Those Who Strive

Hearing the emotion in his voice, Alice's gaze softened. She looked at Klein, who beckoned to them.

"You should try them too."

Surprisingly, aside from the first person to take a bite, the others did not move. They all looked toward High Priest Nim. Nim slowly reached into his pocket and took out a reflective lens.

...?

Thank goodness, it seemed to be a magnifying glass...

Alice's body stiffened for a moment. Only after realizing that the object did not resemble a Monocle in size, thickness, or shape did she relax.

Nim used the magnifying glass to observe the person who had bitten the Mushroom for several seconds, then put it away and nodded.

At that, the others seemed to receive permission and began picking up the Mushrooms to eat. Only Alice stared at Nim, slowly furrowing her brow.

This High Priest had a little too much influence... The chief of the City of Silver seemed to be like this too?

At a certain moment, a dangerous thought crossed Alice's mind. She became curious about whom the Moon City Residents would choose if the god they believed in wanted to kill their High Priest.

But in that case, he would kill himself, wouldn't he...

Based on her understanding of the City of Silver and Moon City, Alice reached that conclusion and sighed softly.

The hidden malice in her heart vanished. Watching the others eat the Mushrooms, Alice merely reminded them:

"Other than the Pure Black Mushroom, all of them can be eaten. Also, aside from that special White Mushroom, the other Mushrooms must be roasted thoroughly before consumption.

"Otherwise, you'll turn into a clump of Mushrooms..."

"The white Mushrooms can be roasted too," Klein added. "But once they are fully cooked, they crack easily, and the liquid inside flows out.