Yano sat cross-legged on the snowy ground, cradling the small orb in his hands as Chen Yu had instructed.
The little orb squatted quietly in his palm, watching him intently with tiny eyes. Then it gave a gentle bounce and melted into his palm entirely.
A faint green luminescence seeped inward from his palm, spreading slowly along muscle fibers honed by countless repetitions of training.
He could clearly sense a strange change unfolding within his body, like a lamp being lit in an empty, dark chamber.
"Boss, I can feel a ball inside me now." His tone was filled with astonishment.
In the past, when he meditated, closing his eyes only revealed a void of pitch-black darkness—nothing to grasp, nothing to perceive.
But now, he could clearly "see" a hazy space, and floating within it was a perfectly round gel orb, like a small, sleepy green moon that hadn't fully woken up yet.
"That's the cauldron and Fake Core created by Gel Mimicry," Chen Yu explained calmly. "But since you don't practice Dao arts, you basically can't use it."
"However, it can help you sense the Great Dao and bring you one step closer to it. Also, your gel body will bring you many new changes. As for how to use them, you'll have to figure that out on your own."
Since Yano had already proven that his instincts could take over the body's combat, those incredible instincts should also be able to utilize the magical creature talents and the Fake Core cultivation synchronized into this body.
Chen Yu suddenly felt a flicker of anticipation. When facing a focused-state Yano, what kind of gel knight would the enemy meet?
After hopping around for quite a while to get used to his gel body, Yano finally managed to walk at a normal pace without accidentally bouncing himself halfway across the room.
He scratched his head, flashed Chen Yu an embarrassed smile, then bid farewell to prepare for the sea voyage. At the very least, he needed to speak with Lola personally to spare her from worry.
Setting sail wasn't something you could just throw on a pack, mount a horse, and go. Even the most seasoned merchant ship captains would dread the endless rocking, the unpredictable extreme weather shifts that could appear at any moment in the Eternal Storm Corridor, and the sea monsters that might rise from the depths.
Even Captain Jack, who had sailed the Southern Islands route countless times, still made thorough preparations before every voyage.
From reinforcing the keel in the cargo hold to inspecting the quality of every barrel of fresh water and salted meat, to checking every magic formation.
When a storm hit, even a full-fledged ocean-going merchant vessel with double-enchanted hull plating could be torn apart by the storm.
Not to mention that Yano and Nilly had never even ridden a boat bigger than a ferry dock plank.
Yano left first.
Nilly, however, was still lounging on the corridor steps, refusing to budge.
When Chen Yu asked why, she rubbed her hands together and leaned in expectantly. "Your Majesty, don't you think I'd be a good fit for that gel magic of yours too?"
"That oaf knight Yano gets one. Your Auntie here is taking a much bigger risk on this voyage than he is. Surely you'll give me one for self-defense, right?"
Chen Yu finally understood. So this one had her eyes on his avatars.
But he did have plenty of avatars right now. Giving her one for self-defense was as easy as snapping his fingers.
So he waved his little hand grandly and declared, "Pick one and take it with you."
Nilly crouched down and began picking and choosing among a few little slimes that had just bounced over. She glanced at one on the left—too small. She glanced at one on the right—too skinny.
Then she spotted Chubby One, who had just finished his shift and was hopping out of the portal while yawning. Her eyes lit up. She snatched him up in one swift motion, hugged him to her chest, and squeezed him a couple of times.
"This one. The fattest one, so it must be the strongest."
"Hehe, thanks, Your Majesty."
Chubby One let out a gurgling bubble from being squeezed. He looked down at his own round belly, then up at Nilly's ecstatic face. He understood what she said, but could only resign himself to flopping limply in her arms.
Nilly tossed Chubby One onto her shoulder, dragged the overseas Stone Descendant along with her other hand, and strolled out of the Royal Palace's main hall, beaming with satisfaction.
...
Five days later, at the Merchant Alliance's Eastern Port.
This port had been the Merchant Alliance's most crucial deep-sea trade hub even before the Empire was established. After being taken over by the Empire, it had now regained its former prosperity.
Dozens of sailboats of various sizes were moored at the berths. Jack's ship, the "Golden Lady," was berthed at the outermost deep-water slip. Her hull had been freshly painted with a deep blue anti-corrosion coating, and the reinforced runes along her sides had been polished to a bright shine, glowing with a faint golden luster under the sun.
The wind blowing in from the sea outside the bay made the ship's flags snap and crackle loudly.
The mast flew a new ship flag bearing the gold-and-green emblem of the Slime United Empire. It was embroidered with a small crown, below which were a few simplified gel-circles—the new imperial flag designed by the Slime City Craftsmen's Guild.
