Chapter 801 - 787: The Mechanism of Sacrifice

Chapter 801: Chapter 787: The Mechanism of Sacrifice

Mushroom City, outside the City Lord’s Mansion.

The commander looked at Vera and confirmed, "Are you sure there’s no problem?"

Vera smiled, "No problem, I’m clear about my own issues. Besides, Lord of Fa’er has already agreed to help me find someone, so you don’t need to worry about my affairs anymore."

"Then, good luck, brave Viscount."

"You too."

After saying goodbye, the commander mounted the horse and rode out of the city.

Upon returning to Mushroom City, the commander sought out Lord of Fa’er and used the Communication Crystal within the City Lord’s Mansion to relay the situation to Oath City.

Lorenzo then issued an order for the commander to immediately go to Oath City to report. Before leaving, he was still worried about Vera’s mental state.

However, after regaining consciousness, Vera quickly figured out the situation.

He still remembered the side effects regarding his own [sacrifice], and combining that with the commander’s account, Vera largely reconstructed what had happened—he apparently tried to assassinate the Empire’s leading Duke after the fall of Lar Fortress, but unfortunately failed.

In fact, Vera didn’t know how much he forgot besides the incident at Lar Fortress, but what he’s worried about now isn’t his memory issue, but—

The sound of hurried steps came from behind, getting closer.

Vera turned his head to look.

"Vera!"

Fei Yin, who was notified by Fa’er’s subordinates, rushed into his arms with such force that he stepped back half a step, stabilizing only by leaning against a crooked pillar.

Her hands clutched tightly at the fabric around Vera’s waist, her whole body trembling.

"Alright, alright, I’m fine, it’s good that you guys made it out too." Vera patted her head, then looked in the direction from which Fei Yin had come, "By the way, where’s Fei Ling? Is she okay?"

"Vera?" Fei Yin suddenly broke away from his embrace and looked at him with confused eyes, realizing something, "You... used [sacrifice] again?"

Vera smiled bitterly, "Probably, it seemed very dangerous then. In fact, I don’t remember the things at Lar Fortress anymore."

Tears welled up again in Fei Yin’s eyes, and for a moment, she had no idea how to speak to Vera.

Finally, she silently led Vera toward her residence in the city.

Vera’s expression gradually became somber, Fei Yin’s silence instilling a bad premonition in him.

And then, the bad premonition came true.

Upon arriving at the residence, they saw an Elf sitting inside with a desolate expression and Number Five weeping bitterly atop a large block of ice.

Although Vera wasn’t connected to the Fungal Network, he could still clearly see Number Five’s shriveled and despairing state from which even the mushroom juice seemed to have been squeezed dry.

The dried mushroom juice made the surface of the ice block sticky.

Vera approached and saw what was inside the ice block.

"Fei Ling?" Vera involuntarily stepped back half a step, "No... how did this happen..."

Behind him, Fei Yin tearfully recounted their entire ordeal at Lar Fortress, explaining that the ice block freezing Fei Ling’s body was made by a Water Mage she found after escaping.

"No... how did this happen..." Vera again stepped back half a step, his figure somewhat blurry. Sirean stepped forward to support him, and Vera glanced at him, responding weakly, "Thank you."

Afterward, everyone in the room fell into a long silence, with only Number Five still sobbing and squeezing out its mushroom juice on the ice coffin.

Just as Number Five was about to die of dehydration, it suddenly sprang up.

Clutching the Telepathy Stone, it adhered to Vera’s foot, "I thought of it, I thought of it! I can ask the Mushroom Lord to resurrect Fei Ling!"

Number Five was excited and wanted to jump, but being dried up, it had no elasticity and couldn’t move.

But after it voiced this idea, Vera immediately picked it up, "Really?"

Number Five shook its wilted mushroom cap vigorously.

"That’s great!" Everyone gathered excitedly.

After a while, Vera calmed down and looked at Sirean, "Sorry for asking just now, it was a bit chaotic... May I ask who you are...?"

Sirean: "?!"

...

In fact, with Number Five crying so loudly and for so long in the Fungal Network, Lin Jun was already aware of the situation but didn’t care much.

Just another ordinary human’s death, nothing more.

In these chaotic times, Lin Jun had seen countless similar and even more tragic unlucky ones through the Fungal Mat.

The only ones who could stir Lin Jun’s emotions were those core members he had kept for a long time.

As for Lin Jun’s attention to Vera and the others, it was solely because of [sacrifice] and Old Deng the Divine Wood.

Compared to Fei Ling’s death, Lin Jun was busy with more important matters at the moment.

