Reputation Title: Golden Slime

Acquisition Condition: A Metal Slime must defeat a powerful metallic magical creature within a Magma Pool and devour it, completing the essential transformation from "metal" to "gold" through tempering in high heat and metallic essence.

Title Effects:

Fame Imprint: The name "Golden Slime" causes a stir among nobles, merchants, miners, and metallic magical creatures. Whether viewed as treasure or monster, it will be forever remembered. Golden Trait: The body completes its sublimation from metal to gold, gaining extraordinary malleability and shape-shifting capabilities, while also becoming an excellent conductor for magical energy, capable of storing and channeling spell power. Devour Gold: Can enhance its own power, repair injuries, and slowly strengthen the purity and density of its gold by devouring gold and other precious metals. Gravity Control: Due to the drastic increase in density of its metallic body, gains the ability to manipulate gravity within a small area, capable of crushing enemies with its mass advantage.

Note: When its metallic body begins to bathe in magma and devour gold, it is no longer an ordinary Metal Slime, but a living, thinking, flowing wealth, the joint embodiment of greed and miracle.

Within the Magma Pool.

After the transformation was complete, Big Brother Slime's originally silver-white body had turned into a deep, dark golden hue, like ancient gold weathered by time—heavy and expensive.

"Mu?"

It tried moving its round, rolling body and discovered that its body's malleability and flexibility had reached an unprecedented level.

Its body could stretch and deform as freely as a true liquid, even able to become thinner than paper, yet instantly return to its original shape.

Immediately after, it sensed a strange new power within itself, intimately connected yet feeling heavier.

It subconsciously "gripped" the space around it.

*Hum—*

An invisible force field spread out silently from it as the center.

The surrounding scorching magma, influenced by this force field, became instantly flattened on the surface as if pressed by an invisible giant hand.

"Mu?!"

Its humming sound carried confusion, but more so, astonishment and joy.

Stronger!

Big Brother is very strong now!

By the edge of the Magma Pool, a glimmer of undisguised interest flashed in Olivia's silver eyes.

She never expected... a slime could actually rely on its own strength and trial to break through its racial limits and ascend to the Gold-Rank.

She had lived long enough to see almost everything, but a Golden Slime, and a Gold-Rank slime at that, was truly something she had never seen before.

Of course, the unusual Little Majesty beside her was an exception. She sometimes even wondered if beneath that green, gel-like exterior of the Little Majesty resided a cunning human.

On the other side, Anvil and the few dwarf artisans who were thoroughly exhausted finally relaxed completely, plopping down on the ground. They looked at each other and then burst into hearty laughter in unison.

"Hahahaha! Look what we've seen, a living, breathing Golden Slime, born right before our eyes." Anvil vigorously slapped the shoulder of a young dwarf beside him, making the young dwarf grimace.

"That's enough for me to boast about in the Barrel Tavern for a lifetime, no, ten lifetimes!"

The young dwarf artisans also cheered excitedly, their faces flushed with the exhilaration of shared glory.

After the Golden Slime adapted to its new power, it hopped out of the Magma Pool and came before Chen Yu. Like a warrior who had undergone a baptism, it solemnly lowered its golden body.

"King, Mu succeeded. Thank you for your guidance."

Chen Yu swayed his gel body pleasantly, emitting a sound full of praise and pride. "You did excellently. Your courage, tenacity, and strength have set an example for all slimes. This moment will be forever remembered in the history of the Slime Kingdom."

...

After they returned to Slime City, the uplifting news of "the birth of the Golden Slime" quickly spread through the Gel Network.

The news was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples throughout the Slime Kingdom.

On the streets of Slime City, inside mushroom houses, within workshops, on training grounds...

All slimes who received the news, whether ordinary Slimes, Rock Slimes, Shadow Slimes, or Dragon Slimes undergoing training... all stopped their actions at the same moment.

After a brief silence came a joyous clamor.

"Gululu?! (Golden?! Really?!)" A Rock Slime that had been carrying small pebbles dropped them in surprise.

