Magical Tool Master Dahlia Never Compromises ~ Starting Today: Life as a Freelancer ~

"No, please don't mind it," Dalia replied.

The security seemed quite thorough. The door handle was inlaid with a gleaming silver plate, and large magic circles, most likely wind and fire magic, were carved into the walls on both sides.

If these magic circles were activated at the same time, the entire passage would probably turn into a terrifying sea of ​​fire.

I really don't want to think about such uses.

"First, let me show you the blue slime breeding tanks."

Following Idiya down the hallway, she opened a set of double doors adorned with a blue sign.

Behind the door is a large room lined with more than a dozen square breeding tanks made of glass.

The tank's lid wasn't made of glass, but rather a material with magical crystals mixed in. The sunlight streaming in from the high windows cast several beautiful rainbows across the room.

"We put a magic sealing crystal in the lid. Slimes are surprisingly strong, so this is to prevent them from pushing the lid open from the inside and escaping."

Listening to the explanation, Dahlia approached one of the breeding tanks and saw a group of small blue slimes.

"These are one-week-old slimes."

These small blue slimes, about the size of ping-pong balls, slowly gathered together, their movements seemingly leisurely. When fed a diet made from discarded vegetables and meat powder, they slowly gathered, their round bodies gently trembling as they ate.

Even when approaching, they showed no signs of fear. Instead, they were slowly approaching Idiya, who was feeding them.

"I didn't expect slimes to be so easy to get close to."

"Hatchlings are like children; they're easier to approach than adults."

While encountering them in a forest or wetland might be unsettling, seeing them up close like this is quite heartwarming.

If they remain like this, you might want to consider keeping them in an aquarium at home.

"This is a blue slime that's been raised for about four weeks. When it reaches this size, it can be sent out of the farm."

Walking a little further, they came across another breeding tank. The slimes inside were much larger than the previous ones, about the size of two palms. These slimes were about 70% to 80% the size of the slimes Dahlia had often seen at the academy.

Dahlia moved a little closer and looked closely at the slimes through the glass.

The translucent blue round slimes moved slowly, and some even jumped gently as if they were playing, looking quite lively.

I don't know if it was to calm the slimes down or as food, but a slightly thicker piece of wood was placed in the center of the trough.

It seems that this wood is a popular spot, and many Blue Slimes gather there.

Slime of this size could supposedly be shipped as material for waterproofing. But how much powder could each one produce? She felt that the blue of these farmed slimes seemed a little lighter than the natural ones.

While she was thinking about whether there was a difference in composition between natural and farmed slimes, and whether there would be any difference when infusing magic, she moved her body closer to the glass. At this time, the blue slimes in front of her began to slowly move in the opposite direction.

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"……ah."

Did he accidentally convey his thoughts to these blue slimes? Or did he offend them for some reason, causing them to emit some kind of aura?

Too many possibilities emerged in her mind, and Dahlia couldn't help but sigh softly.

"Looking at it this way, they're surprisingly cute."

Wolf, who was standing behind, seemed to be attracted by the appearance of the slime unconsciously.

He seemed oblivious to Dalia's sigh, casually placing his hand near the glass. At that moment, the nearby slimes suddenly sped up, fleeing in the opposite direction. Some even leaped away with a "puff" sound.

Anyone who watched could clearly sense that these slimes were doing their utmost to be alert and escape.

"...I never thought that the slime would hate me so much."

"...Don't worry, I'm in a similar situation."

As the two of them were talking with complicated expressions, a hesitant voice came from behind:

"Um, both of you, if possible, could you please move a little further away from the breeding tank... Blue slimes are very sensitive and tend to be wary of people they meet for the first time."

Although Idiya said so, in front of Ivano, who was standing a little distance away from the two of them, the blue slimes were crowded together, piled up densely.

Even when he put his face close to the glass, he didn't arouse the slimes' vigilance at all, and instead seemed to be very welcome. This made people feel a little envious.

Ivano seemed to notice Dahlia's gaze and spoke with a smile.

"Could it be the hair color? My hair is a yellowish brown, so it might look like delicious fallen leaves to them. And Miss Dahlia's hair is red, so perhaps it reminds them of fire, and that's why they run away."

"But my hair is black, so they don't seem to associate me with dirt or fallen leaves..."

"No, no, no, Lord Wolfe, this is the dignity you exude as a member of the Monster Suppression Force. You should be proud of it."

Facing Wolff's wry smile, Ivano uttered these somewhat forced words of comfort.

"Sir Scafarot, are you a member of the monster subjugation force?!"

Suddenly, Idiya's ivy-colored eyes sparkled and she asked excitedly.

As Idiya gradually approached, Wolfe couldn't help but become alert.

"Yes, but—"

"Please tell me! Are the blue slimes in the wild really more aggressive than the ones here? I read that even just walking past them can get you attacked. Is that true?"

"No, basically, if we don't attack them, they won't attack us. However, if we accidentally step on them, or if we're in a place with a lot of slimes like wetlands or swamps, they might consider that place their territory. In that case, you might be attacked even if you're just passing by."

Idiya took out a notebook from the breast pocket of his white robe and continued to ask questions while taking notes.

"I see. So, how big is the largest wild slime?"

"The largest blue slime I've ever seen was about two-thirds my height. It was preying on a large deer, so its size probably included the deer itself."

"That slime only has one core?"

