I'm not a goblin Frankenstein's monster.

Chapter 56 Hallucinogenic Mushrooms

The group looked at each other, none of them able to come up with a solution.

Indiscriminately picking unknown plants during an adventure is often the first step towards disaster.

Xia Lin had heard the dwarf Tyr say that in the underground dwarf settlement, a member of the tribe had died after accidentally eating a certain poisonous mushroom. Fortunately, someone obtained an antidote from another dwarf village and successfully treated him; otherwise, his dwarf settlement would have been doomed.

Ezio stroked his chin, his eyes darting around, and suddenly chuckled, "I have an idea! We can find a volunteer to taste just a small bite of each kind of mushroom."

If it's just a tiny amount, it usually causes hallucinations and vomiting at most, but it generally won't kill you. So, wouldn't that mean...?

His voice grew softer and softer until it finally stopped abruptly.

He noticed that Targen, Lia, and Charlin had all turned their gazes toward him without him even realizing it, their expressions conveying a perfectly clear meaning.

Oh? A volunteer? That sounds good, you're the one.

Leah crossed her arms, her pointed ears twitching, and gave a half-smile: "Go on, my clever halfling teammate, why are you silent now?"

Ezio shrank back, chuckling dryly, "Ahem... well, I was just kidding! We're all still young, and we have a long adventure ahead of us. We can't let these mushrooms ruin our lives!"

Xia Lin thought of the knowledgeable crow and silently asked himself, "Woody, can you tell which of these mushrooms are poisonous and which aren't?"

The crow on the shoulder lazily preened its feathers, its voice carrying a distinctly dismissive tone: "How would I know? I'm the clairvoyant crow, not a mushroom expert."

This kind of obscure knowledge is outside the scope of my "erudition."

This guy is quite "unbalanced" in his studies.

Xia Lin secretly complained.

He focused his mind, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, and quietly activated [Identification], scanning the mushroom patch.

In my field of vision, blurry text information appeared intermittently:

【Grey Spotted Agaric】: Commonly found in dark and damp environments, it is edible, tastes so-so, and provides a decent feeling of fullness.

【Glowing Finger Mushroom】: It has a weak light property, and long-term consumption may slightly affect eyesight. It is not recommended to consume large quantities.

【Spiral-spotted mushroom】: Contains hallucinogenic components, which may cause hallucinations, disorientation, and vomiting with larger doses…

The information is incomplete, but at least a general judgment has been made.

"I can tell a little bit," Xia Lin said, drawing everyone's attention.

"Some of them should be edible, like the grayish ones. But the ones with blue spiral patterns," he pointed to the most fancy mushrooms, "may contain hallucinogenic substances, and eating them can cause hallucinations or even vomiting."

Most mushrooms with more elaborate colors and shapes tend to cause more adverse side effects after consumption, which is similar to what Xia Lin remembered.

"Hallucinations?" Ezio's ears perked up immediately, his earlier hesitation vanishing instantly. His eyes gleamed with interest. "Just how hallucinogenic? How strong are the aftereffects?"

Xia Lin had no idea about this, so he could only vaguely say, "I'm not too sure either. I only learned a little bit from the old people in the village who grew mushrooms when I was a farmer in the countryside. I know that there are some mushrooms that you shouldn't touch."

As for its specific effects, well, ordinary farmers would never eat it as a vegetable.

"That's right!" Ezio exclaimed excitedly. "A hallucinogenic substance is a good thing! You don't know, the alchemists in town, and some mages and sorcerers in the upper city, love to tinker with these things!"

Some added it to their specialty drinks, others mixed it into their cigarettes. Apparently, these ingredients gave it a particularly strong aftereffect, making them burst with inspiration! The stronger the flavor, the more they liked it and the more they were willing to pay!

Xia Lin was taken aback, then remembered a "specialty" of a certain Western power in her previous life, and suddenly realized.

Indeed, in this world, there are no unsellable products, only unsold sales channels and sellers who don't know how to market.

That's great, even hallucinogenic mushrooms have a specific customer base.

"However," Ezio scratched his head, his tone becoming more cautious, "this thing is strictly regulated in town; it's in a gray area. You have to be sneaky and find the right channels to sell it."

Targen and Leah exchanged a glance.

Targen nodded: "Collect if you want, just be careful not to overdo it. When you sell them, split the profits according to the rules."

"Don't worry, don't worry!"

Ezio beamed and immediately pulled out several small cloth bags lined with oil paper from his baggage, then put on gloves.

They began to carefully pick the most brightly colored and strangely patterned spiral-patterned mushrooms, handling them as gently as if they were fragile gems.

Meanwhile, Xia Lin's gaze was fixed on another corner of the cave.

There was a rough platform made of stones, on which a dozen or so short, thick candles were neatly arranged.

These candles look rather peculiar.

The candle appears to have been roughly shaped from some dark yellow material mixed with animal fat and mineral powder, with a rough and uneven surface, and even tiny plant roots can be seen.

The wick is a dark brown fiber with excellent toughness.

Most notably, each candle has a tiny, dull, dark red scale embedded at its tip.

Judging from the appearance, these are fragments of scales shed from the kobold itself.

Xia Lin focused his mind and used his identification skills once again.

However, no specific information emerged in the field of vision, only extremely vague feedback indicating that these candles contained faint ritualistic or symbolic elements, but no magical fluctuations.

It appears to be just an ordinary lighting fixture with tribal totem significance.

However, since Nim said there were people buying at the docks and the price was good, he naturally wouldn't let it pass him by.

He carefully removed these rough candles, each bearing the "smell" and faith of the kobolds, wrapped them in a thick cloth, and stuffed them into his bag.

The package was heavy, with a slightly greasy feel and a fishy smell.

"I've collected all the kobold scales and claws, and two boss-level weapons. As for the hallucinogenic mushrooms, which are the most troublesome to sell, someone has already taken over the contract." Tagan tallied up the spoils of this trip and was quite satisfied.

"Check again to see if there are any missed ores, then leave as soon as possible. This place is getting worse and worse."

Inside the cave, the kobold corpses began to emit a foul odor, which, combined with the original musty smell, made it unsuitable to stay for long.

The group quickened their pace, briefly rummaging through the areas where ore was piled up. They picked up a few more pieces of ore of decent quality, then left without further hesitation, retracing their steps and swiftly retreating from the trap-filled kobold lair.

As the group emerged from the mine, reeking of blood and the musty smell of the cave, they felt as if they had stepped into another world when they breathed in the cool, fresh air of the forest again.

The afterglow of the setting sun cast a warm golden hue over the barren slopes and illuminated the ground birds in the distance.

The large bird was leisurely pecking at the scattered beans and grass seeds on the ground with its strong beak, its long neck stretching and retracting with a very relaxed posture.

However, as the four approached, it seemed to keenly detect the strong smell of blood on them, and immediately shook its head uneasily, letting out a low, warning "grunt" from its throat, while its paws nervously scratched the ground.