The next day.
"Ugh... ow... my head..."
When I visited the Jamil family's suite to check on the young lady and the others, whom I hadn't seen the previous night, I found Reinhardt-san completely down for the count with a hangover.
"Oh, Ryoma-kun. Good morning."
"Good morning, everyone."
"Ryoma-kun..."
"You look like you're in quite a bit of pain. Shall I brew some medicine for you?"
"...Since you're offering, could I... ask you to do that?"
I used Warp to travel between the shops in town, purchasing ingredients for hangover medicine and fruit that wouldn't upset his stomach, then hurried back to the inn.
"Here, please drink this. You should also try to keep your fluids up."
It would have been nice if I could have found some persimmons... or perhaps some shijimi clam miso soup. Since there are so many otherworlders in this world, I wonder if those things exist somewhere? I'll have to keep an eye out next time.
"Ah... thank you... I'll take it..."
"You really should try to refrain from drinking so much."
"I have no excuse... Yesterday... ugh... ow..."
From what I could gather from the suffering Reinhardt-san, it was a classic case of people being far too eager to please. During yesterday's banquet, the officials from the town office were desperately trying to curry favor. They had been fawning over Reinbach-sama and Reinhardt-san, but they had also incessantly pushed alcohol and extravagant food onto the Madam and the young lady.
The Madam had handled it well, but the young lady was still inexperienced with such high-society functions. While Reinhardt-san was busy shielding her from the social pressure, he had ended up drinking far more than he intended.
Hearing the story made me a bit worried. Is the young lady going to be okay? These kinds of social obligations will only increase as she grows up. I feel a bit more at ease because I don't get hangovers or get dangerously drunk thanks to Tekun-sama's Divine Protection... though I still don't know the exact limits of this body. At least I have the experience from my previous life to guide me.
Should I test exactly how much I can handle at some point?
Lost in thought, I watched Reinhardt-san finish his medicine and juice before I finally took my leave of the inn.
I was a little late today, but I headed to the shop anyway. After a quick confirmation that everything was running smoothly, I stepped back out.
It’s a relief that there haven't been any major problems.
Switching gears, I headed for the abandoned mine next. Since I had a few things I wanted to test, I planned to capture some slimes along the way. I might as well gather some medicinal herbs while I'm at it.
"Hello, Meilyne-san."
"Oh, Ryoma-kun. Are you taking a guild job today?"
"Yes. I’ve reached the point where I can leave the shop entirely to my employees."
"To have your own shop and a staff at your age... you’ve really made a name for yourself."
"I just got lucky, really."
"Is that so? Oh, I don't have a formal request for you, but I might have some good news, Ryoma-kun."
Good news?
"Actually, there's a party of five adventurers from another town staying here. They brought in an evolved slime species they captured."
I beg your pardon?
"Please, tell me everything."
"Usually, if you capture a rare monster or find information on one, selling it to the Tamer Guild can be quite lucrative. This party tried to sell the slime they found by chance, thinking that any evolved slime would be valuable. But the guild actually refused to buy it. If it were a species that could use magic, like your Heal Slime, it would be considered rare and useful even among evolved species, and they would have paid a high price... but this one was apparently different. They're still rookies, so it seems they didn't do their research properly. They were quite devastated when they realized an evolved slime doesn't automatically mean a big payday."
"In other words, if the price is right, I might be able to buy that rare slime from them directly?"
"Exactly. So, do you want it?"
"I do, very much. Do you know where they're staying?"
"They should be at the Badger Inn, a budget place on the east side of town. The party's name is Shikumu's Pier. You should be able to find them if you ask for them."
"Thank you very much! I'll head there right away."
I dashed out of the guild and hurried toward the Badger Inn.
My schedule? Completely overhauled!
"............Is this the place?"
I found the Badger Inn easily enough, but... the exterior was incredibly dilapidated. Was this a ruin?
Stepping inside, I found a stereotypical, gruff-looking man behind the counter.
"Welcome. You a guest?"
"I’m looking for an adventurer party called Shikumu's Pier. Are they in?"
"Yeah."
He gestured vaguely toward a door on the right.
"The dining hall and tavern are through there. They're eating. One of 'em has been drinking and complaining since noon, so watch yourself."
"Thank you very much."
He was blunt, but helpful. I opened the door and entered the dining hall. There were only five people inside, and I knew immediately they were the party I was looking for. All five looked to be in their late teens.
"Excuse me, are you the members of Shikumu's Pier?"
When I spoke, all eyes turned toward me.
"Hm? And you are?"
"Pardon my late introduction. My name is Ryoma Takebayashi. I’m a Tamer and an adventurer."
