Seed of Life

[Hidden Evolution Path 2: Giant Mushroom]

[Sunlight Required: 20]

[Unlock Conditions: Iron, Dark Matter]

[A giant mushroom with an enormous body and a hard exterior. It possesses no offensive capabilities. Once mature, its skin can secrete a mucus that, after hardening, is not afraid of flames.]

Who said a shelter had to be a concrete building?

Perhaps strange plants could work too.

Lincon's eyes flickered. If he had not happened to think of the Beautiful Abalone Mushroom, he might not have remembered White Mushroom's evolution paths.

Enormous in size, hard on the outside, and able to secrete a mucus from its skin while maturing that became fireproof after hardening.

No matter how he looked at it, wasn't this the best possible substitute for a house?

Perhaps it would even become a new way of living in Longwind Fortress.

At that thought, Lincon immediately prepared to return to the fortress and put his plan into action.

If it worked, then Liu Ying and the others would be able to get through the night safely.

Back in his courtyard, Lincon took out an unused White Mushroom from a container.

[Hidden Evolution Path 2: Giant Mushroom]

[Sunlight Required: 20]

[Unlock Conditions: Iron, Dark Matter]

These materials were no great difficulty for Lincon.

He came to an open area within the fortress, buried the White Mushroom in the ground, and pressed his right hand against the soil.

The next second, a tremendous rumble erupted. The ground shook continuously as a gray mushroom cap broke through the earth first.

The commotion drew the attention of quite a few people.

But Lincon paid no attention to their stares. He continuously poured spiritual power into the Giant Mushroom, causing it to grow at an astonishing speed.

Before long, a mushroom the size of an ordinary two-story building rose from the ground and appeared before everyone.

"This... this is..."

Many people looked up at the bizarre plant, their mouths hanging open in shock, unable to say a word.

Zhang Rui hurried over to Lincon, his expression filled with astonishment. "My lord, what is this thing?"

"Giant Mushroom!"

"Didn't you mention the housing problem before? This is my solution."

"But can people live in it?"

Zhang Rui was dumbfounded. He knew Lincon was highly capable, but he had never expected him to solve both the problems of food and shelter within just a few hours.

Plants could be used as houses too?

Zhang Rui had never considered that question before.

Yet the man before him had taught him a lesson through action. There was only what Zhang Rui could not imagine, never what Lincon could not accomplish.

"My lord, may I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead," Lincon said calmly.

In a voice only the two of them could hear, Zhang Rui asked with a grave expression, "My lord, are you sure your ability is cultivating plants and not being a creator?"

Indeed, the ability Lincon displayed could no longer be described as merely cultivating plants. He was practically creating them.

Every plant that passed through his hands had its properties completely altered, transforming from an ordinary plant into a miraculous spiritual plant with all kinds of uses.

Zhang Rui even suspected that, given enough time, Lincon might be able to build an entire kingdom of spiritual plants.

"You're exaggerating." Lincon's face darkened as he could not be bothered to look at Zhang Rui's expression.

His talent could only evolve plants; it could not create plants according to whatever he imagined.

Moreover, most evolved plants were merely enhanced based on the traits of the original plant, carrying significant biological limitations.

At the same time, to evolve plants along hidden paths, he still needed to find the corresponding materials to unlock them.

He had not even heard of materials like the Holy Flame Seed or Sunstone.

Zhang Rui also realized he had misspoken and shut his mouth without saying anything further.

The mature Giant Mushroom was indeed very tough. Fortunately, it was still fundamentally a plant and had not become actual iron or stone. When struck or cut with sufficient force, its surface could still be damaged.

Furthermore, once its outer skin was broken, its internal structure was actually quite soft and easy to shape.

When the Giant Mushroom secreted mucus again, it would serve perfectly as a natural hardening agent.

Even Lincon could not help but marvel at this. This thing was simply ideal material for building houses.

He recalled how, in his previous life, he had worked himself to the bone from dawn to dusk just to afford a home. After finally buying one through endless hardship, he had still been fleeced by the renovations.

Things were better now. The houses grew straight from the earth, there were no middlemen taking a cut, and even the decorating style could be entirely tailored to his preferences.

Of course, it would test one's practical skills.

But that was no longer his concern.

Lincon glanced over the surrounding crowd and said to Zhang Rui, "I've used too much spiritual power today, so I can't grow enough mushroom houses for all of them. I'll leave the arrangements to you."

"Please rest assured!" Zhang Rui immediately promised.

Lincon nodded and continued growing Giant Mushrooms, stopping only when he had nearly exhausted his spiritual power.

By then, the sky had just begun to darken, and another round of darkness quietly descended.

The people within Longwind Fortress became nervous. After all, the danger from the previous night was still fresh in their minds. Several hundred people had died in a single night.

Fortunately, Zhang Rui was highly capable, and Li Zhouhai, an ability user, kept everyone in line, so no trouble arose.

The people were divided into groups of ten and scattered throughout the city to rest.

Lincon took out nearly all his candle wax and wicks, distributing them among everyone.

At the same time, he gave additional care to subjects whose loyalty had reached 80, handing them Shrines he had strengthened with runes.

Naturally, the others noticed this. However, whenever someone stepped forward to ask why, Zhang Rui immediately turned them away.

The reason he gave unexpectedly aligned perfectly with Lincon's own thoughts.

"Because they chose to be completely loyal to my lord, they received my lord's gifts. When darkness comes, my lord's Shrines will protect them..."

Once those words were spoken, no one said anything further.

After a tiring day, the first thing Lincon did upon returning to his room was lie down on the bed.

Expending a large amount of spiritual power made him feel weary, but as long as he rested sufficiently, he could recover quickly.

Time passed slowly. The long night lasted a full nineteen hours, while ordinary people only needed half that time for sleep.

When Lincon opened his eyes, it was still night outside.

However, compared to before, the night now carried a little more life.

Candlelight glowed throughout the fortress, as if they had returned to the days before the cataclysm.

Feeling that more than half his spiritual power had recovered, Lincon took a lantern and left the house.

He still had tasks to finish.

But today should be the last day.

On the dark, silent streets, Lincon walked alone as he patrolled.

There was not a trace of fear in his eyes. The entire structure of the fortress appeared clearly before him. On the primary class Lord panel, every gray point of light indicated a creature that was not permitted to exist within his territory.

When the final dark creature fell, the darkness that had accumulated throughout the fortress seemed to fade all at once.

His field of vision became more open, no longer carrying that thick, fog-like feeling.

[Task Prompt: Clear the dark creatures that have invaded your territory (Completed)]

[Task Reward: Seed of Life]

Suddenly, on the panel before Lincon, his primary class Longwind Fortress Guardian and secondary class Plant Cultivator shone brilliantly, transforming into two marks that fused together.