Sailors on the deck were busy making their final pre-departure checks. Some were tightening the rigging, others were hauling fresh water barrels into the hold.
Chen Yu had personally come to the Merchant Alliance pier to see Yano and Nilly off.
Captain Jack had also changed into a new outfit.
When Chen Yu first met him, he'd been wearing a tattered old captain's coat, scruffy and unshaven, looking like he'd just been fished out of some shipwreck.
Today, he was wearing a brand-new, empire-tailored deep blue captain's dress uniform. His slightly curly dark brown hair was topped with a new tricorn hat, and he'd shaved. He looked much more presentable.
He had been standing on the deck, swaying slightly while giving instructions to his first mate. But the corner of his eye caught the glint of gold from that small crown on the pier, and his entire face lit up.
He gracefully swung one hand over the railing, flipped over it, and landed on the stone bricks of the pier. Taking his time, he raised a hand to smooth down the hair ends that the sea breeze had ruffled.
Then, stepping in his tall boots, he walked up to Chen Yu, removed his new tricorn hat, pressed it to his chest, and bowed in an elegant gentleman's bow, exclaiming with exaggerated flair:
"Oh, look who we have here. It's none other than our most revered and great Majesty."
"Seeing you in that splendid gel reminds me of the Jade Heart that was once fought over by a dozen pirate captains in the Southern Islands."
"No, even the Jade Heart couldn't fully capture your beauty. Where would it find such luster? And these two..."
His gaze fell on Yano and Nilly behind Chen Yu, and his tone rose in surprise.
"Oh, my goodness! It's the famed Assassin Master, Miss Nili Belmont, and the hero Yano, who is said to have single-handedly conquered the power of Darkness."
"Brothers, come greet our distinguished guests! Prepare more rations, and double-check the best cabins! Don't let our guests think the Golden Lady has been remiss with heroes."
He spread his arms wide and called out to the sailors on the deck behind him, who were hauling the mooring lines.
A few old sailors dropped their ropes and grinned, waving and catcalling from the pier.
Yano cleared his throat and nodded. "Troubling you, Captain Jack."
Nilly, however, stood with her hands on her hips, her smugness impossible to hide. "Not bad, your eyes are pretty sharp, aren't they?"
Jack bowed again. "No, no, it's your brilliance that's so blinding, I simply cannot ignore it."
"That I and my ship can carry the most dazzling pearl of the Belmont family out to sea will be the proudest entry in all the Golden Lady's future logs."
Chen Yu wobbled his gel a little. After letting the two of them finish their mutual flattery, he addressed Captain Jack. "Captain Jack, I'm entrusting them to you."
Captain Jack put his hat back on, suppressing his frivolous expression. He placed his right hand over the imperial merchant ship emblem on his chest and bowed solemnly to Chen Yu. "Jack Swan salutes you, Your Majesty, on behalf of the entire Imperial Merchant Fleet's crew."
"All for the Empire!"
The sailors raised their hands and shouted in unison, "All for the Empire."
Captain Jack straightened up, beaming. "Rest assured, Your Majesty. I will bring these two back to you safe and sound, not a single hair out of place."
"Oh, and also this entire shipload of Adamantine, Mithril, and Magic Gems. Those crooked ship merchants in the Southern Islands who can't even find an Adamantine vein will be drooling over these treasures."
"Don't you worry. I'll bleed them dry with a few good deals. I won't disgrace the Empire's treasury."
"Your Majesty, the ship is about to set sail. I need to go back and make sure these lads don't get into any trouble. Excuse me for a moment."
He performed a farewell bow, then turned and strode back toward the cabin, grabbing a sailor who was sitting by the gunwale eating raw fish and disappearing behind the door.
That was what he said, but Chen Yu had a feeling this guy and his crew weren't exactly the picture of reliability.
If they weren't formally employed by the Empire now, they wouldn't look out of place even if they changed into ragged pirate costumes.
Nilly stepped forward a few paces and waved at him too.
"We're off, Your Majesty! If you miss us, be sure to keep in touch. And remember to tell Master Tam that I definitely haven't slacked off on my studies during this business trip."
Yano pressed his right fist to his chest and bowed his head.
"Farewell, Your Majesty."
"Mm. Go on."
Chen Yu watched them step onto the gangplank and onto the deck.
The anchor was heaved up by the combined effort of the sailors. The mooring lines were cast off from the bollards on the pier and thrown back onto the ship. The sails slowly unfurled on the mainmast, emitting a dull *puff-puff* sound as they filled with the sea breeze.
