Under the plea of the victim Tolin, Master Marco was released after spending only one day in the mushroom prison.

As for the daring group of dwarf mercenaries who attempted to kidnap someone outside the Fungus Castle gate, Lin Jun dealt with them with unusual leniency.

He rarely refrained from using the standard procedure of "mycelium infestation, contribution point debt, forced labor repayment," instead choosing to detain them for a few extra days.

This was a calculated decision.

If Fungus Castle wants to continue developing, it will inevitably be observed by other forces, which is something unavoidable.

In fact, the nearby Empire already knows of Fungus Castle’s existence, though their understanding is still insufficient.

Since ascending this stage cannot be avoided, Fungus Castle must find its own position.

Since it’s destined to take the stage, Fungus Castle must choose a position for itself. If possible, Lin Jun prefers to play a completely neutral role, secluded and resourceful, claiming power gradually.

But the Empire clearly won’t be happy to add another uncertain factor to the north.

Therefore, joining the anti-Empire alliance currently seems like the best choice for Fungus Castle.

Consequently, the first official contact with the dwarf forces is crucial.

If a mercenary team commissioned by the Deep Furnace Clan were entirely turned into labor and sent back, it would be a bad start.

Lin Jun had to endure some grievances; he only confiscated all of their equipment except the warmth stones, locked them up for a week, and then expelled them from the country.

As the mercenaries left the mushroom prison, they had long lost the imposing manner they exhibited while kidnapping outside the gate.

Although Lin Jun refrained from imposing harsher penalties, the capture process itself had already made them suffer greatly.

Due to the surprisingly good public order within Fungus Castle, there are only petty disputes in daily life, leaving the sheriffs with few opportunities to make merits.

This rare encounter with a "major case of armed kidnappers attempting a crime at the city gate" had the sheriffs acting as if they were under a frenzy spell!

The mercenary captain, who resisted the most, was buried by a swarm of Puki, almost suffocating in the pile; now when he recalls the sheriffs’ eyes, he still feels uneasy.

Though he felt lucky to have escaped intact, the mercenary captain hadn’t forgotten his duties.

Bringing back Tolin is out of the question, but the unexpected situation at Fungus Castle cannot be blamed on them—they’re a mercenary team, not a siege-capable army.

Besides, it was Tolin himself who was unwilling to return. Learning Tolin’s situation now at least let them report back properly.

The current problem is...

The dwarf mercenary captain approached a soldier overseeing their departure, humbly asking, "Officer, we’re still missing one person, could you..."

If it were usual, he would have to hand over at least two gold coins, but now, with his equipment and coins confiscated, he could only muster a smile.

"Tsk." The Lizardman rolled his eyes, "Primitive who uses mouth for speaking."

He couldn’t understand what the dwarf captain was saying, and could only judge from his expression and gestures that it was likely a request or inquiry.

He glanced at his teammates executing the escort task, who were either fellow vertical-pupil Lizardmen or half-demons with mixed features, all wearing the same expressions of indifference and confusion, evidently unable to understand.

The Lizardman soldier remembered a human named Jeff in another patrol team, but in this situation, he couldn’t find him temporarily.

This stirred a small envy within him; those with A-Level permissions were much more convenient, enjoying remote communication privileges through the Fungal Network, directly contacting anyone they needed.

Supposedly, core members have even higher permissions, able to achieve real-time communication, much like using a Shadow Crystal, sharing images anywhere, anytime.

Of course, such a level was too distant for him; if only he could strive to obtain an A-Level permission in his lifetime, allowing remote calls within the Fungal Network, he’d be satisfied.

Finally, a human fungus person passing by was stopped and temporarily served as an interpreter.

After reporting the dwarf captain’s request and receiving instructions, the Lizardman soldier reluctantly led his fully armed teammates to escort the group of dwarf captives to a workshop located within the inner circle of Fungus Castle.

"Back? Not going back!" Master Marco raised his head abruptly, his head with goggles shaking like a pendulum in the storm, his meticulously braided long beard swung around, hitting the blueprints on the workbench.

