Chapter 1588: Butterfly Bone Town
"Many," the little girl quickly said. "They're all over the town."
As if afraid he wouldn't believe her, she hurriedly added, "Butterfly Bone Town was originally built against the rocks, because wood gets eaten by fungi easily and doesn't last long when used for building, and we don't have enough money to buy metal materials from elsewhere, so we all build our homes against mountains or rocks."
Xu Huo's expression softened, and he said with a smile, "No need to be so nervous. I just find this kind of fungus rare—it can even use stone as a nutrient."
Since he was carrying someone, and the path through the woods was difficult, with the constant possibility of encountering ground corroded by fungi that would force them to change course, the two moved slowly.
Seeing that he seemed to believe her words, the little girl relaxed a bit and took the initiative to say, "According to the old folks in town, there's actually a type of fungus that can parasitize inside rocks, and this insect-repelling fungus particularly likes that kind, so it follows and parasitizes on the rocks too. It's not that the insect-repelling fungus eats the rocks."
Xu Huo nodded. "Zone 013 is truly a magical place. Do many outer zone players come to your area?"
"Not many..." The little girl paused, then asked, "You're not here for the instance, sir? You came specifically to look for fungi?"
Xu Huo glanced back at her, and she explained, "Although not many people pass through here, there are still a few who like to study fungi who visit every year. Several came just a few days ago... but they've already left now. Probably didn't find the fungi they were looking for."
Pretending not to notice the unnatural pause in her words, he asked again, "Are there many outer zone players in Butterfly Bone Town right now?"
"I don't know..." The little girl hesitated before answering. "I've been out for a long time. Those people come and go as they please, so I really don't know."
Glancing at her wound, he remarked, "The fungal medicine you used is quite effective."
The little girl immediately took the hint and pulled out a medicine bottle. "I made this myself. It's not worth much. If you want some, sir, I can make more for you."
Xu Huo took her offering without any psychological burden.
The two spent quite a bit of time before finally reaching the Butterfly Bone Town the little girl had mentioned. It was indeed a town, with proper roads and signposts, and even a station at the entrance with its sign still intact—probably remnants of the town's former size. However, this town wasn't built against the mountain but underground.
Beside the abandoned station was a narrow staircase leading down, a long path straight to the bottom. Every dozen or so steps, there were side paths branching off to the left and right, presumably leading to dwellings.
Xu Huo didn't rush down. Instead, he stood at the entrance and surveyed the surroundings.
Above ground, aside from the abandoned station, there were no other traces of past habitation. The surrounding trees had been cleared, and some half-rotted stumps protruded from the fungi-covered ground.
The fungi in Zone 013 were bizarre in every way. Besides the typical clusters and patches one might expect, there were many that grew like vines. However, they had no roots or stems. Instead, their mycelium spread out to form something like a spiderweb or fishing net, with many cocoon-like knots formed by the mycelium. No one knew how they grew. These mycelia stretched across the excavated underground dwellings, covering the naturally cracked rock formations completely.
The entrance had been recently cleaned, but a bit farther away, it was clear that quite some time had passed since the last cleaning.
Xu Huo reached out to touch the mycelia.
The little girl quickly stopped him. "Those mycelia really like fabric. They might ruin your clothes."
Xu Huo now felt that Chi Xian's "Upside-Down Milk Bottle" might actually be useful.
He withdrew his hand without protest and was about to say something when a man with a face full of pustules suddenly rushed up from the stairs. He grabbed the little girl's hand and scolded, "Where have you been, you little brat? We've been looking for you for two or three days! Oh, you're hurt this badly—your mother will be heartbroken when she finds out..."
After finishing his tirade, he turned to Xu Huo. "You must be the kind soul who saved my daughter. Thank you so much! Unfortunately, our family is poor and has nothing good to offer. If you don't mind, please come to our home for a visit."
Though he said this, he didn't seem overly enthusiastic, maintaining a sense of propriety.
"Sure, I happen to be looking for a few types of fungi and could use a local guide," Xu Huo said.
The man then helped the little girl up. "My name is Liu Da, and this is my daughter, Xiao Tan. What should I call you, sir?"
"Yu Er," Xu Huo replied casually, putting away his prop. With good intentions, he added, "You don't look too well yourself. Can you carry her? Want me to do it?"
Hearing this, Liu Da's face broke into a smile, and he let go without hesitation. "That would be wonderful! Thank you so much! Come, come, this way."
Since they were moving from the surface underground, the environment below wasn't much better. Besides the ubiquitous fungi, old and new, the tunnels for passage were narrow, and in some places, one had to stoop to get through.
There weren't many people living here either. Until they reached Liu Da's home, only two or three people in similar condition had come close to peek.
Liu Da's home also had a woman, her face equally covered in pustules. Her condition was worse than the other two family members—she had difficulty moving her legs. When she saw Xu Huo, she perked up a little and struggled to get up to pour him some water.
Liu Da stopped her. "What are you pouring for? Outsiders can't just eat anything from our place."
Liu Da's wife mumbled and put the tea set down.
Seeing that no one was paying attention to Xiao Tan, whose wound still hadn't been treated, Xu Huo mentioned it.
The couple suddenly seemed to remember their parental responsibilities. They quickly helped their daughter sit on a simple stone bed, fussing over her with concern and care, and gave her the water that had been prepared for Xu Huo.
Then Liu Da began to recount the hardships of his family and the others living in these stone caves. Originally, Butterfly Bone Town had quite a few people, but a new type of fungus had drifted in from somewhere. Those who couldn't survive it all died, leaving only a handful of people barely alive here, unable to contact the outside world—and even if they could, no one would go to the trouble of rescuing them. So they could only drag out a miserable existence here, not knowing day from night.
"Better to live in disgrace than die in honor," Liu Da said, tears in his eyes. "Who knows what the future holds? Anyway, that's just how it is..."
Xu Huo watched him expressionlessly, his tone flat as he echoed, "Yeah, truly pitiful."
Seeing that Xu Huo was unmoved, Liu Da wiped his tears briskly and muttered under his breath, "We're already halfway in the grave, so it doesn't matter. But it's a pity the child has grown up eating nothing but poisonous fungi..."
Pretending not to hear, Xu Huo asked, "You said earlier that Butterfly Bone Town became like this because of a specific fungus. What kind of fungus is it? Can you take me to see it?"