Overlord: Start from the Goblin Lair.

Chapter 343: Fusarium and Spore Man
The Holt family picked a good time. If they had asked for a meeting immediately after Levi and Stellan were driven away, Ron would definitely not have met them, because compared to the guests who came from afar and did not know good and evil, the fungus lying on his hand and trying to suck his blood was obviously more dangerous.

"Where did you find these things?"

After expelling the Bengtson family, Ron and Driver found Gillianis, who had locked herself in the laboratory for nearly half a month, and showed her a sample of the strange fungus. Unexpectedly, Gillianis's expression changed drastically after just one look.

"Do you know what this is?" Seeing Gillianis's reaction, Ron knew he had found the right person.

"This fungus is generally known as Fusarium fusiformis - wait a minute, I'll stop the experiment at hand." Gillianis shut down an instrument she brought back from Carolina, found another set of equipment, and cast protective spells on herself and Ron. After making sufficient preparations, she let Ron take out the samples of the fungi.

"Red mold is reddish-brown in color and can only be found in dark, warm, and humid places. It usually attaches to metal and makes itself look like a piece of rust," the moon elf stared at these fungi that looked like dead objects. "A long time ago, traces of these fungi were found in the forest where the elves lived. I didn't expect to find them here as well."

"Is this thing dangerous?" Driver shrugged. "It's more fragile than ordinary fungi. It will die quickly when exposed to light."

"It is fragile, but the life born from it is not fragile," Gillianis turned her lake-blue eyes to Ron. She knew that the goblins were definitely not familiar with these things. "Ron, have you heard of creatures like 'spore people'?"

"Spore Man?" Ron repeated the term and shook his head. "No, I've only heard of Fungus Man. Is Spore Man another name for Fungus Man?"

"The two species are very close, but not the same," Gillianis waved her hand. "Although both are fungal creatures, myconids are usually found in the Underdark, and it is difficult to find their traces on the surface. Sporemen are mostly seen in dark jungles on the surface, or in ruins deep in the mountains."

"Also, although the myconids can create new companions by resurrecting the corpses of other creatures, they are still gentle compared to the spore people. Although the latter can absorb nutrients from the soil and a variety of organic species, their favorite is still fresh meat, bones and blood."

"But what does this have to do with these... red molds?" Driver was confused.

"Spore people are born from these red molds!" Gillianis said seriously, "Red mold and its spores are highly poisonous to ordinary living things. A corpse killed by it will give birth to spore people after 24 hours. The larger the corpse, the more spore people will be born!"

"Red mold, especially those that have infected living things, are not easy to remove: only strong acids and light and dark abilities can be effective in direct damage. In addition, magic such as neutralizing toxins or curing diseases can also kill them."

"As for other methods, besides sunlight, salt and alcohol can also have a certain effect."

"How can these be called difficult to kill?" The goblin hunter said with disdain, "It's not just a matter of--"

"You have to know that not all people or teams have as many tricks as you do, especially those adventurers who are used to working in a team of four or five people," Gillianis sighed. "The elves paid a heavy price to find out what these things are."

"Where on earth did you get these things from?" Ron told the elven wizard the whole story. Looking at Gillianis's eyebrows that were getting closer and closer, combined with what she had just said, Ron knew that things might be a little out of control.

"On the other side of the mountain, in the ruins discovered by the vampire lord, a huge tribe of spore people may have formed," the moon elf said slowly as she stared at the red mold samples that were retrieved. "A few hundred years is enough time for them to form a huge tribe, even if there are few people there."

"Not to mention the large number of wild animals," Driver nodded. "You haven't seen it. The wild animals in the earldom alone have multiplied and spread all over the mountains and plains!"

The moon elf seemed to have thought of something. She touched a brass ring on her hand, and a thick book appeared in her hand. "The beasts are not a big problem. Let me see... Yes, among the lives born from the red mold, in addition to the spore people, there is also a fungal creature called 'thorn beast'."

"The thorn beasts are larger and more ferocious than the spore people, and their bodies are covered with hard thorns, but they are far less intelligent than the spore people. If the red mold only infects the wild beasts, the situation can still be controlled."

"I'm afraid there are too many spore people. Lord, did the earl's notes mention what kind of condition the ruins they found were in?"

"Unfortunately, he is an amateur and has no habit of keeping detailed and systematic records," Ron spread his hands helplessly. "His wife, the witch, may have kept more detailed records, but her manuscripts may have been swallowed up by the red mold."

"I'd like to ask for your opinion: Do you think we need to pay attention to this aspect?"

The Moon Elf thought for a while and said, "I think this is probably what is called 'important but not urgent' work."

"The remains of ancient civilization, plus the Earl's certainty about the source of his own power, are definitely related to the events behind the Delusion Land. But these are all old news after all. The spore people's activity area is not very large, and they can't get close to this place anyway. If you don't want to delve into all this, you can just ignore it."

"But we're afraid something unexpected might happen." Ron and Gillianis said almost in unison.

"The more you know about that being, the better. On the one hand, your ability will likely make the Devil Duke more inclined towards you. This kind of help is definitely hard to come by. On the other hand, it will also allow you, your companions, and your subjects to prepare for the situation. Even if you cannot fight against it, you can always leave in time and avoid ending up like Saran."

"Okay," Ron nodded, and suddenly remembered a question, "Ms. Gillianis, you were once one of the most powerful wizards in the world. Can you roughly guess from our description how powerful the last existence of this land can be?"

"He 'ate' all the undead creatures in the earldom with just one bite. Is such power something a mortal can achieve?"

(End of this chapter)