The Golden Lady slowly pulled away from the berth, her bow cutting through the gray-blue harbor water. A long, white wake trailed behind her, growing longer as she sailed away.
Nilly stood by the gunwale, holding Nanny Brother in her arms. She stretched up on her tiptoes, waving her arm at him, shouting something that was hard to make out. Probably about bringing back some local specialties after the voyage.
Yano stood beside her, also waving.
Chen Yu crouched on the pier, watching the ships shrink into the distance. He waited until the fleet's sails had all melted into the gray-blue haze of the horizon before turning around and hopping back, muttering to himself.
"Busy, everyone's so busy."
Sigh, another day as an empty-nester slime.
...
As winter approached, the wheat in the Golden Tassel Plain had finally entered its final grain-filling period before the harvest.
Seen from above, the golden wheat fields were neatly wrapped in rows of transparent gel greenhouses. The greenhouse film shimmered with a greenish fluorescence under the sun, casting a warm, gentle glow over the heavy wheat ears within.
Occasionally, a few slimes could be seen hopping along the ridges between the fields, inspecting the constant-temperature runes of the greenhouses. Farmers bent over in the furrows, pulling out overwintering weeds, occasionally straightening up to wipe the sweat from their brows.
A passing outsider witnessed this vibrant scene.
It was an old man leaning on a walking stick. He stood on the ridge at the edge of the wheat field, his worn gray cloak billowing slightly in the cold plain wind.
He stopped in front of a gel greenhouse, bent down, and gently pressed his finger against the greenhouse film.
The film bounced back slightly. A pale green glow rippled in a circle under his finger, then quickly dissipated, as if it were some kind of living thing that responded to touch.
He stood there, examining it for a long time. Then he straightened up. In his eyes was a look of surprise and a thirst for knowledge—an expression rarely seen in elders of his age.
A nearby farmer noticed this uninvited guest. He came over, hoe over his shoulder, sizing him up from a few paces away. "Where are you from? Are you lost?"
The old man didn't answer where he was from. Instead, he pointed at the greenhouse in front of him with his cane and asked in a hoarse voice, "What are these transparent sheds?"
The farmer was taken aback and instinctively exchanged a glance with his companion.
The other man also shrugged, clearly just as baffled. He found it strange that the old man would ask such a question.
"These were set up by the legions dispatched by Queen Louisa. I hear they're blessed by the Slime God. They let the crops grow even in winter. You're from out of town, aren't you?"
A look of obvious confusion appeared on the old man's face. He mulled it over in his mouth for a long time before finally speaking. "Slime God? I haven't been here in a long time. When did this belief appear? This is still the White Horse Kingdom, isn't it?"
"It is the White Horse Kingdom," the farmer nodded. "But we now belong to the Slime United Empire. You must be a fellow villager who fled during the earlier disasters. No wonder you don't know."
"Just register your name now, and before long, you'll be allotted your own newly reclaimed land."
The Slime United Empire?
Hearing this strange name only deepened the old man's confusion.
He had only been away from here for a few decades. When did a bizarre empire suddenly pop up here the moment he returned?
He looked out over the fields and saw a few slimes squatting at work inside the greenhouses, while the human farmers nearby showed no reaction, clearly already accustomed to it.
So he didn't press the issue. Instead, he changed the subject. "Do you know of a giant dragon dwelling in a castle nearby?"
"A giant dragon?" The group exchanged glances, all showing puzzled expressions.
A party of adventurers, fresh from clearing out some wandering magical creatures near the ridges, came walking down a side path. The leader was a young human warrior with a hammer over his shoulder. When he heard the question, he wiped his sweat and chimed in with a laugh. "You must mean the Silver Dragon lord, right?"
"I've heard from colleagues in Winterhold that she's a lord of the Empire, living in Winterhold, the city at the westernmost edge of the Dark Realm."
"What do you want with her?"
The old man didn't answer him. Instead, he raised his head and gazed toward the wide, open horizon to the east.
The others thought there was something there and followed his gaze.
But the wheat field was empty. Nothing there.
When they turned back, they found the old man had vanished without a trace.
"That's strange. Where'd he go?"
They stood there, stunned for a moment. The leader of the warrior scratched his head, muttered a few words, and then carried on walking with his hammer toward the town along the field ridge.
...
Above a nameless hill forty miles away, a pair of massive silver wings slowly unfurled.
The wing membrane traced a smooth arc through the air. The surface of the feathers shimmered with an ancient silver cold light, like moonlight reflecting on the thin frost of frozen soil.
The massive wings tilted at an angle, the wingtips drawing trails of mist as they glided toward the direction of Winterhold.