New chapter of Plant Magic Lord is out! (2/2 chapters)

 

 

Carrying it Back

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“It is narrow. You are referring to the underground space, correct? So it truly is as I suspected.” (Elt)

So, that is the sense of discomfort. Now that it is mentioned, the entire underground space does feel somewhat smaller than before.

“Mogu. Just by eye, it seems about ten percent smaller, mogu. A proper survey would be necessary for an accurate measurement, mogu.” (Iskamina)

I had faith in Iskamina’s abilities. I decided to have her confirm the measurements later.

“Ugo, it seems there are no more mushrooms around?” (Wood)

“It appears so. I sense no presence of any remaining ones.” (Elt)

“And the passageway… it’s over there.” (Adventurer)

The adventurer in his thirties pointed toward the depths. There was a corridor shrouded entirely in darkness.

It seemed the path continued even further. The pattern of alternating corridors and underground chambers appeared to be consistent. I still did not know how far it extended, however.

“Piyo.” (We must trim down the excess.) (Cockatrice)

“Piyo piyo.” (Let us nibble again today, the big shimeji mushroom.) (Cockatrice)

“Piyo pii.” (Munch, munch.) (Cockatrices)

The Cockatrices had already begun pecking at the Big Puzzle Mushroom. They moved with remarkable speed.

“Ah!” (Anaria)

Anaria suddenly cried out and ran toward the stream.

“What is it?” (Elt)

“My apologies! I just caught sight of this for a moment…” (Anaria)

She dashed to the stream, crouched down swiftly, and returned in an instant, holding something in her hands.

“This is what I found.” (Anaria)

She opened her palms to reveal a small mushroom of a dull red hue.

“Ugo, could it be…” (Wood)

“Ah, perhaps…” (Elt)

Wood and I exchanged glances, and Anaria nodded.

“It is a Berry Mushroom. There is no mistake.” (Anaria)

“Ugo, we found one!” (Wood)

“It seems we did!” (Elt)

Wood clenched his fist, and I exhaled a breath of relief.

“A Berry Mushroom of this size is relatively easy to locate, but it is still good news. This increases the likelihood that even higher-quality Berry Mushrooms may be growing deeper within.” (Anaria)

“Ugo ugo!” (Wood)

“That is excellent news indeed.” (Elt)

At least we had achieved some tangible results. We had also discovered the second and third underground plazas.

The adventurer in his thirties approached us.

“So, you found a Berry Mushroom after all. That is quite something.” (Adventurer)

“Yes. There is now a real possibility that higher-quality Berry Mushrooms grow further within.” (Elt)

“That seems to be the case indeed.” (Adventurer)

The adventurer then glanced around cautiously.

“So, what should we do now? If we go any deeper, we will not be able to return before sunset.” (Adventurer)

It was already past noon, and if it took nearly an hour to reach the next chamber, we would be returning to the village quite late. When I looked up at Wood, he met my gaze and nodded.

“Ugo ugo, shall we stop here for today?” (Wood)

“Yes, that seems wise. Let us seal off the passage ahead, inspect this area, and then withdraw.” (Wood)

“Understood.” (Adventurer)

I summoned another shield for sealing. The adventurer carried it with some effort toward the passage. This was already the third underground chamber, so we could proceed with multiple operations in parallel. Hattori, light on his feet, went to investigate the slope above and quickly returned. As expected of a veteran adventurer, his speed was impressive.

“There was indeed a door.” (Hattori)

“Well done. Does this exit also connect to the main road?” (Elt)

“It does. There is no doubt that it leads toward Zanzas.” (Hattori)

“I see. Then, it means horses can safely reach this point.” (Elt)

“Precisely. Our next exploration can begin directly from here without delay.” (Hattori)

“Understood. Thank you.” (Elt)

That information alone was sufficient. From now on, we could ride horses directly to this underground location. By repeating that process, our progress would become much smoother. Although one could search for the doors along the highway, we would still need to verify the connecting corridors before any mine carts could operate.

There was also the risk of encountering Puzzle Mushrooms near the doorways. Since only one person could pass through a door at a time, running into one immediately after descending would be dangerous. It was clear that proceeding in formation through the tunnels remained the safest approach. In that way, we could respond to any situation effectively.

As I thought about that, I completed the sealing work by conjuring the last shield.

“All right, let us return.” (Elt)

“Yes, but… what should we do about that?” (Anaria)

Anaria pointed toward it, the Big Puzzle Mushroom.

“What shall we do with it?” (Elt)

“Ugo, should we carry it back? I can do it.” (Wood)

“Hmm. It could be used as an edible ingredient.” (Elt)

If we brought it back, we would have to eat it. On the other hand, we could also take it outside and let it return to the soil.

“Piyo.” (Are we done?) (Cockatrice)

“Piyo piyo.” (We can still nibble a bit more.) (Cockatrice)

“Piyo pii.” (What shall we do?) (Cockatrice)

“Piyo pii.” (Let us bring it back and share it with everyone.) (Cockatrice)

“Piyo! Piyoyo!” (That sounds great! Let us do that!) (Cockatrices)

The Cockatrices flapped their wings lightly, then lifted the Big Puzzle Mushroom onto their backs with ease.

“Piyo.” (It is light.) (Cockatrice)

“Piyo piyo.” (Piece of cake.) (Cockatrice)

It seemed they truly intended to carry it home.

“Ugo ugo, such strength they have.” (Wood)

“It is said that the physical strength of a Cockatrice surpasses that of a dragon.” (Elt)

Furthermore, the Cockatrices living in Healberry were said to have become even stronger from their diet of nutritious vegetables and fruits, or so Leia claimed. She said it was knowledge she gained by burying her face in their feathers, though the truth of that remained uncertain. Thus, having completed our preliminary investigation, we decided to return to the village.

Since the surface route was faster, we all walked along the main road together.

“Piyoyo.” (Cockatrice)

“Piyo piyo.” (Cockatrice)

The two Cockatrices carried the giant mushroom between them. They seemed to have taken quite a liking to it. I supposed the unique texture could indeed be addictive. Anaria appeared to share that sentiment as well.

It seemed the Cockatrices would continue their “munching” phase for a while yet.

 

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