At this moment, the Fungus Castle had just defeated the Dwarf Legion. Bado actually beheaded Mofulei and brought her head to the Fungus Castle to propose reconciliation.

Lin Jun was open to it, but of course, some benefits had to be seized, including Mofulei’s intact corpse.

However, Lin Jun didn’t rush to disassemble it and incorporate "Lust" onto himself. Instead, he preserved the enchanting demon’s body, deciding later whether to disassemble it or not based on the situation.

Beyond the Dwarves, naturally, the issue lies with the United Kingdom.

The fog covering the area would digest the fungal mat, so Lin Jun had yet to observe the Empire Army under Levi through the fungal mat.

However, with the fog gradually encroaching into the United Kingdom’s territory due to tidal cycles and scattered human retreat troops... These indirectly provided Lin Jun with information.

Clearly, the Demon King possesses some means to evade or even guide the fog, allowing the Empire’s forces to move through it.

Relying on the fog, nearly half of the United Kingdom’s new defense line was directly breached, with military strength aimed straight at Oath City.

Meanwhile, Sigmund also led his army out from the High Castle Fortress, coming in to flank, obviously premeditated.

The only good news is that this time the fog’s contraction is finally in its final stage, and it’ll start to gradually retreat, preventing the Empire from directly crippling Oath City’s defenses using the fog.

Yet, the situation for the United Kingdom is already quite dire.

The Empire has complete control; they could either blockade Oath City and then ravage the Kingdom’s interior to the south or encircle with two large armies and attempt a swift capture of the Royal Capital.

At this moment, Lin Jun must decide whether to retreat the army, transferring through the Rift in the Underground City to assist humanity in Mushroom City, or to let the troops stationed at the border defense against the Empire directly head south for a flank maneuver.

Compared to these matters, Fei Ling’s death seemed to Lin Jun like seeing an ally lose a high-ranking soldier.

However, since Number Five came seeking help, Lin Jun didn’t mind lending a hand. Disassembling for Lin Jun wasn’t much effort, although he couldn’t guarantee the result.

Vera’s squad, led by Number Five, left the city and removed Fei Ling from the ice coffin, placing her on a fungal mat.

The mycelium began to move, climbing onto Fei Ling’s corpse, making Vera’s team tense up.

Controlling all this, Lin Jun sensed immediately as the disassembling began—Fei Ling’s soul lacked viscosity.

As expected.

The viscosity of the soul originates from trust.

Fei Ling wasn’t a follower of the Mushroom Worship Sect and didn’t worship Lin Jun. The only possible source of trust for her soul would be Number Five.

Unfortunately, Number Five was seen as nearly a pet within Vera’s Squad.

People may like, even love pets, but rarely entrust their lives to them.

Fei Ling was in such a situation. Her soul had some viscosity but was nowhere near enough for Lin Jun to facilitate a fungal transfer.

Just as Lin Jun was about to announce the failure of reincarnation, a strange thing happened; Fei Ling’s soul’s viscosity increased rapidly, soon surpassing the standard for fungal transfer.

Dead people couldn’t change, but then what was this...?

Without much effort, Lin Jun found the source of the anomaly—the virtue on Vera’s panel was shining.

[Sacrifice of Virtue: Achieve wishes at the cost of oneself]

Achieving wishes... So that’s how it works.

Unhurriedly, Lin Jun placed Fei Ling’s soul into a Puki’s body but did not immediately call Vera’s squad to the Underground City to claim her.

If Lin Jun remembered correctly, this Fei Ling was still someone’s first love, a radiant memory?

Fei Ling, becoming Puki for the first time, remained in a daze as several Puki dragged her out of the cocoon.

"Norris, Norris, look what employee welfare our boss has brought you!"

...

On the other side, Fei Ling’s corpse had been disassembled down to the bone and clothing, with no further movement afterward.

Fei Yin, waiting for a moment, couldn’t help but weakly ask, "Number Five... what’s going on now? Did my sister... have..."

Refreshed with water, regained full form, Number Five wrinkled its mushroom cap and submerged its consciousness into the fungal network.

After a long time, it finally replied, "Succeeded."

Fei Yin covered her mouth, tears of joy streaming through her fingers.

She knelt down, clutching Number Five’s mushroom cap, her voice a mix of crying and laughter, "Where is my sister? Where is she now?"

Sirean excitedly clenched his fist.

Number Five rubbed its mushroom cap, "The Mushroom Lord said he wants to have some fun first and will return Puki Fei Ling later."

Fei Yin’s smile froze, and Sirean’s eye couldn’t help but twitch.

...

Nobody noticed Vera leaning on the corridor pillar behind them, watching them deep in thought.