Chapter 610
, 609: Referral Bonus
Chapter 610, 609. Referral Bonus
The Yellow Book's abilities are quite interesting. In the past, in the Mushroom Garden, it didn't have a chance to show its abilities, and Lin Jun would never have given it a chance.
This time, Knight Puji witnessed the process of controlling the giant beast's bone field and its surroundings, gaining a deeper understanding of its abilities.
In its initial stages, its methods of influence were quite rudimentary; the target had to be made to personally gaze at the words on the page in order to be able to seduce the target to some extent.
Then, through repeated communication, the effect of the charm is deepened, while emotions are subtly guided and the greed, ambition, fear or loyalty in the charmed person's heart are amplified, so as to seemingly inadvertently influence their choices at key moments.
The conditions and effects of this are even less effective than those of succubi, who can attempt to mentally invade and forcibly control a target as long as the target makes eye contact with them without being on guard.
However, when the number of individuals captivated in this way within the same area reaches a certain level, a qualitative change occurs. An invisible spiritual field begins to form and spread.
Just like the busy soldiers and civilians in the giant beast bone field.
Soldiers would unconsciously check the runic stone carvings around the ceremony area more often during their patrol breaks; craftsmen were extra focused when polishing bone, striving for perfection; even the civilians transporting earth and stones walked with more hurried steps than usual.
Upon closer inspection, it was clear that almost no one was slacking off or complaining about delays. Everyone was working diligently towards the common goal of "completing the ritual," and their efficiency was astonishing.
Strictly speaking, they weren't even charmed; they were simply more motivated under the influence of the mental field.
This was the source of the sense of unease that Viscount Cormac had vaguely sensed when he first entered this place.
This change is extremely subtle. The affected individuals themselves will not notice anything unusual; they will only feel that they are "full of energy lately" or "want to perform well."
Their thinking remained independent, and their reasons remained sound; however, all their reasons subtly pointed in the same direction.
If no powerful external force intervenes, and no one pierces this invisible veil to make the group realize that something is wrong, then this large-scale mental field will continue to deepen, infect, and assimilate, and gradually spread to the periphery.
Ultimately, it may develop into a solid spiritual structure that is almost a collective obsession or belief, at which point all affected individuals in the region will become prisoners of the Yellow Book.
Of course, this process is not fast, and there are many opportunities and unexpected events that can disrupt it.
However, the inherent secrecy of the suggestion on a large scale compensates for this weakness.
If someone who doesn't have a sufficient understanding of the Yellow Book were to come in, even if they noticed something was wrong, they would find it difficult to find the source and a solution.
Unfortunately, I can't break down the yellow book myself.
Otherwise, if we acquire this ability and use it in the mushroom castle, wouldn't everyone's work efficiency be greatly improved!
Of course, this thing also has many flaws.
For example, the Yellow Book cannot be separated from the scope of this spiritual field.
Once it leaves, all the suggestive and alluring effects will gradually diminish, and people will likely return to normal in a natural state, perhaps even forgetting why they were so energetic in the first place.
Secondly, it is extremely afraid of "decapitation" tactics.
It just so happens that the Empire had the ability to locate the Yellow Book, so it's no wonder that it failed and was sealed away.
……
The Yellow Book is naturally more aware of its own weaknesses than anyone else, so it is being extra careful this time.
Aside from acquiring materials under the guise of mining to set up magical rituals, they didn't do anything else, just to avoid being noticed by the discerning high-ranking officials within the empire who would connect it to the sacred texts.
The Yellow Book not only understands its own situation, but also understands the boss.
If it were discovered or even captured by the Empire, those Puji wouldn't call for their companions or friends to save them. The Puji's ruler would simply use his deformed soul to crush its own core without hesitation, ensuring that no secrets would be leaked.
Exposure meant death. For Yellow Book, this mission deep into the heart of the empire was nothing short of a life-or-death gamble.
However, for the possibility of possessing a soul that truly belongs to itself, even if it is only a sliver of hope, it can only fight with all its might!
If we consider only the Yellow Book's own wishes, and if this world were not on the verge of its end, it might prefer to wait for its master from three hundred years ago, the sealed Demon King, to one day find it and fulfill the promise that has spanned so long.
However, time was running out. It tried its best to release the Demon King, but failed.
The Empire's recent frenzied extermination of slimes has led it to vaguely suspect that some Demon Lords may have broken their seals... but that's far from enough.
Time is really running out.
Leaving aside other places, just look at the Puji Dungeon and Tide Sanctuary that the boss occupies.
If the Demon Lord were to rashly enter without being fully intact, there might be danger involved.
To become whole again, to return to a state where one has the time to help shape its soul, heaven knows how many twists and turns and struggles will be needed.
It can't wait any longer.
So it had no choice but to place its hopes on that evil, greedy, and abnormal leader...
……
Lin Jun had no idea what Huang Pishu was thinking about him.
Lin Jun was quite satisfied with the progress of the ceremony setup at the Giant Beast Bone Field.
The purpose of this magical ritual is to use the coordinates provided by the sacred tree to transfer the sub-space of that destroyed underground city to the North.
The construction of the corresponding magical ritual in the North is progressing faster than in the Bone Field.
Once it's done, Lin Jun can then focus on studying the Abyss, a place full of possibilities, without any worries.
Then, on the northern side...
Perhaps because a dragon had flown by not long ago, Duke Eugene's troops, which were already fully prepared, remained stationary, probably fearing bad luck and running into the red dragon in the wild.
Lin Jun had been planning to stall for time, so he remained inactive, which pleased Lin Jun and made her happy to have some peace and quiet. She also wouldn't provoke him.
Defeating the Red Dragon has completely changed the morale of the soldiers in Fungus Castle.
However, the morale boost could not change the fact that most of the soldiers in the mushroom castle were still wearing leather armor.
Although Puji Masters mainly rely on commanding Puji in battle, it is also quite necessary to improve the protection of command nodes.
At least we shouldn't be like we are now, where a few stray arrows could take away the command node.
Coincidentally, the first batch of dwarven craftsmen who came here have been here for two months, and they have consumed a large amount of ore, improved their forging skills, and taken on a lot of contribution points in debt.
Lin Jun gave them a timely opportunity to quickly pay off their contribution point debts and even make a fortune—go back and bring over more blacksmiths!
You'll receive a significant amount of contribution points for each apprentice you recruit, and even more if you recruit a full-fledged blacksmith!
Of course, they could also choose to take the opportunity to escape Fungus Castle, use the skills they've honed over the past two months to find a legitimate blacksmith job in the mountains, and ignore Lin Jun's debts.
However, having experienced having an endless supply of ore to practice with, almost no dwarf wanted to go back to their old, stingy days. In fact, many even considered taking the opportunity to bring their families to Fungus Castle.
In fact, even if they really defected, Lin Jun wouldn't care.
Anyway, the fungal carpet has already started to spread across the mountains. Occasionally, one or two deadbeats will appear, which is not bad for giving me some amusement.
Of course, Puji, who values sincerity above all else, would never utter such threatening words.
In the end, most of the dwarves chose to return to the mountains to collect heads, while Lin Jun had the Puji escort them, waiting for them to bring back good news.
Everything went smoothly at Mushroom Castle, except for a small problem after Inanna returned to the Duke's mansion—Alama seemed to have finally made up her mind to find a partner for her daughter.
(End of this chapter)