The next day.
"Yes!!"
I let out a cry of triumph, trembling with joy from the moment I woke up.
To my absolute amazement, one of my Sticky Slimes had evolved while I was asleep!
I used Appraisal immediately.
Latex Slime
Skills: Mucus Generation Lv6, Solidification Lv1, Melting Lv1, Physical Attack Resistance Lv2, Jump Lv1, Digestion Lv4, Absorption Lv4, Division Lv3.
So... what exactly was this?
First, the species name was "Latex Slime."
When I heard the word latex, the first thing that came to mind was the raw material for natural rubber—that milky-white, viscous liquid that oozed out when someone scored the bark of a rubber tree. Looking at the slime, its body was exactly that: a viscous, milky-white fluid.
As for its diet, I’d been feeding it Dante stems. I recalled that while rubber latex was primarily harvested from rubber trees, many other plants secreted it as well. Dandelions were a fairly famous example back on Earth, and Dante plants shared several characteristics with them. I wouldn't know for sure until I ran some tests, but it was highly likely that this was the latex I was thinking of. If I was right, I could probably produce rubber from this slime's bodily fluids.
However, it seemed the slime's overall power had taken a significant hit in the process.
"Compared to its time as a Sticky Slime, its Physical Attack Resistance, Digestion, and Absorption have all gone up by one level. But its Jump level dropped by two. Even worse, five skills—Strong Adhesive Fluid, Adhesive Hardening Fluid, Sticky Thread Spitting, Staff Techniques, and Seed Planting—have vanished entirely..."
This was a first for me.
Had my previous experiences been outliers, and was it actually normal for abilities to change so drastically during evolution? Or was this specific case the rarity? The Latex Slime had evolved from a jelly-like Sticky Slime into a liquid state; perhaps the increase in water content within its body was the cause? I couldn't say for sure.
So far, only this one individual had evolved into a Latex Slime. I lacked the data to draw any real conclusions. I needed to observe many more evolutions to further my research!
In that case, I'd have to increase the number of Latex Slimes. Quite a bit of time had passed since I noticed that some Sticky Slimes preferred the stems of the Dante plants. Maybe the latex concentration in the stems was low, meaning they only ingested small amounts per meal?
"Good morning, Lord Takebayashi."
"Hm?!"
Wait, was it already time for people to be up and about?
"Lord Takebayashi?"
"Ah, good morning! Please, come in!"
I called out to the door, and Lulunese-san entered quietly.
"Good morning. Breakfast is ready, but... has something happened?"
"No, it’s fine. I just didn't notice the time because I was observing a slime that evolved. I'll be ready in a moment."
It was a shame, but my research would have to wait until after I ate. I finished my morning preparations and headed to the breakfast table.
"You seem to be in a very good mood," Reinhardt noted.
"I wonder if something good happened?" Elise added with a smile.
"Knowing Ryoma, it has to be slime-related," Pioro said.
"Did one of them evolve, perhaps?" Serge asked.
I’d barely said hello and they’d already figured out everything, from my mood to the cause. Was I really such an open book?
"As you’ve guessed, one of my Sticky Slimes evolved into a Latex Slime."
"A Latex Slime... another new species?" Reinhardt asked.
"At the very least, it's not a common high-tier species," Elise remarked.
"What can this slime do?" Pioro asked.
"For now, it seems it can only produce mucus. But if this mucus is what I think it is, it will be an incredibly versatile material for manufacturing all sorts of things."
Come to think of it, did rubber even exist in this world? I didn't recall seeing any rubber products so far. There were materials with a similar texture, like Grel Frog leather armor, but...
When I asked, Serge spoke up. "In all likelihood, Lord Ryoma, you are referring to 'Guwam.'"
Serge explained that if you traveled far to the south, to the very edge of the continent, you would find a port town. Beyond that lay a chain of islands, and after a sea voyage of a month or two, you would reach another continent. Unlike this land, that continent was perpetually hot and humid. The weather was prone to shifting from clear skies to torrential downpours in an instant, and the culture was vastly different.
It sounded like a tropical island nation. Those sudden downpours were likely squalls. High heat and humidity were the perfect conditions for rubber trees.
