Mushroom Lord in the Underground City

Chapter 603 - 593: Release

Inside the stone-built prison cell, light streamed in through a narrow vent high above, the air filled with the scent of old stones and dry hay, yet oddly mixed with a trace of the unique freshness of fungi.

Julia knelt on the hay spread on the ground, her hands clasped in front of her chest, muttering a prayer:

"...Thus, we praise Your abundance, grateful for the life and food You bestow."

She paused for a moment, slowly opened her eyes, and turned to Twelfth Puki, who was attempting to weave a robe from dry hay beside her.

"Great Twelfth Mushroom Envoy, doesn’t the word ’abundance’ seem too vague? It always feels a bit like an Elf Druid’s style..."

The mushroom hat of Twelfth Puki wobbled, extending two mycelium threads to gesture in front of it.

It made no sound, but was actually communicating with Julia through the Fungal Network.

"The destiny of all life, is it... Alright, I’ll rethink how to change this prayer."

At this moment, the sound of patrolling guards’ footsteps came from outside the prison cell. Twelve stood in the corner, a ripple spreading around it, then its form vanished.

The iron door was pushed open, and a guard sidestepped in. An iron ring hung from his waist, strung with ten or so similar-looking old keys, as he squinted and fiddled with each one to identify them.

"Started again?" The guard didn’t even look up, his voice laced with a hint of annoyance. "Mumbling to the wall all day... If you ask me, they should send you to the Alchemist to get treated, rather than wasting prison food here."

He finally found the right key for this cell, opened the solitary cell’s iron bars, and handed over a reasonably clean piece of rough burlap cloth and a small basin of water.

"Here, wipe your face. Tidy up your hair, don’t look like a madwoman, there’s a big shot coming to see you soon."

"A big shot?"

The big shot arrived quickly.

The cell door was pushed open again, this time with much more force. The warden’s short and stout figure squeezed in first, a nearly overflowing ingratiating smile on his face as he sidestepped and bowed, almost in a guiding posture, to introduce the person behind him into this small prison room.

Inanna walked in.

The warden rubbed his hands, speaking rapidly, the flattery in his words almost dripping:

"Lord Inanna, if you wish to see anyone, just a word from you will do! As long as it’s not those extreme desperados, I can cleanly bring them to the reception room for you at any time. There’s really no need for you to personally come to such a dirty place... The smell here isn’t good, and it’s very damp. If you happen to catch something or damage your noble body, it would truly be our fault."

The warden could have said a few more flattering words, but the jailer who had previously shown impatience towards Julia could only stand straight in the shadow of the corner, staring straight ahead, not daring to glance around.

Inanna responded only with a faint and appropriate smile, nodding slightly.

Since being kidnapped by two fellows who used to pay respects and curry favor with her, nearly meeting her end in the Underground City, she had developed an extraordinary wariness towards faces filled with smiles.

Underneath kind words, who knows what thoughts are wrapped within?

However, Inanna was never good at seeing through people’s hearts. Often, she herself couldn’t tell whether the smiling face in front of her was genuinely good-willed, or another carefully drawn fake mask.

Compared to that, the world of Pukis was much simpler.

The Mushroom Race never hides their nature, straightforwardly adorable, no wonder she liked these little creatures so much.

She didn’t pay much attention to the warden behind her still chattering on, trying to show loyalty, but instead focused her attention inside the cell.

She felt there might be another Puki here, but after scanning the area, she couldn’t see it and couldn’t tell where it was hiding.

No. 4 found Twelfth, excitedly wanting to bump mushrooms to greet it but was held back by Twelfth’s tendril to avoid revealing its presence.

With no immediate results, Inanna composed herself, turning to the matter at hand.

"You, are you Julia of the Mushroom Worship Sect?"

...

"What did you say? Miss Inanna wants to release the leader of the Mushroom Worship Sect?"

Fa’er, who was just nodding frequently at the profitability forecast report on Dwarf and Elf trade in his hand, frowned instantly, his fingers unconsciously crumpling the report paper.

Just moments before, he was privately praising this young lady for her outstanding completion of the envoy mission, facilitating the agreement, ensuring more frequent business for both parties in the future.

Mushroom City, successfully transitioned from a mere mushroom production area to a haven for Puki Masters, being the hub of trade radiating the surroundings, was bound to benefit greatly from this increasingly frequent large-scale interaction.

He had rarely said such sincere words of praise.

Who would have thought, right after the praise, this young lady would turn around and present him with a predicament!

In theory, Julia hadn’t committed any heinous crime, and was simply sentenced to ordinary imprisonment. For Inanna, the Duke’s daughter and a war hero, pulling out an ordinary criminal like her in the Bright feudal system should be simple enough.

But Julia was involved in religion!

Bright Church, having suffered heavy losses resisting the Demon Race, was on guard against other haphazard sects rising.

Precisely because their power was weakened, the Church now was more sensitive and vigilant than ever.

If it weren’t for the fact that Julia’s case might be related to Pukis and the Mushroom Race, she might have faced severe punishment already.

Right now, mere imprisonment, with basic provisions to prevent starvation or freezing, was quite lenient.

As for releasing her...

Inanna could leisurely leave with her due to her status, but if the Church queried later, how would Fa’er, the City Lord, respond?

Fa’er, who single-handedly created the prosperity of Mushroom City, enjoyed significant prestige within the Kingdom, but was, after all, just a city lord.

The Bright Church, even with reduced power, was not an entity he could afford to easily offend.

"So... should we try stopping Miss Inanna?" Mira Belle’s voice was tinged with hesitation.

"No, no, no." Fa’er hurriedly waved his hand.

He couldn’t afford to offend the Church, but could he afford to offend Inanna Saint Claire?

Stuck in between, any choice would be wrong.

He had to extricate both Mushroom City and himself from this dilemma.

Quickly, he recalled a recent piece of intelligence.

"Right!" Fa’er’s eyes glinted, instantly deciding, "Wasn’t it said recently that His Grace had returned to the Duke’s Mansion? Mira Belle, go immediately, use the Communication Crystal to inform the Duke himself about everything happening here promptly and in full!"

He had to let someone who could really make decisions take over this hot potato.

...

One day later.

"Inanna! My daughter, you return from your mission, yet you don’t first come home to see your father!"

Accompanied by a loud voice, Alama walked into the room, glanced at Julia who was engaged in a knee-to-knee conversation with Inanna, and didn’t rush to speak but instead gave Inanna a big bear hug!

The force of it seemingly wanting to ensure his daughter was intact.

Inanna squirmed back uncomfortably.

However, just as Alama’s arms closed in, a sudden change occurred!

A dress made purely of ice crystals suddenly materialized from Inanna’s body surface!

A biting chill surged out toward the direction of the surprise attack.

"Old man!" Inanna was also startled, instinctively exclaiming.

Fortunately, Alama, as a lord-level figure, wasn’t about to be taken down by an ice gown.

He rubbed the ice crystals forming on his chin, shivering as he asked, "My dear daughter, why don’t I recall the storeroom having such fashionable gear? Was it gifted by the Elves?"