Sleeping with her...? ?
Alan frowned secretly.
He had already changed his identity, even sporting a face that wasn't particularly appealing to women. Why did he have to go back to his old ways?
The snake charmer had a nice figure, but unfortunately her makeup and makeup were too avant-garde for Alan's liking.
Furthermore, her offer was too low, a bit insulting.
Alan didn't express these thoughts, leaving Sonia to handle them.
"I understand your interest in Og, but... won't your python husband get jealous?"
Sonia's words were harsh, though she barely smiled.
"The last time you had sex with a man, before you could even get going, that unfortunate guy was swallowed by a giant python. I don't want to lose Og."
"Oh! Don't mention it. During the last conflict with the Griffin family, Piebald sacrificed himself protecting me..."
"Damn it! The thought of it makes me lose all interest!"
The snake charmer waved his hand and walked away angrily.
Sonia watched her disappear coldly and whispered, "Brother Alan... can I add someone to my blacklist?"
"Why?"
"Because she doesn't respect us," Sonia replied softly.
"One magic stone, and you want to whore me? That's disrespectful."
"The man I like is worth one magic stone for one night? That's disrespectful to me."
"So, this slut, who looks down on others, must die!"
Sonia said viciously.
"Don't get angry over such a small matter. I'll help you vent your anger when I get the chance," Allen promised softly.
"Thank you, Brother Allen! You're so kind!" Sonia smiled sweetly.
"Today's allotment is up," Allen reminded her. "I won't be nice to you next time."
"That doesn't matter. I'm happy enough today anyway," Sonia said quietly. "If I'm too happy, I'm afraid I'll end up in tragedy."
Alan suddenly felt that Sonia... was actually a pessimist to the core.
"Like her alcoholic father who lived for today, she often displayed self-destructive tendencies, whether intentional or unintentional."
The two stepped side by side into the mushroom circle, a glowing magic circle rising beneath their feet.
After a slight dizziness, the teleportation was successfully completed.
The teleportation point was still in the Dark Zone, surrounded by a circle of towering giant mushrooms.
A familiar scene...
Alan couldn't help but wonder if he had just completed a stationary teleport!
However, a closer look revealed subtle differences.
The Mushroom Garden, a secret realm of time deep within the Giant Mushroom Forest.
Located in a clearing surrounded by a circle of giant mushrooms.
Besides the various tall and thriving fungi, there grew clumps of brightly colored phosphorescent moss.
Like a circle of neon lights, it surrounded the isolated village, beautiful and peaceful.
The Mushroom Garden wasn't safe!
The area was infested with magical beasts.
Not to mention the human-demons transformed by possessed sorcerers. The natives of the mushroom garden are a group of intelligent myconids.
They appear roughly humanoid, but are actually animated fungi.
"Myconids are gentle, and as long as outsiders behave in a friendly manner, they won't interfere with their free movement within the garden," Sonia warned Alan as they walked along the path.
"However, the spores they carry and spread can be highly toxic!"
"So, unless invited, it's best to stay away from myconids!"
Alan's interest only intensified upon hearing this.
He loved things like toxins!
Not far away, Alan saw the legendary myconids.
From a distance, they certainly looked like humans.
Some were tall, some were short, some were fat, some were thin, and all wore mushroom caps resembling bamboo hats.
Upon closer inspection, the myconids' faces showed traces of facial features.
But those are merely decorative patterns, like a drawn nose, eyes, and mouth; they possess no actual physiological function.
Mushroom-people don't need to see with their eyes; they use their noses to smell.
The subtle wrinkles on their bodies and the mycelium drooping from their caps are sensitive detectors of smell and sound.
As for eating, they don't need to use their mouths.
With their feet rooted in the soil, they absorb nutrients from the earth.
Mushroom-people can't speak, but they understand human speech and can emit a mysterious "mind spore" that allows them to communicate with others spiritually.
"The myconids use mind spores for collective meditation."
"This spiritual communication allows them to transcend their dreary underground lives."
"The myconids use mind spores to bind their minds together."
"Then they use hallucinogenic spores to connect everyone to a shared dream, allowing them to interact and entertain themselves."
Sonia introduced them to Allen as they walked.
"Brother Allen, remember the two spores I just mentioned: mind and hallucinogenic. This is very important!"
"All the secrets that the other mage-initiated sorcerers and I cultivate in the mushroom garden are based on these two spores."
"Soon, you too will experience how magical it is! I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised!"
The "surprise" that Sonia predicted remains to be seen.
But Allen has already received a series of surprises along the way!
System Alert: Level 5 Hallucinogenic Toxin Found!
System Alert: Level 5 Neurotoxin Found!
System prompt: Level 5 parasitic fungus discovered!
System prompt: Special ingredient discovered!
System prompt: Special ingredient discovered!
System prompt: Special ingredient discovered!
System prompt: Special ingredient discovered!
System prompt: Special ingredient discovered!
…
Three level 5 toxins, plus five special ingredients!
Alan could barely contain his ecstasy.
This trip was truly the right one!
Sonia seemed oblivious to Alan's excitement. She took his hand and walked straight ahead.
"Brother Alan, I'll take you to meet the Master of Fungus."
"Master of Fungus?" Alan exclaimed in surprise.
"The leader of the myconids, the true master of the mushroom garden," Sonia whispered. "The Master is extremely powerful. Don't provoke her!"
"Is the Master also a member of your cult?" Allen asked.
Sonia shook her head.
"If she's not a member of your cult, why would she allow you to practice here?" Allen wondered.
"Because she doesn't care," Sonia said calmly. "The Master is a transcendent being, like the mountains and ancient trees of nature. She wouldn't mind humans camping near her."
Alan nodded in realization.
…
The Master resided in the very center of the mushroom garden, resembling a small hill covered in mushrooms.
Mosses of various colors, mushrooms of varying shapes, and even light-hating plants that bloomed in the darkness of the night all adorned this massive structure.
The Master of Fungi seemed to be a collection of all supernatural fungi, a complete ecosystem in itself.
Red, blue, silver, gold, and green.
Five colors of luminescent spores floated around the Master of Fungi.
The poisons and special ingredients that the system had previously detected were these five types of luminescent spores.
"Respected Master of Fungi, I've brought a friend to visit you," Sonia said respectfully.
"He'll stay here for a while, living with me."
"We will all do our best to protect the pristine ecology of the mushroom garden."
"I hope I won't disturb your meditation, and I hope you'll protect me."
Sonia's prayers were quickly answered.
A cloud of silver spores floated toward her and Alan.
Instantly, Alan experienced a mysterious feeling.
It was as if his soul was resonating with the entire mushroom garden.
Without needing words, Allen sensed the Master's gentle and generous spirit, welcoming him.
"Thank you, Master!" Allen telepathically sent a message back through the silver spores. "Will you allow me to collect spores for research?"
"Yes."
A mental wave entered his mind, automatically translating into language he could understand.
"But be moderate."
"I understand, Master. Thank you very much for your generosity."
Alan bowed deeply.
Sonia, prepared, pulled a bug net from her storage bag and handed it to Allen.
Alan used the net to collect the five types of spores scattered by the Master, sorting them into different categories and placing them into reagent bottles.
All five types of spores were classified as special ingredients, and the system issued identification reports for each.