Chapter 177: The Black Slime and the Gift

Ona: "We found it in a small village deep in the mountains on the southern continent; the villagers there regard it as a guardian deity."

"Guardian deity?"

Rod asked in surprise while selecting small pendants.

The half-deer girl, Miss Xiao Ke, particularly liked these small decorative elements.

Of course, anything sold here carries a magical effect and is not an ordinary ornament.

"Yes... Oh! This one is nice."

Ona gave her suggestion, pointing to a small crystal pendant.

This pendant can slightly increase casting speed and costs 280 Jin Along.

In terms of effect, it is not worth that price, but its appearance is very well made, and it is a relatively rare deep pink Masai crystal.

It is something a girl would like.

This is normal; even mages have their own preferences and aesthetics.

Ona continued: "They place farming tools inside a special slime's body and then remove them; the tools become coated with a layer of fluid metal, making them durable for a long time. The villagers there have made a living from farming for generations; they believe this is a gift from the spirits of the land."

"No wonder, but what does it have to do with elemental resonance? Even if its body is rich in elements."

Rod finally chose the crystal pendant Ona suggested and a forest-style wooden bead necklace with butterfly amber.

Ona: "It has been worshipped by the villagers for countless generations, so its attitude toward humans is very friendly; it even approaches them actively. We captured it without any effort at all. A mage has conducted some research, theoretically proving that its affinity can allow elements to fuse into the human body."

"Theoretically?"

"Yes, only theoretically. Honestly, we failed twice, so the funding was stopped. But rest assured, this will not cause any harm to the human body; all records are public in the Magic Control Union."

Fearing Rod would misunderstand, she hurriedly explained.

Rod smiled: "Rest assured, I trust you. Also, I am willing to try it."

Polite words aside, he would go check the relevant data in the Magic Control Union afterward.

Having said that.

He also handed the packaged crystal pendant to Ona.

Miss Xiao Ke does not like crystals; she once mentioned that wearing crystals affects the accuracy of prophecies.

"As a small reward for Lady Ona's help, a little gift; please do not disdain it."

Ona was surprised for quite a while and accepted it joyfully.

Although she, a high-level mage, could afford such small things, it does not mean she wouldn't be happy to receive them; moreover, this person is very likely Lady Yulia's future stepfather!

This is a node for the two to draw closer; the significance is extraordinary!

Ona immediately took out her staff and hung it there, wrapping it around.

"Does it look good?"

"It suits you very well, especially with your wheat-colored skin."

The rabbit girl's smiling face immediately drooped.

Since going to the beach with Lady Yulia to tan, she hasn't turned white again to this day.

Damn melanin! Why hasn't it faded yet!

Ona: "I will go back now to get a sample of the black slime for you; wait for me one hour!"

Seeing the other party nod, she hopped away in a hurry.

Rod wandered around the market area for a while longer.

He was simply bored.

So, following the address on the card, he went to consult the dwarf craftsman who makes prosthetics about the price.

It was okay.

The prices here are relatively okay by comparison.

Cheap ones are available for 400 Jin Along, and even the most expensive ones are only around 2,500 Jin Along.

Having purchased cosmic biological materials worth 13,000 Jin Along, Rod was a man who had seen the world.

This is because alchemical prosthetics are already a quite mature technology.

He heard that when they were first developed, the cheapest ones required over 20,000 Jin Along, comparable to the cost of an eighth-level spell 【Regeneration】.

Rod finally chose a medium quality one, spending 1,150.

He paid a deposit and arranged with the dwarf craftsman master to come tomorrow at noon to take measurements.

Not long after.

Ona returned from the Containment Department, handing over a square wooden box carved with a pattern of azalea flowers and a blue hardcover spellbook.

The wooden box contained a portion of the black slime that had split off.

The spellbook was the technical method for exchanging spiritual affinity with it.

Returning to the forest.

Rod immediately pulled over the casting materials Lady Kali needed.

And he brought gifts for every girl present.

The orc Amy was a criminal under sentence, so she should not have received one.

But given that she fought desperately this time, using 【Berserk】 three times in a row and still not waking up, she was exceptionally rewarded with an exquisite clay craft piece with a magical effect.

The pony girl's gift was a complete collection of adventure story picture books, also with a magical effect, enhancing mental power whether carried or read.

The half-deer received a string of amber beads, and the elf received a harmonica.

Tally's gift was unexpectedly hard to choose; although she stayed with him day and night, she had never expressed any other hobbies.

However, since she loves lewd things, Rod simply did not think much about it.

While Ona was away, he bought a very lewd diamond chest chain; of course, it was inside a packaging bag, so others could not see it.

Everyone seemed to quite like it.

Miss Xiao Ke played coy for a moment, then secretly delighted as she let Lady Kaliest help her put it on.

Little Little Bangde couldn't wait to start flipping through the picture book; thanks to 【Adventurous Spirit】, she was born loving stories like this.

Tally, meanwhile, sneakily nibbled Rod's ear and said she'd come test the magic effect of the chest-chain tonight.

Watching them getting along so happily.

The zombie Selina, off to the side: "What about me?"

I contributed and bled for the forest too, you know!

"I've hired a dwarven craftsman for alchemical prosthetics; he'll come by tomorrow."

With that, Rod sat down by her sickbed.

He gently pulled open her collar to check the hole in her chest.

On the withered, bone-visible chest, there was a pair of slight, gently rounded swellings.

On the right-side swelling, there was a hole with visible innards inside — much better than when they first met.

Mm, not bad, healed a little.

It seemed that after becoming a zombie, the state of the body wasn't fixed in place.

Miss Xiao Ke angrily slapped his hand away and hurriedly pulled Selina's collar tight.

"What are you doing! You can't treat a girl like that — at least not in public—"

"Listen to the way you talk, as if I'd secretly make a move on her."

"Wouldn't you? You lecherous fiend who'll take anything, meat or veg!"

She gave Rod's chest a light punch.

Then, suddenly realizing there were others around, her face flushed crimson; she fanned herself with her hand and murmured "so hot" as she made her way to the window.

Rod asked Lady Kaliest: "Is it possible for Selina's face and body to recover to a normal person's level? Don't be fooled by her blank expression — she actually cares about this a great deal."

Selina: "I don't care. Not at all."

Lady Kaliest's face soured: "You're quite the gentleman with the ladies."

"Can't put it that way — it's all for the physical and mental health of the employees under me, so they'll work themselves to the bone for me. Do you like the mouth organ? I noticed you sometimes play the harp, so I specially picked this out for you — there's even a 【Soft-Toned Picture Shadow】 spell woven into it."

When Rod said this, he was clearly drawing a distinction between Selina and her.

The zombie is just a worker — you're my good friend!

This 【Soft-Toned Picture Shadow】 isn't some powerful spell; mainly, the music of the mouth organ can manifest in the air, displaying different minimalist pictures according to the player's thoughts and mood — the artistic quality is maxed out.

It's the sort of thing elves would like.

(End of chapter)