Arcane Journey

Chapter 56 Lightless Woodland
There are many fungal settlements scattered throughout the Underdark.

These intelligent fungi, like humanoids, gather together, meditate together, live together, and are willing to provide shelter and safe passage for anyone who treats them kindly.

However, travelers rarely venture into this area of ​​the Sunless Wood, so its location is hardly marked on any map.

Because all the roads leading here are full of dangers and difficult to navigate.

Among Brian's group, Teemo, a fungus larva, doesn't know much about the Underdark, but this little guy has an innate sense of the way home.

Because of this, during the journey of nearly a week, everyone finally arrived in the dark woodland area without any danger.

They strode forward on the muddy land, and the smell of rot followed their steps.

A fungal jungle in the shape of a forest on the surface is presented in front of everyone, with light cream and beige thick and tall stems intertwined.

Brian found a dense overgrowth of haphazard and thriving fungi, blocking the way and seemingly unable to find their way through it.

While the shimmering light of the phosphorescent fungus illuminated the fungal field, Zeke's massive crown prevented him from seeing his surroundings, let alone finding the core leading to the lightless woodland.

"Big brother, there are many roads nearby that can lead to the lightless forest, but most of them are narrow cracks washed by water, and it will be very dangerous if you go the wrong way."

Teemo in Brian's arms spewed out a cloud of spores, and stretched out his little finger towards a long-dried underground river, "So, only this natural river can be passed directly, and there are glowing moss growing in it."

Brian nodded slightly, followed the direction Timo pointed out, and led the group to move on.

The quiet, winding road lasted only half an hour, and they found an unimaginably huge cave in the fungal forest.

The moment Brian stepped into the cave, his vision suddenly opened up.

For a moment!

He suddenly felt a sense of wonder in entering the Peach Blossom Land, and even looking at the dark and terrifying Underworld behind him seemed like a world away.

Undoubtedly, what appeared before his eyes was a woodland full of various mushrooms, molds and fungi, intertwined into a quiet and beautiful exotic landscape.

Since the entrance to the Sunless Wood was above the cavern's foundations, this gave him a panoramic view of the entire area.

In the fungus valley forest of this huge cave, mushrooms, large and small, stretched all over the place, connecting to the ceiling at the top of the cave, making the surrounding darkness illuminated by all kinds of fungi that shone like stars.

The fluorescent ground moss covered all the huge mushrooms in the entire cave, bathing the entire woodland in yellow, blue and purple glows, filled with hazy twilight, making everything look very dreamy.

Brian looked along the north wall of the cave to a fungal terrace that was closest to him and was exposed to the radiation of the leylines.

Waterfalls cascade down from the high dome and splash down on the rocky walls of the cave, and babbling streams run through the cave, forming a natural and efficient self-irrigating terrace at every turn.

Thousands of fungi of all colors filled the air with a rich, sweet smell, and many of them glowed strangely and alluringly.

Smelling the intoxicating fragrance of mushrooms, Brian set his sights on the center of the valley.

He was suddenly surprised to find that a majestic mushroom tower comparable to a palace stood in it, but due to the weak light and rising fog, he couldn't see the details of the mushroom palace clearly.

He wasn't the only one who was stunned by the strange beauty in front of him, and the others also sighed when they saw it.

Of course, except for the drow elf Curze and the Kuo Tao murloc monk who remained silent from beginning to end.

However, Brian inadvertently saw the fleeting frenzy in the pale red eyes of the drow elves looking at the mushroom tower in the middle of the valley, which made him secretly pay attention.

"Jip, guess what I saw?"

The goblin copper block greedily looked at the fluorescent fungus valley, and its two small sparkling eyes kept wandering among the huge mushrooms.

"Mushroom soup, grilled mushroom steak, mushroom bread." The dwarf Dillo saw through the goblin's little thought at a glance, and replied with a smile.

"wrong!"

Copper nimbly dodged the teleportation spores sprayed by Teemo, smiled and said, "I'm not as vulgar as you, what I saw was Gulda cream of mushroom bisque, yawnmen's hand clap pie spicy oil Fried Mushrooms, Underdark Mushroom Pancakes with Special Fire Moss Sauce"

Dillo dwarf Jeep rolled up his familiar white pupils towards the copper block as usual.

"It turns out that there are such strange and beautiful scenery in the dark region." Hesaiah on the other side brushed the ends of her hair, looking at the beautiful scenery of fungi in the valley, she couldn't help sighing.

"But it's also often mortally dangerous."

Brian reminded her with a slightly dignified expression, "Be careful, don't be confused by the appearance here, after all, the matted forest is also part of the Underdark."

"Yes."

The swamp bearman, whose hair was combed cleanly and neatly, came over and continued, "I strayed into the depths of the highest forest when I was a child, and accidentally came to a fungus forest that was even bigger than this one. sharp-toothed carnivorous mushrooms."

"Big Stupid Bear, that's the Phantom Fungus, the guardian of our lightless forest. They are inherently invisible, and only obey the orders of the leader of the hunter association Lobaum."

Timo sprayed a ball of teleportation spores at the Zedi bear, "It turns out that you, a big stupid bear, have not only been ridden by a female bear, but also bullied by phantom mushrooms. No wonder you dream of being a golden elf prince every day."

"Hey! You little mushroom head, what are you talking about?" The swamp bear gave Timo a vicious look, and stretched out its paws to scratch its little mushroom head.

