Warmth, peace of mind... this was Sekashi's first thought upon returning to the swamp.
Although the Rotten Moss Tribe had already relocated from the Reed River bank of her memories and migrated to the Slime Kingdom, when Penny carried her and her sister Semiaya soaring over the swamp, the snow-covered wetland forests below still gave her a feeling of homecoming-like familiarity and relaxation.
The cold wind howled at high altitude. She tightened her thick fur cloak, not feeling cold at all, her heart filled only with joy.
She remembered when she was little, on snowy days like this, her father would take her and her sister, carefully stepping into the frozen edges of the swamp, searching for the forest frogs hibernating beneath the snow layer.
Her sister was always more agile, often finding the target first, then proudly shaking the "trophy" in her hand at her.
Her father's deep laughter and her sister's deliberately serious yet unconcealably proud eyes were the warmest fragments in her memories of cold winter days.
She had heard from her sister that during the time she was away for the trial in the snowy mountains, the Envoy not only accepted the Rotten Moss Tribe, but also established a kingdom belonging to Magical Creatures deep within the swamp.
The kingdom's territory had expanded to a distant region said to be forever shrouded in darkness, called the "Dark Realm," anyway, it was very, very big.
Astonishing.
The camp she used to stay overnight in the swamp was still one she built herself, using only simple branches and leaves, even the bonfire pile was just a few stacked stones.
How big would a kingdom be, how many clansmen would it have, her little head couldn't quite imagine it.
Soon, they returned to the place where they first met the Envoy. Seeing that fortress standing tall in the center of the swamp with her own eyes, she was completely stunned.
This fortress was built with massive gray-black stones, with towering city walls and numerous arrow towers, its scale far surpassing any human outpost or Orc camp she had ever seen.
Yet the Envoy told her that fortresses like this were everywhere in the kingdom, and their destination, Slime City, the capital of the Slime Kingdom, was much bigger.
Sekashi had heard many stories about prosperous human cities passed down from human merchant caravans.
She heard that people there lived in clean, warm stone houses, many houses packed tightly together formed streets, and even larger, more magnificent buildings were erected, forming a city.
In her simple concept, a city was probably just an enlarged version of a tribe, with sturdier, taller wooden fences, more tents and wooden cabins, drying racks that could line an entire riverbank, and countless clansmen...
But this fortress before her eyes had already exceeded her imagination. What would a truly big city be like? Her limited vocabulary and imagination began to feel insufficient.
Not long after, accompanied by Penny's cry, she set foot in the Western Swamp for the first time, this swamp region passed down by her ancestors as a land of death.
When Slime City truly came into Sekashi's view, she found that the scattered imaginings about "cities" in her mind and the descriptions heard from stories were instantly shattered by the sight before her.
Her eyes opened wide, unblinkingly looking down below.
She only felt the city's stone fences were as long as mountain ranges, and so tall, the houses here were much larger than the tribe's wooden cabins, the roads and streets like the straightest, most perfect oak branches.
It all surpassed your understanding, and in the end, you could only attribute it all to divine miracles, the power of Putu, the power of the Envoy manifesting miracles in this swamp land.
You and your sister followed the Envoy, landing at the Slime habitat in the center of Slime City called the "Slime Palace."
Arranged by the Slime Mother, you moved into a very comfortable room.
Orange-red flames danced in the fireplace, Gray Gravel Crystals embedded in the walls emitted gentle light. When you carefully lay down on that soft, almost unreal beast-skin bedding, Sekashi felt as if she were floating on clouds, her whole body somewhat dizzy, as if in an overly beautiful dream.
Far from the piercing cold and dangerous tension of the trial in the snowy mountains, the young girl, with her body and mind completely relaxed, soon fell into a deep sleep in her sister's warm embrace, sleeping soundly, peacefully.
This feeling was like long, long ago, in those ordinary snowy nights, when father protected you with his broad, thick embrace, that kind of stability and trust.
No need to worry about where tomorrow's food would come from, no need to be vigilant against possible enemies, no need to fear being woken by cold in the middle of the night... all of this was just too good.
...
Early the next morning, Sekashi woke up early.
