Chapter 2748: Chapter 2749: Lively Mushroom

Vay’s shock, along with Dox’s echo from the side, made everyone look at Angel. Even the Black Earl, through the connectivity of their bloodline, investigated the situation within Vay’s body.

At this moment, Angel calmly withdrew his hand.

"They, they’re still not moving," Vay said. Even though Angel had already withdrawn his hand, the mycelium larvae inside him still didn’t dare to move, as if knowing their natural enemy was still nearby and not daring to be careless.

While the others were still in doubt, Dox, who had once had the privilege of seeing Cha Cha, was not surprised by Angel’s miraculous methods. He was the first to recover and asked, "So, as the Mushroom Master, you should have a way to help him expel those invading mycelium, right?"

Angel: "Say ’Mushroom Master’ one more time, and you can prepare to compensate the Sunlight Sanctuary with your tavern. Of course, the total value of your tavern isn’t even worth a strand of its fur, so it’s only the first installment of the compensation."

After Angel spoke, he gave Dox a slight glance.

Although Angel’s tone was very calm, Dox could feel that he was serious. He really would use his precious tavern to repay the debt to the Sunlight Sanctuary!

How despicable, threatening me like this!

Dox cursed internally but outwardly chuckled, "I was just kidding... don’t look at me like that, there won’t be a next time, I promise!"

Dox took the initiative to back down, and as for the reason—

Even though Angel’s words were harsh, what he said was true. The Cross Tavern meant a lot to Dox, but to Angel, it was worthless, not even comparable to the fur of the Sunlight Sanctuary.

Including the tavern in the conversation was purely to upset Dox.

Dox didn’t want to lose the Cross Tavern over such a trivial matter, so he decided to back down when necessary.

How could Angel not perceive Dox’s inner grumbling, but since Dox didn’t express it, Angel pretended not to sense it...

"How to expel the mycelium from his body? It can be done now," Angel turned back to the main topic.

Dox was taken aback and took a while to react, "Does it still need to be picked out one by one?"

Angel nodded.

Dox: "Isn’t there a faster way? Like drinking a potion and having all the mycelium expelled."

At this time, Vay timidly asked, "Why should it be expelled by vomiting?"

Dox gave him an annoyed look, "Do you want to expel it by defecating instead?"

Vay’s expression changed, and he fell silent.

Angel: "This is the quickest and least harmful method to his body. There are faster methods, but they might cause blood loss, and how long it would take to recover is uncertain—half a month? A month? Or even longer?"

Dox wanted to say more, but Vay quickly interrupted, "This way is enough. They’re not moving now, making them much easier to expel than before."

As he spoke, Vay forced out a dozen or so white cotton-like mycelium larvae from his body...of course, not by vomiting but by opening a small hole in his petrified skin, allowing the mycelium larvae to fall out.

The first time he forced the mycelium larvae out so smoothly, although the number wasn’t large, it was so easy and fluid that he felt like he was dreaming.

Most importantly, it wasn’t itchy at all and caused no pain.

Previously, when he pulled them out forcibly, it was very painful, and the mycelium larvae seemed to be swimming faster upon realizing they were about to be pulled out, making Vay even itchier.

Now there was no sensation, and he could easily expel a handful; the difference was night and day!

After tasting the sweetness of success, Vay stopped speaking, sitting directly on the ground, closing his eyes, and focusing on forcing out the mycelium larvae from his body.

At first, only a dozen or so would fall, but later, the number increased significantly. Even dozens or hundreds fell at once.

However, the mycelium larvae themselves were very tiny, so even with hundreds falling out, it only looked like a small tuft of fluffy dog hair.

Compared to the tens of thousands of mycelium larvae in his body, it was insignificant.

But Vay’s dedication was high, and at this speed, it’s estimated he could solve the mycelium issue in about a day. This was much faster than before.

Once Vay got into the state, Angel ignored the dazed Dox and continued to discuss duel strategies with Kael.

Kael’s expression grew more and more astonished as he listened, almost as if his soul had been drawn out and he was in a dream. The ideas Angel was proposing were just too whimsical, or rather... too absurd.

Can I really achieve this?

While Kael was still in a haze, the Wise Sovereign announced that preparation time was over, and the duelists from both sides were to enter the arena.

In his muddled state, Kael was pushed onto the stage.

This time, their side went up first again, with the merchants following shortly. However, at this point, it didn’t matter. On their side, only Kael was capable of going up, and their opponent had probably already worked out their strategy and identified who would face off.

