Chapter 71

Chapter 71

*Bugs World* Game Forum.

OP [Wild Mushroom]: #Suggestion: Can items from the shop be sent directly to players like the Resurrection Puppet?#

"All physical items exchanged in the shop require players to collect them from NPCs. While this approach is more realistic, this is still a game. Pushing realism too hard can sometimes backfire. When can this be updated so that items are sent directly to players, like in other games?

Our squad has already traveled over 300 kilometers. The problem now is that we can’t exchange for Teleport Scrolls. Do we have to abandon our current location and return to enter the dungeon?

The game clearly indicates that the number of alliances in Glowworm Forest has reached saturation. We had no choice but to go out and search for a suitable settlement. If the game imposes such restrictions, it means future alliances will inevitably have to move elsewhere. Having to return to the beginner village to collect items exchanged from the shop is unreasonable.

We hope the developers and planners will take this issue seriously."

While Shen Yi was busy exploring the Mushroom Forest, two more players, Wild Mushroom and SlyFox, obtained the Queen Bee title.

However, there are currently three alliances in Glowworm Forest. The game’s autonomous operation module, restricted by the World Consciousness, sent them a notification: "Alliances in Glowworm Forest have reached saturation. Please find a suitable settlement on your own."

SlyFox and her friends are hardcore fans of the Bee King and the Mushroom Spirits. How could they bear to leave Glowworm Forest to establish an alliance elsewhere? Since the alliance creation permission after obtaining the Queen Bee title is permanent, they weren’t in a hurry to create one.

Wild Mushroom, an explorer-type player, immediately gathered over a dozen buddies and set out from Glowworm Forest to search for a new settlement. After the Bee King took control of the entire Glowworm Forest, the game unlocked all maps, allowing players to freely explore other unknown areas—as long as they could reach them.

Before setting off, they started a poll on the forum and, following the majority’s preference, decided to head east.

After flying for two days, they ended up in a desert.

As far as the eye could see, sparse clusters of half-withered tough desert grass and patches of desert reeds barely covered the dry, barren ground. It was a stark contrast to the lush Glowworm Forest, almost like a different world.

Wild Mushroom and his group streamed their entire expedition of the new map, garnering many followers.

Exploring such a desert in reality would require considering finances, protection, and various unexpected risks. But in this game, which offers an equally realistic experience, they could fully enjoy the adventure without worrying about their safety. Why hesitate?

After discussing, they decided to push forward. Even if it was a desert, they were determined to find an oasis.

Then, the game suddenly introduced the dungeon update. Seeing other players share their experiences in the Mushroom Forest on the forum—a wild and weird mushroom world—their curiosity was piqued. However, after exchanging for Teleport Scrolls in the EXP shop, they found out they had to collect them from the beginner village to use them. This left them in a dilemma, leading to Wild Mushroom’s post.

[Baba]: I fully agree! Hijacking this thread to suggest: When will the game add a backpack system? Not having one is really inconvenient!

[Square]: Strongly support! Backpack feature +1.

[Guoli Chen]: I really need a backpack feature. Even though there are morning glory flowers with storage space, I’m just a little bee now and can’t carry such a large morning glory flower.

[Barbara]: Wild Mushroom still hasn’t given up? I think you should just come back. What habitable place can you find in the desert? Without pollen and nectar, you won’t be able to complete trial tasks later.

[PeeSniper]: Hot tip: One monster mushroom in the dungeon gives at least 5,000 EXP. With the Spirit Pearl, it’s 10,000. This dungeon was probably designed specifically for players to farm EXP. Levels will rise quickly, so if you delay, you’ll fall behind the power curve.

…

Wild Mushroom’s suggestion post resonated with many players and quickly became popular. The system found the suggestion reasonable and reminded Shen Yi to check it.

Shen Yi was in the Queen Bee’s nest, studying the stalactite he had cut from the monster mushroom cave a few days ago.

He had planned to let players enter the dungeon the next day, but guarding and fighting monsters was getting boring, so he decided to open the dungeon that very night.

After assigning players the task of protecting the Holy Light Mushroom Grove and the Mushroom Spirits, he finally had some free time to rest in the Queen Bee’s nest with Xi Ye and study the stalactite.

