The ruined outpost camp at night was busier than ever before.
Faced with those absurd, fist-sized Poison-stinger Wasps, the adventurers and mercenaries—many of whom hadn’t even managed to put on their leather armor properly—happily raised both hands and chose to surrender.
Occasionally a few drunkards, bolstered by liquor and unusually bold, tried to grab benches or daggers to resist.
Their fate, of course, was to be launched by a Metal Slime guard. One slime-charge sent a man crashing through a window with a clang, landing in the mud outside and knocked completely unconscious.
Before night was fully gone, the entire ruins camp had already been completely taken over by the Slime army.
Except for a few perceptive assassins who slipped away using shadows and the night, almost every adventurer and mercenary left in the camp had become a captive.
They were ordered to gather in the open space around the Wild Boar Tavern, watched by slimes holding iron spears and by Poison-stinger Wasps hovering low, forbidden to leave at will.
"What... what the hell, slimes everywhere..."
"Which bastard went and pissed off the swamp's green ancestors this time?!"
They had no idea what fate awaited them—becoming laborers, ransomed, or something worse... They could only wait anxiously, and for a while panic and oppression filled the air.
But soon they noticed the slimes standing guard suddenly shift and part to make a lane.
A slime slightly larger than normal, wearing a small crown and a red cloak, bounced out in front of everyone, flanked by slime guards.
Could this... be the Slime King?
That seemed to be the only reasonable thought in the prisoners’ minds.
"What... what do you want?"
The adventurers tightened their grips on their weapons, back to back, watching the approaching Slime King warily.
Chen Yu activated the crystal Nilly had given him, and a soft yet authoritative voice spread through spiritual force.
"Guild leaders of the major guilds, come out and meet me."
Hearing that, people exchanged glances and no one dared to step forward at once.
Finally, after a brief silence, a middle-aged man with a calm demeanor, wearing a Silver Oak Leaf badge on his chest, took a deep breath and stepped forward.
He bowed respectfully toward Chen Yu.
"Your Majesty the Slime, I am Adrian Cole, guild leader of Silver Oak Leaf."
"Since the road from Gray Mist Lake into the swamp’s depths was sealed, our guild members have hardly ventured into that area. We shouldn’t have offended you or your territory."
He cautiously asked, "May Your Majesty allow us to leave?"
Chen Yu bobbed slightly and nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Adrian, right?"
"I don’t care whether these people belonged to Battle Axe or Blacktooth before. From today on, they will be people of Silver Oak Leaf. If anyone disobeys, my army will handle it."
"Huh?"
Adrian hadn’t expected that outcome and froze in place.
Hidden among the crowd, the other guild leaders were suddenly both shocked and angry.
"On what authority!"
A dwarf carrying double hand axes shouted, "Our Battle Axe guild has existed for over a decade, why should we be merged into Silver Oak Leaf?"
"We Nightingales specialize in stealth and intelligence, not wrecking ruins," protested a slender assassin, indignant.
"This is unfair. You slimes can't just be that domineering."
Chen Yu didn’t bother to argue with them. With a thought, a surge of mist spewed from his gel body, and his round form began visibly inflating and reshaping.
[Gel Mimicry]
[Heat Mist Illusion]
[Fear Aura]
In the dense fog, a pair of black dragon wings formed from condensing mist violently unfurled. His shape stretched and elongated in the haze, ultimately transforming into a massive, youthfully proportioned black dragon covered in glossy scales.
"ROAR!!!"
He tilted his head back and roared, shaking the whole camp. At the same time, a wave of terror spread like icy tide, instantly sweeping over every adventurer present.
"Ugh!"
The protesting voices cut off. The adventurers felt their legs weaken, hearts pounding, eyes filled only with fear.
[Flame Affinity]
[Mana Explosion]
Then, in his dragon form, Chen Yu opened his huge maw. A sinister crimson glow lit his throat, and he expelled a lava-like, scarlet gel.
"Boom! RUMBLE!!"
The molten gel splashed into the abandoned stable beside the tavern, triggering a violent explosion. The dry hay ignited and towering flames soared, painting half the sky a fiery red.
"A dragon... a true dragon?!"
"A giant dragon disguised as a slime?!"
"This is it—we actually provoked a dragon..."
All except Adrian, who stood stiffly, the other adventurers backed away in terror, some collapsing to the ground in a mess.
Chen Yu mimicked the dragon descriptions from monster guides, sweeping his golden vertical pupils indifferently over the crowd, but spoke in his soft, squishy voice unlike his appearance.
"Do you... have any objections now?"
All the adventurers shook their heads vigorously, especially the guild leaders, who buried their faces and dared not breathe.
That's right.
Chen Yu nodded inwardly with satisfaction.
Indeed, the slime image was too soft and lacked deterrence. In critical moments he had to borrow a dragon’s prestige.
Although in reality the dragon body was mostly an illusion of condensed mist—the only part truly manifested from his gel was the head—it was promising.
When the Gel Mimicry level improved, maybe he could truly imitate the dragon’s power.
Thinking this, Chen Yu dispersed the surrounding dense fog with another thought. The giant black dragon’s form dissolved like a bubble, and his round body popped back into place, plopping onto the ground and wobbling a few times before stabilizing.
Adrian forced himself forward and asked respectfully, "May I ask, Your Majesty, is there anything Silver Oak Leaf can assist with?"