So, the order no longer mattered.

Kael’s first battle was against Pink Jasmine.

Even though they saw Angel discussing tactics with Kael, and guessed Angel might be an illusionist, they still sent Pink Jasmine, an apprentice from the Illusion Series, likely intending to use the method of probing Kael’s abilities, similar to their previous approach with the ghostly shadows.

While reusing such a tactic may bore the audience, the strategy itself is quite effective.

Especially since Vay can’t go up for now, leaving Kael as their only opponent. They had three apprentices, allowing for a probe, a drain, and finally a strike.

This would be the best arrangement, but it’s highly likely they wouldn’t need the final strike; probing and draining should suffice to stop Kael from advancing.

After all, in their view, Kael is from the Academy Faction and is too inexperienced.

However, they hadn’t noticed that Kael relaxed noticeably when he saw his opponent was Pink Jasmine. Because in the strategies Angel had explained to him before, dealing with Pink Jasmine was the simplest and sounded the least absurd. After all, Angel himself was an Illusionist Wizard, fully aware of the capabilities of illusions, without needing unnecessary "flashy" moves.

As Kael was feeling fortunate, the Wise Sovereign’s voice of "duel start," accompanied by the dome, descended onto the arena.

The duel officially commenced.

...

The confrontation between Kael and Pink Jasmine was heating up.

Angel was also observing Kael’s performance, but at that moment, the previously silent "private chat channel" was suddenly activated.

Angel showed no signs of any abnormality, his eyes still fixed on the stage, but he respectfully addressed in his mind: "Lord Black Earl."

Such a private channel could only be used by the Black Earl or the Wise Sovereign. Since the Wise Sovereign was at the center of the arena, using the Mind Ribbon, even if unseen by others, would be noticeable. Therefore, it was obvious that the one contacting him was the Black Earl.

Angel was not surprised at all by why the Black Earl suddenly contacted him in private.

The Black Earl and Vay were essentially "one." What he did inside Vay’s body, the Black Earl surely knew.

When Angel had placed his hand on Vay earlier, and the Black Earl purposely turned the stone slab to "watch" him with its nostrils, Angel knew the Black Earl might reach out.

Indeed, this turned out to be true. The first question the Black Earl asked Angel was: "What is that mushroom?"

Others likely have no idea what Angel did, possibly even Vay couldn’t detect Angel’s manipulation. But the Black Earl noticed.

Yes, it’s the mushroom.

Angel left a mushroom inside Vay’s body.

It’s precisely this mushroom that puzzled the Black Earl. If it were just an ordinary mushroom, it might simply be Angel’s method of healing. But to the Black Earl’s surprise, the mushroom was exceedingly peculiar.

It seemed alive, hopping around within Vay’s body as if it considered Vay’s flesh its conquered territory, patrolling its domain back and forth.

Initially, when the Black Earl detected it, he thought it might be a mutant form of mycelium. Later, through its movements during patrol, he saw the mycelial creatures trembling with fear and finally confirmed that this mushroom was the true culprit causing these creatures to freeze.

At this point, the Black Earl focused his attention on Angel. There was no doubt that this mushroom was Angel’s doing.

At the time, the Black Earl was a bit surprised but did not have the desire to inquire Angel about it. After all, the Black Earl had previously expressed that he would not question Angel’s abnormal behavior in the underground aqueduct.

However, the Black Earl’s thoughts soon changed. Because that mushroom seemed to notice his gaze.

The judgment was based on: Whenever the Black Earl’s gaze swept over it, it stayed still. But once his gaze shifted, it continued patrolling its expansive territory.

Being able to detect the Black Earl’s eyes while inside Vay was quite astonishing. The Black Earl observed the mushroom by virtue of bloodline connection, yet the mushroom could perceive the Black Earl’s gaze through such a complex and distant logic chain.

Earlier, the Black Earl merely thought the mushroom "seemed" alive. Now, he increasingly felt that perhaps it was indeed a living thing.

But soon, the Black Earl’s idea was refuted.

The person who refuted him was Vay himself.

When the Black Earl attempted to have Vay control the mushroom, Vay replied in confusion: "What mushroom?"

Only then did the Black Earl realize that although Vay was in a state of shock, he was merely surprised by why the mycelial creatures suddenly stopped moving, completely unaware of the lively green speckled mushroom inside him.

Under the Black Earl’s instruction, Vay went to investigate but still found no trace of the mushroom.

