Day Eleven of Reincarnation as Rimuru

“I would like to invite you to join Guili Settlement. I believe that together, we can build it into a perfect city.”

Guzhong looked intently into the distance, issuing a formal invitation to the slime cradled in her arms.

Caught off guard, Rimuru’s mouth twitched slightly as he jumped willingly into the trap: “Why do I feel like you’re a little too skilled at poaching talent...?”

“Huh? You think so too? I remember Little Crane White said the same thing before~” Guzhong coquettishly blinked. “Let me tell you a secret: I actually found Little Crane White outside and brought him in. Ever since he came of age, he’s taken over many affairs of Guili Settlement from me. Even if I lock myself away for half a month researching mechanisms, I won’t worry about things going haywire without me.”

Hearing about the seemingly cunning White Crane, Rimuru suddenly became intrigued: “He’s that capable? How old is he now?”

Judging by appearance, he looks to be in his late twenties or early thirties...

“Little Crane White is only nineteen years old~” Guzhong smiled sweetly.

“Oh, nineteen... Wait, what did you say?” The slime looked up at Guzhong in disbelief.

Only nineteen?

That sly, white-haired man who acts like a fox is just nineteen?!

The slime’s expression instantly turned pale.

Help! So it’s true that work ages people!?

Is this what they call the face of a corporate drone?

“So, Guzhong, how much salary do you pay him?” Rimuru’s curiosity was piqued.

Such a capable talent must be lured with high wages, right?

He really wanted to recruit him over to Tianheng Mountain to work for himself and Morax...

But harsh reality soon dealt Rimuru a sharp slap.

Guzhong’s answer made him realize how wrong he was—and how ridiculously wrong.

“Eh? Salary? You mean the resources I allocate to Little Crane White? He doesn’t ask for much, says one person doesn’t need that much. Giving him too much would be wasteful. But I felt it would be unfair to him, so I gave him an extra improved elemental power gauntlet/crossbow of mine~”

“Hehe, that gauntlet/crossbow is super powerful!” Guzhong bragged, waving her hand with a hint of pride.

Hearing that White Crane voluntarily gave up a high salary, the once downtrodden laborer Rimuru felt his heart bleed: Why not take it! That’s a salary, damn it! We’re all workers here, show some respect for wages!

Is this what they call the spirit of selfless dedication?!

At this moment, he keenly felt the vast gulf between people.

Damn it, Rimuru clenched his fists inwardly, but he could never refuse high pay!

Exactly, he’s just that pragmatic! Hmph!

“What’s wrong, Rimuru? You look like you’re about to turn to stone,” Guzhong said, concerned, patting Rimuru’s bouncy slime body when she noticed him turn pale.

Rimuru’s spirit drifted as he muttered, “Haha... No, I’m fine. I’m definitely not crushed by this workaholic king, haha...”

“?”

Guzhong failed to understand Rimuru’s train of thought. Seeing the conversation drifting too far, she tried to poach him again.

“So, Rimuru, will you join Guili Settlement?”

“No, absolutely not.” This time, Rimuru rejected Guzhong without hesitation.

He didn’t want to live with someone who willingly gave up high pay!

At this moment, both his slime body and soul emitted a strong refusal.

After all, he had envisioned a life of freeloading and idling away, not the desperate, sleep-deprived grind of a corporate slave!

Rejecting cutthroat competition starts with the slime!

Though Guzhong had expected Rimuru’s refusal, something still felt off.

The maiden-like demon god was first puzzled, then let out a heavy sigh of regret.

“Ah, Rimuru really won’t agree, huh.”

---

Is Morax really that good? To make Rimuru so resolute...

Guzhong pursed her lips, puffing out her cheeks in frustration. At this moment, the young maiden secretly regarded the yet-unmet Rock Demon God as a rival.

She silently cheered herself on, certain that once they formally allied, Rimuru would realize that in leading her people to develop civilization, she was no less capable than him!

Suppressing her sudden surge of competitiveness, Guzhong looked back at Rimuru. “In that case, please go back and tell that Rock God that I, Guzhong, am willing to ally Guili Settlement with him.”

Finally receiving this hard-won alliance agreement, Rimuru breathed a sigh of relief.

He wiggled his body and jumped out of Guzhong’s warm embrace.

“Yeah, that’s more like it! To form an alliance, go find Morax. There’s no future in allying with me, a slime!”

Turning his back with a pair of tiny short arms, Rimuru put on a serious, self-important expression and lectured Guzhong.

The maiden-form demon god was amused by the theatrics and giggled.

“Hahaha, Rimuru, you’re so cute! Ah, I really want to keep you in Guili Settlement...”

Dust Demon God’s words veered off into dangerous territory.

Rimuru’s body trembled, fearing abduction, and quickly changed the subject: “Anyway—oh! What do you plan to do about this seawater?”

Mentioning matters vital to the people, Guzhong dropped her playful tone. Her smile faded, replaced by the solemnity of the Dust Demon God when serious.

“My power has fully recovered; it’s time to deal with this damned seawater.”

Looking at the salty, fishy seawater brought by Ocel, Guzhong felt nothing but irritation.

Rimuru stroked his chin and asked the Wisdom King a question that had puzzled him.

[Teacher Raphael, if Guzhong dispels this seawater, will the farmland recover?]