Lao Er and the others were still having fun. With the Starlight Cattail given by the tree elder and no worries about stacking the ["Poison" debuff], they continued guarding the Holy Light Mushroom Grove, fighting players for kills and leveling up.

Shen Yi received the system’s reminder and opened the post. His attention was first caught by the comment mentioning Spirit Pearls. Surprised, he said, "Spirit Pearls also give EXP? And this much?"

When he had extracted the Spirit Pearl from the monster mushroom that day, he touched it and found it toxic, so he stored it separately in a Chinese lantern plant, planning to study it later. But he got busy and forgot.

System: "Just three minutes ago, a water-element player discovered that washing the Spirit Pearl removes its toxicity. Absorbing the spirit energy inside the pearl grants EXP without side effects."

Shen Yi took out the Chinese lantern plant where he had stored the Spirit Pearls, scooped some spring water with a gourd ladle, and washed them. The toxicity was indeed gone. Delighted, he shared this discovery with Xi Ye.

Xi Ye took the Spirit Pearl, sensed it for a moment, and said, "It’s similar to the Spirit Pearls inside spirit beasts. The toxicity from the mushroom cap probably contaminated the pearl’s surface." That’s why Shen Yi had gained a stack of ["Poison" debuff] when he touched it earlier.

"A Spirit Pearl from a level 20 monster mushroom gives 5,000 EXP. Higher-level ones must give even more," Shen Yi was overjoyed by this unexpected bonus. Most importantly, "I was worried that the EXP from Crystal Stone Plums was too little, only suitable for small exchanges. Now we finally have a unified high-value currency."

Shen Yi was certain that, without any intervention, players would soon naturally use these Spirit Pearls as a high-value currency for circulation.

But soon he began to worry: "I wonder if the monster mushrooms in the dungeon can withstand the players’ grinding speed…" He was actually concerned about the monster mushrooms being hunted to extinction.

Xi Ye reassured him that Mushroom Puffballs are born from the turbid energy released by living beings. As long as there are living beings in the Mushroom Forest, Mushroom Puffballs won’t disappear.

Feeling relieved, Shen Yi washed all the Spirit Pearls, humming a tune as he continued reading the post content sent by the system. As he read, his antennae started twitching on their own: "Three alliances and it’s saturated? How many players are there now?"

System: "37,625."

Last time he summoned players, the system reminded him that the player count in the territory had reached saturation. He and the system had calculated that the entire Glowworm Forest could accommodate at least 600,000 players. How could it say it's saturated with just three alliances now?

"Alliances and individual players are calculated differently."

"Alright, then this item exchange and collection issue really is a problem."

After Tangyuan appeared, its clones took over the task distribution duties from Lao Er and the others, including handing out items exchanged from the shops.

Shen Yi would pre-place items in the Chinese lantern plant space in the beginner village. Several Tangyuan clones would then station themselves in different flower bud spaces to distribute the corresponding items to players.

When this system was first conceived, Shen Yi and his subordinates marveled that Tangyuan was truly the ideal NPC for their game. With its clones, one could handle ten thousand players.

Unexpectedly, this system was already struggling to keep up with the game’s development.

Shen Yi handed the stalactite to Xi Ye, asking him to cut it open and see if there was anything inside. Meanwhile, he crouched down, opened the interface, and discussed with the system how to solve this problem.

"Ultimately, it boils down to one issue: equipping players with a backpack function." As long as players have backpacks, the system can directly send rewards to their inventories.

Actually, Shen Yi had been considering a backpack function for the game for a long time. But after he obtained the Queen Bee’s nest and got his own inventory, his own problem was solved, and he naturally forgot about the players.

If the players hadn’t made this post and the system hadn’t noticed it, he probably still wouldn’t have remembered.

Shen Yi first checked the Queen Bee’s nest panel.

"Queen Bee’s Nest: Level 2"

"Space: 250m"

"Spirit Energy: 965"

"Talent: [Space]"

"Bee King Level: 40"

"Hive Prosperity: 48,762"

After the forest fire, with the forest reconstruction tasks and the establishment of the beginner village, the Hive Prosperity had recovered to some extent. The real rapid growth began after the alliance feature was launched.

With the establishment and subsequent development of various alliances, new players are continuously summoned. Vets guide the newbies, allowing rookies to level up quickly. The hive's prosperity has also shot up like a rocket.

"It's almost time to level up, isn't it?" The next level requires the hive's prosperity to reach 50,000.

