Chapter 628
Chapter 628
Chapter 628, Section 627: No Return
Master Marco was released from the mushroom cell after only one day of imprisonment, thanks to the pleas of the victim Torin.
As for the group of audacious dwarven mercenaries who attempted to kidnap people at the entrance of Fungus Castle, Lin Jun's handling of the situation this time was unusually mild.
Surprisingly, he didn't resort to the standard procedure of "mycelial parasitism, contributing points to incur debt, and forced labor to repay it," but simply detained them for a few more days.
This is also a matter of consideration.
If Fungus Castle wants to continue developing, it will inevitably be noticed by other forces; there's no way around it.
In fact, the nearest empire already knew of the existence of Fungus Castle, but they didn't know enough about it.
Since it's inevitable to step onto this stage, Junbao must find its own place.
If possible, Lin Jun would prefer to play a completely neutral role, avoiding conflict and building strong defenses while stockpiling resources and delaying the declaration of kingship.
But the Empire clearly wouldn't want another uncertainty to arise in the north.
Therefore, joining the anti-empire alliance is currently the best option for Fungus Castle.
Therefore, the first formal contact with the dwarven forces is of paramount importance.
Sending back a mercenary squad commissioned by the Deepfire Clan as mushroom-grown laborers would be a disastrous start.
Lin Jun could only suffer some injustice; all their equipment except for the heating stones was confiscated, and they were detained for a week before being deported.
When the mercenaries emerged from the mushroom prison, they had long lost the imposing manner they displayed when they were kidnapping people outside the city gates.
Although Lin Jun did not impose any more severe punishments, the arrest process itself had already caused them considerable suffering.
Because the security inside the mushroom castle has always been exceptionally good, with only minor disputes on a daily basis, the sheriffs rarely have the opportunity to make meritorious contributions.
This time, they encountered a major case involving "armed kidnappers attempting to commit a crime at the city gate," and the dispatched police officers all seemed to have been put into a frenzy!
The mercenary captain, who resisted the most fiercely, was buried under a horde of poop, but he almost suffocated in the pile of poop. Even now, when he recalls the looks in the eyes of those sheriffs, he still feels lingering fear.
Although he was still relieved that he had come out unharmed, the mercenary captain did not forget his duty.
Bringing Tolin back is impossible, but the unexpected situation at Fungus Castle can't be blamed on them either. They are a mercenary squad, not an army capable of besieging cities.
Besides, it was Tolin who didn't want to come back. Now that we know the specifics of Tolin's situation, we can go back and give him a satisfactory answer.
The problem now is...
The dwarf mercenary captain approached a soldier responsible for urging them to leave the city and pleaded in a low voice, "Sir, we're short one man... what do you think..."
In the past, he would have handed over at least two gold coins, but now that his equipment and gold coins had been confiscated, he could only try to put on a smiling face.
"Tsk." The lizardman rolled his eyes. "A primitive man who talks with his mouth."
He didn't understand what the dwarf captain was saying at all, and could only judge from the other's expression and gestures that he was probably making a request or asking a question.
He glanced at his teammates who were also on the escort mission. They were either fellow lizardmen with vertical pupils or half-demons with various other features. Their faces all showed the same indifference and confusion, clearly indicating that none of them understood what he was talking about.
The lizardman soldiers remembered that there was a human named Jeff in another patrol, but unfortunately, they couldn't find him in the current situation.
This made him feel a little envious. Those guys with A-level privileges had it so much easier. They had the right to communicate remotely through telepathy on the microbial network. They could contact whoever they wanted directly on the network, unlike him who was now completely clueless.
It is said that those core members have higher privileges and can even achieve real-time communication and screen sharing anytime, anywhere, just like using a video transmission crystal.
Of course, that level is too far away for him. He would be content if he could just work hard to get an A-level access level and be able to make remote calls in the mushroom network.
In the end, a human fungus dweller who happened to be passing by was stopped and temporarily acted as a translator. After reporting the dwarf captain's request and receiving instructions, the lizardman soldier, along with his reluctant teammates, fully armed, accompanied the group of dwarf prisoners to a workshop located within the inner perimeter of the fungus fortress.