It seemed as though the mushroom existed in a state straddling reality and illusion.

At this point, the Black Earl truly became curious about this strange mushroom. Taking advantage of the duel that kept Kaier busy, and while no one else noticed, he initiated a private chat invitation with Angel.

"As expected of you, Black Earl, no matter how secretly I act, I can’t fool you, sir." Angel complimented.

The Black Earl: "At this moment, I hope you’d learn from your mentor to skip the pleasantries and get directly to the point in every situation."

Angel: "..."

After two seconds of silence, Angel said: "What does the Black Earl wish to know? Is it the mushroom’s impact on Vay or the origin of the mushroom?"

The Black Earl: "Both, you may speak at your discretion."

The Black Earl’s words actually meant Angel could choose to withhold some information; he wouldn’t press for answers.

This aligns with the Black Earl’s initial promise.

Angel pondered for a moment: "This mushroom will not affect Vay. Once the residual issues in his body are completely eradicated, it will naturally disappear."

The Black Earl had no objection to this. He inherently didn’t believe the mushroom would impact Vay. Otherwise, he would have intervened long ago.

From his observations over time, Angel was not a bloodthirsty person, nor would he harm Vay without reason, especially with himself right there, Angel wouldn’t dare.

The Black Earl: "What else?"

Angel: "As for the origin of the mushroom... you probably already realized it’s just an illusion, right?"

The Black Earl remained silent. Although he felt the mushroom was somehow between reality and illusion, it was so lifelike that even if he suspected it might be illusion magic, he never truly confirmed it.

Now, Angel’s words cleared any doubts for the Black Earl that the mushroom was indeed an illusion!

Angel continued: "This mushroom’s essence seemingly exerts an inherent suppressive effect on fungal organisms inferior to itself. It’s akin to the pressure of a wizard."

"Based on this principle, I created its illusion through special magic, infusing it with the mushroom’s true essence, achieving an effect where illusion indistinguishable from reality. This resulted in a significant restraining effect on the mycelial creatures inside Vay."

The illusion technique Angel mentioned sounded somewhat like True Illusion to the Black Earl. However, could illusions produced by True Illusion perceive someone’s gaze? Achieving a reaction exclusive to living creatures seemed incompatible with True Illusion.

The Black Earl was very curious about this and wished to inquire further.

But while describing this illusion technique, Angel clearly stated it was a "special magic."

If it weren’t special, Angel would have named the technique outright. The lack of mention indicated Angel was reluctant to reveal the truth behind the illusion magic.

Even if the Black Earl pursued the query, Angel’s response might carry reluctance.

Although surprised, the Black Earl decided not to create a rift between him and Angel over such trivial matters.

Thus, the Black Earl did not delve further into questions regarding the illusion magic and instead directly inquired about the mushroom’s true form.

"Does the mushroom itself move? What species is it? Was it cultivated by Regina?"

Angel: "The mushroom’s true form is called ’Mystery Glow’. Regarding what species and where it originated, as well as its effects, I think you would have better clarity by asking Lord Reine."

In essence, Angel created an illusion of the Mystery Glow.

Earlier, Angel learned from Regina’s research that this peculiar living fungal species exerted a suppressive effect on its kind, especially pronounced on parasitic types.

The Mystery Glow itself also parasitizes; perhaps to compete for hosts, the Mystery Glow developed this unique pressure.

Therefore, when Angel discovered the mycelial creatures invading Vay’s body, his first thought was to use the Mystery Glow to suppress those creatures. However, exposing the Mystery Glow’s true form was out of the question, as it was under Regina’s study. Thus, Angel chose a different approach and used Nightmare Illusion Technique to create a Mystery Glow illusion.

Angel deliberately used his right hand to touch the mycelial creatures on Vay earlier, conveniently facilitating the use of Nightmare Illusion Technique.

The effect was precisely as Angel anticipated—highly effective.

What was unexpected was its significant effectiveness, enough to catch the Black Earl’s attention.

"Mystery Glow? Never heard of that term." The Black Earl: "You mentioned Reine, does he have a connection with this ’Mystery Glow’?"

Angel nodded: "Yes, so I suggest you inquire Lord Reine about it. If I divulge, it might be stepping over bounds."

The Black Earl pondered momentarily, ultimately accepting Angel’s statement.

Angel wouldn’t lie concerning "Reine," hence this peculiar mushroom might really be associated with Reine.

If that were the case, there’s no need to trouble Angel further.

Once matters here conclude, he could find time to consult Reine.

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