"Paji! Paji Paji! (Big Brother succeeded! So amazing!)" Several slimes providing paji massage services excitedly bounced up, startling the human Adventurers enjoying the massage.

"—! (Salute! Pioneer!)" The humming sounds emitted by Metal Slimes rang out in various parts of Slime City, filled with excitement and longing.

Slimes began to gather spontaneously and hold celebrations.

The human, Elf, and Lizardfolk residents living in Slime City, though not fully understanding what had happened, were also infected by the joyous atmosphere, smiling and joining the festivities.

Winterhold, the Dark Realm, Storm Territory, the Southern Territory front lines... the news seemed to grow legs and sprint. Even the Slime expeditionary knights farthest from Slime City learned of the birth of the Golden Slime.

At this moment, transcending barriers of race and form, all members of the Slime Kingdom cheered for this pioneer who had broken the shackles of fate and offered their salutes.

The next day, Big Brother Slime left Slime City and headed for Storm Territory, preparing to participate in the expedition against the Southern Territory.

On one hand, as the first Golden Slime in the history of the slime race, with no prior "Mu" experience to draw from, it needed to train in a real battlefield to familiarize itself with, master, and uncover its own power.

On the other hand... ahem...

Chen Yu stood on the high tower of Slime City, watching Big Brother Slime's departing back, feeling a bit guilty inside.

Although the Slime Kingdom was now considerably wealthier, the pressure of long-term sustenance for a Golden Slime that needed to devour gold to grow... was still a bit heavy.

Feeding it with hard-earned Gold Coins of one's own was nowhere near as fast as eating someone else's.

Since it would be eating from the treasuries of those rebellious nobles in the Southern Territory, Chen Yu didn't feel the slightest bit of heartache.

After returning to the royal palace in Slime City, Chen Yu and Lya, bathed in the morning light, discussed the upcoming trials on the moss-padded terrace.

Lya hugged a specially made sweet tree root juice from Slime Mother, taking small sips, listening to Chen Yu's words, and nodding from time to time.

Elf Sage Selene, Silver Dragon lord Olivia, Arthur, Yano, Sekashi, Galvin... Chen Yu felt that the number of Extraordinary professionals in the Slime Kingdom was indeed not small now.

But compared to the Demon Legion entrenched in the Royal Capital and the mysterious northern orc court "Karl," it still seemed somewhat thin.

The successful transformation of the Golden Slime allowed Chen Yu to see new possibilities.

Within the kingdom, there were still many slimes with potential, as well as human, Elf, and other subjects, stuck at Silver or elite rank bottlenecks.

If, with Lya's help, they could find the correct trial path for them, perhaps the Slime Kingdom was about to welcome a wave of Extraordinary ascension. Then he would also face those demons and orcs with greater confidence.

After listening to Chen Yu's thoughts, Lya nodded vigorously, her small face full of approval. "Round Majesty is right. Actually, my thoughts are the same as Princess Louisa's; we both hope the war can end sooner."

After all, she could come back to life if she died, but those ordinary civilians and soldiers, if they died, that was truly it. Even the most powerful healing magic could hardly pull them back from death.

She waved her fist. "I want to help more round ones gain power, make everyone very strong, so we can end the war faster."

Chen Yu felt his Gel Body warm with great gratification.

He notified Casimir, intending to have the Great Slime Religion assist her in finding promising professionals and help them complete their trials.

However, as the ancient proverb says, things are never smooth sailing.

Just as Chen Yu and Lya were discussing this beautiful future, the Gel Network relayed two messages in succession from different channels.

The first came from slime adventurers active in Misty Bay Harbor and the western borders of the Merchant Alliance. They discovered that the Misty Bay Harbor Trade Alliance had recently shown abnormal movements, with several large mercenary groups quietly transporting supplies and secretly assembling in the western borders, their target seemingly Gold Lionheart Fortress.

The second message was even more peculiar, coming from a report by the "Xirik Church" stronghold in the Southern Territory.

A secret envoy sent by the Merchant Alliance had taken the initiative to seek them out, attempting to negotiate with the "Xirik Church" to discuss cooperation against the Restoration Army.

Huh?

Wanting to ally with him to fight himself?

