“Great High Slime, milord.”
“I may not possess a vast, powerful faction, and I find myself at the nadir of my life, which is why you see me in such a pathetic state.”
“Other prominent merchants with expansive connections and power could perhaps provide you with far more resources.”
“But while they are backed by major merchant chambers, they will always remain loyal to those merchant chambers first and foremost.”
“However, if you choose me now, I will not be backed by any major chambers. My only backer, my entire foundation, will be you.”
“I will always stand by your side, look out for your best interests, and do everything in my power to satisfy your every demand.”
Lucas knelt on one knee, risking absolutely everything on this gamble.
“Puji.”
“As expected of a merchant, you are indeed silver-tongued. Who is to say you won't sell me out one day and have me counting the coins for you?”
Seeing the text box Zoe popped up, cold sweat instantly drenched Lucas's back.
Am I going to be eaten...
“Puji.”
“I am willing to give you a chance. Do your best. My future attitude toward you will depend entirely on your actions.”
“A compiled list of everything my territory and I need will be handed to you tomorrow. Bring us these items before the first snow of the Month of Bitter Winter falls.”
“As for the specific details of the trade, you can coordinate with the pigman elder later. You two should be quite familiar with each other.”
“Yes!”
“I will absolutely not disappoint your noble self.”
Lucas suppressed the mounting excitement in his heart and bowed with the elegant grace of a courtier addressing a noble.
It was a mixture of relief from surviving a near-death experience and the sheer thrill of establishing a trade agreement.
Although bringing all the supplies back before the first snow of the Month of Bitter Winter would be difficult, he was determined to accomplish this mission even if it cost him his entire fortune, all to earn the trust of the High Slime before him.
Watching Lucas leave the cave and make his way down the mountain, Zoe hopped down from the stone platform.
Establishing a trade route with human society was of paramount importance.
The territory required a wide variety of materials and a larger food supply to facilitate its growth.
But it wasn't just about resources; it was also about knowledge.
Zoe had no intention of relying on human merchants for forged equipment.
Currently, with the help of the kobolds, they had already discovered two open-pit iron mines and a coal mine within the Slime Territory.
Relying on these resources to develop their own metallurgy and forging industries was far more dependable than depending on human manufacturing for their gear.
However, developing these industries required knowledge.
Better mining techniques, smelting knowledge, the construction of blast furnaces, and so forth.
All of these were critical for advancing their metallurgy.
If the territory grew strong enough, Zoe would be able to train his skills and level up in peace.
Zoe moved over to the crude forge set up near the cave's entrance.
This forge was something he had built based on memories from his past life, combined with the primitive forging techniques of the four-armed ape demon.
The material he used for forging consisted of iron rods, which he had melted down from the iron powder purified from raw ore using his Refining skill.
He spat out a breath of Dragon Flame to ignite the coal inside the forge, then began pumping the bellows to raise the temperature.
Once the iron bar was heated to a straw-yellow hue in the coals, he gripped it with a pair of iron tongs and began to hammer it out.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
With every heavy strike of the hammer, the iron rod gradually flattened and lengthened.
Once it cooled too much, he quickly returned it to the coals, reheated it, and resumed hammering.
The shape of the iron rod steadily began to resemble a longsword under the repetitive blows.
Only when it was hammered into a proper blade shape did Zoe grip the longsword, plunging it into an oil bath to quench it.
After completing the quenching, Zoe forged a crossguard, then assembled the hilt using oak wood and the guard.
Finally, he used a crude grindstone to polish the blade edge.
Once the iron sword was fully completed, a notification appeared:
[Common Forging Lv.2 (E-grade) Proficiency +50]
With winter fast approaching, Zoe had added another skill to his training routine to save on the food required for other types of exercise.
This was the training of [Common Forging].
Since [Common Forging] was a basic skill, it would be inherited by default during his next reincarnation. Thus, raising its proficiency was a highly worthwhile investment.
Furthermore, the weapons he forged could be used to arm his subordinates.
It took Zoe three hours to forge a single common iron sword, so he only made one per day.
As for the quality of these common iron swords...
Zoe raised the iron sword with a tentacle and gave it an experimental swing.
The balance and sharpness were acceptable, and the overall build was fairly standard. It could only be described as a mediocre work.
However, because the metal had been purified using his skill, its durability would likely be quite impressive.
“An iron sword forged with Lv.2 [Common Forging] is roughly equivalent to the work of a blacksmith with five years of experience...”
The sword he had used in his past life was a high-grade weapon he had brought from home, worth about fifty gold coins.
This common iron sword, on the other hand, was probably worth no more than two gold coins.
