This Dungeon Grew Mushrooms

Belial was the captain of an elite spy squad under Moferet’s command.

At this moment, he was concealed on the leeward side of a barren hill far from Highfort Fortress, using farsight magic to observe the military stronghold currently undergoing renovation.

Back when Highfort Fortress was used to resist the Empire, its northern defenses were naturally formidable, while the southern side was comparatively weak.

After Duke Sigismund seized the location, his first priority was naturally to heavily reinforce the southern walls. Defensive magic arrays were carved in layers, and magic towers were erected one after another.

Not only that, three newly established camps were set up outside the fortress in a horn-shaped formation, clearly expanding the actual area of control and turning this strategic location into an iron barrel.

However, Sigismund’s specific fortress renovation plans were not the focus of Belial’s mission. He was here purely to keep watch.

According to reports from subordinates embedded inside the fortress, a batch of marked materials was about to be transported out through the southern gate.

These materials were neither components for defensive arrays nor ordinary military supplies. They should not have appeared on the southern side of Highfort Fortress at all, making them extremely suspicious.

Belial even began to wonder whether Sigismund was secretly doing business with human factions.

However, the movement of a single shipment proved nothing. What Lady Moferet wanted was concrete evidence that could truly strike at Sigismund. That was why Belial was here.

As the sun sank beyond the horizon and its afterglow dyed the walls a dark gold, three wagons with no family crests, covered in heavy tarps, rolled out of the southern gate. Their specifications matched the intelligence description exactly.

The leader was even a Blood Knight listed in official records, though he was not wearing his knightly armor, clearly trying to avoid attention.

The wagons turned directly toward the dense forest to the east.

Belial did not follow immediately. Doing so would carry too much risk of exposure.

There was only one road through the forest wide enough for wagons. He planned to wait near the exit instead.

This operation was a solo mission. He had not brought any squad members with him. For tasks requiring extreme concealment and tracking, numbers were not an advantage but a burden.

When it came to stealth, pursuit, and concealment, he was confident he far surpassed his subordinates.

Their value lay in weaving intelligence networks and conducting fixed-point surveillance. Final confirmation and tracking were tasks he personally handled.

His caution was well justified. Before this, an entire spy squad had already vanished without a trace.

Yet he did not see the wagon convoy emerge from the forest exit. Based on their speed, they should have come out long ago.

Unless…

The unloading point was inside the forest?

That was strange. Even if they were trading with someone, the other party still had to transport the goods away.

If they didn’t leave through this road, were they going to turn back and brazenly pass outside Highfort Fortress again?

After some thought, Belial removed his shoes to eliminate the sound of footsteps.

He also sprinkled anti-mana powder and deodorizing powder over himself.

Only then did he slip into the forest.

The forest was not pitch-black. Scattered bioluminescent mushrooms illuminated its outline.

The Empire already knew that fungal carpets functioned as puji supply lines, and post-war efforts had been made to clear fungal carpets near the borders.

But while open terrain could be managed, forests were different. Short of burning the entire forest down, it was impossible to completely clear fungal carpets.

As a result, this was one of the few areas near Highfort Fortress where mushrooms still grew.

After searching for some time, Belial finally found the wagons that had just finished unloading.

The goods were piled by the roadside, while demonkin transporters were loading crate after crate of cans onto the wagons.

The sight made Belial’s heart race. He felt he was extremely close to uncovering Sigismund’s hidden secret.

At the same time, it made him even more cautious, carefully concealing himself in the darkness.

Despite the distance, Belial’s keen hearing allowed him to catch their conversation.

“That’s the last crate.”

“Seriously, after transporting this stuff so many times, we still don’t even know who we’re delivering to.”

“Are you tired of living? Stop being curious about pointless things. If you can get one can per trip, isn’t that enough?”

“True… hehehe…”

“Quiet, all of you!”

Under the Blood Knight’s reprimand, the group fell silent and turned the convoy around, heading back the way they came.

Belial did not continue following the wagons. Instead, he fixed his gaze on the unloaded goods.

He needed to confirm who Sigismund was trading with.

And soon, something stirred.

Pop—pop—

One hollow ox-and-horse puji after another crawled out of underground tunnels. Each puji swallowed a bundled package and squeezed back into the hole.

“Puji?”

Belial scanned the surroundings, trying to find a puji tamer.

He did not see one.

Instead, he noticed something that should not have been there.

It was a long, white, rag-like object shaped like a torn cloth sack, lying quietly atop the fungal carpet.

Understanding the environment was basic training for a high-level spy. Belial clearly remembered that there had been nothing in that spot before.

A chill ran down his spine. Even though he didn’t know what it was, and hadn’t yet seen the real trading partner, Belial knew he could not stay any longer.

He immediately prepared to retreat.

“You’ve been watching for so long. Don’t you want to know a little more?”

The white rag wriggled, producing a sticky, nauseating echo that made Belial’s whole body shudder.

“For example, how that delicious ‘wine’ is actually produced?”

He was exposed.

When? There was no time to think. Belial retreated at full speed and turned to flee.

“Yes, yes! Run! Once you’re out of the forest, you’ll be safe! You’re faster than the last one!”

…

Just as the convoy reached the edge of the forest, the leading Blood Knight suddenly reined in his horse.

He turned and looked back at the forest dotted with faint bioluminescence.

A night breeze passed through, rustling the leaves.

“My lord, what is it?” a half-blood retainer following behind asked.

The Blood Knight remained silent for a moment before slowly withdrawing his gaze.

“No… it’s nothing. Probably just the wind.”

…

Having the Empire at your back really was convenient. Materials were never in short supply.

In terms of sheer resources, even the Kingdom couldn’t compare to the Empire, which occupied the most fertile lands.

The Puji Fort’s defenses were built to the highest standards. Without these rare materials from the Empire, Lin Jun would have had a hard time sourcing them elsewhere.

That was also why Lin Jun partnered with Little Xi in the “wine” business.

Unfortunately, the profit split was three-seven, and Lin Jun only got seventy percent.

Despite handling all the spies himself and doing so much of the work, he felt he was getting the short end of the stick.

But he’d known Little Xi for a few months now, and given that they’d been through life-and-death situations together, Lin Jun accepted the loss.

Captured spies could also be added to the talent pool, making it a positive cycle.

The only annoyance was stuffing people into underground tunnels. Lin Jun planned to learn puji shapeshifting soon—then even if they left the tunnels, outsiders would just see puji playing in a group.

Taking out the city defense material list, Lin Jun scanned through the inventory, checking off items one by one until the end.

Merfolk Tears? Siphon Tube Worm Crystals?

Sea-related materials…

Would fishman tears work instead?

Lin Jun thought of the seventh-layer rift filled entirely with seawater. He wondered how those fishmen were doing now.