"Hah! A brat like you is an adventurer?"
"Cut it out, Sein. Sorry, he’s in a foul mood right now..."
"I understand the circumstances. I heard you brought a rare slime to the Tamer Guild, but they wouldn't take it off your hands."
"Yeah, about that..."
"Hah!!? What do you want, kid? You lookin' for a fight!?"
The man called Sein stood up, but his party members held him back before he could stomp over to me.
"I am not looking for a fight."
"Then what? You here to mock us!? Even a kid thinks he can look down on us... dammit!! Yeah, fine! We're idiots! We came all this way thinking we'd strike it rich with a rare monster, and now we're at a total loss!! But why the hell do I have to be mocked by the likes of you!!"
Sein shouted himself hoarse before collapsing into a sobbing heap. He was completely wasted and suffering from a severe persecution complex.
"Sein."
"Calm down, man."
"I’ll take him back to the room. We can't talk like this."
"I'll help."
The man named Sein was carried off by two others whose names I didn't catch.
"Sorry about that. We’re Shikumu's Pier. I’m the leader, Shin."
"I'm Kai. Don't mind Sein."
"It’s no problem at all."
"Glad to hear it. So, you had business with us, right?"
Exactly. That was the important part! I didn't care about a random drunk.
"Yes. As I mentioned, I’d like to purchase that slime the guild rejected."
"That slime?"
"We’d be happy to sell it, but why? The guys at the Tamer Guild were practically laughing behind our backs."
"I collect slimes. More than that, I research them. If there's a rare species, I want to get my hands on it regardless of what the guild says."
"That's unusual. But like Kai said, if you're buying, we're selling."
"Then we have a deal? How much would you like for it?"
"Well... why don't you decide? Since the Tamer Guild called it worthless, it's hard for us to put a price on it."
"Honestly, whatever you think is fair. We were going to get rid of it tomorrow anyway."
"I see. Then, could I see the slime first? If it’s a species I already own, the price will be lower. If it’s one I don't have yet, I’ll pay a premium."
"Fair enough."
"I'll go grab it. Hang on."
Kai-san left the table and returned a few minutes later with a stone box.
"It's in here. Careful when you look."
"Excuse me."
I cautiously opened the lid and peered inside. The slime had a dark, reddish-black body, and its consistency was much closer to a runny liquid than a typical slime. After confirming its appearance, I closed the lid.
"Well?"
"It is a species I do not own. I will pay a high price for it... Out of curiosity, how much have you spent on your travels to get here?"
"About 5,000 Suut for the five of us. We scraped by on the bare minimum, but we couldn't do it any cheaper."
Hearing that, I withdrew two Small Gold Coins from my Item Box.
"In that case, I will pay 10,000 for your travel expenses, including the trip home. I will pay an additional 10,000 Suut as the price for the slime itself."
The two of them stared at the coins in shock.
"Are you serious!? That’s 20,000 total!"
"Two Small Gold Coins for one slime... are you sure you want to pay that much?"
"It’s not a problem. It’s thanks to you that I can obtain a new species, after all."
Two Small Gold Coins was a pittance for a new slime!
"I-I see... we certainly have no complaints. You neither, right, Kai?"
"Not a one."
"Then, here you go."
I placed the payment into Shin-san's trembling hand.
"Confirmed."
"Then I shall take this slime. Thank you very much."
"No, we’re the ones who should be thanking you."
"With this, we don't have to worry about money for a while. Sein should finally settle down, too."
In a way, I could understand how that man felt... Not having money can make you feel incredibly vulnerable. I had times like that once.
Come to think of it, wasn't there a high-paying request coming up?
"If you're looking to earn more, you might want to stay in town for a while. I heard that every year around this season, a certain monster appears in massive numbers in the nearby swamps. From what I’ve been told, those monsters sell for quite a bit as medicinal ingredients. It’s a lucrative job, provided you can stomach the smell of the swamp."
"Is that true?"
"Yes, you should confirm it at the guild. I don't know the exact date, but it should be soon."
"That’s a huge help!"
"Thanks for the tip. Is there anything we can do for you in return?"
I didn't need a reward, but... actually, I might as well promote the business.
"In that case, please visit my shop as customers next time. I run a laundry service on the side. Well, it's grown a bit beyond a 'side' business now."
"A laundry service?"
"Yes. We’ll wash as much as you can fit into a single bag for one Medium Copper Coin. We also offer a cleaning service for armor and equipment for one Medium Copper Coin and five Small Copper Coins. It’s popular with adventurers."
"There's a place like that?"
"Understood. It’s cheap enough, so we'll definitely stop by."
"Thank you. The shop is located just before the residential district on the east side of town. Many adventurers use us, so if you get lost, just ask around."
