649. The First Mushroom Transformers

One month before the Empire invaded the Northern Territory.

"Ah-oh, ah-oh, oooh!"

The newly built Screaming Clock gave its punctual afternoon chime, and that howl, mingled with pain and some strange pleasure, rang throughout the entire Fungal Fortress.

Beside the open-air wine stall beneath the Screaming Clock, Torin, Grum, and Baroque had gathered together once again.

With each of them pursuing their own paths, they had long since stopped being the roommates who once squeezed into the same dormitory.

Torin had buried himself in research on recreating Battle Puppet technology, and he had his own private lounge in the research district.

The place was not large, but it had everything it should, and the conditions were countless times better than the communal dormitory from back then. These days, aside from worrying about the progress of recreating the Battle Puppets, he did not have to concern himself with anything else.

Only, for some reason, the hair on Torin's body did not seem as thick as it used to be.

Grum had joined the Security Management Team and applied for a residence near headquarters.

Though it was only a single room, its advantage was that it was close to his post, making patrols and shift changes convenient.

Baroque, meanwhile, continued his previous life, constantly taking odd jobs from the mission board in the center of the Fungal Fortress, and living in a free dormitory shared by several people.

The dormitory had changed, the roommates had changed, but the friends had not.

The three of them raised the Mushroom Wine in their hands, glowing faintly green, and as they drank together and traded cups, Baroque took out a plate engraved with his name.

Torin was still wondering what it was when Grum recognized it at a glance. "A soldier's identity tag? Baroque, you