Chapter 21

On the tablecloth lay roast chicken, honey-steamed beast meat, nut cake, mushroom salad, and other food.

A large group of dwarves were dancing around a tree stump.

One dwarf stood in the middle, surrounded by the others, with a huge bottle of liquor on his shoulder.

He danced with a tap-tap of his feet, tilting the bottle from time to time to pour liquor into the huge glasses held up around him.

When his aim was off, he would spill some on the little dwarves.

The little dwarves who got splashed didn't get angry. They simply wiped off the liquor and went on singing happily.

"Lord Silver Dragon!" one little dwarf spotted him and shouted. "Come have a drink!"

"Today's drink is berry gin!"

"Come on, my lord, here's a glass."

Xie Juanhan smiled and waved them off, retreating a little farther into the woods without disturbing the little dwarves' feast.

The little dwarves didn't mind being turned down. They soon hoisted the liquor again and went on belting out songs and dancing.

Every day at noon, during their break, they laid out good food and wine and sang and danced in the woods.

Xie Juanhan, for his part, made a point of avoiding them at that time so he wouldn't disturb their dance.

That day, Xie Juanhan took a detour around the construction site on his way back from hunting.

Several little dwarves spotted him through a gap in the trees and ran over from a distance.

"Lord Silver Dragon~"

The little dwarf in the lead stretched out a short arm and held a gold coin high.

"Mushrooms have grown on us!"

The cheerful tone left Xie Juanhan utterly baffled.

Xie Juanhan suspected he had misheard. "What grew on you?"

"Mushrooms," said the little dwarf holding the gold coin. "We went mushroom picking in a cave these past two days and got some little mushrooms on us. Could you help us deal with them?"

Another little dwarf chimed in, bouncing up and down, "Just like you did with the Resentment Moss. Make them fall off."

"Right! We'll give you a gold coin!"

Xie Juanhan examined the little dwarves' clothes and, sure enough, found mushroom spores.

Like Resentment Moss, these mushroom spores were magical organisms, and they stood out clearly when he swept his Dragon Power over them.

"There really are some." Xie Juanhan infused the little dwarves with Dragon Power. "How did you get so many mushrooms on you?"

"We went underground to pick mushrooms."

"There are lots of tasty mushrooms underground."

"We were afraid of getting parasites before, so we didn't dare go, but now that we have you, it's all right."

As the little dwarves spoke, mushrooms sprouted from their bodies at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Mushrooms grew on their hair, their clothes, and the thick skin of their hands.

Xie Juanhan even saw a little mushroom swaying as it sprouted from one little dwarf's backside.

The little mushroom grew bigger and bigger, until its thick cap finally opened with a tremble.

Noticing Xie Juanhan's gaze, the little dwarf with the mushroom on his backside turned to look and exclaimed in delight, "It's a Donimika Mushroom!"

His companions crowded closer. "Oh, it's a delicious Donimika Mushroom!"

The little dwarf plucked the mushroom off with a pop and held it high in excitement.

The other little dwarves watched for a moment, then happily helped one another pick all the mushrooms from their hats, bodies, and legs, placing them carefully in their baskets.

Xie Juanhan silently looked away.

From now on, he would never accept any food gifts from the dwarves.

Once the little dwarves had finished picking the mushrooms off themselves, they thanked him again. "Thank you, my lord."

"You're welcome." Holding the gold coin, Xie Juanhan reminded them, "Be careful when you pick mushrooms. Don't let them take root in your lungs."

"We know," the little dwarves said. "We'll make sure to protect ourselves!"

Xie Juanhan didn't know the little dwarves well enough to say much more.

When he went into the Magic Forest with Telingewei to gather Budemi Tree seeds, he couldn't help telling Telingewei about it.

The Budemi Tree's fruit grew on its trunk and looked somewhat like jackfruit.

Its skin was much smoother and rounder than a jackfruit's, with a waxy coating.

The fruit was filled with fluff, and its sesame-like seeds were nestled inside it.

This year's Budemi Tree seeds weren't ripe yet, so they gathered the ones left over from last year.

After some time, they would use the Budemi Tree seeds as floats, tying them to ropes covered in Demonic Oysters.

Xie Juanhan climbed a tree and tossed down the dried Budemi fruits one by one.

The air was filled with the scent of damp trees, moss, and mushrooms.

Breathing in the scent, Xie Juanhan brought up the mushrooms and asked, "Can you really eat the mushrooms underground?"

"Some of them," Telingewei said. "Underground mushrooms aren't like the ones on the surface. They don't grow on sunlight; they rely more on magical elements, and they taste different."

Xie Juanhan said, "I've never picked underground mushrooms. It sounds a little dangerous. I saw a lot of spores on the dwarves, and if they breathed them into their lungs, it could be a bit of a problem."