"At the current growth rate, it should meet the upgrade criteria by tomorrow noon at the latest."

"Once this upgrade is complete, we’ll set aside a section in the Queen Bee's Nest for the players to use as backpacks. ATong, you’ll just need to handle the linking."

Shen Yi marked out the space, and the system needed to link each area to individual players, allowing them to freely use their backpacks.

Currently, aside from the small valley he built—lush green, complete with landscapes and full of natural charm—the Queen Bee's Nest is surrounded by beetle shell hives brought by "Lao Er" and the others. Recently, a variety of materials obtained from loot boxes are scattered haphazardly on the ground.

This is just the beginning. One can imagine what a mess the space will become once more items accumulate.

Like father, like sons. He isn’t good at organizing, and his subordinates are no better—not a single one cares about tidiness. They all share the habit of tossing things around, piling them up in chaos, but somehow managing to find what they need. They'd barely save face by calling it "organized chaos."

"This can’t go on," Shen Yi mumbled to himself. The players’ backpack space absolutely cannot be left out in the open like this—it would only make things look even messier.

"Maybe we should just plant a Chinese lantern plant in the Queen Bee's Nest."

He had actually considered this idea from the start, but Chinese lantern plants, being spirit plants, require a continuous and ample supply of spirit energy to grow. The more lanterns they produce, the more spirit energy they need. Currently, the Queen Bee's Nest already has Evergrowing soil, a major consumer of spirit energy, and simply can’t support a Chinese lantern plant.

"Plant it," Xi Ye overheard his muttering. His Thousand Silk Vine wrapped around the stalactite, easily slicing it into three segments. He picked up one casually to check it out and said, "I can come in anytime to replenish spirit energy."

Shen Yi thought for a moment. "Let’s wait a bit longer. Another day or two won't hurt."

Once the Queen Bee's Nest reaches level 3, it will be able to absorb spirit energy from the outside. By then, he plans to cover the empty spaces in the nest with Spirit-Absorbing Grass, ensuring no shortage of spirit energy.

The Soulcalming Trees and Blood Sunflower Mushrooms he had saved from loot boxes could also be planted then.

After planning the backpack feature, Shen Yi saw the stalactite was already cut open. He moved closer, picked up the smallest remaining piece, and casually gave it a couple cuts with his spiritual energy. Suddenly, he sensed something hard. "Whoa! There’s something inside!"

The exposed part had a smooth, jade-like smoothness, completely different from the surrounding stalactite. He knew immediately that this was likely the orange-tier treasure the system had mentioned.

Xi Ye looked up, silently set down the segment of stalactite he had been examining—finding nothing notable—and turned his attention to the milky-white stone in Shen Yi’s hand.

Shen Yi quickly and carefully peeled away the surrounding stalactite along the contours of the hard object. More and more of the jade-like material was revealed, until finally, an irregular, bowl-shaped object with a smooth surface was fully exposed.

Though it felt quite smooth to the touch, its texture was only slightly better than stone.

Holding the bowl, he pulled a face. "This is the orange-tier treasure?"

"Dry Vital Spring"

"Vital Spring companion product: Vital Spring Water, fosters life, nourishes everything."

Shen Yi recalled the Devil's Thorn Balls gathered around the small puddle beneath the stalactite in that cave. Had they been attracted by the Vital Spring?

But since this Vital Spring had dried up, the energy it emitted must have been limited. At most, rainwater from the cave ceiling trickled down the stalactite, soaking the Vital Spring and carrying traces of spirit energy.

Those Devil's Thorn Balls had quite a keen sense of smell—he hadn’t noticed anything unusual that day.

Shen Yi placed the small stone and two Condensation Pearls into the dried-up Vital Spring and submerged it back into the Essence, hoping to reactivate the vitality of this Vital Spring.

>>

Players with poison resistance entering the dungeon were like kids in a candy store. The only downside was that even with maxed poison resistance (30%), they could only last up to two hours in the Fungal Forest.

If they accidentally touched a mushroom, the [Poison Debuff] would stack even faster, possibly reducing their time to less than an hour. But the new dungeon, "The Magical World of Mushrooms," was too cool to skip. Everyone prepared their respawn tokens and rushed into the dungeon at the first opportunity.

