Chapter 177: The Black Slime and the Gift

Oona: "We found it in a small village deep in the southern mountains, where the villagers revere it as a guardian deity."

"Guardian deity?"

Luo De mused, selecting small pendants.

The half-deer girl Xiao Ke especially loved these decorative elements.

Of course, anything sold here carries magical effects—it's not ordinary jewelry.

"Yes… Oh! This one's nice."

Oona offered her suggestion, pointing to a small crystal pendant.

This pendant slightly increases casting speed and costs 280 Jin Along.

The effect isn't worth the price, but its appearance is exquisite, and it's made of rare deep pink Masai crystal.

It's the kind of thing girls would like.

That's normal—even mages have their own preferences and aesthetics.

Oona continued: "They place their farming tools inside a special Slime, then retrieve them—the tools gain a layer of flowing metal, becoming durable. The villagers have farmed here for generations and believe this is a gift from the spirit of the land."

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

Luo De ultimately chose the crystal pendant Oona recommended and a forest-style wooden bead necklace with butterfly amber.

Oona: "It has been venerated by the village for countless generations, so it's extremely friendly toward humans—even seeks them out. We captured it without any effort. Some mages have studied it and theoretically proven its affinity allows elements to merge into the human body."

"Theoretically?"

"Yes, only theoretically. Frankly, we failed twice, so funding was cut. But don't worry—it causes zero harm to the human body. All records are publicly available in the Magic Control League."

She hurried to explain, fearing Luo De might misunderstand.

Luo De smiled: "Relax, I trust you. Besides, I'm willing to try."

Politeness aside, he'd check the Magic Control League's records later anyway.

Saying that,

he handed the wrapped crystal pendant to Oona.

Xiao Ke didn't like crystals—she'd mentioned before that wearing them impaired the accuracy of her divinations.

"A small token in return for your help, Oona. Don't refuse it."

Oona was stunned for a moment, then joyfully accepted it.

Though she could easily afford such trinkets as a high-rank mage, receiving one still brought delight—especially since this man might be Lady Yulia's future stepfather!

This was a pivotal moment in drawing them closer—immensely significant.

Oona immediately took out her staff and hung the pendant on it.

"Does it look good?"

"Perfect for you—especially suits your wheat-colored skin."

The rabbit girl's smile instantly faded.

Ever since she tanned at the beach with Lady Yulia, her skin never lightened back.

Damn melanin! Why won't it fade!

Oona: "I'll go retrieve a sample of the Black Slime for you—wait an hour!"

After seeing him nod, she skipped off happily.

Luo De wandered the market area a while longer.

He was simply bored.

So he went to the address on the card to consult the dwarven artisan who made prosthetics about pricing.

It wasn't bad.

Prices here were reasonable by comparison.

The cheapest cost 400 Jin Along; even the most expensive were around 2, 00 Jin Along.

Luo De had already spent 13, 00 Jin Along on cosmic biological materials—he'd seen the world.

Alchemical prosthetics were already a highly mature technology.

He'd heard that when first developed, even the cheapest ones cost over 20, 00 Jin Along—equivalent to the price of an eighth-rank spell: 【Regeneration】.

Luo De finally chose a mid-tier model, spending 1, 50 Jin Along.

He paid a deposit and arranged to meet the dwarven master tomorrow at noon for measurements.

Not long after,

Oona returned from the Containment Division, handing him a square wooden box carved with azalea patterns and a blue hardcover spellbook.

The box contained a portion of the Black Slime.

The spellbook contained the technique for exchanging its essence.

Back in the forest,

Luo De immediately delivered the spell components Calist needed.

He also brought gifts for all the girls present.

The orc Amy, being a criminal, shouldn't have received one.

But given her fierce effort—using 【Rage】 three times and still unconscious—she received a special exception: a beautifully crafted magical clay figurine.

The mare-girl's gift was a complete illustrated collection of adventure stories, also magically enhanced—carrying it or reading it boosted mental energy.

The half-deer girl got a string of amber beads; the elf got a harmonica.

Tally's gift was unexpectedly hard to choose. Though he spent every day with her, she'd never expressed any other interests.

But since she loved lewd things, Luo De didn't overthink it.

While Oona was away, he bought a very lewd diamond choker—of course, packed in a sealed bag, invisible to others.

Everyone seemed to like theirs.

Xiao Ke feigned modesty, then quietly asked Calist to help her put hers on.

Bond eagerly flipped through the illustrations—her 【Adventure Spirit】 made her naturally adore such stories.

Tally secretly bit Luo De's ear and whispered she'd test the choker's magic tonight.

Watching them enjoy themselves,

the zombie Selena beside him: "What about me?"

I contributed to the forest too—I bled for it!

"I've hired a dwarven alchemical prosthetic artisan—he'll come tomorrow."

Saying that, Luo De sat beside her bed.

Gently pulled open her collar to inspect the hole in her chest.

On her shriveled, bone-visible chest, two slight bulges had formed—slightly rounded.

Near the right bulge, a visible hole pierced through to internal organs—much improved since first seen.

Hmm, good. Healing a little.

It seems becoming a zombie doesn't freeze the body's state.

Xiao Ke angrily slapped his hand away and quickly pulled Selena's collar shut.

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

"You sound like I'd sneakily assault her."

"Wouldn't you? You lewd, insatiable demon!"

She lightly punched his chest.

Then she realized others were nearby, blushed crimson, fanned herself with her hand, murmuring "It's so hot," and hurried to the window.

Luo De asked Calist: "Can Selena's face and body ever return to normal human levels? Don't be fooled by her expression—she cares deeply about this."

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

Calist's face darkened: "You're surprisingly tender-hearted."

"Don't say that—it's for my employees' mental well-being, so they'll serve me faithfully. Do you like the harmonica? I saw you play the harp sometimes, so I picked this one specially—it contains the spell 【Whispered Shadows】."

Luo De clearly separated Selena from Calist in his words.

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

【Whispered Shadows】 isn't a powerful spell—it simply makes the harmonica's music visible in the air, forming simple, minimalist images based on the player's thoughts and emotions—highly artistic.

It's the kind of thing an elf would love.

(End of Chapter)