These nobles and merchants of the Merchant Alliance were quite imaginative.

Chen Yu swayed his gel body, muttering, as mischievous ideas gradually bubbled up in his mind.

Since the Merchant Alliance had delivered itself to his doorstep, he wouldn't be polite.

...

Southern Territory, Viscountess Violet's Territory.

A carriage rumbled over the muddy earthen road made wet by melting snow, slowly entering the viscountess's territory.

The curtain on the carriage window was lifted a corner, revealing a pair of vigilant eyes.

His name was Kyle, a knight enfeoffed under the Caldwell family of the Merchant Alliance. Not long ago, he received instructions from his family and, carrying documents representing the Merchant Alliance, arrived at this viscountess's territory, said to be occupied by New Sun followers.

His gaze swept over. Around the castle were vast expanses of desolate wheat fields. Only in a few scattered plots could farmers be seen busy, making it appear particularly desolate.

Looking at the distant withered wheat fields and that castle, his brow furrowed tightly. He couldn't help but whisper, "Hans, are you sure we haven't come to the wrong place?"

"The intelligence says this is a Xirik Church stronghold... but setting up a stronghold in such an open area doesn't match the style of these cultists who like to hide in shadows."

The knight Hans sitting opposite him also leaned to the window to look upon hearing this, hesitantly saying, "Perhaps they grew tired of the gloom and wanted some fresh air?"

This reason didn't convince even himself, let alone Kyle.

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing deep unease in each other's eyes.

They had come this time representing the will of the Merchant Alliance Council to negotiate with the Xirik Church, hoping they would help the Alliance deal with the Restoration Army continuously pushing south.

But not long ago, the Merchant Alliance had cooperated with the Slime Kingdom to suppress the Xirik Church beneath Misty Bay Harbor. Both sides had fallen out badly, even developing grudges.

Their trip here was less a negotiation and more walking a tightrope, full of unknown risks.

Moreover, according to intelligence circulating within the Merchant Alliance, these Xirik cultists entrenched in the Southern Territory seemed to possess some mysterious "holy artifact" with the terrifying power to eliminate high-ranking demonic lords.

Faced with such power, no amount of caution was excessive.

Just as the two hesitated whether to proceed, on the wheat field ahead of the carriage, a figure clad in heavy black robes silently manifested. He stood there quietly, as if having waited for a long time.

Kyle and Hans were both startled, their hands instinctively moving toward weapons hidden under their clothes, but they quickly released them.

Because it was pointless.

They were only Official Professionals, utterly incapable of resisting the cultists' insidious shadow power.

They quickly exchanged another glance, both seeing tension in each other's eyes, but at least they hadn't come to the wrong place, and the other party indeed knew they were coming.

Here, besides these Xirik cultists, who else could possess shadow power?

As for other shadow professionals on the continent, most were active in the distant Shadow Mountains area, which was in the Western Continent, an unimaginable distance away.

At that moment, the robed figure spoke, his voice betraying neither age nor emotion. "The Envoy already foresaw that the Merchant Alliance would send someone. Follow me."

After speaking, he said no more, turning and walking directly toward the viscountess's castle, seemingly paying no attention to the two knights behind him.

Kyle and Hans dared not delay, hurriedly signaling the coachman to stop.

The two quickly jumped off the carriage, straightened their slightly disheveled casual clothes, took a deep breath to suppress the anxiety in their hearts, and quickly followed the black-robed figure's back.

They followed the black-robed figure through the village outside the castle territory.

Some farmers and women hid behind the doors of simple huts or in window cracks, peeking at them with fearful yet curious eyes.

The village paths were relatively clean, without the expected filth or evil aura. Instead, there was the scent of farmhouse steamed wheat noodles, and occasionally, the crowing of chickens or barking of dogs could be heard.

This place... why wasn't it like the imagined lair of heretics?

A flicker of doubt passed through Hans's mind, but seeing the distinctive attire of the black-robed figure leading the way ahead, he suppressed his doubt again.

Soon, they entered the castle's iron-banded Oak Gate. The interior of the castle was somewhat dimly lit, with torches inserted into the stone walls burning, casting flickering light and shadow.