"As you mentioned, Lord Ryoma, Guwam is a hardened sap. The trees that produce it grow abundantly on that continent. However, both the trees and the sap are prohibited exports under their laws. They almost never reach our shores."
On Earth, rubber could originally only be harvested in the Amazon basin. Once people realized how useful it was, it became known as "black gold" and was even monopolized by the British for a time. It seemed more and more likely that rubber and Guwam were one and the same.
"Though I don't believe it was quite the miracle material you suggest..." Serge added.
"Oh? Is that so?"
"Yes. It's used for children's toys or simple vessels. I've heard it can be used to waterproof cloth, but it's not a particularly durable material. It melts and tears easily."
I tilted my head. That sounded exactly like raw, natural rubber. They probably hadn't discovered how to vulcanize it with sulfur or carbon. Back on Earth, rubber's true utility was only recognized after processing methods were developed. That was why it became so valuable and was monopolized. Yet here, it was being monopolized before its true potential was even understood. It felt like a strange contradiction.
When I pressed him on why it was so valued there, Serge hesitated.
"The people of that continent have a use for Guwam that is deeply rooted in their culture and customs—it’s vital to them. Most of the supply is used for that purpose."
I noticed Serge was being deliberately vague. Perhaps I shouldn't push any further?
"I thought perhaps you were a bit young for this conversation... but since it’s you, Lord Ryoma, you possess medical knowledge. You likely understand the necessity and importance of such things already."
He suggested we finish breakfast before continuing, so we enjoyed the rest of our meal with lighter topics.
Afterward, as Serge was preparing to head out, I asked him again. He gave me a direct, one-word answer: "Contraceptives."
"Ah... so it’s that sort of thing."
He was right; that wasn't a conversation for the breakfast table in front of Madam Elise.
"The people of that continent are very liberal regarding intimacy. Depending on the region, you can find villages that practice polygyny, polyandry, or even group marriage. In many places, the act itself is even part of their rites of passage into adulthood. In my younger days, I traveled there out of a sense of adventure, and the cultural shift was staggering. Men and women alike wore very little; in the more rural areas, people walked around nearly naked."
Even on Earth, myths often featured sexual themes, and many cultures had similar traditions. And with sexual activity came risks.
"So, those contraceptives are..."
"Yes. Because these acts are common in their daily lives, and not just for rituals, they faced many problems in the past—venereal diseases, or girls becoming pregnant during their rites of passage. The development of Guwam-based contraceptives significantly reduced those issues. Some who don't understand their ways call the people of the Southern Continent 'savages,' but I believe they have a much higher level of awareness and knowledge regarding sexual health than we do here."
In this country, contraception was primarily handled through medicine, with drugs available for both men and women. However, poor-quality medicine or incorrect dosages could have nasty side effects. In that regard, Guwam-based contraceptives were safe and had almost no impact on the body. They were currently imported for the high nobility and sold as high-end luxury goods.
"I see..."
There really were all kinds of countries out there. It was fascinating to learn about them.
Seeing my interest, Serge asked a question of his own. "Is the 'rubber' you mentioned the same thing?"
"I believe the raw material, the latex, is the same. You can think of rubber as Guwam that has been processed to make it far more durable and versatile as a material."
"I see, I see..."
Just to be certain, I asked if my slime's production would violate any export laws.
"The law only forbids taking the trees or their seeds off the continent. Using the mucus produced by a slime born here doesn't violate any regulations."
Relieved, I realized I could experiment in peace.
"I'll try to see if I can produce rubber from the Latex Slime's mucus."
"Please feel free to consult me if you need anything. I'm eager to see the results."
I thanked him for the information and saw him off.
Now then, time to experiment! If I went to the kitchen, could I get some Ramons? If not, I could probably produce natural rubber by diluting the Acid Slime’s secretions and mixing them in. I could probably manage that alongside my sugar scrub research this morning. But what about the sulfur for hardening? I had charcoal for carbon, but for sulfur, I might need to use Alchemy—
"Lord Takebayashi!"
"Good morning."
A maid stopped me in my tracks. She looked incredibly flustered.
"What’s the matter?"
"It’s the pond at the wedding venue! Something has gone terribly wrong. They need you and the ceremony planners to come and make a judgment immediately."