After oiling the blade, he set it aside and returned to the depths of the cave to continue his training.
...
The Month of Bitter Winter.
The Great Hera Forest grew increasingly cold, and the first snow of the bitter winter felt as though it could fall on any quiet afternoon.
Yet within the Slime Territory, the monsters continued to build up their domain, their activities completely unhindered by the freezing winter air.
During this bitter winter, more and more intelligent monsters flocked to the Slime Territory, drawn to it like moths to a campfire.
True to the rumors circulating among the monsters, the Slime Territory turned no one away.
No matter their race, any intelligent monster who arrived at the foot of Slime Mountain only had to swear loyalty to the mountain to be welcomed into the territory.
Although the daily food rations were meager, they were enough to keep the monsters alive.
Those who found the rations too small and wanted to eat their fill could apply to work in the mines, exchanging their labor for extra food.
As for the lazy individuals who refused to work but still caused trouble in an attempt to get more food, the Slime Territory would not simply exile them; instead, they would be processed directly into food rations for the winter.
After all, as more and more monsters gathered in the Slime Territory, they still faced an overall food shortage despite having goblin paste.
One afternoon, a merchant caravan traveled through the southern woods of the Great Hera Forest and arrived at the Slime Territory.
Under the escort of shadow wolves and monster warriors, they reached Slime Mountain.
The caravan consisted of six carriages, their compartments fully laden with cargo.
A decently dressed Lucas hopped down from the lead carriage and walked toward the pigman elder who had come to greet him.
“The first snow has yet to fall. I have fulfilled our agreement.”
Behind Lucas, the hired laborers climbed down from the carriages one after another, trying their best to suppress their terror as they stared at the crowd of monsters before them.
The mercenary adventurers tasked with guarding the caravan were somewhat calmer, but they clearly had not expected to find such a massive monster territory established deep within the Great Hera Forest.
The Adventurers' Guild had absolutely no intelligence on this place.
If these monsters proved to be safe to interact with, it was highly possible that the Great Hera Forest could serve as a rest stop for adventurers in the future.
It might even open up a safe trade route cutting through the eastern part of the Great Hera Forest.
The escorting adventurers considered many possibilities in that brief moment.
No wonder this merchant had liquidated his assets and taken out loans just to assemble a trade caravan for this transaction.
“My respects to you, Mr. Lucas. Fortune favors a truly brave man like you.”
“If you don't mind, let us inspect the cargo now. The monster materials you requested have already been prepared for you.”
The pigman elder extended his hand and shook Lucas's hand.
Lucas quickly reached out with both hands to grasp the elder's, offering a warm and friendly smile.
The pigman elder led a group of monsters forward, checking off the cargo in the carriages against the inventory book in his hands.
And Lucas smiled and gestured, instructing his workers to count and load the monster materials.
In addition to food and fabrics, the cargo included medicines and books.
Paper making had been invented long ago in this world, so paper was not expensive.
There were also two slaves.
“These two were demoted to slaves after breaking the grand duchy's laws.”
“One is knowledgeable in mineral smelting, while the other understands ore vein excavation.”
“I pulled some special strings to secure these specific slaves for the Lord. I hope His Lordship will be pleased.”
Lucas directed his workers to bring down two adult males wearing slave collars from the carriage.
The two slaves stared in terror at the monsters before them, having never imagined that not only would they become slaves, but they would ultimately end up in the hands of monsters.
“This is quite a pleasant surprise. We are sorely in need of such talented individuals.”
“On behalf of all the monsters in the Slime Territory, I express our gratitude to you.”
The pigman elder looked at the two human slaves with delight.
The slave collars had magical properties that allowed for complete control over them. Clearly, these were high-grade slaves that were difficult to acquire in the outside world.
Lucas must have gone to great lengths to obtain them.
“If it is possible, may I request an audience with the Lord?”
Lucas was still keen on boosting Zoe's impression of him.
“Unless there is an urgent matter, even I do not easily disturb the Lord.”
“We only have the opportunity to see the Lord once every morning to report on the territory's affairs.”
“If you do not mind waiting one more night, I can convey your request to the Lord tomorrow morning.”
Zoe was constantly training like a maniac. If he were interrupted, the buff of [Diligence Compensates for Lack of Talent] would have to be built up all over again.
Thus, Zoe only met with the elders in the morning, and normally forbade them from seeking him out.
“In that case, I will not disturb the Lord.”
“Please convey my deepest respects to the Lord on my behalf.”
Lucas although wanted to gain Zoe's favor, he did not dare make a nuisance of himself.
“I will convey your words.”
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