[Starting analysis... Analysis complete. Conclusion: The seawater contains residual abnormal water elemental energy. Without special treatment, this farmland cannot be cultivated for a hundred years. Forced cultivation will only yield nothing.]

[Eh???]

That bad?

Does Guzhong know this?

Rimuru looked at Guzhong, who had already summoned her divine power to dispel the seawater. The Dust Demon God’s face was icy cold, but a closer look revealed sorrow barely concealed in her eyes.

Obviously, she knew.

Rimuru: “...”

Ah, this pitiful yet resilient look—how could he bear not to intervene?!

The slime agonized for a while, then honestly stepped before Guzhong, ready to act.

“Let me handle it.”

Rimuru made his promise: “Guzhong, if you trust me, I will return you a plot of farmland even more fertile than before.”

Guzhong’s eyes widened: “Rimuru...”

A promise to give her farmland more fertile than before?

Knowing it was impossible, Guzhong still began to hope—hope that this extraordinary slime would bring a miracle to her and her people.

The divine power in Guzhong’s hands quietly dissipated.

[Teacher Raphael, can I do it?]

[Notification: Can forcibly activate the King of Gluttony to decompose abnormal water elements in seawater and reconstruct the water body based on farmland nutrients, creating a customized ‘nutrient solution’ to irrigate the farmland. However, due to forced activation, the master will enter a three-day sleep state. Do you still wish to proceed?]

Is there any question? Of course he would say, “Yes!”

“King of Gluttony, devour all this death water!”

Rimuru’s chuunibyou spirit surged as his powers briefly returned. Restored to human form, he shouted the skill’s dramatic incantation, black, dense energy like shadows poured from his hands.

—Of course, this time he remembered to drape a white cloth over his bare body.

A massive storm burst forth from the blue-haired youth, stirring the surrounding seawater.

The King of Gluttony spread from his palm, devouring the seawater quickly and precisely like a black hole. Under the Wisdom King Raphael’s transformation, the special ‘nutrient solution’ was swiftly prepared.

In the next moment, the murky dark blue seawater gradually vanished, replaced by the ‘nutrient solution’ Raphael had crafted, a gentle jade-blue-green rain pouring from Rimuru’s fingertips.

---

He stood in the air like a god, bringing the life-giving rain to the dying earth.

The artificial rain left the people who had finished rescue work bewildered.

“Is it raining?”

“So comfortable... Feels like my wounds have healed!”

“Don’t be silly, how could rain heal wounds... Wait, my wounds really healed!!”

“Never mind the wounds, look—look! The land’s coming back to life!!”

Surrounded by the joyous cheers of the people, Guzhong reached out in a daze, feeling the vitality flowing within the ‘rainwater.’ Her sorrowful heart finally fell still.

The seawater erosion was halted, replaced by the potent irrigation of the ‘nutrient solution.’ Green life spread across the earth at an astonishing speed. Witnessing this miracle, Guzhong sincerely thanked the hope-bringer slime.

“Thank you, Rimuru.”

My friend who brought miracles.

No matter who you are, in my heart you will always be my best friend, the Dust Demon God.

...

Having completed the miracle, Rimuru beat his wings and slowly descended from the sky. Under the admiring gazes of the crowd, he smugly rubbed his nose with his index finger.

“Hmm, see? Didn’t I keep my word?!”

Rimuru couldn’t help but show off in front of Guzhong.

Seeing Rimuru’s humanoid form for the first time, Guzhong looked curious but didn’t forget to praise him.

“As expected of Rimuru, I, the Dust Demon God, am utterly impressed~”

Feeling complimented by the beautiful older sister, Rimuru’s nonexistent tail proudly wagged.

“Hahaha, that’s right, after all, I am Rimuru the Slime!”

The man called the Demon Lord!

Though just a cosplayer, since he’d adopted that identity, how could he tarnish Rimuru’s reputation?

Guzhong maintained a gentle smile and teasingly said, “Well, since you’re so amazing, you better not slack off when building the city, Rimuru! You have to contribute!”

Such talent mustn’t go to waste.

Her eyes flickered, revealing her true intention instantly.

Rimuru: “... Damn, she wants me to be the city’s labor donkey!”

Cunning demon god, give back my feelings of being moved!

After some playful banter, the delayed side effects suddenly hit. A strong drowsiness engulfed Rimuru. Sensing trouble, he called for Jinping, groggily saying:

“Regarding the grain exchange, go see Guzhong. I... I might need to sleep for a while. Of course, I won’t be in any life-threatening danger! I’ll wake up once rested...”

As he spoke, Rimuru swayed unsteadily, even Jinping’s face blurred. Before Jinping could respond, Rimuru felt himself about to faint.

Ah... so sleepy, can’t hold on...

[Notification: Power suppression in progress... Conversion progress dropped to 4%. Please rest assured and sleep until awakening.]

Damn, it even saved the progress!

Hearing the conversion progress fall to 4%, Rimuru couldn’t help but grumble but ultimately succumbed to drowsiness and passed out.

With a soft thud, the handsome blue-haired youth emitted white mist, transforming before the terrified eyes of the crowd and Guzhong back into a dull, lifeless slime orb.

“Lord Rimuru!”

“Rimuru!”

Panic voices flooded Rimuru’s ears. Even if he wanted to respond, he was powerless.

Ah, I told you it was just sleep... Please, stop shouting...

Huff, huff—

The world grew silent.