"That’s right, not going back!" Tolin echoed.

This firm refusal took the mercenary captain completely by surprise, he moved close to Marco, lowered his voice, asking, "Why... Why, Master? Is it because they’re forcing you, or something..."

"Why?" Master Marco became excited, turned around, picked up a section of a combat puppet arm from the table behind him, and placed it in front of the mercenary captain, "Look, look carefully! Do you know what this is? A combat puppet! Genuine ancient combat puppet parts! And its style differs from those ancient artifacts in the clan treasury, evidently a separate development line of combat puppet craftsmanship!"

He was so excited that his spit nearly sprayed on the captain’s face: "Additionally, besides the relatively intact combat puppet parts, here are some corresponding design blueprints! Even better, they genuinely provide high-grade Demon Crystal for driving tests!"

At this point, Master Marco couldn’t help but smacked his lips, lowered his voice, as if sharing a vast secret: "The owner here is extravagantly unbelievable! Every time they conduct joint movement or energy transfer tests on the combat puppet, they are allowed a loss quota of three A-Level standard Demon Crystals! This gesture... I suspect the Northern Territory underground may have a high-quality Demon Crystal Ore vein previously undiscovered buried!"

Although Master Marco was highly agitated, for mercenaries unfamiliar with combat puppets, it wasn’t very comprehensible.

The captain wore an awkward expression: "Master Marco, what you said... we don’t quite understand. But leaving you alone in this place and us returning, regarding the Deep Furnace Clan... we really can’t explain it! The eldest son specifically instructed to ensure your safety."

"Explain? What can’t you explain?" Master Marco glared, "My staying here is also to keep an eye on that kid Tolin, preventing him from acting brashly in this unfamiliar place. I’m here to ensure nothing goes wrong!"

The dwarf captain’s eye twitched, really wanting to say, if the young master Tolin gets into any trouble here, you might end up involved as well.

Thankfully, Master Marco didn’t plan to make things difficult for the mercenaries executing orders. He grabbed a charcoal pen covered in oil stains from the workbench and a relatively clean piece of parchment, quickly scribbling away.

A moment later, he shoved a clearly articulated letter into the mercenary captain’s hands.

The mercenary captain glanced at the master clearly determined to stay, then at the few cold-eyed Fungus Castle soldiers standing with folded arms at the workshop door, and ultimately, could only leave reluctantly.

When this dejected group of dwarf mercenaries were "courteously escorted" out of the towering gate of Fungus Castle, Xing Huo, who had been waiting at the gate for some time, approached.

Under the somewhat bewildered gaze of the dwarf captain, Xing Huo handed him a formal document sealed with a mushroom emblem:

"Please pass this diplomatic document along to the Deep Furnace Clan; our Mycelium pop-pop Castle sincerely hopes to peacefully coexist with the dwarves, even finding mutually beneficial cooperation space. We hope next time the Mountain Kingdom can send an official diplomatic delegation."

...

Master Marco was indeed an unexpected delight, hopefully he can aid in decoding the combat puppet technology.

Meanwhile, the dwarf blacksmith apprentices sent out to recruit others had returned, some having completed Blacksmith Association’s assessment during their journey back to the mountains, becoming official blacksmiths.

The dwarf blacksmiths they brought back would quickly experience the joy they felt on arrival—advanced forging furnaces available anytime and endless ores!

Though the used ores are recorded as debts, look at those who brought them over; they almost cleared their debts with just one trip.

Not to mention Pollock’s case, bringing back a master like that could presumably liberate him for an entire year to swing his hammer freely.

These first arrivals could recruit people; they could do the same!

With this mindset, the group of dwarf blacksmiths quickly initiated a forging frenzy in the forging factory.

Some of the dwarves were family members of the first batch of blacksmiths and weren’t necessarily blacksmiths themselves.

A portion skilled in excavation quickly got recruited.

Upon signing confidentiality agreements, they were led to the affiliated space’s location.

Thanks to some experienced miners among them, the excavation progress greatly accelerated in a short time!

And what emerged made Lin Jun feel somewhat curious.