Shadow Seer (Rogue Merchant Book #3): LitRPG Series Roman Prokofiev (great books of all time .txt) đ
- Author: Roman Prokofiev
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I regretted my decision almost right away, slipping and losing my footing while walking through the sticky mold covering the pier. Clouds of sporesâscarlet, crimson, and purpleâfilled the air, carpeting the crooked streets with layers of dust, settling on our clothes, and getting stuck in our hair. The stacking Fungal Symbiosis debuffs lit up on our health bars, not dangerous but annoying. I removed them twice with Cleansing, but it was hopeless, as new spores appeared every minute. The residents of Mildew came in two types: the myconids, weird creatures that looked like moving mushrooms, and the NPCs, who probably used to be people. Living there had taken a toll on themâthey looked awful. Fungal Symbiosis left its mark. I started to understand why the Hole was a closed world. It was a sight not for the faint of heart, an ugly trick of the procedural generator.
The myconids, as Thrainul explained, were a hive mind akin to ants or bees. They didnât have minds of their own and were controlled by the Mother, a mysterious thinking mycelium. The entire mushroom island was this creatureâs body, brain, and habitat. It was growing and reproducing, infecting everything around it with myriads of spores.
Any myconid was willing to become a pawn right away, with no quests or requirements. Hundreds of those creatures greeted us, the mushroom stalk billowing with growths.
âThey are carrying out the Motherâs tasks,â the captain told us. âShe wants to grow and infest all islands in the Hole with her spores, even get to other worlds. I advise you against getting involved. I used to know a guy who got tempted by a free pawn. Theyâre still calling him Mr. Mushroom.â
As I understood it, Thrainul traded with the locals. Barrels full of purple slices of âmushroom meatâ were loaded into the Abyssal, filling out almost the entire cargo hold. That was the main source of Mildewâs export revenue, and it was in high demand in the Hole, poor in food supplies as it was. On the distant islands where nothing grew, people only ate mushrooms and whatever they could find in the underground sea.
The Pioneers didnât rest until they studied the entire island and recorded videos of its inhabitants. It was funny, watching Fayana trying to make contact with a myconid and Bonus map out the settlement without breaking his stride. Thankfully, we spent only two hours ashore. Upon returning to the ship, I realized that in the future, I was bound to get nauseous from all the mushroom-based dishes.
As we set sail, Thrainul called me up and said quietly, âYou were right: the Pandas are still at it. My friends contacted me, saying that theyâre following us on Mancurtâs ship. I guess they got your coordinates on Mildew from an oracle.â
âWhat should I do?â
âNothing. They wonât find us at sea. The Hole has lots of islandsâhow the hell would they know where Iâm headed? And even if they do... Mancurtâs Barracuda is a fast ship, but it wonât stand a chance against the Abyssal in battle. Mancurtâs skinny ass knows this, and he wonât try. As for you, Iâd suggest you log out for a few hours. Iâve heard that powerful oracles can track down targets even on the move.â
âThanks,â I said. âIâll log out, then. Just one question, Captain: why are you worried about my safety? Youâve got yourself a difficult passenger with Pandas on his tail, and youâre helping him out of the kindness of your heart? I donât get it. Anyone in your place wouldâve turned me in, getting rid of me and earning a bounty to boot.â
âDoes the word âdecencyâ mean anything to you?!â the zwerg flared up. âI promised to get you to Scale, and Iâll do it!â
âJust that?â
âNot just that!â Thrainul grumbled. âI asked Olaf about you, and he told me to help you in any way. I owe himâhe had my back when Hird pinned me down.â
âAn interesting story. Will you tell me?â
âNothing special. You know Hird, right? I used to run with them before deciding to split off on my own. Many guys went with me. We donât like their laws, get it?â Thrainul was almost shouting. âThe leaders had their own opinion, though. They called us renegades. Kill on sight, that kind of thing. We locked horns for a time, but you canât chop wood with a penknife. In short, the upper worlds are closed to me. Iâm their arch-enemy. As soon as I show my nose there, theyâll start hunting me like the Pandas and you. Thatâs another reason why Iâm helping youâI remember what itâs like. Paying back my debt, got it?â
The captainâs explanation made sense. I obediently left the game for a few hours, and when I returned, everything around me was completely different.
The crew and the passengers were gathered by the board, clutching at the railing. An exquisite icy temple was looming in the distance, sparkling in the iridescent glow of northern lights. We had almost reached the Crown of Ice, the most beautiful and mysterious place of the Hole.
Interlude: The Watchers
A Courier video meeting, the Watchersâ council
Komtur: Everybody here? Letâs get started. In short, we have problems. Major problems.
Komtur: Yesterday, through a diplomat, I was contacted by Phantom, the leader of Euthanasia.
Olaf: Heâs the unofficial head of Pandorum.
Damian: Wow! So what did he want?
Komtur: We met...
âIâLL BE BRIEF,â Phantom said. âA player from your clan owes us. He owes us a lot and has no intention of giving it back. Heâll be paying for a long time and not in money. I think you know who Iâm talking about.â
Not a muscle moved on Komturâs face. With a curt nod, he made it clear that he did know the man in question.
âFor your own good, I suggest you do three things. First, kick him out of your
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