Chen Yu wasn't interested in pretty words at all. His gaze directly bypassed the speaker and landed on the ornate treasure chest held by the Blood Bat attendants behind him.
"Viscount Casimir, you should be well aware that what interests us is the bounty, not those beautiful-sounding yet hollow words of 'friendship'."
Upon hearing this, the corner of Casimir's mouth twitched.
These undead really have fallen headfirst into the money pit.
They're still hung up on that bounty even now.
Thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, but his face maintained an elegant smile.
"Of course, of course."
Casimir's tone was sincere, as if from the bottom of his heart. "Lord Salacha places extreme importance on forming an alliance with your territory. He specifically instructed me repeatedly to ensure not a single gold coin of that bounty deposited with the mercenary band is missing, and to personally return it to your hands."
"You must understand, searching the entire Dark Realm, you'd be hard-pressed to find a second figure as generous as Lord Salacha, willing to generously hand over a full 1,768 gold coins. Yet, for the sake of our unbreakable, profound friendship, all of this is worthwhile."
The few Blood Bat attendants immediately understood, chittering as they flew over, working together to forcefully heave the heavy, gold-inlaid lid upwards.
In that instant, golden light erupted.
Looking inside, the chest was actually piled high with countless exquisitely minted gold coins, shimmering with an alluring luster.
Most were Hege coins minted by the White Horse Kingdom, with some being standard-issue gold coins from the Misty Bay Harbor Trade Alliance.
Even under the swamp's not-so-bright sunlight, they still reflected a heart-racing, dazzling brilliance, as if a small sea of wealth had been brought before their eyes.
Even Chen Yu had never seen so many gold coins.
They're really giving it.
Chen Yu's skull head tilted slightly, feeling somewhat surprised.
He truly hadn't expected the vampire clan and the mysterious mage Salacha behind them to be so decisive, willing to actually cough up such a not-insignificant sum of wealth.
But the more they did this, the more it indicated they were plotting something bad against the Slime Kingdom, didn't it?
These guys were simply full of wicked schemes.
The Little Flower Slime hiding behind the base of the wall, secretly observing, quietly patted Chen Yu's "ankle" with a gel hand.
"Brother, they seem to be serious?"
"No, Little Flower, this precisely indicates that what they covet is worth far more than this chest of gold coins."
Chen Yu, looking down upon Casimir, straightened the small crown on his head, striving to adopt the imposing demeanor befitting an Undead Lord, and addressed Casimir below:
"Very well, Viscount Casimir. Your vampire clan is indeed trustworthy. Then I shall accept this gesture of sincerity."
As his words fell, a heavy *rumble* sounded from the location of the fortress's massive gate.
The gate slowly opened. A squad of Metal Slime guards, like soldiers on parade, solemnly hopped out, neatly lining both sides of the road.
Immediately after, a pre-positioned Beetle transport team marched out with steady steps, arriving before the treasure chest. Working together, they steadily lifted the heavy chest of coins and transported it deep into the fortress.
Of course, out of caution, this unexpected windfall had to undergo purification with Magical Dust before being stored, to prevent the vampires from tampering with it—such as attaching tracking magic or curses.
A full seventeen hundred and sixty-eight gold coins... Chen Yu's thoughts drifted somewhat. This was no small sum, completely sufficient to support the expeditionary expenses of an elite knightly order for several days.
A pity Count Bran isn't here. Otherwise, seeing such a small mountain of gold suddenly appear in the warehouse, it would probably caw excitedly and roll around on the coins.
It took a while for his attention to return to Casimir, only to find this fellow seemed to have become somewhat agitated, even starting to pace within a small area.
Chen Yu asked in surprise, "We've received the gold coins, Viscount Casimir. Why are you still here?"
"Could there be something else?"
Casimir cleared his throat lightly, barely maintaining the smile on his face, and reminded, "Respected Lord, regarding the matter of our... alliance..."
"Oh, the alliance."
Chen Yu acted as if he had just remembered, waving a skeletal hand. "No problem. From today onwards, your vampire clan is the most reliable ally of our undead race. How about that, is that acceptable now?"
