Chapter 334: Fungal Network
Chapter 334: Fungal Network
Lindsey was intrigued by the description of the White Serpentine Mushroom.
The Life Sanctuary in the Forest Courtyard often produced plants with wondrous effects.
By extension, a place with a high concentration of such substances likely indicated the presence of a Life Sanctuary.
The White Serpentine Mushroom and the Nightlight Juk Mushroom.
Both were fungi, and Lindsey was determined to obtain the latter.
Although the fleet's current mission was to stop the anomalies in the forest, Lindsey hadn't forgotten his own objective.
Now that he had a lead, he was eager to investigate immediately.
However, his plan to go alone differed from the rest of the team.
Upon hearing this, Lezer immediately dismissed Lindsey's idea of going solo:
"Drake, you're an important member of our team."
"It's unreasonable to send you alone into the dangerous forest during this situation. Anyone with a shred of rationality wouldn't make such a decision."
Lindsey, of course, wasn't easily swayed:
"Lezer, I have to..."
Lezer interrupted Lindsey:
"What I mean is, Drake, take some companions with you."
Lindsey's expression changed, and he quickly reiterated:
"This investigation is a personal endeavor of mine, and there's no reason to..."
Lezer turned and addressed the cabin:
"Drake is preparing to investigate the situation in the forest. Who wants to join him?"
"..."
"I'll go."
"Me too."
And so, a simple team of five was formed.
Due to the day's hunting activities, Lindsey had some knowledge of the forest and took the lead.
In less than half an hour,
He and his companions found the White Serpentine Mushroom growing in the wild, and more discoveries followed.
These mushrooms tended to appear near decaying wood or animal carcasses.
Lindsey examined each one, and the results were similar to Wayne's experience; they contained essence-influenced toxins.
But as long as they stayed away from the White Serpentine Mushroom,
The surrounding trees and grass showed no peculiarities, as if only the White Serpentine Mushroom was the exceptional one.
"Unreasonable."
"Essence influence without conscious control wouldn't selectively affect a specific fungus..."
As the team examined the White Serpentine Mushroom samples,
Lindsey, after a moment's thought, spoke up:
"This mushroom might be related to the Life Sanctuary in the forest. Everyone, be cautious and search the area thoroughly to observe their growth and distribution."
"..."
The atmosphere became tense, and the team's focus intensified.
Each member's gaze on the White Serpentine Mushroom was intensely concentrated, and even their breathing was deliberately subdued.
- Life Sanctuary.
Before their departure, they had considered this a routine exploration.
But with the mention of a Life Sanctuary—it was common knowledge that the Nine Bays City's lord had openly called for the search for Life Sanctuaries.
Currently, in the entire Forest Courtyard world, only three Life Sanctuaries had been discovered.
If they found a new one,
Even if they took a step back and focused on calming the forest,
This discovery alone would bring them glory beyond their imagination!
"Let's split up and search. If there's any issue, call out to your companions immediately."
Before dispersing, Lindsey distributed Explosive Powder to each team member.
"Be cautious during your investigations."
"If attacked, light this powder and throw it. It will create a powerful explosion, alerting the others."
"..."
The night forest was filled with eerie shadows.
A cold breeze sent chills down their spines.
Lindsey opened the map to check on his companions while continuing to search for the White Serpentine Mushroom.
But after a few hours,
The pattern of finding the White Serpentine Mushroom was clear; they were still growing on decaying wood and carcasses, with no other exciting discoveries.
When the team returned to the shore, they shared their findings:
"I followed the Echo Valley River downstream and found them on decaying wood and beast carcasses. It's easier to spot them there."
"The same goes for deeper into the forest."
"Upstream is no different; the distribution is consistent."
Lindsey asked again:
"Did any of you find anything else?"
The response was a collective shake of heads:
"No."
"I didn't either."
"It's too dark; let's wait until morning and look again?"
"..."
Lindsey's brow furrowed with concern.
Based on the information provided by others, he summarized:
"In all directions, the growth of the White Serpentine Mushrooms is consistent, with no significant differences in distribution probability, and no other special plants have appeared..."