"The pond? Understood, I'll go right away. Ah, wait—could you let Libiola-san and the others know? They're preparing for experiments in the back, and I don't want to keep them waiting without a word."
"Certainly!"
With that confirmed, I sprinted toward the wedding venue. What could possibly be "terrible" enough to cause such a panic?
As the venue came into view through the trees, I felt a wave of unease. A damp, sickly-sweet stench was drifting on the breeze. It smelled like flowers or plants that had been left to rot.
The smell intensified as I got closer. Finally, I saw it: the lake had turned a dark, murky red. A group of department heads was gathered at the shore, including Reinhardt and Elise.
"Sorry I’m late!"
"Ah, Ryoma-kun, I’m glad you’re here," Batz said, his expression grim.
"What happened? The lake is..."
"This is the culprit."
The man representing the gardeners held up a plant. It had long, thread-like roots covered in grape-like sacs. It was a deeper red than even the water, and it stank horribly. It was an eerie-looking weed.
"It's a waterweed called Dogbram," the gardener explained. "It stores up nutrients from spring to autumn, and then one day in winter, it suddenly explodes in growth. It happens every year, but it seems to have come early this year."
"Why did it have to happen now, of all times?"
"We can't possibly hold a ceremony like this..."
Muttered complaints broke out among the staff, and I couldn't blame them. The blood-red lake looked like something straight out of a horror movie. In this light, the chapel I’d built almost looked like a haunted ruin. Most importantly, nobody would want to eat a banquet with that stench wafting over the water!
"Is there no way to fix it?"
"We'd have to block the canal from the upstream source, drain the lake, and then manually haul out all the Dogbram. But even just draining the water would take an entire day. To get everything back to normal, including the upstream sections, we’d need at least five days."
The wedding was only two days away. They would either have to force it through in this mess or cancel it. A heavy silence fell over the leaders as they realized the impossibility of the task.
But I still had a card to play.
"In that case, I might be able to help."
Every eye on the shore turned toward me. Reinhardt and Elise were the only ones who looked like they’d expected it.
"Ryoma-kun... is it the slimes? Actually, it has to be the slimes, doesn't it?"
"Exactly as you imagine."
The gardener’s "five-day" estimate was based on manual labor and a step-by-step process. But what if I had my slimes consume the water, the weeds, and all the sludge simultaneously? And what if I used an overwhelming number of them? It would drastically cut the time.
This was the Jamil Ducal House’s private estate. The people here were veteran servants, many of whom were close friends of Hughes and Lulunese. They were people I could trust. I felt comfortable lifting my self-imposed ban on showing off my Big-class slimes—and even those beyond.
"Dimension Home!"
First, I summoned three of my massive, King Scavenger Slimes.
"Whoa!"
"What is that giant slime!?"
"A Big Slime? No, it's far too large! Does he actually have a contract with something like that?"
Ignoring the shock of the servants, I gave the order for the slimes to enter the lake. The King Scavenger Slimes glided silently into the water, sending out massive ripples as they headed toward the center.
The lake was broad, but shallow enough that the slimes could crawl along the bottom without being completely submerged. It was probably about two meters deep.
"A little more distance between you... there! Now, flatten your bodies and maximize your surface area for absorption. Ready... go!"
I activated Binge Eating.
The water's surface above the slimes began to vibrate, and small whirlpools formed around them.
"The slimes are handling it well. I'll have them drain the lake water and consume the weeds all at once."
"Will we be in time for tomorrow's final preparations, Ryoma-kun?" Reinhardt asked.
"I won't know for sure until we see the progress, but I have plenty more slimes. We’ll leave the lake to the King Scavenger Slimes and have the others handle the upstream and downstream sections. We'll make it in time. If you push hard enough, the impossible becomes very possible!"
"I don't follow that logic, kid, but I like it!" Batz shouted. "I'm going to go close the upstream sluice!"
"Then we'll proceed with the decorations as scheduled!" the gardener added. "Let's work as if the ceremony is still happening tomorrow!"
"Yes, sir!" the staff cheered.
A light of hope returned to the eyes of Batz, the gardener, and the other leaders. I wouldn't have any time for my latex research today, but that was fine.
My priority was Hughes and Lulunese.
The research could wait. Cleaning and odor control were my specialties, after all!
The work continued deep into the night.