Inside the Crimson Tower.
"Master... how do you feel?" Evil Mage Margas and an alchemist watched nervously as Sigmund slowly awoke from his seat.
Sigmund glanced at the nearly empty Illusion Potion bottle on the table, recalling the scene of temporarily trapping a mysterious enemy in the dreamscape, and said in a deep voice, "Effective. I need more Beautiful Dream Flowers! Send people to search and purchase them, at all costs, gold coins are not an issue!"
The alchemist looked troubled: "Master, even if we are willing to purchase at a high price, the Beautiful Dream Flowers available on the market are very limited now. At most, we could only..."
"How long can it last?" Sigmund asked directly.
"About... less than a month’s supply."
"Margas," Sigmund turned to the weakened Evil Mage, his voice low yet carrying an unusually reassuring tone, "The ’Strange Dream’ plan was initially proposed by , so the current predicant is not your responsibility. I give you half a month to find a solution to the dilemma. The promise I made to you still stands."
In other words, if a solution is not found, then everything is over.
And if Margas also fails to find a solution, even if it seems incompetent, Sigmund could only seek help from His Majesty.
"Yes, Master!" Margas, whose power had plumted by two levels with a heavy price paid, had no retreat and could only grit his teeth to accept this last chance.
...
On the other side, to truly pressure the Demon Race, Duke Alama took a risk and moved the relatively immobile Heavy Infantry Corps and the valuable Mage Corps main force out of the heavily fortified High Castle Fortress.
Their spearhead still pointed to Duke Eleanor’s territory.
The battle almost unfolded in a one-sided manner.
The individual quality of Eleanor’s army could be seen as not weak, but under Alama’s crushing-level command, it was swiftly defeated and shattered; the Pine Knights pursued and harvested the scattered and fleeing troops rcilessly like a whirlwind of death.
Unfortunately, Eleanor herself, in terms of stealth and mobility alone, was quite outstanding, making it difficult for even Alama to locate and catch the Vampire Duchess who was spiriting away.
Wearing heavy Magic Armor, Alama reined in his warhorse, standing in the chaos of the battlefield. His gaze passed over the scattering demons and burning camp, directed toward the distant, ever-silent Crimson Tower.
"This ti, not even a symbolic rescue?"
Another victory, yet Alama only felt a chill down his spine.
He now was certain that Eleanor was rely thrown out as bait to attract his firepower and delay ti.
Within the Crimson Tower, Sigmund must be secretly brewing sothing extrely dangerous!
Perhaps a super-large-scale magic capable of destroying the fortress, or so twisted creature summoned through bloody sacrifice.
In any case, Alama could not possibly sit and watch the opponent successfully complete their plan.
No matter how difficult or costly it might be, he must respond!
Next, attacking that nefarious Crimson Tower itself was inevitable; only by doing so could he force Sigmund out from his hideout to confront him directly.
No matter how hard it seems, but next up, they must initiate an attack on the Crimson Tower, forcing Sigmund to face him.
However, the situation now feels rather peculiar: "Why does it seem like I’m the one invading the Empire?"
-----------------
Under the towering gates of Mushroom City, the flow of people entering the city ford a long line.
In the crowd, Horn was gleefully counting the newly earned silver coins, the tallic touch on his fingertips making his smile stretch to his ears, adorned with white fungal threads.
He and his teammates had just completed an escort task, earning the money smoothly without any surprises or dangers.
"Alright, alright, stop counting those few silver coins, it’s jingling non-stop, isn’t it annoying?" grumbled Old Hamr beside him, carrying his signature Warhamr in a muffled voice.
Horn cheerfully tucked the silver coins into his bulging money pouch, intentionally jiggling it to produce a more pleasant clinking sound.
He knew very well that Old Hamr was sowhat envious of him for earning that extra share.
"Old Hamr," he bent down, clapping his arm familiarly on the dwarf’s solid Shoulder Armor, "Honestly, why don’t you beco a Puki Master as well? Plenty of benefits!"
"What nonsense are you talking about?!" Old Hamr, like a cat whose tail has been stepped on, flicked his hand away awkwardly, "Why would I lose my mind and allow such a thing to parasitize?!"
"Tsk, what parasitism is that, how unpleasant! This is called symbiosis! It’s about transforming the power of Puki into our own!" Horn pursed his lips, gesturing with his eyes to the quiet Noah and Ai i following behind him, "For these two ladies, appearance is half a life, so it’s normal they have more concerns. But you, an old dwarf who can’t even ta his beard, surely wouldn’t mind a few more wrinkles on your face?"
"How many tis have I said! My beard is not untad! It is the traditional plaiting style of the Zafa Clan!" Old Hamr, moustache puffing in anger, retorted.
"Alright, alright, tradition, tradition." Horn dismissively waved his hand, then leaned closer, lowering his voice temptingly, "But do consider the Puki Master business. Think about it, wouldn’t more silver coins be enticing?"
Old Hamr’s beard twitched a few tis, seemingly showing a hint of hesitation, seeing this, Horn pushed harder on his sales pitch.
It’s not about caring whether Old Hamr can earn more but rather deep down, Horn subconsciously hoped to be surrounded by more "similar people," so that he didn’t feel so peculiar himself.
Amid Horn’s incessant chatter, the four and the dozen sausage-shaped Pukis following him flowed with the crowd, passing inspection and registration, and entered through the giant gate.
But upon entering the city only a few steps, a staff mber with a "Puki Master Professional Association" badge on his chest raised his hand to stop them.
"Excuse , sir, please hold on," the staff approached Horn, his tone polite yet indisputable, "You cannot just wander the city streets with all your Puki."
"What do you an?" Horn was puzzled, not quite understanding.
"According to the latest Mushroom City street managent regulations," the staff explained proficiently, "One Puki Master can carry a maximum of two Pukis in public areas. Carrying more than the limit, causing road congestion or obstructing citizens, will be liable for a fine."
"But... what about my other Pukis? I can’t just leave them outside the city to fend for themselves, can I?" Horn pointed at the Pukis behind him in astonishnt.
"Over there," the staff stepped aside, pointing to a nearby multi-storied circular building visibly covered in a thick Fungal Mat, "Excess Pukis should be stored at the ’Puki Storage Facility’. Inside, there are specialized Fungal Mats for replenishing magic power for Pukis around the clock, with dedicated staff for unified managent and registration. If any issues arise during storage, the association will be responsible for compensation and resolution. Safe and trustworthy!"
Horn opened his mouth, speechless montarily, feeling that Mushroom City had developed too quickly, leaving him behind amid tis.
With a resigned attitude, he followed the guidance, heading towards the peculiar storage facility.
Under the introduction by the storage facility staff, he processed two storage slots.
Each slot could accommodate ten Pukis, with the daily storage fee per slot being one copper coin.
Though the price wasn’t high, this sudden addition of daily expense made Horn feel as if he were losing out.
He walked out of the Puki Storage Facility, now only leaving two Pukis at his feet, listening to the suppressed laughter escaping from Noah and Ai i behind him, and reminded of the Puki Master’s task restrictions, couldn’t help but grumble under his breath, "These rules are too nurous..."
Intending to head to the Rotten Willow Tavern to find out about any recent quirky rules, he got captivated by a crowd en route, where two guards were protecting a giant official notice board.
Horn imitated other Puki Masters, holding the two Pukis on his head, preventing them from being trampled by the crowd.
After finally pushing his way through, he saw the content on the notice board:
[New Puki Master Military Recruitnt]
User Comments
0 comments from readers