Anyway, he was a Slime, not a real undead. Casually agreeing wouldn't cost him a piece of gel, Chen Yu thought without any burden in his heart.
"For our unbreakable friendship." Casimir smiled and bowed again, his posture impeccable.
Even though deep down he never believed this so-called alliance could be reliable from the start, they never expected a bunch of skeletons and slimes to be particularly dependable anyway.
In comparison, another matter was somewhat more important to him.
Casimir cleared his throat lightly, forcibly suppressing the craving in his heart, and cautiously inquired in a small voice, "That... Respected Lord, may I ask... is there any more of that blood you generously bestowed upon me the other day? This viscount seems to be feeling somewhat anemic and dizzy again."
After saying this, he felt his heart was about to leap out of his chest. His gaze locked tightly on Chen Yu, fearing to hear a refusal.
"Strange, is this stuff really that delicious?"
Chen Yu wondered inwardly. He felt this guy didn't seem to have come for negotiations;
asking for gel was probably his real purpose.
Since that's the case...
Hey, he suddenly had an idea.
He mixed a talent orb into the secreted gel, then signaled a Metal Slime to hold this lump of gel and present it to Casimir.
Gazing at the crystal-clear, green gel before him, Casimir's breathing noticeably became heavy and rapid, a wave of wild joy surging within him.
Yes, this is it! This color, this texture... the quality is fine.
"Thank you for your generosity, Lord!"
He took the longed-for gel, no longer caring about noble demeanor or vampire elegance, and eagerly took a bite.
However, a few seconds later, the expectant expression on his face quickly froze, replaced by unconcealable disappointment.
This... this taste...
This lump of gel looked exactly the same as the last piece, but the sensation upon entering the mouth was far worse. It was like chewing a sponge soaked in plain water—bland and tasteless, containing nothing but water, just water.
This was purely ordinary gel.
Completely lacking that soul-trembling deliciousness from last time.
Strange, not to his taste?
Chen Yu caught the fleeting look of disappointment on his face.
If there was a difference from last time, the last piece was secreted by his main body and infused with ample life energy, while this was just ordinary gel.
It seems these vampires are quite picky eaters.
But it's fine. His real "treat" was still hidden inside.
Sure enough, when Casimir sucked on the talent orb within the gel, his entire body jolted violently, trembling with excitement.
Yes, this is the taste!
This purity, this little flavor... it's so authentic!
He greedily sucked the essence within until the last bit of gel was drained clean. Only then did he reluctantly raise his head, a trace of intoxication still lingering on his face.
Several seconds passed before he snapped back to reality, realizing he had seemed somewhat improper just now. He hurriedly straightened the exquisite bow tie at his collar as if nothing had happened and elegantly bowed towards the city wall.
"Oh, thank you for your gracious hospitality, Lord. This has indeed effectively alleviated this viscount's anemia symptoms."
He lifted his head, looking towards the short skeleton on the city wall. For some reason, this skeletal lord suddenly looked exceptionally pleasing to the eye, even carrying a strange sense of familiarity.
He attributed this to the pleasant mood after just enjoying a delicacy and didn't dwell on it, merely smiling as he said:
"Before departing, please allow this viscount to offer a friendly reminder."
"Lord Salacha recently observed through magic that demonic aura from the Golden Radiance Valley area seems to be spreading here. It would be best for you, Lord, to closely monitor the movements of the Goblin Army to the west."
"Those chaotic green-skinned fellows have always looked unfavorably upon any force encroaching on territory they consider their own. Moreover, they seem to have some connection with demons."
After speaking, Casimir himself froze for a moment, his expression immediately turning somewhat odd, as if puzzled about why he had said everything.
He originally intended to be more cryptic, leaving this undead lord to guess and worry on his own. But once the words left his mouth, he had unreservedly revealed all the information he knew.
It seemed subconsciously he felt this undead lord was worthy of his trust.
"Demonic aura?" Chen Yu's skeletal jaw moved.
He had guessed those goblins wouldn't stay quiet.
No movement for days;
turns out they went to call for reinforcements.
