Mushroom Lord in the Underground City

Chapter 690: Chapter 679: Everything Was... a Scheme

"Cough, cough, cough...!"

Mortis took out a silk handkerchief, wiped away the unsightly marks at the corner of his mouth, and then looked at Mofulei to confirm: "Eugene is dead?"

The news was so shocking that he couldn’t even taste the Delicious Level 8 Blood Jade Wine he had just swallowed.

Mofulei did not look up, simply presenting the stack of intelligence reports in her hands.

These were urgent dispatches from the Northern Border, along with the latest communication from Duke Dean, placed before the Emperor.

A group of tribal people displayed strength far beyond expectations.

Duke Eugene, who went to suppress them, was almost killed right in front of Dean.

Mutated Puki, Fungal Mat, creatures of parasitic nature, and blood race traitors who ascended through unknown means.

The Emperor carefully reviewed these reports, pausing longer on information related to Louisa.

"The Holy Scripture is actually in the Northern Territory..."

"Your Majesty," Mofulei asked in a low voice, "Dean’s request for reinforcements... should we alter the current arrangements?"

Mortis was silent for a moment, then shook his head.

"No, grant Dean full authority and let him take over the entire Northern Border. Until things here are resolved, he needs to hold on by himself."

"Yes!"

After taking another sip of the latest tribute of Blood Jade Wine from Sigmund, Mortis displayed a sincere smile.

There is only one way for blood race traitors to ascend, and Mortis understands this all too well.

Currently, only he and Visarius possess knowledge of the Blood Ritual, and such pinnacle figures of bloodlines would never disclose its secrets.

Thus, the only possibility is the Holy Scripture that remains unfound.

Given the traces of the Holy Scripture, the mastermind behind the abnormality in the Northern Territory is evident.

At this critical juncture, the intent is clearly to divert his attention and disrupt existing plans.

In other words—the Demon King has made his move.

However, this only bolstered Mortis’s confidence.

Facing the Demon King, Mortis, holding sway over the entire Empire, never felt wholly assured of victory.

But given the Demon King needs to use such myriad measures to weaken him, it is clear the opponent is not in peak condition and lacks absolute certainty.

Yet Mortis will not fall for it, even if the entire Northern Border plunges into flames, in Mortis’s view, the Demon King is always more crucial.

Moreover, he still holds a hidden trump card...

After arranging matters regarding the Northern Border, Mortis led the Enchanting Demon out of the tent.

Outside, at the entrance to the Underground City of Dragon Cliff, a scene bustling with activity unfolded.

Thousands of craftsmen and mages were busily working near the entrance, and a giant composite magic array had begun to take shape.

The array patterns nested layer by layer, with towers of magic power crystals at its core, each needing precise calibration; from a distance, the scale of the array was enough to blanket the entire valley.

But Mortis did not spare it a glance; these were merely for outsiders to see, for facing the Demon King, who stands atop the spellcasters, most magic arrays would not even qualify to be activated.

He turned and entered an inconspicuous dark passage nearby. The passage was narrow and winding, devoid of any magic power fluctuations; all mechanisms were purely physical, involving gears, levers, and hidden doors, leading deeper underground layer by layer.

When he pushed open the last stone door at the end, an entirely different space unfolded before his eyes.

It was an annular underground space excavated around the Underground City of Dragon Cliff.

The domed ceiling soared high, the walls chiseled smoothly, with dim oil lamps placed every few steps.

And in this underground space, a similar group of craftsmen and mages were busy, setting up another type of magic array.

The Anti-Magic Array.

Unlike the external grandeur, here every engraving was meticulously concealed, every magic power crystal wrapped in lead, ensuring not a trace of magic power leaked before activation.

"How’s the progress?" Mortis’s voice echoed through the empty underground.

"Two months until completion," Mofulei answered.

"Security?"

"Since entering, these individuals have been prohibited from all external communication," Mofulei spoke quietly, so low that the craftsmen nearby couldn’t hear a word, "Once the array is constructed, I will personally deal with all the informed individuals to ensure no one can divulge the arrangements here."

Mortis nodded.

"Good, but don’t forget to occasionally appear at the external magic array, preventing unnecessary suspicions." He paused, revealing a hint of a smile, "This is the surprise I’ve prepared for the Demon King. Don’t let it meet the same fate as Eugene."

...

The Northern Border of the Empire.

Dean, looking at the freshly delivered appointment letter, showed no sign of joy on his face; now he bears unprecedented pressure.

Having just suffered a major defeat, the northern forces had fallen into an unprecedented low. The Emperor seemingly had no intention of sending reinforcements?

It’s vital to know that even if the Northern Territory tribesmen harbor no intent to attack, the Dwarves surely wouldn’t let slip such an opportunity.

Although he had promptly reached a mutual assistance agreement with Duke Levi, the future remains uncertain.

What further troubled him were the Demon Race soldiers that had fled...

"Chief, those routed soldiers have started to riot again."

Having learned from Eugene’s last words about the surveillance capacity of the Fungal Mat, and seeing these fleeing mycelium demons, how could Dean not be suspicious?

He placed them separately across several encampments, nominally for care, but actually, he dared not let them out.

Dean was unsure of their actual status, although not seeming traitorous, who knows how many among them might have issues?

And who knows whether these parasitic mycelium have functions unknown to their hosts?

"Chief, I suggest we kill them all! There’s no need to gamble on such a possibility." suggested one Demon Race member.

Before Dean could speak, another Demon Race member stepped up, "Are you suggesting we also kill Sehi and Lokfire? That all thousand Demon Race members should be killed as well?"

The Sehi and Lokfire he mentioned were two of the Demon Race commanders who led the expedition with Eugene.

Before this, they were entities capable of standing in this room, discussing internal affairs of the race.

Now, because of the mycelium parasitism issue, the returning Demon Race members were temporarily isolated.

Unity is crucial within the Demon Race, and at least Dean very much values this.

Upon the rebuttal, the proposing Demon Race member couldn’t say more.

Dean leaned back in his seat, observing the scene, unable to suppress a heavy sigh.

Killing is not possible, killing would cause internal and external division.

He could rely on his long-term management to maintain control of his territory, but the newly acquired domain of Duke Eugene, those nobles and soldiers under Eugene, while unlikely to directly defect, can’t be expected to contribute much in subsequent battles.

Confinement wastes already scarce forces on internal attrition while leaving behind these potential explosive threats, which is also not feasible.

To confront the coming warfare, striving to maximize battle strength without reinforcements...

Dean seemingly has choices, but in reality, he lacks options.

"Alas," he sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead and waving his hand, "Release them, reorganize them."

...

Meanwhile, in the Fungus Castle celebrating victory, the Dwarves had yet to realize the severity of mycelium parasitism.