The Mycelium Code

The Three Principles at the Core

The mycelium network forming the social foundation of The Root Realm is operated not merely as a biological phenomenon but according to a "code" that Root Realm society has built up over long years.

Since mycelium has the property of absorbing and recording memory fragments from organisms it touches, connecting to the network means providing some of one's experiences. The "Mycelium Code" was born to protect this extremely powerful information-sharing system from abuse. Its core consists of three principles.

First, only adult Root Realm citizens may connect. Second, unauthorized searching of another's memories is prohibited — treated as the gravest crime in The Root Realm. Third, deceased persons' memories are accessible only after a three-year cooling period, requiring consent of the bereaved family.

The Canopy Spy and the "Severance" Incident

The Canopy Council has attempted to use this network for espionage. Cases where connected operatives were "severed" for code violations became diplomatic problems, but the Canopy Council officially denied the existence of those operatives. What "severance" means — the specific details of that measure — is one of the greatest secrets the Root Realm Federation has not disclosed.

The Self-Executing Mechanism

The reason the Mycelium Code actually functions is that the "memory traces" of code violators remain in the Memory of the Earth. Anyone who unauthorized-searches another's memories leaves a record of that act shared across the entire mycelium network. This is the Mycelium Code's self-executing mechanism — before legal punishment occurs, evidence has already been shared with all citizens.

Emergency Disclosure as the Last Resort

The Code has an exception provision. A system called "emergency disclosure" allows, only when all seven city elders consent, forcing disclosure of specific individuals' memories. Records show this system has been invoked three times in the past, in each case during crises threatening the survival of The Root Realm as a whole. Rumors suggest a fourth emergency disclosure is being considered in response to ongoing Great Fall omens. Who would be the disclosure target is one of the most politically fraught issues the Root Realm Federation faces.

The greatest irony of the Mycelium Code is that the Code itself is carved into the Memory of the Earth and transmitted to all connectors. Ignorance of the Code is no excuse — the moment you ground, everyone senses the Code's existence. This is the most powerful legal system, and simultaneously the most inescapable constraint.