Mushroom Lord in the Underground City-Chapter 312 - 304: Puki’s House

In the chill of the early morning, not yet dispelled by the sunlight, the lobby of the Puki’s House inn was empty and quiet, with only a few diners having breakfast.

As a newly opened inn, it was normal for the guests to be sparse.

Old Dylan sat alone behind the counter, his rough fingers holding a feather pen, carefully checking the recent expenditures on groceries and repairs in the open ledger, muttering numbers softly as he prepared to report to the higher-ups in the future.

At this moment, a small freckled face peeked out from behind the kitchen curtain.

"Boss!" the little girl Bianca called out, "The lamp oil in the guest rooms is running low, and the firewood in the kitchen isn’t enough either!"

"Got it, got it, I’ll go to the market in a bit," Old Dylan replied without looking up.

Bianca was currently the inn’s only employee, taking on cooking and cleaning, while Old Dylan only handled reception and accounting.

Business was dull at the moment, manageable as it was. More staff would be hired if business picked up later, for Mushroom Town was not lacking in people these days.

As the rear base of human forces and a mushroom producing area, new faces arrived daily for various reasons.

Bianca and her mother had fled their war-torn hometown to seek refuge here, reportedly with her father fighting under Duke Brunus against the Demon Race in the northwest.

Mushroom Town was flourishing, and finding work wasn’t hard.

The strong could join the Guard Team, the robust could go to the logging team, and the nimble could tend to mushroom fields. But these jobs rarely hired young girls like her.

Therefore, securing a job with Old Dylan, Bianca cherished it greatly, especially as she desperately needed money to care for her mother, and Old Dylan paid generously.

"Creak—" The wooden door of the inn was pushed open, making a not-so-smooth sound.

Dylan frowned; it was a new door, so why was it making such noises so soon?

Two guests walked in; the man in front wore a dark travel cloak, dusty from travel, walking steadily with a hint of caution.

Behind him followed a woman—Rita, who was that Demon Race spy from last time.

Her attire was inconspicuous, a simple gray-brown long dress, like a family member traveling along.

Old Dylan’s gaze met Rita’s briefly, then turned to the man, speaking as usual, "Room?"

"One room, a quiet one," the man’s voice was deep, concise.

"Turn left at the end, hot water is one copper coin per bucket, self-serve," Dylan said while taking out the key to room 109, a room reserved for "special guests," far from other rooms, with a secret passage leading underground.

As he handed over the key, he casually remarked, "Take a good rest, you seem a bit too tense, guest."

The man’s face showed a slight change, a flash of embarrassment, as he grabbed the key and hurried to the guest room.

Rita gave an apologetic glance before following.

Dylan sat back down, muttering softly to himself, "Ah... the newcomers these days, their quality has declined so much."

The earlier exchange of glances with Rita clarified for him that this man was also a Demon Race spy, likely a junior or subordinate of Rita.

With so many spies sacrificed earlier, naturally, replacements were being slowly filled, but in Dylan’s opinion, the quality of this batch of newcomers was somewhat lamentable.

Look at that stiff posture, overly vigilant expression, almost flaunting "I have issues" on his face.

Only in the mixed currents of Mushroom Town could he have a chance; elsewhere, he might not even get past the city gate.

So unprofessional that Old Dylan couldn’t help but offer a reminder.

Dylan internally planned to establish a new rule that green rookies must undergo observation and assessment before being allowed into Puki’s House; otherwise, wouldn’t it implicate everyone?

Creak—

The wooden door opened once more, and this time, it was another familiar face, but not a spy.

"Vera? Why do you look like this?" Dylan asked, surprised at the sight of the visitor.

He had a longstanding acquaintance with Vera’s group, dating back to when Dylan provided the Fifth Floor Guide, forming a bit of a friendship—except he’d never seen that absurdly beautiful female Elf behind him, a harem-building brat...

At this moment, though, Vera looked pitiful, his leather armor full of burn marks, even more miserable with a handsome head of golden hair mostly burnt off, a small bald patch making him currently less attractive than Dylan!

Vera gave a bitter smile, "Tried exploring the Eighth Floor, ended up taking a big hit."

Dylan glanced over Fei Ling and the Elf, noticing the scorched edges of their robes, though in less conspicuous side areas.

One could easily imagine that in dire moments, Vera stood at the forefront, taking the brunt of the impact.

Dylan nodded, asking, "So are you here to stay?"

Unexpectedly, Vera shook his head, "No, I’ve bought a house in Mushroom Town, officially becoming a local."

"Then you didn’t come all this way just to say hello?" Dylan raised an eyebrow.

Fei Ling stepped forward, "Master Dylan, look at Vera’s pitiful state, just take it out, won’t cost you any silver coins!"

Dylan suddenly realized, crouched down, rummaged beneath the counter for a while, and amid the sound of clinking bottles, finally retrieved a small glass vial of deep green viscous liquid.

"Is it the Hair Growth Potion?"

"May I inspect it?" the Elf Sirean stepped forward politely.

"Go ahead." Dylan pushed the vial forward.

Sirean carefully uncorked the wooden stopper, gently wafting the scent at the bottle’s mouth towards his nose, sniffing it carefully.

After a moment, his eyes flashed with surprise and admiration, "Indeed it is a genuine Hair Growth Potion! Never expected to find it here. Might I ask, do you know this Alchemist?"

"That I can’t disclose."

Fei Ling quickly interjected, "Alright, alright, who cares who made it! As long as Vera’s hair can be saved! How much is it?"

After sending off these four, Dylan stood alone behind the counter, finding it both amusing and annoying.

He’d merely sold a potion by chance earlier, not expecting its reputation to spread so quickly.

Selling an occasional bottle was no problem, but if this became a long-term business, necessary cover strategies couldn’t be omitted.

At the very least, there had to be a legitimate source for the materials, something that could withstand scrutiny.

This matter needed discussion with the boss.

... In the evening, Dylan met with two spies in the basement.

The man was indeed Rita’s new partner, mainly here this time to become familiar.

Of course, while they were there, both sides also exchanged various information.

And Dylan, most concerned with the war situation on the frontlines:

The northwest front lost another city for humans, with Duke Brunus’s remaining forces hastily retreating, the Sword Saint was on his way with reinforcements to provide support.