The air carried the scent of dust and old wood, but it wasn't unpleasant.

They were led to the main hall of the castle keep.

The hall was quite spacious, with simple furnishings—only a few rough long tables and chairs. The most eye-catching thing was actually the jawless Skull emblem hanging on the wall at the far end of the hall.

In the skull's eye sockets, two dull red gemstones seemed to be embedded, reflecting faint light under the torchlight, causing slight discomfort.

The jawless Skull... it really was the Xirik Church. Kyle and Hans felt a chill in their hearts, their last trace of doubt vanishing.

At that moment, another figure clad in black robes quietly appeared in the hall. He stood there silently, as if blending with the hall's shadows.

The black-robed figure who had led the way silently retreated to the side, like a shadow merging into the wall.

The figure with its back to them remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking. "Envoys from the Merchant Alliance... your purpose, I already know."

Kyle steadied himself, stepped forward, and performed a Knight's Salute according to the prepared script. "Respected Envoy, we come entrusted by the Merchant Alliance."

"Regarding some... unpleasantness that occurred previously in Misty Bay Harbor, the Council deeply regrets it. That was not the Alliance's intention but was instigated and framed by the Slime Demon King."

"Those evil slimes attempted to pin the crimes on the Merchant Alliance, but we clearly know that only the new sun can be trusted. They cannot sow discord between the deep friendship of the Merchant Alliance and the Xirik Church."

"Envoy, we share a common enemy: those greedy magical creatures from the swamp, those puppets controlled by the Demon King."

After speaking, he stole a glance to observe the other's reaction, but the figure remained motionless, just listening quietly.

Hans also added, "Yes, Envoy, the Demon King's Army is the true threat to both of us. They not only encroach on the Alliance's interests but also blaspheme the gods and spread heresy."

"We believe the Merchant Alliance and the Xirik Church have a foundation for cooperation."

The figure remained silent for a moment before speaking. "That utterly heinous Slime Demon King is indeed a nuisance, but the Merchant Alliance's sincerity, based on words alone, is hard to trust."

Kyle quickly said, "The Merchant Alliance is willing to compensate for the previous misunderstanding and provide necessary material and intelligence support in actions against the slimes and their puppet army..."

Before he could finish, the figure walked directly into the darkness, leaving only one sentence.

"Go back and tell the Council: one hundred thousand Gold Coins, as proof of sincerity. At that time, we will consider opening a gap in the northern defense line for you."

One hundred thousand Gold Coins?

As long as it's about paying money, that's no problem for the Merchant Alliance.

The other party quoted a price, meaning there was room for negotiation.

They secretly breathed a sigh of relief, standing up and saying, "Yes, the Envoy's words, we will certainly convey."

"Go." A hoarse voice issued the order to leave.

The two dared not linger for a moment, hurriedly left the castle, got on their carriage, and returned to the Merchant Alliance.

An unknown amount of time later, after confirming the two knights had gone far, the shadows at the side of the hall twisted. Elara cautiously poked her head out, looking left and right, and whispered, "Are they gone? Far away?"

The previous "black-robed guide" also took off his hood, revealing a young face. Leon let out a long sigh of relief.

"Gone, gone, the carriage is out of sight." He rubbed his face. "Pretending to be such a sinister character is really tiring. Didn't dare say much, afraid of slipping up."

The "Envoy" also walked out. Max took off his hood, moving his somewhat stiff shoulders. "Me too, speaking while holding my breath, my throat is almost hoarse."

The ones impersonating the New Sun followers were none other than the Three Little Stone Descendants who had come from the kingdom.

At that moment, Viscountess Violet, who had defected to the Restoration Army, also cautiously emerged from behind the hall, her face still carrying lingering worry. "Several Envoys, this... can this really fool the Merchant Alliance? One hundred thousand Gold Coins is no small sum."

Elara proudly lifted her chin, patting her chest. "Don't worry, His Majesty foresaw everything."

"This time, not only will we make them willingly pay up, but we'll also give them a huge surprise. When their Gold Coins fall into our pockets... hehe."