Following the map provided by the system, they quickly found the Holy Light Mushroom Grove and were surprised to discover that the elders were also there fighting monsters.

[Yang Leduo]: "So the elders are here too? Does that mean the Emperor and the spirits are also around?"

[Yao Qianshu]: "Whoa, this mushroom's nasty-looking, it scared me... Ahhh! It’s trying to eat me!"

The players reacted quickly, launching skills at the monster mushroom. However, they soon realized that this type of monster had an extremely fast healing rate.

[Pipixia]: "Damn, with such crazy regeneration, it should be captured for restaurants. Not even a scratch after a day—one could last for years."

Never underestimate players’ ability to explore and summarize. Twenty minutes later, a #Monster Mushroom Guide# appeared on the forum. The post mentioned that a level 20 monster mushroom provided over 5,000 EXP, and with the Spirit Pearl, it totaled 10,000.

Even players who'd been sightseeing the wondrous scenery began searching everywhere for monsters.

The monster mushrooms gathered around the Holy Light Mushroom Grove weren’t the only ones; others were scattered throughout the forest. Whenever players encountered these wild monsters, they went after them.

Players had no intention of collecting the monster mushroom corpses. The scattered fragments were quickly devoured by nearby Devil's Thorn Balls, which then evolved on the spot. Dozens of monster mushrooms emerged from the Devil's Thorn Ball shells and swarmed toward the players.

"Damn, what the hell?"

Grapefruit found herself surrounded by a horde of wild monsters. She tried to fly away using her wings but was slapped to the ground by suddenly elongated tentacles. The [Poison Debuff] stacked rapidly, and she died instantly.

She came crying to the forum seeking comfort, but instead, other players drew inspiration from her post and started monster farming.

Players who had been waiting around near the Holy Light Mushroom Grove, following the system’s hints, unable to compete with the elders for monsters, and seeing no wild monster respawns, also came across this post.

[Yao Qianshu]: "Quick, quick, quick! Let’s not stand here like idiots. We should start farming too. Hey? Where are the monsters we just fought? Even the corpses are gone?"

[Chicken B]: "I just saw the elders collecting them."

[Yao Qianshu]: "So the elders already knew that monster mushroom corpses could make the thorn balls transform? How do we farm them then?"

[Wang Napao]: "There are no Devil's Thorn Balls around here. I’m out. I’m going to find some space outside and start farming."

[Yao Qianshu]: "Wait for me, bro!"

...

By the time Shen Yi woke up and realized something was wrong, the situation had already gotten out of hand.

The players, who love to cause trouble, had spread throughout the entire Fungal Forest, exponentially accelerating the evolution rate of the Devil's Thorn Balls. For a time, monster mushrooms could be seen everywhere in the forest.

However, there was some good news. After players spent the whole night fighting monsters, their EXP shot through the roof. Shen Yi leveled up twice in one night, and the overall player level increased significantly. This, in turn, caused the hive’s prosperity to surge, allowing the Queen Bee's Nest to level up.

Shen Yi got hit with back-to-back surprises upon waking. He first asked the system, "Are the Mushroom Spirits in the Holy Light Mushroom Grove okay?"

After the map was unlocked, the system could also keep tabs on things in the Fungal Forest.

"They’re still alive." !!!

Shen Yi was astonished and shot upright instantly.

The system added, "Since the host was in deep sleep, I rolled out the follow-up tasks you had previously planned."

These tasks included protecting the Holy Light Mushroom Grove and the Mushroom Spirits, with the chance to earn [NPC Favor Points]. Monster mushroom corpses could be exchanged with the Mushroom Spirits for random amounts of [NPC Favor Points], with a chance of random bonuses.

Last night, some players exchanged with Grandpa Tree and obtained Starlight Dandelions.

These tasks were part of Shen Yi’s long-planned content. He originally intended them to be hidden tasks for players to slowly discover through exploration. However, he hadn’t expected them to go so wild, forcing the system to drop the quests early to control the situation.

Fortunately, the promise of [NPC Favor Points] attracted a significant number of players who had been looking for ways to earn exchange points. They found their way to the Holy Light Mushroom Grove and went all out fighting monsters to protect the Mushroom Spirits.

Shen Yi breathed a sigh of relief: "ATong, don't pause dramatically when speaking. For important information like this, it’s best to say it all at once."