"That usually doesn't happen," Telingewei said. "Dwarves are a kind of magical creature too. Magical creatures are full of Magic Power, so it's hard for parasites to take hold inside them. Things only grow on the surface of their bodies more often."

"That's dangerous enough," Xie Juanhan said. "It's completely different from my hometown."

Telingewei asked, "What are the mushrooms like in your hometown?"

Xie Juanhan perked up and began telling Telingewei about them. "There are all sorts."

Xie Juanhan talked about everything from termite mushrooms to truffles, from mushroom soup to mushroom-infused oil.

Even after the two dragons had finished gathering the Budemi Tree seeds, Xie Juanhan still wanted to talk more.

A look of longing appeared in Telingewei's eyes as well.

The next afternoon.

Xie Juanhan was preparing the wild vegetables he had gathered.

In the woods, the bushes rustled.

He looked up.

The Companion Beasts came racing out of the woods, their tails held high and their short little legs pumping rapidly.

"Chirp, chirp!" the little ones called to Xie Juanhan from far away.

Xie Juanhan stood up. "Did you bring me a present?"

The little ones chirped, "Chirp!"

Only when they drew close did Xie Juanhan notice that the little one in the lead was carrying a large hardcover book on its back.

The book was so huge that it flattened the little one's long fur.

It looked just like a little turtle carrying a hard shell!

The "little turtle" bumped its head against his leg and blinked its round, bright eyes, prompting him to take the book off. "Chirp!"

Xie Juanhan gently undid the ropes around the little one and took a look.

The hardcover book was a mushroom field guide!

The little ones all raised their heads and urged him to look. "Chirp, chirp!"

Xie Juanhan gently opened the cover and discovered that it was a magical field guide.

The moment he opened it,

A three-dimensional image of a mushroom popped out, accompanied by its scent.

Xie Juanhan flipped through a few pages.

The mushroom image and scent were different on every page.

With images alone, a beginner might still make mistakes.

But with the mushrooms' scents included, this guide was as reliable as a mushroom-picking guide could be for creatures like them.

Xie Juanhan was delighted. "Where did this come from?"

The little ones immediately grew excited, darting around his feet and chirping as they revealed all about Telingewei.

Telingewei had flown to Teme Port early that morning to buy the mushroom guide.

It was an instructional guide from the Adventurers' Association.

Telingewei had flown very fast.

He had gone in the morning and returned by noon.

Listening to the little ones' explanation, Xie Juanhan opened the guide and examined it carefully.

The compilers' signatures and marks were at the back of the guide.

Xie Juanhan turned to the end, and images of a group of little fairies wearing small pointed hats, their pale green transparent wings trailing behind them, popped out.

The mushroom guide had been compiled by forest fairies.

Xie Juanhan felt a bittersweet ache in his heart.

He still didn't know many written characters.

A magical guide like this, with few words and images and scents included, was extremely accessible to him.

Even if there were words he didn't recognize, it wouldn't be much trouble to look them up in a dictionary on the spot.

Holding the weighty guide, Xie Juanhan could clearly feel the weight of Telingewei's thoughtfulness.

Xie Juanhan looked down at the little ones and, on impulse, made a suggestion. "How about we go mushroom picking?"

"Let's take Telingewei and go pick underground mushrooms!"

The little ones froze for a moment, then burst into an enthusiastic response. "Chirp!!!"

==========Author's note:==========

See you tonight!

Chapter 21

In the Magic Forest, Xie Juanhan and Telingewei walked through the dense woods.

It was only early summer, and the woods were cool and damp, with plenty of moisture in the air. Walking through them was very pleasant.

Both dragons walked rather slowly.

The little ones leading the way couldn't stand it anymore. They ran ahead and then back again, urging the two to hurry. "Chirp-"

"Hey, don't walk under my feet. Be careful, or I might step on you." Holding the magical mushroom guide, Xie Juanhan bent down and stroked the little one's head. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Chirp, chirp!" The little one caught Xie Juanhan's trouser leg in its mouth, showing that it was just that eager.

The other little ones also ran back from ahead and got behind Xie Juanhan, pushing his calves with their heads.

Some of the little ones saw that they couldn't hurry Xie Juanhan along and went to urge Telingewei instead.

They stood on their hind legs and stretched out their paws to push Telingewei, even banging their heads against him. "Chirp, chirp!"

If Telingewei hadn't been so tall, the little ones looked as though they would have bumped their heads against his backside.

"All right, we'll walk faster." Xie Juanhan turned to look at Telingewei. "Do you rarely take the little ones out to play?"

The little ones complained, "Chirp, chirp."

Telingewei looked down and met their eyes. "I don't like taking you out to play, but do you like playing with me?"