rolled a silver, shiny dining knife and placed it on the Puki in front of Edin.

Edin: “…”

“What are you waiting for? Cut it open quickly!” urged Lin Jun.

Still confused, Edin picked up the dining knife, feeling like he was not receiving a reward, but rather performing some sort of bizarre secret ritual.

But the leader’s orders were undeniable…

He took a deep breath, carefully drawing the knife across Puki’s soft, plump body, the blade easily cutting through, but then encountering something extremely hard, making a slight “click” sound.

“This… this is!”

As Puki’s body was sliced open, it revealed a crystal inside! A crystal as thick as a grown man’s forearm, completely transparent and an S-Class Demon Crystal!

Gulp—

Edin instinctively swallowed.

He had initially thought that the reward would be no more than three fist-sized S-Class Demon Crystals, even smaller ones he could accept.

This forearm-sized volume… completely exceeded his imagination!

For a moment, countless ideas on how to use this amazing crystal to construct a vast, intricate illusion, blending truth and falsehood, flooded into his mind.

“Leader!” Edin excitedly lifted his head, his voice trembling.

However, what he saw was Marshal Puki extending a slippery mycelial tentacle towards him.

At the tip of the tentacle, a clear liquid was about to drip.

“Come, open your mouth and accept the gift!”

“Gift…”

Edin’s gaze moved between the slightly trembling tentacle before him and the core members behind him, each with different expressions fixated on him.

Usually calm, he now felt an unusual sliver of panic and embarrassment.

At the stone platform’s edge, Norris watched Edin’s plight, feeling a bit sympathetic in his heart, almost certain that the leader did this on purpose!

Ultimately, Edin steeled his resolve, stepped forward to stand beneath the tentacle, tilted his head back, and opened his mouth as wide as possible.

A few sticky, cold drops fell precisely into his throat.

Initially, he wondered about the magical properties of this tasteless substance, but soon, a surge of magnificent and pure life energy erupted from his stomach, rushing through his entire body like a warm flood!

He felt every cell in his body cheering, as if going through a cleanse and sublimation!

It was only then that Edin truly understood why this was called a “gift”!

At the same time, Lin Jun also explained the effects of this “water of life” to all the core members present through the Fungal Network.

“The giantess… Louisa!” Norris promptly swallowed back a derogatory term from the Yellow-covered Book and corrected loudly, “For assisting in command and training the new army, she is rewarded with a gift!”

Before he finished speaking, Louisa jumped up from her seat and walked quickly to the stone platform.

Her eyes showed no hesitation or embarrassment, only a nearly burning, naked desire.

“Serving the leader is my honor!” Her voice was loud and firm.

Ever since she remotely experienced that grand-scale battle command through the Fungal Network, she had been reliving that intoxicating “delicacy” over and over.

Although it lacked the bloody scent of being on the battlefield, the feeling of controlling the situation and maneuvering thousands of troops still made her heart surge and linger.

It was an ultimate enjoyment, even without any reward, she would willingly indulge.

Unexpectedly, the leader had prepared such an enticing additional reward.

Without hesitation, she tilted her head back, taking in the life water that dripped from the tip of the tentacle, letting the sticky, cool liquid slide down her throat without leaving a drop.

Then, just like Edin, a surge of magnificent and pure life energy exploded inside her, washing through every inch of muscle and bone, almost making her moan.

[Level Up: LV54→LV55]

After rewarding Edin and Louisa, Lin Jun distributed the pre-prepared diluted life water, giving each core member a portion, allowing everyone to experience its effects personally.

Besides those absent due to duties outside, two members were missing from the conference, Ming and Xiao Hai.

They both had special treatment from Lin Jun, and while one was diligent enough, the other didn’t need to work hard, so attending this kind of meeting aimed at stimulating positivity was largely insignificant for them.

As for Pink Puki, it’ll be secretly fed some later; the “Elemental Spirit’s Favor” is quite anticipated.

When time allows, Lin Jun even plans to take Pink Puki to the Northern Territory to see if it can help deal with another rampant spirit.

Of course, that’s for later.

Whew—!

The team has grown, and it’s not easy being the leader, arranging everything clearly for so many subordinates!

…

The twilight glow painted the sky a warm orange-red, at the entrance of Puki’s House, Old Dylan held a cup of herbal tea that Bianca specially brewed for him before finishing work, leaning comfortably back in his chair, slowly exhaling a breath.

Another peaceful day without incident.

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