Knowing that the Mushroom Spirits were temporarily safe, Shen Yi immediately upgraded the Queen Bee Nest.

"Queen Bee Nest: Level 3"

"Space: 500m"

"Spiritual Energy: 18"

"Talents: [Space][Spiritual Energy Absorption][Symbiotic Seed]"

"Queen Bee Level: 42"

"Hive Prosperity: 55762"

After reaching Level 3, the Queen Bee Nest’s talent section added [Spiritual Energy Absorption] and [Symbiotic Seed]. He knew about Spiritual Energy Absorption—it drew spiritual energy from the surroundings—but—

"ATong, what is a Symbiotic Seed?"

A guiding arrow soon appeared before Shen Yi’s eyes in the game, and the system explained: "When the Queen Bee Nest reaches Level 3, it will produce a Symbiotic Seed, which generally generates a seed type corresponding to the host’s wishes…"

Shen Yi got a bad feeling. Following the arrow’s direction, he found a walnut-sized seed floating in the center of the expanded Queen Bee Nest. His voice trembled slightly: "...What kind of seed is this?"

"Backpack Seed."

"..."

He knew it!

Shen Yi zipped over to the seed and, reminded by the system, opened the game interface. Sure enough, a new backpack interface page had appeared.

On the interface floated a seed identical to the one before him. Clicking on it would bring up detailed information.

Once the Backpack Seed was planted in the Queen Bee Nest, players would receive a "Cultivation" reminder, and their game interface would also gain a "Cultivation" page. By channeling spiritual energy into it daily to nourish the seed in the interface, it would sprout and grow, eventually forming a Chinese lantern plant containing space. As players leveled up and continued to nurture it, the lantern plant would become darker in color and expand in space.

Meanwhile, as the Queen Bee, Shen Yi’s Queen Bee Nest would grow a sky-reaching vine covered with Chinese lantern plants growing in circles around it…

Shen Yi frowned at the system-provided images of the seed, seedling, and mature version, muttered reluctantly: "Why does this look so familiar?"

What’s the difference between this and that towering pea vine from a certain match-3 game? Just fewer locked clouds!

Besides, if he planted a Chinese lantern plant himself and gave it to Xi Ye, it could grow as tall as he wanted without all this hassle.

To think it wasted one of his wish opportunities—he could have gotten some awesome spiritual plant that produced Experience Fruits or Evolution Fruits…

Just thinking about it made Shen Yi's heart hurt. Was he cursed when it came to "wishes"? Why did he always mess it up?

The system seemed to sense the host’s strong feelings and explained: "This wish seed is quite different from an ordinary Chinese lantern plant. Once the seed matures, every time a new player enters the game, a corresponding bud will automatically grow on the vine. After being nurtured by the player, it becomes a backpack for use—more stable and easier to manage."

All the benefits went to the players. Shen Yi said flatly: "I still wanted that kind of Experience Fruit that lets me gain levels when eaten, or maybe a fruit that lets Xi Ye raise his star level after eating. I suspect you’re rigging the system. No matter what, my wish to level up and help Xi Ye raise his star level was stronger, right?"

The system protested: "The type of seed generated is not controlled by the system."

"Moreover, wishes for leveling up instantly or raising star levels without effort aren’t captured by the reward system."

The system was quite happy not to have to link each player individually and reminded Shen Yi: "Please plant the Backpack Seed and name it."

"..."

Shen Yi wiped his face.

Well, it was a bonus anyway. Having something was better than nothing.

He brought over a pile of Evergrowing Soil and, right in the center of the Queen Bee Nest, buried the seed. A progress bar for cultivation soon appeared in his vision, currently at 0%.

As for the name—

"Just call it Pea Chinese Lantern Plant."

The system said NPCs could also cultivate their own Chinese lantern plants in the interface. If Shen Yi granted permissions to NPCs, they could enter the buds to reside.

This meant that Second Sister and the others would have nice homes in the future, and if there were other NPCs later, if he didn’t want them entering the Queen Bee Nest but still wanted to boost their employee sense of belonging, he could grant them residence permissions—essentially giving NPCs a mobile space they could access.

Finally, Shen Yi started to feel excited about it.

At the same time, all online players received a system notification.

"New feature [Cultivation] has been unlocked. Please check the game interface for details."

"Carefully nurture your wish seed, and surprises might come your way~"