The ground was covered in a tangled web of white, root-like structures. They radiated out from the base of the trunk, forming a large disk, and Shire couldn’t tell if they were roots or mycelium.
Many goblins sat on these "roots." They stared up at the crown of the tree without any other unnecessary movements, just like statues. If it weren’t for a few of them picking up gray leaves that drifted in front of them, Shire would have thought they were a collection of incredibly lifelike sculptures.
"Red Eyes, get close to that one and carry it back," Shire said, pointing to the nearest goblin.
Red Eyes crept out, approached the goblin, and then hoisted it onto his shoulders. The goblin didn’t resist at all, lying obediently over Red Eyes’s shoulder.
"Chief, I’m back." With a THUD, Red Eyes dropped the goblin on the ground.
"Go back, go back." As soon as it hit the ground, the goblin began to crawl, looking like it wanted to leave immediately and return to its original spot.
"Hold him down," Shire ordered. He still had many questions for this goblin.
But the pinned goblin paid no mind to Shire’s subordinates. It just thrashed excitedly, flailing its arms wildly. Its eyes were fixed on the giant Mushroom Tree, and it drooled as it roared, "Go back! I have to go back!"
"Why do you have to go back?" Shire asked.
The goblin didn’t answer, still struggling.
"Why do you have to go back?" Shire asked again, his voice louder.
Again, there was no response. The goblin was like a deaf man, completely ignoring everything around it.
Its struggles grew more and more violent, and its whole body trembled fiercely. Shire had no choice but to have his subordinates let it go.
The moment it was released, the goblin scrambled on all fours, stumbling toward the white root system. Even when it lost its footing and fell, it would immediately crawl a few steps before getting up and running back to sit on the roots again.
"Completely impossible to communicate with. It’s like a walking corpse, seemingly Controlled by this Mushroom Tree. Something’s not right here," Shire said with a frown.
He stared at the goblins sitting on the white "roots" and counted them silently. ’There are almost seventy of them!’
He was astonished by the number of goblins. If he could recruit them all, he could activate the [Blessings of the Gods].
Besides, the goblin’s earlier behavior eased his worries; after all, leaving the area of the roots hadn’t killed it.
"Once we’re close, set it on fire," Shire decided to act. ’In any case, I’m still wearing the leaves from the Mother Tree, so I won’t be affected like those goblins.’
At his command, his subordinates charged out of the woods and rushed toward the Mushroom Tree.
They covered the thirty-odd meters quickly. During this time, the other goblins kept staring at the treetop; only a few of their eyeballs twitched.
Nearing the white trunk, Shire observed it up close. The material still seemed to be wood, but it was very smooth, not rough and pitted like other trees. Stepping on the roots on the ground, he could also feel a slight stickiness.
"Prepare to throw the Blazing Fire Glue," Shire ordered his subordinates.
SWISH! The trunk in front of him suddenly split open, forming a crack the height of a man. It looked just like a door.
Immediately after, a voice drifted out. "Please, enter."
’Is it inviting me in?’ Shire grew wary. Beneath this Mushroom Tree might be the "suspected Relic" marked on the Storm Brotherhood’s map.
He also recalled the "Southern Fortress Defense Map" on the wall of the Teleportation Room. It had indeed shown buildings in this area.
Shire was deliberating whether to go down, but there was no time to think. A clamor arose from behind him. He looked back and saw that all the seated goblins had stood up and were staggering toward the opening. Their eyes were fixed on the crack as they pushed toward him like pilgrims.
"Down we go," Shire decided instantly.
He and his subordinates charged into the passage and headed down. After they were all inside, the crack automatically sealed shut.
Using the blue fluorescence from the mushrooms overhead, Shire sized up his surroundings. It was a huge stone chamber, about the same size as the room where he raised the Red Bulls. The floor was covered in white roots that felt even stickier than the ones outside. The chamber’s perimeter was overgrown with all kinds of Mushrooms, in a bizarre assortment of colors and shapes.
"Are you the Mother Tree’s helper?" a voice rang out. Shire looked up and saw a man sitting on the cap of a giant mushroom up ahead.
His face was deathly pale, and he had long golden hair. Shire felt like he’d seen the man’s clothes somewhere before. His throne, too, was woven from white roots of varying thickness.
"A group of goblins?" The man chuckled, then added, "I thought it would be a group of Adventurers."
He stepped down from his throne and walked to the edge of the mushroom cap, looking down at Shire. "Goblins, I admire your courage, but this is not a matter you can interfere with. I can offer you a small reward to leave my kingdom at once."
PATTER PATTER. A set of footsteps sounded. Shire immediately scanned the area and saw several goblins approaching, carrying numerous egg-sized spheres.
"These spores are edible. Eat them, and you may leave," the man said with a smile, his tone sounding very calm.
[Item: Zombie Spores]
[Quality: Common]
[Use: Eat]
[Special Effect: Consuming it will cause loss of life. The body will simultaneously be parasitized by the spores, turning into a Controlled zombie.]
Shire looked up at the goblins before him. Although their limbs were intact, their skin had turned grayish-white and was torn in several places, revealing the muscle tissue beneath. Their eyes were milky white as they stared fixedly at him. Several red mushrooms grew from their shoulders and heads, making them look as if they were wearing Christmas hats.
"Battle formation, flanks out," Shire quietly instructed his subordinates. He then took a step forward. "We appreciate your kind intentions, but we’re just passing through. We saw some goblins gathering here and are sorry to have disturbed you. If it’s alright, we’ll leave now."
"You cunning little creature." The man laughed, then flicked his robes and turned to the side to look at the surrounding mushrooms. "How interesting, the helper the Mother Tree found."
Shire fell silent for a moment. He had intended to play dumb, but he immediately realized the man had seen through him from the start and had even "graciously" offered them Zombie Spores.
He suddenly remembered where he had seen the man’s robe before. It was the style worn by certain members of the Earth and Life God Church—a weave of brown and green, adorned with red patterns.
’This will be tough. I only have about twenty goblins, and he seems to be a high-ranking Druid.’
’Twenty-odd goblins it is, then. With twenty-odd goblins, the advantage goes to whoever strikes first.’ Shire made up his mind to fight. ’You, uh, powerful being... you’d better not have been bluffing.’
He snatched the Hand Crossbow from his back with lightning speed. With a TWANG, the Crossbow Arrow struck the Druid directly in the temple while he was still admiring his mushroom garden.
"So impatient." The Druid sighed, turning his head slightly to glance at Shire. He then reached up, pulled out the Crossbow Arrow, and tossed it aside.
CLINK. The Crossbow Arrow fell to the ground.
Shire stared intently at the man as he heard him say, "I am symbiotic with this great mushroom tree. You should stop wasting your energy."
As the man moved, Shire finally saw a strand of mycelium as thick as a bowl’s rim connected to the center of his back. This mycelium was also causing the wound on his temple to close rapidly.
Immediately after, dull cries echoed from all around as more Zombie Goblins, parasitized by Mushrooms, charged toward them.