Day 21: Reincarnated as Rimuru

Somnus led Rimuru and his companion to the place where she had settled Golden Wing, which was the territory of her other two retainers—Fujin and Yaojun.

Tea trees blanketed the hills and plains, exuding a faint, refreshing fragrance. Crystalline jade of varying quality lay scattered across the ground. The scenery was fresh and beautiful, and even the air was enough to make one feel relaxed and happy.

Looking at the landscape, which was completely different from Tianheng, Rimuru couldn't help but exclaim, "No wonder it's called Chenyu Vale! It's a wonderful name for a truly wonderful place!"

With all these tea trees and jade, it seemed Chenyu Vale had immense potential for economic development.

Lost in thought, Rimuru suddenly realized he was overthinking again and cast those plans out of his mind. He was just an ordinary slime for now; troublesome matters like developing territory and growing the economy should be left for Morax to worry about in the future.

Seeing the young man frankly express his love and appreciation for her territory, Somnus smiled with a sense of pride.

She lifted her chin slightly, her eyes filled with elegance. "Naturally. Under the care of myself and my retainers, this place has long since shed its original, wild state. The plants and beasts in these mountains serve as food for my people, and this peaceful environment is sufficient for them to live and thrive in safety."

As long as her people were happy, she was content. Those sweet, joyful, and wondrous dreams were the gifts her people bestowed upon her. And these colorful dreams were the perfect medicine to soothe her soul, which was constantly tormented by "erosion."

Yes, as long as her people were happy...

Just mentioning the people she protected brought a gentleness to the Dream Goddess's face that caught Rimuru’s attention.

Rimuru looked at the proud, elegant woman standing beside him and wanted to say something. "Um... Dream—"

Oh no, he still didn't know the beautiful woman's name! How rude! Rimuru felt so awkward he didn't know where to put his hands.

[Notification: The god known as Morax has mentioned that the individual known as the God of Dreams is named Somnus.]

At the critical moment, Raphael, Lord of Wisdom, provided the perfect answer.

*As expected of Raphael!* Rimuru praised her silently in his heart, then continued, "Som—Somnus! Have you ever thought about forming an alliance with Morax?"

Although he had already been lectured by Morax for acting on his own, the slime seemed to have learned nothing. As soon as the boy thought of those fluffy big cats in Chenyu Vale, he started getting restless and itching to stir up trouble again.

"Look, clearing monsters from such a large area must be exhausting. You wouldn't have to go out and pick up cubs to nurture if you didn't have to. But if you allied with Morax, things would be different! He’s very strong!"

Rimuru earnestly pitched his idea. "Besides, you probably don't know this yet, but Guizhong has already agreed to an alliance with Morax. Think about it—Guili Assembly has so much arable land; the grain produced there would be more than enough to feed your people!"

Chenyu Vale’s soil was better suited for tea trees than for farming.

Since they were all handsome and beautiful, why fight? It would be better to join forces! Of course, excluding fat, five-headed snakes like Osial. They didn't look like they were in the same league anyway.

Completely unaware that the boy in front of her was inwardly dismissing the Vortex God he could never defeat, Somnus stared at Rimuru in shock. This was the first time she had ever heard a proposal for gods to form an alliance.

It was a dangerous suggestion, yet it inexplicably stirred her heart.

Somnus remained silent for a long time. Just as she was about to speak, a shout from Bosacius pulled her back from her fantasies.

"Golden Wing!"

Not only did Somnus stop, but Rimuru, who had been waiting for a response, also turned to look. On an open space not far away, a group of fluffy Xuanwen beasts lay together, licking each other in a warm, intimate display.

In contrast, the young Yaksha stood alone, his back to the big cats. At first glance, it looked as if they were collectively ostracizing him.

But Rimuru wasn't blind. He clearly saw a big cat approach, asking to be petted, only for the cub to be stone-hearted—he didn't pet it, and instead took a few steps back with a blank expression.

The big cat: QAQ.

Everyone fell silent. *No need to ask; this cub isn't just isolating himself from his own kind—he won't even spare the beasts!*

Rimuru and Somnus exchanged looks, but Bosacius didn't care about that. He was more worried about whether Golden Wing was injured.

"Golden Wing, you brat! I told you not to wander off alone. Even if you want to train, you don't have to seek out monsters to spar with, do you?"