Little Timo was so frightened that he quickly shrank into Brian's arms.

The group did not stay at the entrance of the cave too much. Under Timo's guidance, they walked and chatted to the central area of ​​Fungi Valley.

But in the process of walking, Brian felt more and more that something was wrong.

As far as he knows, the zodiac people are innocent and simple, and they only manage their own silent and monotonous lives day after day.

It is about eight hours of work a day, which is to take care of the fungus fields, collect resources, and maintain fortifications.

After labor, they will spend another eight hours in telepathic communication with other individuals, which they call 'mindfulness', and then use the remaining eight hours to rest, and so on day after day.

It is this monotonous life characteristic that makes them shy and exclusive.

Walking this way, he met many busy mushroom people, but he had the illusion that the mushroom people in the dull woodland were very outgoing.

Seeing a group of them passing by, most mushroom people would put down their work and greet them enthusiastically.

"Oh, Teemo is back, it's really time for you to come back, happy days are coming soon."

A fungus decorated with glittering fungal garlands, seeing Teemo in Brian's arms, immediately greeted happily, "Our master association is preparing a wonderful celebration, hurry up and bring your soft friends , join the fusion of the great Sower."

"It's Teemo, these soft guys must be your friends."

Not long after the mushroom man left, another mushroom man carrying a Zeke wood mushroom handle enthusiastically came to the crowd, spraying his own teleportation spores excitedly:
"It's really time for you to come. Our builders' association is planning to build a magnificent mushroom tower in our own territory, but we don't know the architectural style of the surface world at all, and we don't even know the size of the bricks and the density of the wood. If Chief Gasbaid will be very happy to have the help and guidance of your gentle friends."

"Don't worry, my friend, we are here to help you build a magnificent mushroom tower, and we will visit the leader of your builder association in person later." Seeing this enthusiastic mushroom man chattering endlessly, Brian Reply to it perfunctorily, trying to end this boring conversation.

"Then you must not forget, if possible, I really hope that this mushroom tower can break through the dark area and directly extend to the bright surface world." The mushroom man carrying the wood said goodbye to Brian and others reluctantly.

"It's strange, why have you changed so much recently?" Timo muttered to himself suspiciously, looking at the back of the mushroom man leaving.

"In this situation, let's find out about your Mushroom King first." Brian patted Timo's little mushroom head to comfort it.

He thought back to the dancing myconites he'd met in Silk Pass.

Seeing the strange situation in the lightless woodland, Brian's guess was immediately confirmed.

"Yeah, I see." Timo nodded obediently, and immediately guided them to move on.

The depression in the center of the light-free woodland is the main habitat of the Takumi colony.

Phosphorescent fungi all over the ceiling and walls of the cave form a strange constellation map, contrasting the dark chasm and misty cave ahead.

Brian saw a group of tall and tall myconids coming out of the fog-shrouded cave.

One of them, a 5-meter-tall mushroom man, stood out from the crowd, looking particularly conspicuous.

As it moves slowly and heavily, the umbrella-like cap on its head is also shaking with its gracefully twisting thick handle.

"It's so exciting that Teemo is back, praise to the great sower!"

The tall mushroom man walked up to the crowd, released his own teleportation spores, and greeted sincerely and enthusiastically:
"I am Wang Feiluo, the mushroom man of the Dark Forest. It must be you soft friends who saved our Teemo and escorted him back safely. In this regard, on behalf of all the mushroom people of the Dark Forest, I would like to express my sincere thanks to you." Your sincerest thanks."

"Nice to meet you, and welcome to come here at a very wonderful time." The mushroom man Wang Feiluo bowed deeply to them, and said gratefully:

"This is the greatest and grandest hour of the Darkwood! Surely you are here for the wedding of 'Lady'. Honorable guests, let me call you that, and let the great sower embrace you with love , for the day of joy is coming!"

Mushroom man Wang Feiluo.

Brian heard Timo mention to him that there are two mushroom kings in the entire Dark Forest.

And Teemo's leader is another mushroom man, Basdia.

In fact, sage communities usually have only one mushroom man king.

As the largest individual in the community, the Mushroom King's status is independent of and above all associations.

But two years ago, the Fungus King Basdia brought his two associations (the Hunter Association and the Explorer Association) to the Sunless Forest.

Myconi Wang Feiluo warmly welcomed the new group of myconi, and accepted Basdia's proposal to share the leadership of all associations in the woodland.

The two mushroom kings have since become very close partners, and the two individuals even share authority and obligations without any struggle.

"Thank you very much for the hospitality of Chief Philo. We will definitely enjoy this happy moment." Brian bowed slightly and replied politely.

"That's really great, my soft friends, let Teemo take you on a tour of the Dark Forest." The Fungus King showed a warm smile:
"However, in order to give you enough surprises, I still suggest that you do not go to the highlands in the east of the woodland for the time being, because our master association is preparing an 'extremely wonderful surprise' and it has not yet been completed. But I can assure you, Tomorrow will definitely let you watch the biggest 'wedding' in the entire Underdark."

"Thank you for your hospitality and praise the great sower, so let us welcome the surprise with anticipation." Brian smiled slightly and said in a slightly eager tone.

Taking advantage of the gap between his words, he glanced at the group of subordinates behind the Fungus King from the corner of his eye.

Then, the two exchanged a few words again, and the mushroom man king happily led his group of mushroom man subordinates and five association leaders, turned around and walked towards the east highland.

(End of this chapter)