627 Not Returning

At Master Marco's pleading on behalf of the victim, Torin, he was released after only one day in the mushroom jail.

As for that band of recklessly bold Dwarf mercenaries who had tried to abduct someone right outside Fungal Fortress's gates, Linden's handling of them this time was uncharacteristically mild.

For once, he did not bring out the standard procedure of "Mycelium parasitism, Contribution Point debt, compulsory labor repayment." He merely detained them for a few extra days.

There were considerations behind this.

If Fungal Fortress wanted to keep developing, it would inevitably be observed by other powers. There was no helping that.

In fact, the nearest power, the empire, already knew of Fungal Fortress's existence. It simply did not understand much about it yet.

Since stepping onto that stage was unavoidable, Fungal Fortress had to find its own position.

If possible, Linden was more inclined to play the role of a completely neutral party that kept aloof from worldly affairs: build high walls, store ample grain, and slowly claim the crown.

But the empire clearly would not be willing to see another uncertain factor appear to its north.

Thus, for now, joining the Anti-Empire Alliance was the best choice for Fungal Fortress.

In that case, the first formal contact with the Dwarven powers became especially crucial.

If he turned an entire mercenary squad commissioned by the Deepforge Clan into mushroom-growing laborers and sent them back, that would be no different from a terrible opening move.

Linden could only suffer a little grievance and merely confiscate all their equipment except their Warmth Stones, lock them up for a week, and then expel them from the territory.

When the mercenaries walked out of the mushroom jail, they had long since lost the swagger they had shown when abducting someone outside the