“Go back? No way!” Master Marco suddenly raised his head, shaking his goggles like a rattle in a storm, his meticulously braided long beard swaying from side to side, slapping against the blueprints on the workbench.
“Exactly, why go back!” Torin chimed in.
This resolute refusal completely caught the mercenary captain off guard. He leaned closer to Marco and asked in a low voice, "Why...why, Master? Did they coerce you, or...you..."
"Why?" Master Marco suddenly became excited, turned around and held up a piece of a war puppet arm from the table behind him to the mercenary captain. "Look, look carefully! Do you know what this is? A war puppet! A genuine ancient war puppet part! The style is different from those old antiques in the clan's treasury. It's obviously from another independently developed war puppet craft!"
He was so excited that his spittle almost landed on the captain's face: "Moreover, not only are there relatively well-preserved physical parts of the battle puppets here, but also some of the design blueprints that match them! Even better, they will actually provide high-level magic crystals for driving tests!"
At this point, Master Marco couldn't help but click his tongue and lower his voice, as if sharing a huge secret: "The owner here is incredibly generous! Every time we conduct joint linkage or energy transfer tests on the battle puppets, he actually allows for a loss of three A-grade standard magic crystals! This generosity... I suspect that there might be a previously undiscovered high-quality magic crystal vein buried beneath the Northern Territory!"
Master Marco spoke with great enthusiasm, but these words were not so easily understood by mercenaries who were unfamiliar with battle puppets.
The captain looked troubled: "Master Marco, what you're saying... we don't quite understand. But if we leave you here alone and go back ourselves, we really can't explain it to the Deepforge Clan! The young master specifically instructed us to ensure your safety."
"Explain? How can I not explain?" Master Marco's eyes widened. "I'm staying here to keep an eye on that brat Torin, to prevent him from acting recklessly in this unfamiliar place. I'm keeping an eye on him to prevent any accidents from happening!"
The dwarf captain's eye twitched. He really wanted to say that if something really happened to young master Torlin here, you would most likely end up in the same accident as him.
Fortunately, Master Marco didn't intend to make things difficult for the mercenaries who were carrying out orders. He grabbed an oil-stained charcoal pencil and a relatively clean piece of parchment from the workbench and began to write quickly.
A moment later, he handed a well-organized letter to the mercenary captain.
The mercenary captain looked at the master who had clearly made up his mind to stay, then glanced at the few Fungus Fortress soldiers with their arms crossed and cold eyes at the workshop entrance, and finally had no choice but to leave.
As the group of dejected dwarf mercenaries were "politely escorted" out of the tall gates of Fungus Castle, Starfire, who had been waiting at the gates for a long time, stepped forward.
Under the somewhat bewildered gaze of the dwarf captain, Starfire handed him an official document sealed with wax and bearing a mushroom pattern:
"Please forward this diplomatic document to the Deepfire Clan. We, the Fungia Fortress, sincerely hope to coexist peacefully with the Dwarves and even find mutually beneficial cooperation opportunities. We hope that the Mountain Kingdom will send a formal diplomatic mission next time."
……
Master Marco was a complete surprise; hopefully, he can play a role in analyzing the combat puppet technology.
Meanwhile, the dwarven blacksmith apprentices who went out to recruit people gradually returned. Some of them even took the blacksmith association's exam during their return to the mountains and became official blacksmiths.
The other dwarven blacksmiths they brought back soon experienced the joy they had felt upon their arrival—advanced forging furnaces readily available and an endless supply of ore!
Although the ore used is recorded as a liability, look at the guys who brought them here; they almost all paid off their debts in one trip.
Not to mention someone like Pollock, who brought back a master craftsman, and can probably swing his hammer freely for the next year.
Those who arrived first can recruit others, and so can everyone else!
With this mindset, the dwarven blacksmiths soon began a blacksmithing frenzy in the forge.
There were also some dwarves who were family members of the first blacksmiths, and who may not have been blacksmiths themselves.
Some of them who were skilled in digging and mining were quickly recruited.
After signing a confidentiality agreement, they were taken to the location of the secondary space.
Thanks to some of the experienced miners, the mining progress was greatly accelerated in a short period of time!
What came out, however, surprised Lin Jun.
(End of this chapter)