"Boss! The Underground City is doomed!"

Just reconnected to the Fungal Network, Inanna immediately relayed this explosive bad news.

But... why is there a hint of subtle excitement in that emotional fluctuation?

Your boss here is about to be homeless, what are you so happy about?

"Boss, if the Underground City is gone, do you want to move? I have a forest on my side..."

"First, tell me what's going on, how is the Underground City doomed?" Lin Jun asked.

"Well... it's what Scholar Guge said!" Inanna tried hard to organize her words, "He said the core's failing... can't fix it with magic power or whatever... um... and something about a structural collapse... collapsed? Or locked up?" She desperately recalled those obscure technical terms from Guge, her little face scrunched up, and the information she eventually blurted out was still fragmented and chaotic.

"Stop! Just stop!" Lin Jun quickly interrupted this catastrophic information transfer.

Fortunately, there was more than just this airhead going to the core this time.

"Edin, what's the status of the Dungeon Core?" Lin Jun private messaged.

"Ah! Boss!" Lin Jun's voice suddenly echoed in Edin's consciousness, causing a barely noticeable twitch at the corner of his eye.

He quickly composed himself, returning to an expressionless state, and calmly, clearly repeated Guge's analysis and conclusion within the Fungal Network.

Though not word-for-word, the key information—core about to shut down, lack of underlying technology, human maintenance methods completely ineffective—was accurately conveyed.

No wonder he's a mage capable of reaching Diamond Level on his own, that reliability and organization are vastly different from a little dimwit who relies entirely on family resources and can barely speak properly!

Some of the more technical terms Edin relayed, Lin Jun didn't understand either, but it was clear that humans couldn't save the core.

Tch!

Useless humans!

Seeing the Sword Saint leading the team, making a big show, you'd think they'd have some major capability, but all they could do was shake their heads and prepare to walk away? Seriously?

Lin Jun grumbled, but honestly, she was unsure herself—if human experts couldn't fix the core, what could a mushroom like her do?

If she had nails, she'd be biting them by now.

Worried! Truly worried!

She took out a Yellow-covered Book that had been pressed under Fat Otaku Puki's butt for half a month.

[Norris! You've finally come to get me!!!]

However, in front of her was only a Puki serving as a sound conduit.

[Hmm? Ah? Boss!]

[Wh-whatever is it?]

"I have a small question." Still that ear-scraping voice.

[How small?] The Yellow-covered Book cautiously tested.

"Just a small matter of whether or not to toss you into that nearby spatial rift." Her tone was as calm as discussing the weather.

[...]

After a long pause.

[Please... you may ask! I will speak without reservation!]

"You previously said the problem with the Underground City was the core, now it's confirmed, it is indeed the core. But the issue is," Lin Jun's voice carried a hint of frustration, "even those so-called human experts are helpless, declaring the core unsalvageable. Even if we find the core, what can we do?"

[Humans went to repair the core?]

Having been pressed for over half a month, the Yellow-covered Book knew nothing about the outside situation.

Lin Jun succinctly conveyed the current situation and Guge's core conclusion.

[Ha! Useless humans!]

The Yellow-covered Book seemed full of disdain for humans.

[What heritage can a United Kingdom of only three hundred years have? They're just a bunch of frogs in a well! Boss, you should never have placed any hope in them from the start!]

Its pages trembled slightly with excitement.

[Take me! I have an eighty percent chance to restore the Underground City to its original state!]

"Eighty percent?"

[Ahem... one must leave some room for unforeseen circumstances...] The Yellow-covered Book explained.

"Then tell me how you plan to fix it?" Lin Jun pursued.

[The problem is inside the core, naturally, we find the broken parts and repair or replace them as needed! But exactly how to proceed... that can only be determined by seeing the inside of the core in person, right?]

Its tone shifted, with a hint of flattery.

[Uh... Boss, I have a small, insignificant request]

"Go ahead."

[If I really manage to repair the Underground City and you control the core, in terms of soul, could you...]

"If you can truly accomplish it, I will no longer restrict your feeding."

[Boss is wise!!! Long live the Boss!!!]

"There's one last question."

[Boss, ask away!]

"After the core is repaired, will the rifts instantly disappear altogether?"

[No, it won't. Just like the rifts expanded gradually, the repair will naturally also close them gradually]

After asking, she stuffed the Yellow-covered Book back under the springy Puki butt, this time it did not even complain.

If possible, Lin Jun still hopes humans could fix the Underground City, at least they wouldn't pull any tricks.

As for the Yellow-covered Book?

If she had the choice, setting aside the Yellow-covered Book and slowly studying the core herself—it would surely be the safest.

Unfortunately, time waits for no mushroom.

However, entrusting the crucial task concerning the survival of the entire Underground City to a guy who seems thoroughly unreliable... Lin Jun has to prepare other contingencies.

At least, at the key moment of executing the repair, her main body can't remain in the Purple Crystal Dungeon!

Otherwise, if things don't go well, and an anticipated massive breakdown occurs, she will have nowhere to run.

If lucky, she might be tossed to some unknown corner, starting from scratch; if unlucky, she may directly fall into the void, experiencing firsthand the desperate journey of vanished Pus.

Safety! Safety! And safety again!

That's what Lin Jun always seeks!

As it stands, there are two temporary refuge options, one is naturally the surface, but with humans now so sensitive to Pukis, this choice holds significant risk.

The second... naturally is these already opened rifts.

The void needs no mention, and the cursed environment under the Slime's butt is still too harsh to consider right now.

In comparison, Chis's place seems just to be a bit cold... while my Underground City undergoes renovation, staying at good neighbor Chis's place for a while—surely they won't mind?

Of course, even though she prioritized Chis's place, Lin Jun won't give up on the surface option.

More backup plans are always better.

So, even though the impending destruction of the Purple Crystal Dungeon has almost eradicated humans' rationale for annihilating Puki, Lin Jun still decides to play out the planned act!

-----------------

In the slightly low-spirited expert team, holding a specially crafted crystal, Edin suddenly halted.

"My micro-illusion scout... might have caught the trace of the King of Puki." Edin scanned around, his gaze finally landing on the Sword Saint and Shi Wu.

"In the Deep Area?!" Shi Wu's surprise blurted out, filled with disbelief.

Though aware Pukis are here, to come from the fifth floor to the Deep Area...

"I think it should be." Edin didn't waste words and circulated magic power in his palm, projecting the image from the crystal.

In a cave full of Fungal Mat and Puki, a special Puki equipped with a red cloak, silver pendant, and a great shield, like a king, sat high atop a Fat Otaku Puki's cap.

When Shi Wu's gaze touched that familiar round shield, especially those two deep intersecting sword marks on the shield's surface, he immediately confirmed: "It's that one!"

Edin looked to the Sword Saint, inquiring: "So... should we still go ahead with the original plan of trying to 'tame' it?"

The implication was clear: The demise of the Underground City is inevitable, expending effort on Puki seems unnecessary, letting them perish alongside the Underground City might be more convenient.

However, the Sword Saint was evidently intrigued: "Oh? So this is the Puki that defeated Shi Wu? Looking... it definitely seems interesting." He casually flicked his wrist, "Since we've stumbled upon it, let's take a slight detour to check it out."

The Underground City's destruction is destined, but it's not like it's going to collapse tomorrow. According to Guge, this process will last around half a year, so the Sword Saint wanted to take a detour, and no one opposed.

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