Chapter 1086: Courage in the Pursuit of Happiness

Mushrooms?

No one spoke, but even a fool could tell that these two words were like the tolling of a bell, continuously reverberating in the minds of the two individuals and the cat. After a few seconds, the three heads simultaneously lifted, scanning the cluster of 'buildings' surrounding them. Meowie Hu's mouth even hung open, emitting a faint snoring sound.

Everyone had seen fungi before, but the idea of mushrooms towering dozens of meters high, occupying vast spaces, and resembling buildings was beyond most people's imagination. Lin Sanjiu suppressed the bizarre feelings of loss and absurdity in her heart and asked in a hoarse voice, "All... all of them?"

"Indeed," Puppeteer snapped his fingers, and the two puppets that had been silently accompanying him immediately knelt on the ground, intertwining their limbs to form a chair shape for him to sit on. He had only received preliminary treatment and was far from recovered; his physical strength seemed to still be weak.

"The luminous streetlamps are a type of 'Nightlight Mushroom.' Because they are all-natural creations, they vary in brightness and irregularity in appearance and growth location." He raised his chin slightly, his voice cold and light but still audible, "As for these buildings... they are even more diverse. Don't you know how vast the variety of fungi is?"

Lin Sanjiu really didn't know. She thought Puppeteer unexpectedly seemed very knowledgeable... but she kept that thought to herself. The sense of fulfillment and happiness that had been so bright and vibrant in her heart just a few hours ago now entangled with the dark and oppressive reality in her mind, creating a whirlpool of confusion.

"Why would mushrooms be this big?" Bohemia widened her eyes and asked. Not only her, but everyone present found it hard to believe that mushrooms could grow into an entire city.

Puppeteer seemed a little impatient as he waved his hand, and a shadow swiftly cut through the air, crashing toward the two individuals and the cat. Just as they were about to move and dodge, the shadow 'thumped' onto the ground, and with a gust of wind, the pages of a book fluttered open.

"Mokugyo Encyclopedic Forum..." Lin Sanjiu read the words on the cover.

Although she recognized every word, they appeared meaningless in her eyes. Compared to the radiant and fulfilling experiences from earlier, everything now seemed withered, dim, and distant.

It was Bohemia who stooped down to pick up the book. As she muttered, "It's precious to have this," she quickly flipped through its pages.

For a price, the Mokugyo Encyclopedic Forum could provide posthumans with information handbooks specifically tailored to various apocalyptic worlds. The contents were more comprehensive and detailed than what ordinary people could access. It even included information on Pocket Dimension distribution, duoluozhong analysis, climate changes, and more. It could be called an apocalyptic version of the Lonely Planet guidebook. Needless to say, with such information in hand, one's lifespan would naturally be longer than others'.

Using the glow of the Nightlight Mushroom, Bohemia examined the book for a while, and her expression grew increasingly strange. "Um... the place you took me and Puppeteer to earlier, was it called Lobster... something?"

"The Lobster Body Repair Center."

Bohemia sighed, massaging her temples, and cursed under her breath, "Damn it."

"What's wrong?" Lin Sanjiu asked in a despondent manner.

"It was orange-red, right?" Bohemia kept her gaze on the handbook without looking back as she asked, "The top was irregularly umbrella-shaped, and there was a short, pillar-like structure underneath..."

"Yes, I even saw the fine cracks when I opened the door..."

"It really is a mushroom." Bohemia closed the book and sighed again. "It's called 'Lobster Mushroom'... It's written in this book."

Not only was the Lobster Mushroom a more common mushroom, but she also found many other architectural illustrations of 'buildings' in the book. The shapes of the fungi varied significantly, and many of their peculiar names were incomplete. However, after skimming through the book, she finally understood.

Why did that 'bank' have dozens of doors, each as narrow as a slit? It was because those weren't doors; they were the fissures on the surface of the mushroom. The local residents took advantage of the natural structure of the giant mushroom to extend and develop the fissures into doors.

Why did the crumpled bakery have no entrances and connect to each other at the root? It was because they originally grew from the same mycelium.

Buildings with small offices on the exterior, living rooms with walls full of holes, and city streets without any planning... The twisted form of this city, resembling the imagination of a mentally ill person, and its eerie vitality were all because it was composed of over a thousand different varieties of fungi that grew freely.

"There are quite a few mushrooms here that seem edible," Bohemia murmured.

"Edible?" Dr. Hu suddenly felt offended, and his fur stood on end as he pointed toward the distant shadows and said, "These things that look abnormal and unhealthy, no one would eat them even if they were edible, right? And how would you even eat them? Do you cut off a piece of the wall to eat?"

"Then they will remember you." Puppeteer's voice was cool. He happened to be sitting on the edge of the Nightlight Mushroom, his face obscured by shadows, with only a pair of pale, emaciated hands crossed on his black leather pants. "Lin Sanjiu, you attacked a mushroom before, right? Anyone who harms them will be remembered by this collective... They share thoughts and memories. The reason only she was infected by the spores in the Lobster Mushroom is because of this."

Bohemia's face changed, and she exchanged a glance with Dr. Hu. She still remembered accidentally running over a newly sprouted bean sprout while driving, and the piercing screams that seemed to echo in her mind even now. She quickly opened the book again, using her Higher Consciousness to protect her nose, and her voice trembled as she said, "I... I also accidentally..."

But she had been in the mushroom city for quite some time and didn't seem to have inhaled any spores. Dr. Hu pondered for a moment and speculated, "Is it because those bean sprouts were too far from this city and hadn't matured yet, so their memories couldn't be shared? Do you... feel happy now?"

"If you want to cry, you can cry at any time," Bohemia's face stretched long.

"Wait," Lin Sanjiu suddenly interjected, as if only just realizing it now, "So you're saying that anyone who attacks these mushrooms is considered an enemy... That's why these mushroom creatures sent servants to capture me and released spores at me?"

"You can understand human speech," Puppeteer said casually, "Truly a luminary in the world of flies."

Lin Sanjiu usually let his taunts go in one ear and out the other. However, this time, although she remained silent, her expression seemed a little off.

"So, if I attack them again, it should be enough?" she asked.

Before the words had even finished, the Tornado Whip had already unleashed a fierce gust of wind toward the nearest Nightlight Mushroom.