Chen Yu hopped over and told the guild leader, "We Slime Kingdom will build a castle here. I hire you to help."
"Build a castle?"
The adventurers were stunned. They had expected dangerous ruins exploration, slaying powerful monsters, or even suicidal cannon fodder tasks.
Instead they were to be bricklayers?
Under their bewildered stares, Chen Yu shook his gel body. "There’s payment. Those who perform well can also receive magic scrolls as extra rewards."
There were too many captive adventurers to release;
if freed, they would spread news of the Slime Kingdom everywhere, jeopardizing future operations.
Not releasing them meant dealing with food, daily management, escape attempts, and trouble—while the territory wasn't short on fertilizer.
So he might as well hire them all: use labor to exhaust them, recruit capable hands to speed up bridgehead construction—killing multiple birds with one stone.
"What? There’s pay?"
"Magic scrolls?! Seriously?!"
The adventurers who had felt humiliated just moments ago suddenly lit up with greed for gold and magical items.
Their energy shifted dramatically from listless to eager.
Whether venturing into the Darkness made money or building walls here earned money, why not take on safer, steady work?
Maybe if they performed well they could really get a magic scroll. That was worth more than twenty gold coins.
A steal.
Without needing Adrian to persuade them, the adventurers eagerly agreed and rubbed their hands, ready to start.
"Good spirit."
With them settled, Chen Yu spread his Gel Wings and lazily flew off to scout with the army already pushing into the Dark Realm.
But the frontline progress was about what he expected—not entirely smooth.
The Dark Realm’s terrain was intricate, full of ravines, underground rivers, ruins riddled with magic formations and undead guards, and pervasive darkness, all of which made marching and exploration difficult.
No wonder the White Horse Kingdom’s regular forces largely ignored this area—they had run out of options.
Fighting here meant long supply lines and unfamiliar terrain—a military nightmare.
From the ruins camp into the Dark Realm, they first faced the giant valley through which Reed River ran. Many dark-adapted monsters lived there, and within the Dark Realm the terrain was relatively flat.
Yet compared to the endless evenness of the Golden Tassel Plain it was far worse: rolling hills, abrupt boulders, and bottomless fissures sporadically blocked the way, impeding ground forces.
Fortunately, the Poison-stinger Wasp legion was aerial and could largely ignore such complex terrain.
Chen Yu guessed they would soon learn and secure the valley, then press toward the Evernight Domain.
In fact, Evernight Domain lay roughly northeast-by-north of the Dark Realm—not as deep into the darkness as Gore, and closer in straight-line distance to Riftrock Pass.
But the vampires were picky about locations.
Besides one relatively easy main route, any other approach to Evernight Domain led into encircling ruins that would awaken the sleeping undead armies and invite endless assaults.
Not to mention the ancient civilization’s walls that still lay across the wasteland.
"So many ruins..."
Standing on a height, Chen Yu looked at the faint ruins in the dark below, and could not imagine how prosperous this land had once been before the Darkness covered it.
He was thinking when hunger struck;
he decided to find food and fill his Abyssal Big Belly.
He scanned the misty valley below and planned to start with the aimless wandering undead.
...
By the time news of the ruins camp being taken by slimes reached Evernight Domain, it was midday the next day.
In the castle garden, Casimir lounged lazily in a wooden chair, elegantly swirling a goblet by hand.
Strangely, the goblet did not hold blood but a jade-green, translucent gel.
He inhaled deeply the life-scent the gel gave off and his face showed bliss.
Ah... this is life...
His mood had been fairly good, but then he thought of Dunlan handing over to the goblins without notifying the vampire clan, even allowing them into the castle, and a shadow fell across his mind.
This castle, a symbol of vampire nobility and antiquity, had long lost its former aloofness and tranquility. Filthy goblins had moved their stinking nests and tattered tents into the courtyard and corridors.
And the self-styled noble vampires were reduced to curling in the few unpolluted corners of the castle, barely surviving.
"Sigh..."
Casimir sighed softly and drained the precious gel, savoring its cool, smooth texture and the soothing energy that spread in him.
"I should have known. In Salacha’s eyes, we’ve probably long been disposable pawns..."
He lay back lazily, thoughts wandering to the adorable slimes of the Eastern Swamp and the tasty gel...
"Supplies are running low."
He stroked the empty goblet, wondering whether to seek the generous Undead Lord for another trade.
At that moment, a racket of nasty green voices rose from outside the garden.
Something urgent seemed up;
the goblins moved with hurried purpose, not their usual laziness.
Curious, Casimir straightened his rumpled suit and walked out.
He soon met other vampire nobles drawn by the commotion.
From them he heard the sensational news.
"Slimes took the ruins camp?!"
Casimir’s heart skipped. He expected fear or worry, but oddly he felt a flash of pleasure and schadenfreude after the shock.
"Any comment from our dear Dunlan?" Casimir smiled again as he asked his companions.
The vampire noble shook his head, puzzled. "Strangely, he didn’t seem very concerned when he heard the news."
Casimir frowned slightly.
Since a string of events had unfolded, he felt increasingly unable to read Dunlan—or what the mage’s teacher, Salacha, had in mind.
But whatever. This land’s real masters were no longer the vampire clan.
Let whoever wants to occupy it do so.
Besides...
Casimir’s eyes glittered.
Perhaps he could use this chance to squeeze more Life's Blood out of that Undead Lord.