Last night was the sweetest sleep she had since leaving the swamp. Waking up, she felt full of energy all over, her tail couldn't help but swing lightly a few times when getting up.
Hearing that the Envoy was always very busy, handling the affairs of the vast kingdom, she and her sister didn't disturb him.
With the enthusiastic help of the Slime Mother, they found a kind of refined feed said to be used for feeding dragon beasts, wanting to feed it to Penny.
However, this proud snow eagle companion just pecked at the feed with her beak, then turned her head away disdainfully, clearly lacking interest.
Compared to feed, she preferred meat. When the slimes brought a large plate of plump, tender Moss Monster meat, Penny immediately let out a cheerful cry, unceremoniously devouring it heartily, finishing the entire plate in one go.
This scared Sekashi terribly. In her understanding, the tribe couldn't eat that much fresh Moss Monster meat in an entire year before, yet Penny ate such a large plate just this morning!
She immediately felt very guilty and uneasy, feeling that she and her partner were going to eat the kingdom into poverty.
Fortunately, the Slime Mother told her that the kingdom had established several specialized Moss Monster farms in the warm underground city areas, fed with grain from the Dryad domain. The Moss Monsters there were all plump and chubby, with high yield. Feeding a big appetite like Penny was completely no problem.
Only then did she relax, while also having to marvel at the Envoy's capabilities.
On this fulfilling day, she and her sister Semiaya went to the new settlement to visit the clansmen of the Rotten Moss Tribe.
The clansmen's mental outlook was completely renewed, no longer the haggard look from worrying about survival before.
Children played and frolicked in the snow, wearing thick, neat cotton clothes. Adult Lizardfolk were either organizing newly allocated fields or participating in road construction or patrol tasks organized by the kingdom.
Sturdier, warmer wood-and-stone houses were built in the settlement, and there were public "warm houses" and canteens in the central square.
The old shaman, seeing them return safely, excitedly grasped their hands tightly, his cloudy eyes glistening with tears, murmuring words like ancestors bless, Putu reveals his power, and such.
The old man immediately decided to hold a grand tribal bonfire dance to celebrate their safe return and also thank the Slime Kingdom for bringing a new life.
That night, in the new settlement square of the Rotten Moss Tribe, a roaring bonfire was lit, dispelling the chill of the winter night.
The clansmen all sat around the bonfire, their faces radiating heartfelt smiles. They shared harvested food—golden roasted tubers, steaming meat soup, even some syrup made from sweet rootstalks.
Everyone sang and danced, using the Lizardfolk's ancient songs and dances to celebrate the harvest, celebrate Sekashi and Semiaya's return, and sincerely thank the great king, thank the food bestowed upon them, and express hope for a stable, prosperous life in the future.
Sekashi completely immersed herself in this joyful atmosphere. She ate many delicious things she hadn't eaten before, her cheeks stuffed full like a greedy little squirrel.
Penny was also unceremonious, accepting all kinds of offerings without refusal. Finally, eating until her belly was round like a giant white furball, she sprawled on the warm ground beside the bonfire, too lazy to even move, her throat emitting satisfied purring sounds.
Joyful songs and laughter, accompanied by the crackling of burning wood, lasted until late night. Sekashi lay beside her sister, looking at the bonfire-reddened night sky and the happy faces of her clansmen, her heart filled with faint joy.
Who would have thought, just a year ago you were still dwelling on the swamp's edge, worrying about the next meal, only able to eat salty, hard preserved meat, and winters were especially harsh...
Now, everything had changed, your life had gotten better, become prosperous.
You thank the Envoy for everything, faithfully believing in him.
It was just a bit strange that when waking up the next morning, Sekashi found a faint white light emitting from her body, and her sister Semiaya was the same.
The Envoy came to the tribal gathering place to visit them. Seeing the halo on their bodies, he muttered something about "pious faith," "holy order," and such things she didn't quite understand.
Holy order? What was that?
It sounded very impressive.
Moreover, Sekashi was pleasantly surprised to discover that her mind suddenly held many spells she didn't know before, even ones she couldn't describe with words.
