Gurgle—

The long-lost feeling of hunger forced Louisa to open her eyes.

The back of her head was pressed against protruding rubble, and when she opened her eyes, she saw a cramped and damp basement. The smell of earthy rot filled the air at her nose.

No, calling it a basement was an overstatement; she was in a hastily dug-out pit, with even a Puki nearby burrowing further to widen the space.

She still remembered what had happened before. The two cannon fodders hadn't even scouted the way when they were surrounded by endless Pukis.

Endless!

Even now, recalling that moment when she began to realize halfway through the fight that victory was impossible, and even escape was a luxury, filled her with a deep sense of powerlessness.

But... why wasn't she dead?

When the Blood Ball burst, she should have been blown to bits like her subordinates. Why had she awakened here in this pit intact?

Did the Pukis leave her here to die, or was there another reason?

She didn't know, but she knew she was hungry.

Louisa glanced at the Puki still expanding the cave, seemingly oblivious to her awakening.

She propped herself up against the wall, barely managing to stand. The cave's exit was right in front of her; if she could just get there...

Something terrible happened!

On her third step, a mushroom suddenly sprouted from her palm, with a white stem and a gray cap, looking like an ordinary mushroom.

But growing on her palm was terrifying.

Louisa panicked and tore off the mushroom, feeling a pain akin to tearing flesh. In her weakened state, she almost collapsed to the ground.

What was happening to her?

A multitude of horrifying guesses spun in her mind. Instinctively, she took another step forward.

This time, two green mushrooms were perfectly fused with the flesh on the back of her other hand.

"What... what is this?"

Terrified, Louisa staggered backward until her back was against the dirt wall, and the mushrooms stopped growing.

She understood; she couldn't escape here...

Being cut down in a fight was one thing, but watching herself become mushroom fertilizer was too much for Louisa to accept.

She painstakenly removed the mushrooms again, but now she dared not step toward the cave entrance.

But staying put would probably just starve her into becoming mushroom food too.

Louisa had taken on this task voluntarily. Unlike some Blood Race members who lazed about after getting a title, she wanted to climb higher. Stuck at level 50, she needed the next opportunity for advancement.

She knew this mission wouldn't be simple and had considered various possibilities before setting off.

Whether discovered and killed by the Human Church Court, or running into a formidable enemy and being killed instantly, or the Holy Scripture already being taken by humans and used to lure her into a trap.

She had thought of various ways to die, except for being turned into compost by a group of Pukis!

"Say with your mouth, the weather is nice today."

Louisa widened her eyes and looked around, but she saw no one.

Where did the voice come from?

And what did it mean; the weather is nice?

How could she see the weather underground?

While she was confused, the voice appeared again, repeating the same sentence.

"Say with your mouth, the weather is nice today."

This time Louisa realized the voice was in her head!

"Who are you? What is your purpose? Do you know what imprisoning a Blood Race Viscount represents?"

Louisa questioned excitedly, but there was no response.

Suddenly, a small mushroom grew under her eyelid, covering the vision of her left eye with its cap.

"Ah... ah..."

"Say with your mouth, the weather is nice today."

The voice repeated a third time, and Louisa, trembling, opened her mouth to say in the Human Universal Language, "The weather is nice today."

"..."

After a brief silence.

"I mean, say it in the Demon Language..."

A bizarre feeling lingered in Louisa's heart, but now she dared not defy the voice.

"The weather is nice today," Louisa uttered the words with the sharp syllables unique to the Demon Language.

The voice then disappeared, and Louisa dared not ask more, squatting in a corner, blankly watching the only other living thing in the pit—a Puki, calmly digging soil.

Perhaps after a long time, when Louisa was so hungry that double vision appeared, the voice came again.

"Say, I am a rice-loving Little Pig."

This time, Louisa complied without much thought and repeated it as instructed.

Something magical happened; after she finished speaking, two Pukis came through the pit entrance, carrying a dead wolf.

With a tug, they flung the dead wolf before her.

The blood of a demon, especially a dead one, was akin to unsavory pig slop for a vampire, leading to inevitable weakness over time.

But she had no choice; no matter how unappetizing, it was better than starving to death!

Ignoring the wolf fur, Louisa bit into it, and as the fresh blood flowed down her throat, her eyes regained a trace of vitality.

...

Great, the Demon Universal Language had a learning device now.

Although the Demon Language seemed useless at the moment, it was always wise to prepare in advance. A mushroom out in the world couldn't go wrong learning an extra language.

Her cell was newly dug under the Mushroom Forest by Lin Jun, rounding up, it could count as employee accommodation.

Lin Jun decided to dig more rooms for backup.

Actually, if that mage named Huck hadn't escaped to the first floor, Lin Jun would have caught him too.

If the employment review passed, it wouldn't be impossible to include him in the ranks.

Who would have thought a Gold Level nearly achieved what a Diamond Level Vampire couldn't—escaping the Underground City.

With a few scrolls and sheer determination, he broke through the encirclement, almost fleeing.

Thanks to the Light Curtain from the Church Warriors outside.

Unfortunately, because he reached the first layer, always at risk of being discovered by adventurers and the Church exploring, Lin Jun had to dispose of him thoroughly, even feeding his bones to the Slime.

Even if he had managed to escape, he couldn't have divulged too many secrets. At most, Lin Jun would have to find a new place for the Yellow-covered Book, but that would have been a slap in the face!

What would people say?

Five layers of Pukis couldn't handle a single Gold Level Mage, where was the Puki's deterrent? Wouldn't that mean stronger beings might try challenging the rules?

Thus, it was a pity.

This battle gave Lin Jun a clearer understanding of his strength compared to Diamond Level.

Now it seemed that unless Diamond Level formed teams and brought full supplies, they stood little chance against his Puki army.

After all, Louisa drank three bottles of Advanced Magic Potion but didn't even reach one-fifth of the way from the cave to the stairs.

Likewise, Lin Jun had gained a general assessment of the Elite Puki's strength he created—above Silver Level but unsatisfactory for Gold.

Four against two, if Huck hadn't fled in fear, the cost would have been one heavily injured Gold taking out all four Elite Pukis.

Of course, such strength was already sufficient as a subservient force for the Puki.

All in all, the gains were significant, but it also brought some new problems this time.

The Church members who believed in the Lord of Light, along with adventurers, started searching for Louisa's whereabouts in the Underground City.

After all, the Purple Crystal Dungeon was within the Human Race's territory, and dealing with a Blood Race Viscount, whether to kill or imprison, wasn't a big deal. But confronting such entities as the Church, trouble could be plenty.

Hopefully, they would be sensible enough to only search the outskirts; entering the Swamp Area and Mushroom Forest was something Lin Jun couldn't possibly agree to.

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