"This, this..." The young Puff's mushroom cap trembled as she looked left and right for the incoming figures. "What should we do? If they're really assassins..."
"Then you're dead."
"Huh? There's no hope of winning?"
Seeing that Inanna still held onto a fantasy, Linden mercilessly analyzed the situation for her:
"Think about it, we're trapped on this floor and can't get out, but they can easily come down from above. The difference in strength is obvious, right?"
"Then what should I do?"
"How about being ready to self-destruct with the Magic Crystal at any time?"
"Mutual destruction?"
"You'll die with a little more dignity."
"That... makes sense..."
When the Silver Thorns team reached the center of the Mushroom Garden, they saw a pink Puff with a large Magic Crystal on its head, its magic power surging, ready to self-destruct at any moment.
Linden had thoughtfully arranged two Puff on either side of her, making their presence seem much more imposing.
Exploding such a large Magic Crystal would be incomparable to the one at the entrance.
Night Owl immediately wanted to use her speed advantage to neutralize the threat as quickly as possible.
Shadow Shackles
As expected of a teammate, Ivan's first move was a spell that countered Night Owl.
"Calm down, you brute."
Only after Ivan's reminder did Night Owl notice that their captain, Nova, was looking at the pink Puff in front of them with excitement.
Feeling the direction of the positioning crystal in his hand, there was no doubt that the Puff in front of them was their rescue target—the Duke's daughter, Inanna Saint Claire.
Nova immediately knelt on one knee, performing a standard noble etiquette towards Inanna.
"Miss Inanna, we are adventurers entrusted by your father, Duke Amala, to rescue you. We apologize for startling you."
As he spoke, he gave a look to Night Owl, who was standing foolishly with a dagger in her hand.
He was now incredibly grateful that he had stopped Night Owl's plan to clear the area before they came in.
He didn't dare to imagine what would happen if the Duke discovered that the adventurers who were supposed to rescue his daughter had his Vengeance Mark on them...
Gulp—
It wouldn't just be the Duke himself hunting them down; the Adventurer's Guild would definitely issue a high bounty on them to distance themselves from such a mess.
That would truly be a situation where the world was vast, but there was no place for them to hide.
Thinking of this, Nova couldn't help but shiver, and his gaze towards Night Owl became increasingly unfriendly—she had indeed become more reckless recently. It was time to hold a self-reflection meeting when they returned.
"How would I know..." The glared-at Night Owl muttered as she put away her weapon and knelt down, mimicking her captain's posture.
Although he couldn't understand the conversation, seeing the few people kneeling before Inanna, Linden was certain of their purpose.
Inanna was even more excited, jumping up with the Magic Crystal still in a critical state on her head.
Frightened, Linden quickly urged her to calm down, warning that if she blew herself up now, it would be a huge joke.
"Old man... Father actually came to save me!"
Inanna didn't know she had a positioning spell on her. After hearing the words of the two traitors earlier, she had always thought the Duke would be too busy to save her.
Just now, she had suspected that the people in front of her were here to eliminate her completely. Now, she felt a sense of overwhelming joy, though Puff had no tears.
"Boss, did you hear? We can go out!"
"After we get out, you can fill my family's Private Woodland with mushrooms."
"The old man will definitely agree too."
"We can also... also..."
"Boss, why aren't you talking?"
"Linden?"
A Puff with an A-Grade Magic Crystal slightly smaller than the one on Inanna's head came up to her.
"Newcomer, you've done pretty well these past few days. This is your bonus."
"Don't mention me to these people. Good luck in the future."
Linden finally replied, but the content of the reply made her confused.
"Don't you want to go out too? Why?"
"..."
"Miss Inanna, can we communicate like this?"
The voice sounded directly in Inanna's mind as usual, but it wasn't Linden speaking.
Inanna looked at the half-elf old man in front of her, realizing he had used a Telepathy Spell.
"Yes..."
"It's wonderful to see you safe and sound. I know you've been solidified by a Transformation Spell. Don't worry, we will prepare a reversal ritual for you as soon as we leave the dungeon. Please bear with it for a little longer."
"Okay."
Ivan felt that the person in front of him was a shy and somewhat introverted girl, which didn't quite match the information they had gathered before.
However, the positioning crystal must be correct; the person in front of him must be the Duke's daughter.
Considering that a young girl had suddenly suffered betrayal and was on the verge of death, it was quite normal for her personality to change slightly.
"Miss Inanna, can you tell us what exactly you experienced?"
"I... I don't want to say..."
Inanna remembered Linden's words. After a moment of thought, she chose not to make up a story, but to remain silent.
Indeed, after a slight pause, Ivan took the initiative to reassure her, "Ah, it's fine, it's fine. This wasn't meant to be an interrogation anyway."
Ivan was certainly aware that there might be secrets within this Mushroom Garden.
Otherwise, the Duke's daughter couldn't have survived here, and from the looks of it, she got along quite well with the Puff here.
At any other time, he would definitely investigate to satisfy his curiosity.
But now, this was a mission related to the reward for an entire city.
Even if this pink Puff, transformed from the Duke's daughter, wanted to spray spores on the Night Owl's head, he would have to help hold the Night Owl down to keep it from moving.
Not to mention a small secret here.
"We'll be returning soon. Is there anything you need to take with you?"
At Inanna's signal, Ivan took out a box and put away the Magic Crystal that had appeared later.
As for the one on Inanna's head, she still insisted on keeping it tied there.
Ivan simply replaced the Mycelial Network tentacles originally used to tie the Magic Crystal with a tough ribbon.
After a brief communication with his teammates, Ivan carried Inanna and returned the way they came.
As they moved further away from the Mushroom Garden, the connection to the Mycelial Network grew weaker.
Having lost the vision provided by the Mycelial Network, Inanna suddenly felt as if she had returned to the moment she was first transformed into a Puff.
Loneliness, fear—
Watching the adventurer team disappear into the passage, Linden's main body, piloting the strongest Puff, emerged from his hiding place.
Of course, he couldn't leave with Inanna.
Having spent these days with Inanna, he knew that what she said were her true thoughts.
But Linden couldn't trust adventurers, much less a great noble like Inanna's father.
He wasn't sure if there was anything about him that these people would covet.
Even if he were taken out, his position would likely just be the Duke's daughter's pet.
And what would the Duke do if he discovered that killing his own daughter's pet would bring him great benefits?
This was just a hypothesis, but Linden would never gamble his hope on others.
Moreover, not leaving with Inanna didn't mean he wouldn't follow them from a distance, using these adventurers to clear a safe path for himself.
He placed the Sunstone fragments he had collected and an S-Grade Magic Crystal under the Super Puff's shell.
He gathered the only 40 combat Puff he had.
Linden took one last look at the Mushroom Garden he had created with his own hands, which had helped him through the most difficult period—it had completed its mission.
Following Inanna's faint Mycelial Network signal, Linden also stepped into the passage.