Chapter 400: When Will the Attack Come

“That’s impossible!”

When Ron and his companions found the two Elves, Anastina was the first to jump to her feet. “I’ve never heard of anything like this happening!”

“How many years have the Red Mould Ruins been around? Nothing like this has ever happened! The fungus can actually differentiate to perform different roles?”

“Theoretically, it’s possible,” the Elf Grand Mage said. She didn’t immediately dismiss Ron’s theory, instead calculating further. “But the process of natural selection is far too long. To nature, a few hundred years isn’t even a fleeting glimpse.”

“So, I’m more inclined to believe there’s a guiding hand behind this—something that accelerated, induced, or even directed the Transformation of the Delusional Land’s Red Mould through magical means.”

The Moon Elf glanced at Victoria, who stood behind Ron, then back at Ron himself. “It could also be the power of Deities,” she added.

“But as far as I know, Deities of the harvest or life wouldn’t be inclined to do something like this, would they?” Anastina asked. “Like the ones we usually worship…”

“The faith of Moon Elves differs from that of other Elves,” Jilannis stated, her face expressionless. “Besides, it wouldn’t have to be a Deity of harvest or life. More neutral ones like the Hunt God, completely neutral nature Deities like Mairola, or even those who preside over war, slaughter, or pure knowledge could also possess such authority.”

“This probably has nothing to do with the Deities themselves, but if we’re talking about their followers, the range of possibilities expands significantly.”

“Could it be related to those Strong Acid Tiger People we encountered?” Ron suggested. “According to those Tiger Man bandits, the Strong Acid Tiger People were apparently the result of a Mage’s experiment. Considering the Red Mould’s weakness…”

“You’re saying there’s some Wild Mage out there who witnessed the Red Mould hunting those Tiger Men, so he saved them and tried to modify them to be permanently free of its influence?” Anastina gasped. “But doesn’t that make everything even more complicated!”

“If what you’re saying is true, with the Red Mould spreading all over the mountainside, are we supposed to go looking for a Mage who might only exist in the stories of those Tiger Men?”

“But it’s a lead, isn’t it?” Jilannis was already in motion, gathering her things. “How about I go with you all this time?”

“Even a Wild Mage needs time for research. He likely began this project a long time ago, so once we enter the area covered by the Red Mould, finding him shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“In fact, he might even come find us himself.”

“He’d better pray he’s not a fool and cooperates with us to clear out this Red Mould,” Silvia snorted. “If he tells us to mind our own business…”

“Then we’ll have no choice but to make it our business.” If that really happened, Ron would show the man no mercy.

‘There have to be ethical lines in research. How could anyone allow a creature as dangerous as the Red Mould to proliferate unchecked after losing so many of its weaknesses?’

News of their imminent departure soon reached Sera and Delaford, who had just sobered up. Ron’s original team assembled quickly. The two Elf allies also readied their packs and the necessary equipment, preparing to set out with Ron and his group.

Aiksuuri was eager to travel with them again—after all, his new mentor, Jilannis, was going—but Ron and the others unanimously rejected the idea.

A True Dragon’s constitution is incredibly resilient; they can get by on eating dirt. Meanwhile, the Red Mould is abnormally tenacious when not exposed to its natural weaknesses. If the Young Black Dragon were to accidentally carry back some fungal strains under his scales or elsewhere, Aiksuuri would probably be fine, but the local residents would be in grave danger!

The Black Dragon sheepishly bid farewell to Ron’s party. After watching them leave, he quickly channeled his enthusiasm into other matters. As a Young Dragon, he still had much to explore.

As for Ron’s group, they naturally faced another arduous journey. However, this wasn’t their first time traveling this path. Furthermore, having a powerful Mage and a veteran soldier along was a great help. As a result, when they finally reached the outskirts of the Count’s domain, they were all still in fairly good shape.

“So this is the graveyard.” They had arrived during the day this time, so the surroundings weren’t nearly as gloomy. Gazing at the cemetery, which looked even more dilapidated than before, Silvia sighed. “I was blinded by power back then, but to be honest, that feeling of having everything under my control was really—”

“A pity it was just an illusion,” Aive said without turning her head. She was dressed in new armor, a new tower shield slung across her back. “That so-called power of yours was given to you by the Count. How can you call that ‘having everything under your control’?”

Silvia fell silent, offering no rebuttal.

“Looks like the Red Mould isn’t spreading all that fast,” Anastina said, striding into the graveyard first. She surveyed her immediate surroundings before casting her gaze into the distance. “I was expecting to run into swarms of Red Mould and Spore People on the way here.”

“Only creatures that are infected by Red Mould or its spores and subsequently die from it become Spore People and Thorny Beasts,” Jilannis explained. “They can survive on nutrients from the soil or the remains of rotting corpses, but that’s just survival. It’s not enough to satisfy their reproductive needs.”

“Almost every living thing here is already dead. Even if the fungus wanted to expand, it has no hosts.”

“Oh? So, darling, are you saying you’re certain we won’t be running into any of those plants, then?”

Anastina didn’t answer Jilannis at first. But as she reached the graveyard’s main gate, the mercenary’s face suddenly broke into a wide, mischievous grin as she looked at the Grand Mage.

“Want to make a little wager? We’ll bet on how long it takes for the Red Mould, Spore People, or Thorny Beasts to come and ‘hunt’ us if we stay right here.”

“How much are you betting? And what’s your call?”

Aive shot the Grand Mage a baffled look. ‘For that Elf Mercenary to make such a confident bet, she must have seen something!’

‘Isn’t she just asking to lose money?’

“Count me in,” Ron’s voice suddenly chimed in from behind her, just as Aive was thinking Jilannis was being foolish. “A friendly wager never hurts. How about one Silver Coin?”

“Such a stingy Lord. Good thing you aren’t this cheap when it’s time to pay us,” Anastina laughed. “A Silver Coin it is! I bet it’ll be after five minutes, but before ten!”

“Alright. I think it will be sooner,” the Moon Elf said, tilting her head and taking a step to the side. “Let’s say two to three minutes. And you, Lord?”

“I’ll bet on under ten seconds,” Ron said, his words stunning everyone.

“Because there’s one lying in ambush right next to us! Even if it can’t understand the Common Language, it has to know we’ve spotted it!”