Shi Wu galloped his horse along the winding dirt road, the hooves kicking up clouds of dust.
Behind him, the Puki tightly wrapped several strands of mycelium tendrils around the leather strap under the saddle, securing itself to the bouncing horseback.
Shi Wu didn’t quite enjoy the feeling of the Puki on his head, so he had chased it off several tis.
In fact, after passing through the Scarecrow Abyss, he no longer needed the Puki. Shi Wu was too lazy to spend ti selling it for two gold coins, so he set it free.
Yet this Puki seed to have identified with Shi Wu, and no matter how much he drove it away, it could always catch up with the galloping horse with remarkable speed.
Over short distances, its tiny body could burst forth with agility no less than a steed’s, always able to dart out around a bend and leap back onto the horse.
Seeing such spirit, Shi Wu eventually let it follow along.
He thought that he could give it to his master to study later, and maybe they could discover sothing.
The sights on the return journey were heavy on his heart, with endless streams of refugees moving opposite Shir Wu’s direction.
High Castle Fortress had fallen, and Three Mountains City was besieged, teetering on the brink.
The news had been delayed for the general populace, but finally, it had spread after so much ti.
Many people held a pessimistic view of the future, choosing to flee with their families before the flas of war reached them.
Shi Wu had no strong opinions on these people’s fleeing; they were just trying to survive. However, he himself would never beco such a defeated dog.
If the Kingdom were dood to perish, and humanity destined to be enslaved, he would rather die on the battlefield of Three Mountains City.
The only thing that puzzled him was the odd behavior of the Puki Masters he encountered along the way.
Whenever Shi Wu approached them, these Puki Masters would suddenly tense up and cast wary glances at him, sotis even with a hint of hostility.
Upon reflection, the issue seed to lie with the Puki trailing behind him.
Did they recognize this Puki’s uniqueness and covet it because of its high value?
That didn’t seem right; not every Puki Master he t could possibly be like that, could they?
Shi Wu understood that the world wasn’t short of wicked people, but surely not every Puki Master was bad, right?
Shi Wu secretly decided that the next ti he t a Puki Master, he would get to the bottom of this, even if it ant delaying his journey.
Half a day later, he finally ran into another Puki Master.
This Puki Master looked quite wealthy; while others had carts loaded with their belongings, he had two horse-drawn carriages with over twenty Pukis in tow.
It’s worth noting that not everywhere along the way had Fungal Mats, and the consumption of Magic Potions for more than twenty Pukis wasn’t a small number.
Sure enough, when the convoy t Shi Wu, the well-dressed Puki Master’s face changed rapidly, assuming a defensive posture.
Even more surprising to Shi Wu, instead of rushing off like others, the man commanded his guards to spread out and block the road.
"Finally, soone daring to make a move?" Shi Wu secretly sneered, his right hand silently moving to the sword hilt.
Unexpectedly, the Puki Master shouted from a distance, "What do you an by this, Mage?"
These words left Shi Wu, who was preparing for a fight, stunned.
What did he an by this? Shouldn’t he be the one asking that question?
And... Mage?
Shi Wu looked down at his standard swordsman attire, a longsword at his waist, and not a trace of a magic staff on him.
He looked around; besides him and this convoy, there was no one else on this road.
"Is there so misunderstanding?" Shi Wu called out, "I’m no Mage!"
No sooner had he spoken than the sword flashed.
Everyone present saw a blur, and Shi Wu’s sword was already back in its sheath, while the tree by the roadside, as thick as a bowl, slowly tilted and fell with a crash.
"Seems... it’s a misunderstanding..." The Puki Master’s face turned ashen, his forced smile stiff and awkward. "We’ll make way..."
Shi Wu urged his horse a step forward: "So can you..."
"Don’t co any closer!" The Puki Master backed away in horror, nearly tripping over his robe hem.
Seeing the man overly frightened, Shi Wu had to rein in his horse, controlling the mount to step back a bit.
The convoy imdiately skirted around him in a panic and sped away in a cloud of dust, as if avoiding so danger.
Shi Wu watched their hasty retreating figures, recalling the brief exchange earlier, and a sowhat absurd guess ford in his mind.
He fumbled through his travel bag for a mont, retrieving a strangely-patterned, gray-white stone.
As magic power infused it, the stone’s surface glowed faintly. He turned the stone over and pressed it against the Puki’s mushroom cap.
Then he finally understood why the Puki Masters had been so wary of him all along.
"With one Charge, I could kill that guy with the crossbow! The bald one would take just ten seconds! That coward at the front is downright pathetic! Run, run, you bunch of worthless trash. Lord No. 9 is in a good mood today, sparing your little lives! Kyeh heh heh heh!"
Soon after, the Puki seed to realize sothing: "Why is this potential Mushroom Servant still standing here? They’ve all gone far, aren’t we continuing on? Don’t touch my grand Mushroom Cap!"
Saying that, the Puki extended its tendrils, attempting to push away Shi Wu’s hand holding the stone.
Yet suddenly it heard Shi Wu’s voice in its mind: "What exactly are you?"
Shi Wu felt the world might have gone mad, the Puki actually having complete thought processes, continuously assessing whether it could kill the people they encountered along the way.
Considering that only the Puki Masters had been on guard, was it easier for the Puki Masters to perceive this Puki’s thoughts?
No. 9 Puki received Shi Wu’s ntal inquiry, not only unafraid but wriggling with excitent: "You’ve learned to communicate? As expected of the potential Mushroom Servant I selected! Hahaha!"
Shi Wu was speechless, while the Puki seized the opportunity to hop back onto his head: "Communicating is fine, let tell you, don’t ever knock off again. This spot is precisely for..."
Before it could finish, Shi Wu grabbed it by its short legs, holding it upside down, its mycelium tendrils flailing in the air: "Let go of ! Even if you’re a bit stronger, you can’t treat like this!"
Only when placed back in the front pocket of the saddle did No. 9 Puki quietly settle down, puffing angrily.
After a quick exchange, Shi Wu finally understood this was a special Puki calling itself "No. 9," belonging to a group that called themselves the "Mushroom Race."
"So... why are you following ?" Shi Wu urged his horse on, unable to resist asking.
"That long-eared place is too boring; there’s not even a decent fight all day." No. 9 Puki curled its mycelium, "You’ve got good skills, and your na has a number, so you must be soone in human terms, right? Together, we can definitely enjoy so good kills! Just like when you chopped off that human guy’s head before!"
Shi Wu: "..."
In his heart, Shi Wu was more determined to bring this Puki to his master and the Bishop, to let them see this marvel and study it thoroughly.
Still, he couldn’t help but curiously ask: "Do you know I’m heading to a battlefield? Over there, death could happen at any mont."
"Battlefield? I want to go! Definitely going!" No. 9 Puki excitedly wagged its short legs, then asked after a while, "Are we going to kill humans or demons there?"
...
After so nonstop traveling, Shi Wu and the Puki finally saw from afar the Three Mountains City echoing with the sounds of fierce combat—the Demon Race’s assault had already begun!
Yet Shi Wu breathed a sigh of relief, he was not too late.
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