The Envoy, seeing her excited appearance, his gel body seemed to sway again, muttering more things like "no illiteracy allowed in the kingdom," "literacy work has a long way to go," "seems education needs strengthening," and such.
Then he said seriously to them, "Since you've become holy order, having power alone isn't enough, you also need knowledge. You two go report to the academy in Winterhold, study properly."
Floating Winterhold? Academy?
Sekashi had heard clansmen mention it. That was a big city the kingdom built on a very cold snowplain. Inside, there was a place that taught people to read, write, and learn various skills, called the academy.
It was said the students there were all illiterates like her who couldn't read much, and the slime teachers teaching there were very strict.
Just thinking about going to a completely unfamiliar place, facing strict teachers and complex knowledge, Sekashi's heart couldn't help but beat nervously, starting to feel some anxiety and worry.
Could... could she learn well? What if she couldn't learn, failed exams, disappointed the Envoy's expectations...
Holding this anxious and uneasy mood, she and her sister still obediently followed the Envoy's arrangements, going to report to the academy in Winterhold.
However, after actually entering the academy, Sekashi found the situation wasn't as scary as imagined.
The slime teacher "Tam" wasn't as stern and frightening as rumors said, but instead very patient, and his teaching methods were interesting, often using Gel Mimicry to create various patterns to aid understanding.
And... Sekashi thought his round, chubby appearance while teaching seriously was quite cute, really wanted to pick him up and pet him.
She thought she might never be able to refuse this kind of soft, squishy slime in her lifetime.
Also, the students here were very friendly. Everyone came from different races and places, but all shared the purpose of learning, easily finding common topics.
She quickly befriended a lady who called herself an Assassin Master, Nilly. She heard she came from the Dark Realm, her skin could become like stone, and her shadow could turn into a super large slime. That was truly amazing.
Although Miss Nilly was always a bit mysterious, liking to stay in shadows, she was very friendly to her, even taught her a few simple techniques for hiding her figure, and invited her to visit Gore in her spare time.
Teacher Tam told them that because their foundation was relatively poor, they needed to study in the academy for at least one month, complete basic courses and pass assessments to graduate smoothly.
One month... must work hard!
Sekashi, do your best.
She secretly cheered herself on.
...
In the snowy forest outside Slime City.
After sending off the Sekashi sisters to study in Floating Winterhold, Chen Yu, sensing his impending breakthrough, returned to this uninhabited snowy forest.
He squatted softly beside the snow-covered oak tree roots, closed his small eyes, as if falling into sleep, only his gel body slightly rising and falling with the rhythm of instinctive breathing.
Time quietly passed, the snowy forest silent, only the cold wind occasionally wailing through the branches.
Suddenly, Chen Yu opened his small eyes. In that instant, his entire gel body transformed into a beam of straight light.
[Primordial Sword Guidance Art]
A sword light of tangible emerald green instantly cut through the silent snowy forest. Where the sword light passed, the air seemed to be sliced, leaving a lingering light trail.
Hundreds of thick oak trees were simultaneously cut at the waist, the cut surfaces smooth as mirrors, without even extra wood chips flying out.
Before the roar of the giant trees falling could sound, Chen Yu's figure had already appeared at the end of the sword light's trajectory, his round, gel body landing lightly on the snow.
Feeling the surging power within his body, his gel body rippled pleasantly, emitting a few small bubbles indicating satisfaction.
"Succeeded," he thought delightedly.
[Foundation Establishment Lv.10 → Lv.11]
[Gold Lv.10 → Lv.11]
[Primordial Sword Guidance Art Lv.2 → Lv.3]
[Kunyuan Foundation Establishment Chapter Lv.2 → Lv.3]
[Primordial Chaos Qi Absorption True Explanation Lv.2 → Lv.3]
As the Magical Creature level and cultivation realm simultaneously broke through, Chen Yu clearly felt some subtle changes occurring in his gel body.
Not only comprehensive growth in strength, speed, and divine sense range, but also an itchy feeling, as if a new sensation was sprouting from deep within the gel core.
It seemed something was brewing, about to break out of its shell.
A new slime talent?