As the gates of Yrneha’s crystal tower closed behind them, Lohan felt an immediate shift in the magical pressure.
Stepping out of the oppressive atmosphere of the magic tower’s laboratories, the lighter Mana outside, alongside the beautiful landscapes of Thalendor, brought a pleasant sense of calm to Lohan.
Just as she had done upon leaving the magic tower, Aeliana skipped happily along the entire way, snuggling Lohan against her chest in a way that no longer bothered him at all.
As they passed groups of magic apprentices, upon seeing Aeliana, no one seemed to notice anything unusual in the way the girl acted, greeting her with polite and respectful smiles.
But some shifted their gaze to a disguised look of disdain upon seeing the slime, that weak and useless creature, in the Archmage’s apprentice’s arms, as if the act of carrying Lohan were a disgrace to Yrneha.
However, neither Aeliana nor Lohan paid any attention to that.
’It’s amazing how thousands of years of accumulated details can change a place so much...’ Lohan surveyed the city as he watched the flow of people increase.
He spotted sturdy figures with animal ears carrying gleaming ores and winged creatures soaring through the skies between the crystal towers.
Aeliana stopped in front of a structure carved into the interior of an ancient tree trunk, with crystal display cases showcasing sweets that glowed like precious gems.
The place was called "The Forest’s Sigh."
"Lia! I see you’ve brought an unusual guest today." An elderly elf remarked with a polite smile from behind the counter.
"This is Halon, Grandpa Tiarsus! He’s a Friend of Thalendor, and my friend." Aeliana introduced the slime proudly, not caring about the strange looks people around her were giving her.
The elf looked at the blue slime with curiosity.
Since elves were a race with a high affinity for magic, he noticed the density of Lohan’s mass and was surprised by it.
To become an old elf like that man, one had to live for several thousand years.
Tiarsus hadn’t been surprised by anything for several centuries, but today he broke that streak.
Lohan formed a small hand beside his body, mimicking the elven greeting he’d seen the guards perform, and said nothing, since he no longer had the mental link to communicate.
Even so, the shock to the ancient elf was even greater, but with millennia of existence, he still maintained his composure. "A sentient Slime... fascinating. Since you’re a hero of the city, the first treat is on the house."
He placed a small porcelain plate on the counter with three translucent spheres that shifted in color between pink and gold.
Lohan extended a small tentacle and wrapped it around one of the spheres. Instantly, his [Digestive Filter] identified it as high-purity organic matter.
’Wait... the taste of this...’ Lohan froze.
Unlike the Grade A nutrient solution he drank in the real world, which had an acceptable but still artificial taste, or the Goblin brains that stank of garbage, this candy was such an explosion of flavors that his taste buds vibrated with happiness.
’How I’ve missed eating something tasty...’ he thought, realizing that since he’d come to this world, he hadn’t eaten a single thing that actually tasted good.
Somehow, unlike the tastes of sugar and artificial sweeteners he’d experienced in his previous world, these elven sweets tasted like summer sun and wild honey.
The feeling of fullness and energy filled his core in such a comforting way that he melted even further into Aeliana’s arms.
In the real world, Lohan lived in a constant state of alert against thugs in the Lower Zone, or cocky, arrogant kids from the Upper Zone. He didn’t even have peace at home, since the house was a dump and at any moment a fat, drug-addled landlord could show up to ruin his day.
Here, he was just a Slime enjoying an afternoon with a friend.
Aeliana laughed as she watched his jelly wobble. "I knew you’d like it! See? This is a special candy made by Grandpa Tiarsus using the essence of different flowers and plants through nature magic. The entire process of collecting the essences and saps is done in the gentlest way possible for the flowers, causing them no harm at all."
Hearing that, Lohan understood even more the love the elves had for nature, and he understood a little of their anger toward Slimes, considering the destruction his species caused to what they loved and respected so much.
They continued their stroll through the Great Horizon Bazaar.
The roots of a colossal tree formed natural shelves for hundreds of merchants. Lohan saw dwarves haggling over prices for minerals or equipment, and he also saw noble fairies whispering to one another as they flew through the sky.
Now, without haste and without a clear goal, Lohan observed the market with greater attention and affection, noticing details he hadn’t seen when he first came here with Lisa.
It was as if they had managed to enter a luxury shopping mall, where everything was of a higher quality than the malls he had seen in videos in his previous world.
’I never imagined something so beautiful existed...’ He thought, stunned, until he remembered the dazzling view of the starry sky that inspired the naming of the Astralis Requiem, but realizing that Thalendor’s urban life had a glow all its own.
Looking at that place, Lohan remembered the real world, how the walls of the buildings were dirty, how everything there stank and was toxic, both in objects and in people, and realized it was as if he were living in a nightmare in that world, and a beautiful dream in Elysium.
However, that peace was suddenly interrupted.
Lohan’s core vibrated with a signal from the familiar mental link forming.
Even though he had previously formed a mental link with Yrneha, Lohan could recognize who was forming it at that moment without hesitation.
Seeing no reason to refuse, Lohan accepted the formation of the Link.
"Halon... I hope the ’research’ in the magic tower is finished, because I’m coming and you have a lot of explaining to do." Lisa’s cold, cutting voice echoed in his mind.
Lohan felt a chill run through his gelatin.
’Shit... what’s going on? Shouldn’t she be the one giving me an explanation?!’
Aeliana, noticing the sudden change in the Slime’s stiffness in her lap, tilted her head curiously. "What’s wrong, little buddy? Did the candy make you sick?"
Lohan heard her question and didn’t even know how to answer.