The one who knew Golden Wing best was Bosacius, the Electro Yaksha who had raised him.

The cub was stunned by the lecture. Rimuru expected him to retort coldly, but...

"I—I'm sorry." Golden Wing lowered his eyes, his movements clearly showing his confusion. "I was too careless."

Rimuru was stunned. *Save me—* This was Bosacius's youngest brother? He was so cute!

The cub was only about three heads tall. Perhaps due to his race, not only did he have mysterious tattoos on his arms that didn't match his age, but he also had a pair of underdeveloped bird wings on his back and sharp claws for feet. Watching the cub—who looked incredibly aggressive—bow his head and obediently accept the lecture, Rimuru felt his heart had been struck.

*Heaven. Teyvat is my heaven!!*

To make a good first impression, he straightened his simple clothes and strode over.

"Is this Golden Wing?" Rimuru asked, restraining the urge to pet the cub.

Bosacius nodded. "Yes. Seeing that he's alright, I can finally rest easy."

The young Yaksha, who was being lectured by his brother, heard someone calling him and hesitantly looked up.

"?"

He met a pair of eyes the exact same color as his own.

*—Is something the matter?* The round, golden eyes seemed to ask.

"Ahhh! So cute!!!"

"Let brother give you a hug!!"

Rimuru couldn't hold back. He snatched the young Yaksha from Bosacius's arms, supported him under the armpits, and excitedly lifted him high into the air.

Golden Wing's perspective suddenly shot upward. The insecurity of his feet leaving the ground made him flutter his wings in a panic, and falling feathers shimmered with the colors of the wind.

"Who—who are you?!"

The cub tried to break free, but Rimuru was too enthusiastic. To avoid hurting anyone with his claws, Golden Wing had to reach out to his brother for help. His previously expressionless face was now clearly filled with panic and helplessness: *Brother, help.*

Bosacius covered his mouth, nearly laughing out loud. "Pfft—"

This was the first time he had seen Golden Wing look so lively. Although it wasn't kind to watch and not help, this reaction from Golden Wing made the big brother feel strangely relieved. As expected of Lord Rimuru; not only could he be friends with Lord Morax, but he could even make his cold little brother show such vivid expressions.

*Consider it a lesson for Golden Wing,* the Electro Yaksha forced himself to look away, suppressing his laughter so he wouldn't see his brother's pleading eyes. *Golden Wing, Lord Rimuru is Lord Morax's friend, and even big brother is helpless here~*

"What is the meaning of this?!"

Seeing the young Yaksha he had rescued flailing in panic, Somnus immediately stepped forward to save Golden Wing.

Rimuru ducked under her hand, laughing like a pervert while explaining in all seriousness, "I'm just helping the little guy adjust. Isolating himself from everyone isn't a good thing, after all."

To get close to a cold, tsundere little guy, you had to treat him like a cat. He wouldn't be used to it at first and might even resist, but that was normal. Once you kept petting him, he would eventually go numb and even start to enjoy it~

As he spoke, Rimuru shamelessly began to stroke the wings on Golden Wing's back. His hands, inadvertently infused with Anemo energy, brushed over the fine feathers, healing hidden wounds while quietly drawing the black mist out of the cub's body.

"?! !!"

Feeling his body become as light as it was when he was first born, Golden Wing's eyes widened. *This—how is this possible?!*

Rimuru was still immersed in the joy of petting the tsundere bird, but the bird had stopped struggling in disbelief. *He... this person can actually eliminate the karmic debt within a Yaksha?*

It took less than three minutes for Golden Wing to go from struggling to staying perfectly still, and even actively leaning his wings into Rimuru's hands to have his feathers groomed.

Just as the cub reached out to offer his left wing for grooming, he saw his big brother's face, eyes wide with shock.

Golden Wing, who had been petted to the point of almost purring, stiffened in a second: "!!!"

The cub's fair skin turned bright red instantly. At that moment, he desperately wanted to find a tree hole to hide in. With a 'poof,' the cub transformed from a human into a round, green bird.

Holding the little green bird that was burying its head and playing dead, Rimuru hesitantly looked up and met Bosacius's gaze.

Rimuru scratched his head sheepishly. "Ah, haha... is he angry?"