"We'll be there."
"I look forward to it."
With the deal done, I hurried toward the mine. It was the perfect place for slime research, since I didn't have to worry about prying eyes.
Once I arrived, I started processing the waterproof cloth. Since I was already here, I decided to finish fifty rolls for the day. After taking care of my other chores, I finally prepared for the contract.
I eased the lid off the stone box, focused on the slime inside, and chanted the Taming Magic. The liquid body rippled violently for a moment before settling into a calm state. Success!
I immediately used Appraisal on my new companion.
Bloody Slime
Skills: Blood Sucking Lv4, Deodorization Lv3, Disease Resistance Lv3, Poison Resistance Lv1, Feigned Death Lv10, Digestion Lv2, Absorption Lv4, Division Lv1
A Bloody Slime, huh? With a skill like Blood Sucking, its diet is obviously blood. It also has Deodorization and Disease Resistance, plus a low-level Poison Resistance. And what is this Feigned Death skill? Does it play dead? ...Well, I can look into the specifics of the skills later.
The immediate issue was food. If it needed blood, how should I handle that?
"I suppose I'll have to hunt some local wildlife."
I told the other slimes they could do as they pleased as long as they didn't wander off, then headed out to hunt with the Bloody Slime in tow.
To my surprise, several dozen of my slimes had taken up training sticks and spears and were practicing on their own. I had only left the weapons there for self-defense, but some of them were incredibly dedicated. Several groups were working in perfect unison, repeating the basic movements of the staff, spear, and martial arts techniques I had taught them. There were even pairs practicing sparring, and their movements were noticeably improving.
It was a positive development, but I was fairly certain this wasn't typical behavior for slimes...
Setting aside my doubts for the moment, I searched the area until I found a Horn Rabbit. I took it down cleanly with a single shot from the bow and arrow I pulled from my Item Box. When I gave the Bloody Slime the signal to eat, it flowed toward the rabbit like a dark liquid and began to drain the blood from the arrow wound.
So it drinks from the wound? On Earth, there are mosquitoes and fleas that drink blood... and come to think of it, there were even some birds that did the same. I suppose it’s similar to that...!?
As I watched the Bloody Slime, its body—which was already quite runny—became even less viscous. It actually liquified itself and vanished inside the Horn Rabbit's body.
"It went inside through the wound?"
That was unexpected. The Bloody Slime's body was much thinner than other species; it could transform from a sludge into a watery liquid at will. It seemed to enter the creature's vascular system to drain the blood from the inside out.
"This is a completely different breed... I had no idea slimes like this existed."
While I was marveling at its behavior, the Bloody Slime emerged from the carcass. Because of its reddish-black color, it looked a bit macabre, almost like blood gushing out of the rabbit.
Once it was fully clear, I appraised the Horn Rabbit's body.
Horn Rabbit Carcass Yields: Horn, meat, hide. Killed with a single shot to the neck; horn and hide are in excellent condition. High quality. Blood was removed promptly and completely after death, drastically reducing odor. Meat is of the highest quality.
I understood the condition of the horn and hide, but the meat was perfectly bled? That was clearly the result of the Bloody Slime's feeding. I just had to make sure there were no diseases involved. I appraised it again and confirmed the meat was perfectly safe.
"Isn't this incredibly useful for adventurers and hunters?"
I returned to the mine to butcher the rabbit. When I grilled and tasted the meat, it really was delicious and completely free of any gamey smell. The Deodorization skill might have played a part in that as well. This was an excellent purchase for a first encounter.
However, if I wanted to evolve more slimes into Bloody Slimes intentionally, I would need a steady supply of blood.
"I’ll need a massive amount of blood for experiments... but I can't just go around depopulating the local wildlife."
I could probably gather a fair amount if I mobilized all my slimes, but that would disrupt the ecosystem and potentially steal work from other adventurers.
"I know! I’ll talk to Sieg-san."
On Earth, animal blood is used in various cuisines, but in this world, it isn't considered an ingredient. This is because blood contains the creature's mana. If a human consumes it, they take that mana into their own body, leading to a condition called Mana Sickness—an overload of mana. Like Mana Deficiency, it doesn't usually require treatment, but it's generally avoided.
Sieg-san owns a butcher shop. He mentioned that he buys meat from adventurers. If they do the butchering at the shop, they must be draining the blood. I might be able to take that waste off his hands.
I'll stop by his shop when I get back to town.
Realizing I had forgotten to capture any standard slimes on my way back to the mine, I scouted the tunnels until I found three. The contracts went off without a hitch.
Since the cloth still wasn't dry, I decided to dive straight into my next round of experiments.