But for this guy to actively warn him... it seems that talent orb is starting to take effect.
"Any other news?" Chen Yu pressed, wanting to see just how effective it was.
Other news?
Even if he had any, why on earth should he tell this undead?
Casimir instinctively sneered inwardly, filled with the typical arrogance of vampires.
Yet his mouth seemed uncontrollable, instinctively answering, "There is, but... it doesn't seem directly related to you, Lord."
"This viscount certainly wouldn't tell you that we are recently planning to cause some trouble for those annoying Stone Descendants. Lord Salacha specifically deployed a specially modified shadow creature into Gore, preparing to send them a 'surprise'."
Uh... didn't you just completely spill it?
Chen Yu felt like this vampire was about to be broken by him.
He seemed completely unaware he had just revealed the vampire clan's secret plan, his face still maintaining that self-perceived elegant, composed smile.
"Alright, respected Lord, pleasant reminiscing ends here. This viscount should also return to the Evernight Domain to report back to Lord Salacha."
"Fine. Take these to eat on the road, don't get anemic again."
Chen Yu didn't forget to show concern for this vampire who seemed addicted to gel.
He signaled several slimes possessing the Life Drain talent to come forward. They secreted several lumps of green gel infused with life energy, wrapped them in leaves, and had Metal Slimes deliver them to Casimir's hands.
Casimir looked at the leaf-wrapped "snacks" in his hands, his face showing an expression of disbelief and delight. "These... are all for me?"
As if struck by a heaven-sent surprise, he felt secret joy inwardly, while privately praising this seemingly cold undead lord for being so understanding of social niceties.
It seems not all undead are brainless.
Subsequently, under Chen Yu's watchful gaze, Casimir, cradling those lumps of gel, left with light steps, humming a little tune.
His happy appearance was exactly like a child who had received beloved candy.
Only after Casimir's figure completely vanished into the swamp's mist did Chen Yu's gel body sway, reconstituting into his round, plump slime main body.
"A modified shadow creature is wandering within Gore... Are the vampires trying to sabotage the Stone Descendants' Shadow Trial?"
Chen Yu muttered, feeling this matter wasn't simple.
He immediately hopped back to the Tree House, closed his eyes, and his consciousness, like a signal reception, swiftly switched, returning to the slime body far away in Stone Fortress town.
...
Stone Fortress town, inside Yano's wooden cabin.
The pinewood firewood in the fireplace crackled and popped. The leaping flames cast a warm glow throughout the room, dispelling the damp chill of the Dark Realm's afternoon.
Yano sat cross-legged on a thick animal fur rug, carefully reviewing information about the other Stone Descendant participants in this Shadow Trial by the fireplace's light. His brow was slightly furrowed, as if analyzing potential opponents.
Beside him, a slime lay comfortably sprawled on the soft carpet. Its gel body, illuminated by the firelight, flowed with a warm, translucent luster, very much like a lump of fiery candy about to melt, making one inexplicably want to take a lick.
Compared to the outside world, the Dark Realm saw little sunlight year-round. Afternoons rapidly cooled, becoming gloomy and cold. Almost every dwelling in Stone Fortress town had fireplaces to maintain indoor warmth.
Especially during the more unbearable Winter Year, the warm flames in the fireplace were akin to a lifeline.
An unknown amount of time passed. The delectable candy lump on the carpet stirred slightly, opening drowsy, bleary eyes. Its gaze fell upon Yano, who was still intently studying the materials.
"Boss, you're awake?"
Yano immediately noticed, putting down the parchment scroll in his hands. "Is the fire not strong enough? I'll add more firewood."
Chen Yu gave a light hop, directly landing on Yano's broad shoulder. "No need to add wood. It's for something else."
"Can you find a way to contact Nilly? I have important information."
Then, he told Yano the news he'd heard from Casimir.
Of course, he cleverly omitted the details about the territory already forming an "alliance" with the vampires and the specific source of the information, to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and trouble.
After listening, Yano's heart jolted sharply, his expression instantly turning serious.
"I understand, Boss. This is a matter of great importance. I'll go find a way to contact Auntie right away."