104 104. Drooling on Slimes

Veldora's sneaking glance seemed to tell everyone that he was a Tsundere. 

Because of that, Ryūhei responded.

"It's fine if you don't like it. I have Rimuru as my friend anyway."

"Baka! Who said I don't like it? Errr… I will become your…friend. I do hope you appreciate the gesture!"

"Sure."

Ryūhei reached out his fist to bump as Veldora responded by extending his claw.

Honestly, it was a bit weird to see a dragon being shy. But, so be it.

At that moment, Ryūhei felt Ayaka tugging his sleeve.

"Ryūhei… They… Did they just say that they're not from this world?"

Ayaka was stunned the moment Ryūhei summoned, or rather created Charys. And she felt that she was in a dream after seeing a talking slime with her own eyes.

Ryūhei wanted to hide it from Ayaka. But, after all this, there was no way he could hide it anymore. Moreover, after learning the power scale of this world and his decision to trust people, Ryūhei has no intention of hiding his strength from those closest to him. But, he can't do it.

Summoning monsters might be understandable. However, creating them was something he couldn't tell. Therefore…

"Sorry. Rimuru is not a slime that I tamed, but I summoned him from another world." Ryūhei stated. "You have to understand that having this kind of power will cause quite a stir. That's why I don't dare to say it out loud. I even had to hide it from you in case you were forced to say it even though you wanted to keep my secret. However, my worries seem pointless now." He turned to Veldora, Rimuru, and Charys after saying that.

Ayaka almost couldn't believe it and she didn't know what to say.

All Ryūhei said pretty much sounded like nonsense. However, if that was what he meant, it wouldn't be strange if he kept that ability to himself.

"They're so powerful, aren't they?"

"Yeah."

"If that's the case, does that mean you can solve the problems in Inazuma by dueling against— hold on!" Ayaka couldn't continue her words. But she muttered, 'That's wrong. If he just does that, brother's attempt to take down the corrupt officials will be naught.'

As if knowing what she had in mind, Ryūhei said,

"You already understand, right? Inazuma needs to change. And your brother already acted in the dark. What we need right now is time. When all the preparations are ready, I will act accordingly."

"But, everyone in Inazuma will continue to suffer if we wait too long."

"Not quite, you know."

"What do you mean?"

Ryūhei glanced at Ayaka with a sharp gaze. He said,

"Do you trust me?"

Somehow, his gaze made her falter. It was akin to seeing an unreachable summit of the mountain in front of her.

Because of such pressure, Ayaka could only nod reluctantly.

Then, Ryūhei patted her head while saying.

"Don't think too much! You will find that this choice is for the greater future of Inazuma."

Well, Ryūhei didn't mind letting Ayaka know a part of his strength and abilities. However, he was clearly against the idea of revealing that he was someone from another world in the past.

Ryūhei was going to create another creature. But then, he stopped midway.

'Tsk, I lack knowledge and imagination.' Ryūhei said in his mind.

He planned to create a spirit that would bond him, giving him the power of a Shinigami. However, his knowledge of the Shinigami sucks. The Bleach manga and anime exist in his previous life. But he never read the manga or watched the anime. His knowledge of the Shinigami was limited to 1 volume of manga which had just been published some time ago.

He believed that the power of the Shinigami would be useful against The Raiden Shogun after Yae Miko explained that he might be dragged into The Raiden Shogun's consciousness realm.

Since his first plan failed, he tried to create the Shadow Monarch's spirit. But, he still failed.

"Dammit!" He yelled.

The others immediately turned to him confusedly.

Seeing the others glancing at him, he cleared his throat.

"*Ahem* Don't mind me! My summons just failed." He excused. "Let's go!"

Their current location was Dragonspine, a vast and rather tall mountain engulfed in snow. And somehow, the snow never melts in that place. Dragonspine is the southernmost part of Mondstadt and the highest area in that nation.

Zhongli told him that the city was on an island in the lake. By passing through the stone gate, the border of Liyue and Mondstadt, he would arrive at the Dawn Winery first.

Ryūhei recalled Zhongli's explanation while observing the northern part of Dragonspine. From there, he saw a manor in the middle of a field. By the look of it, it was definitely the Dawn Winery described by Zhongli.

"Huh?" Ryūhei noticed something before smirking. Ryūhei immediately told Rimuru to store Charys in his stomach since Charys's appearance was out of place. He also told Veldora to transform into his human form. Then, he held them before teleporting.

—————

A girl with black hair cut in a bob-like fashion, golden eyes, and a pale complexion walked energetically with a spring in each of her steps, showing how happy she was.

The girl is none other than Xiangling who is ready to return to Liyue for the Rite of Descension which will be held at the beginning of next month. There is also a panda next to her, Gouba.

Xiangling traveled around Liyue and Mondstadt to challenge chefs or cooks to improve her cooking skills. Xiangling believed that she was gifted in cooking, but it didn't mean that she was the best chef in the world. While most of her challenges ended in complete victory, some were not. Still, she learned from her mistakes in her losses, just like what Sōma did in the manga.

"Gouba, look! It's Cryo slimes!" Xiangling pointed forward with sparkling eyes and drooled after seeing some slimes. She wanted to catch them to experiment with a new dish that was hot, cold, slimy, and chewy in one bowl.

However, before she stepped forward, a hand grabbed her shoulder and caused her to shriek.

"Kyaaaa!!!"

She jumped and took a stance while pointing her polearm. But then, she pouted after seeing the culprit who startled her.

The culprit has shoulder light-brown hair with a single red streak and vibrant blue eyes. He wears a white short-sleeved kimono, a light blue haori coat with rippling wave designs and hakama pants, a sword hanging on his hip, and black sandals. There's also a slime resting on his head. He is Ryūhei who teleported behind her after seeing her from Dragonspine.

Beside him is a handsome albeit slightly intimidating young man, Veldora. He has blond hair with over two meters tall, muscular body, some scales on his limbs and both cheeks, and a pair of horns. He is shirtless, showing off his muscular body. His outfit consists of a black cape attached around the back which hangs down to his waist, black pants, gloves, and boots.

Another one is a beautiful girl, Ayaka, with pale skin, light silver-blue eyes with sky blue pupils, a small mole under her left eye, and very light waist-length blue-white hair styled in a hime cut in front. She wears a pink floral kimono, hakama pants, a sword hanging on her hip, and a pair of sandals.

Apparently, she felt conflicted after knowing that two powerful monsters joined in their trip. And then, Ryūhei teleported because he wanted to greet a girl in front of her. This made Ayaka feel a little agitated as if the new girl was her new rival.

Meanwhile, Ryūhei paid no attention and greeted Xiangling.

"Yo, it's been a while."

"You scared me!!"

"But, Gouba noticed me though." Ryūhei shrugged.

"Eh, really?" Xiangling turned to Gouba who nodded. "Uuu, why didn't you tell me?" However, Gouba just tilted his head in confusion. Just then, Xiangling swiftly turned to Ryūhei. Or rather a creature on top of his head.

"Slime!!!" Xiangling's eyes were sparkling after seeing Rimuru while Rimuru shuddered the moment her gaze lay on him.

Xiangling immediately jumped toward Ryūhei to catch Rimuru. Ryūhei saw this. He could use his Infinity. But, he was against the idea and let Xiangling bump into him as if he opened his arms while saying 'Come here, Baby'! And of course, Xiangling ended up embracing him. However, she immediately pushed him and tried to catch Rimuru who tried to get away from Xiangling's clutch.