Mushroom Lord in the Underground City-Chapter 342 - 334: The Changing Tide of Offense and Defense
"Were you just waiting to see me and that barbarian fight to a standstill so you could profit from it?! Are you disappointed to see me standing here unscathed?!" Eleanor’s sharp accusation nearly pierced through the stone walls of the spire.
Sigmund, whose nose was pointed directly at by her, almost wanted to roll his eyes. If Eleanor really had the ability to fight Alama to a draw, he wouldn’t mind being the one to reap the rewards.
Unfortunately, she clearly didn’t.
But at this moment, Sigmund was indeed at fault, as the delay of the Blood Knight Order’s deployment was inexcusable.
But he also had his unspeakable difficulties!
The daily "Strange Dream" connection forced him to remain in the Magic Array for long periods, and midnight was the time for this connection.
Alama daring to launch an attack at midnight was truly reckless.
At that time, Sigmund was also helpless. He couldn’t just run out with the Blood Knight Order, charge halfway, and then suddenly pass out, still having to spend his Spiritual Power to deal with those peculiar Pukis in the dream.
In the end, merely sending the Blood Knight Order out to scare Alama away was already a significant risk.
If not handled properly, his Order could suffer another severe blow.
Unfortunately, Eleanor didn’t know this, and Sigmund didn’t want her to know.
Thus, in Eleanor’s view, this was clearly Sigmund’s deliberate use of her and her troops as bait to consume Alama’s strength. How could this not make her furious?
In the end, Eleanor furiously turned away: "Don’t even think about asking for slaves from me anymore, whatever game you’re playing, play it yourself!"
Sigmund: "..."
Watching Eleanor’s departing figure, Sigmund, with a sullen face, turned his gaze to his side.
There stood the Evil Mage Margas, whose eyes were vacant and breath weak, having remained silent from beginning to end.
Whether it was the prisoners used for the ritual or the Evil Mage himself, both seemed to be nearing their limits.
At this point, he couldn’t help but suspect that this might have been a trap meticulously laid by Alama against him all along!
That cold-hearted man, could it be that not only did he once ruthlessly watch his wife die bit by bit, but now could even use his own daughter as bait?
If that were indeed the case, he wasn’t losing this battle unfairly.
The protracted tug of war on the Dream Battlefield dragged on day after day, with no sign of victory in sight. He didn’t know what methods the opponent had used.
But perhaps it was time to abandon this ritual.
...
...
...
"Master, as long as you don’t take the initiative to invade, the spiritual power of the slaves won’t be excessively consumed," said the now-awake Margas.
"No, what I’m asking is how to completely sever this ritual connection!" Sigmund asked with a frown.
"I’ve told you before, it can’t be stopped!" Margas said with a mournful face and a weak voice.
"How could there be a ritual that can’t be stopped?" Sigmund’s voice was icy.
"You’re not connected to each other, but to the ’Strange Dream’ space itself! Until you’ve completely eliminated the opponent’s spirit, this connection cannot be severed! There’s only one way..."
"You mean..."
"Eliminate the opponent’s physical body! Without a vessel, the spirit naturally dissipates!"
"What kind of solution is this..."
Obviously, the humans were already taking measures, so how could they still have the opportunity for an assassination?
Even Sigmund himself didn’t believe it would succeed!
But they still had to try.
"Actually, there’s another way to delay it for a while," Margas said again.
Sigmund gestured for him to continue.
"The Illusion Potion made from the Beautiful Dream Flower!"
"..."
So, in the end, it was he himself who had to take this potion?!
In the end, while Sigmund arranged for the assassination plan, he also ordered Margas to continue searching for other ways to sever the connection or to find a shortcut to quickly win in the ’Strange Dream’.
He also called in his alchemist to see if they could get the materials to concoct the Illusion Potion.
Finally, they had to find a way to capture another batch of prisoners—which, by comparison, became the simplest and most straightforward task.
-----------------
At midnight, Lin Jun clocked in on time, his consciousness sinking into that familiar dreamscape: "Dum dum dum dum! Here comes the great me! This time it’s... damn!"
A gust of wind mixed with coarse sand hit Lin Jun’s mushroom cap, and as far as the eye could see, there was only boundless scorching yellow sand, the hot air distorting the view.
This time it turned out to be a desert!
The environment was becoming increasingly harsh, and it seemed that even if Inanna’s Spiritual Power wasn’t damaged, the pressure accumulated from watching the Puki Army battle every night in the dream was significant, all reflected in this progressively barren dreamscape.
He quickly expanded into a sturdy Green Puki, sprinting up a giant dune with short legs, finally catching sight of a small oasis amidst the endless sands.
As expected, Inanna was there, barefoot, playing with the Pukis in the water by the shore.
Lin Jun concealed his presence, silently descending behind a few drought-resistant shrubs at the edge of the oasis, beginning his nightly routine—rubbing mushrooms.
After an unknown period, the familiar sensation of vibrations arrived, the edge of the dream reconnected, and the Strange Dream began!
Lin Jun skillfully arranged the Pukis into a defensive formation, fully prepared.
This time, what would they face? A massive scorpion? A lurking lizard? Or something more amusing?
Yet, as time ticked by, the anticipated onslaught of enemies never came; the desert was deathly silent, with only the hot wind whining over the dunes.
What was happening?
Could it be some trick to lure the tiger away from the mountain?
He dispatched a small group of Pukis to scout carefully, stepping cautiously onto the opponent’s dream territory.
Scorpions were there, lizards too, all kinds of desert-themed demons were present.
But they were all... huddled in place?
Using the favorable terrain of sandstones, caves, and the like, they adopted a rigorous defensive position, showing no intention of attacking actively.
Were the players heading to the restroom?
Or were they asking for a truce today?
How could they agree to that!
He had painstakingly squeezed in so much Spiritual Power; if he didn’t use it up, wouldn’t it be a waste?!
If the enemy wouldn’t come, then he had to go over himself!
He left about a third of the Pukis to protect the still-innocently splashing Pink Puki and led the main force in a grand assault!
The close-combat Pukis stood in the front row, while the ranged... er, this spot was too low... here... well... Full army charge!
Ultimately, Lin Jun inflicted an embarrassingly high casualty ratio, mainly due to his inexperience as an attacker for the first time.
But, curiously, the opponent seemed to have no fighting spirit whatsoever, not even attempting a counterattack or sneaking past to attack the Pink Puki, despite his own heavy losses.
Was this truly the point of exhaustion?
In the spirit of "playing dumb while losing, boasting while winning," as the Strange Dream neared its end, whether the other side received it or not, Lin Jun sent over his first goodwill-laden message:
"You aren’t... giving up, are you?"