The others, who had also come up empty-handed, chimed in:
"That's right, and these things look exactly the same, and there are so many of them everywhere. Could we have made a mistake?"
"Do we really need to keep looking?"
"..."
The others exchanged opinions.
Listening to these conversations, Lindsey focused on one particular aspect.
These White Serpentine Mushrooms were indeed difficult to distinguish from each other in terms of their growth.
However, the frequency of their appearance and distribution, compared to ordinary fungi, seemed unusually high!
"Quantity..."
Lindsey muttered softly as he took a step forward.
He found a patch of damp soil where the White Serpentine Mushrooms were growing.
But this time, Lindsey didn't pay attention to the wood or animal corpses; instead, he took out a shovel from his satchel and started digging into the ground.
Crunch—
The sound was faint.
But indeed, something in the soil was being severed by the shovel! Lindsey withdrew the shovel, bringing out a clump of dirt.
In the damp soil near the riverbank, there were also some pale, thin threads.
The threads were very fragile, easily breaking when pinched by hand, and one could vaguely discern that these threads were interconnected, forming a network-like structure.
"Is this a fungal network?"
Lindsey immediately recognized these threads.
Fungal networks are a type of underground-growing fungus, and the part that grows above the ground is what we call mushrooms.
This life form grows underground, intertwining with each other to form a network.
In Lindsey's previous life, fungal networks were considered the largest life forms in the world, with diameters of several kilometers and coverage areas in the square kilometer range—a monstrous presence!
And in the Forest Courtyard.
In this world where Essence Power exists.
"Such a massive life form should have some unique characteristics, right?"
Lindsey shifted his thinking.
Fungal networks usually grow underground.
Following this line of thought, he transformed the map from a flat mode into a 3D model and began searching underground.
Swish—
The map's display was maximized.
Lindsey also found the growth trajectory of the fungal network underground, which was far more exaggerated than the White Serpentine Mushrooms on the surface. In areas where the fungal network was dense, they could even dig out some underground cavities! Comparing these cavities with the growth trend of the fungal network, Lindsey finally discerned a result.
The further northeast they went, the denser the fungal network became.
"Lezer, I think I have a way."
Lindsey called out to Lezer, and the explorer approached, immediately crouching down in front of the soil Lindsey had dug up:
"In the soil... Drake, is your discovery related to these white things?"
Lindsey nodded affirmatively:
"This thing is the underground root system of the White Serpentine Mushrooms. I discovered their growth trend through this."
"..."
"Do mushrooms have roots?"
Lezer crushed the soil with his foot.
Inside, apart from the thread-like fungal network, there were also cotton-like lumps, information that even the explorer didn't know:
"I've never heard of such a thing."
Lindsey shrugged:
"The Life Scholars in Volcano City might have records. But since this thing is buried underground, it usually goes unnoticed, and it's not clear if it's a normal phenomenon."
Lindsey turned to look at his companions:
"Anyway, let's head northeast. This time, we should get some results."
The group set off shortly after.
Along the way, Lindsey shared his knowledge about fungal networks.
Lezer, without hesitation, recorded this information in his journal, clearly an explorer's habit.
As dawn approached, the five of them arrived at a unique terrain.
Facing the hill ahead, the ground beneath them formed a massive downward-sloping valley, surrounded by lush, towering giant trees. From a specific angle, one wouldn't even notice the peculiarity of this place.
At this moment, looking from afar.
It was as if a meteorite had fallen from the sky, hitting the ground at an angle, and leaving behind this deep, sloping trail.
The hills on both sides remained silent, as if guarding the secret hidden within this forest.
"..."
It was here that Lindsey's team halted their steps.
Apart from the splendid scenery, the valley was filled with a faint purple poison fog, so dense that it was impossible to see beyond five meters!
Gulp—
Someone in the team swallowed.
Soon, a sound of helplessness and bitterness echoed:
"How are we supposed to get in there?"
(End of Chapter)
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