"I haven't personally confirmed it, but a knight wielding a lance defeated it with a single blow, so I think it only has one core..."

For the next period of time, Wolff was bombarded with a series of questions.

Watching Idiya taking notes quickly and asking questions eagerly, Dalia felt a wonderful sense of intimacy.

"Thank you very much. This information is very helpful to me. Um, Ms. Dahlia, if possible, could you also give me some advice on the breeding tanks?"

After Wolff's questions were over, the topic turned to Dahlia.

"Hmm... although it's hard to compare it to a natural environment, I think the light here might be a little too strong for blue slimes. It seems many slimes prefer dark places."

As Dahlia spoke, she recalled the scenes in the tower where the blue slimes that had escaped had hidden under shelves or in the shadows of buckets.

Idiya nodded deeply.

"I see! To make it easier to observe, I unconsciously made the environment too bright, which might be one of the reasons for their slower growth... I'll try covering part of the breeding tank with cloth to see which side they prefer."

Afterwards, Dalia and Itia continued to discuss the water quality, temperature and other characteristics that are most suitable for slime.

"..."

Wolf quietly stepped back a little from the two people who were chatting more and more excitedly, his shoulders trembling slightly with his exhalation.

Ivano noticed that Wolf was trying his best to reduce his presence, so he quietly approached him and whispered:

"Well, I think it should be fine. Their conversation was all about slime, and they didn't mention you at all."

"Indeed."

"Idiya-san probably won't be shaken. She gives off a very similar vibe to Dalia-san and Rukia-san."

"I understand. Sorry, I'm being overly self-conscious..."

"No, this is also necessary for self-protection. I understand..."

Afterwards, the four of them finally walked out of the corridor and headed to the next room where slimes were raised.

The next door has a green doorplate decoration, which seems to be the Green Slime's room.

"This is the breeding tank for green slimes."

Compared to the Blue Slime's room, this room is only about one-third the size and is lined with rows of glass breeding tanks.

The area where sunlight streamed in through the skylight was densely packed with green slimes, most of which were motionless.

Each one is slightly larger than a blue slime, but not very tall, and is flattened in its slot, looking more like a plant.

"Since green slimes have rarely harmed adventurers in the past, we don't know much about their ecology. Perhaps because they're farmed, they're like elderly people basking in the sun, barely moving... and rarely eating. Despite this, they grow quite fast."

"Um, could it be that green slimes are photosynthetic... No, could it be that they can use sunlight to create nutrients, just like plants?"

Dahlia almost uttered the word "photosynthesis" because of her past life memories, but she stopped herself in time. She was sure that this word did not exist in this world.

However, the fact that sunlight is essential for plant growth is common knowledge learned in botany courses.

"Just like plants... Ah, that makes sense. Perhaps green slimes are closer to plants than animals. I apologize for my lack of knowledge, but are there any references or books on green slimes I could use?"

"I'm sorry, my memory is a bit fuzzy... maybe I heard it from a casual chat with a senior or teacher."

Dahlia did discuss photosynthesis with her father during her college years.

To Dahlia, her father was both her senior magic tool master and her teacher, so this was not a lie.

When Carlo heard the word "photosynthesis", he didn't ask any questions and quickly understood it.

However, he asked seriously, "Can humans also utilize photosynthesis? If so, can we live without leaving our original place?"

Therefore, Dahlia never brought up the subject again.

"No, the information you provided is invaluable! Next time I'll try a comparative experiment in a culture tank with more abundant lighting!"

Idiya said with a smile on her face, and that smile made Dalia feel a little dazzling.

Then, Dalia and others visited the small rooms of the yellow slime and the red slime.

The yellow slimes gathered at the edge of the breeding tank, and their group movements seemed very quiet.

It is said that the team consciousness of yellow slimes is much stronger than that of other slimes. If the total number of slimes decreases, the food intake of each slime will inexplicably decrease.

When Dalia and others approached, the yellow slime did not react much.

However, when Idiya approached, they would slowly move towards them, obviously feeling a certain closeness to the person who was taking care of them.

Red slimes are different from the other three slimes in that they are large and agile. Compared to the other slimes, red slimes are more animal-like.

Each red slime seems to have its own territory, so they keep their distance from each other and don't gather together densely.

Among the four representative slimes, blue slime, red slime, green slime and yellow slime, red slime is found the least.

It is said that Wolfe rarely encounters red slimes.

Red slimes appear to be extremely curious and will approach humans when they are observed through glass.

Itia was still the most popular among the red slimes, and Wolf was very happy that "even I could observe them up close." Dahlia also observed the red slimes carefully.

After fully admiring the four types of slime rooms, Dalia and others brushed past the guards and headed deeper into the corridor.

Their destination was a pitch-black door with a bright red flame magic circle engraved on its surface. The entire door itself gave people an ominous feeling.

Idiya took out a black key and opened the door while explaining, "It seems this is the only place with a special key."

"There's only one black slime in here. We tried to study it, but it won't split at all, so it's remained the same since its creation."

“…Black Slime.”

Wolff frowned deeply.

The breeding tank for black slimes is quite small and the glass is particularly thick.

It was said that this was a double-layered structure, the inner layer being a specially made thick glass imbued with hardening magic, while the outer layer was embedded with magic-sealing crystals, also a special product. Even the skylight in the room was embedded with magic-sealing crystals, which made them understand why they had to be so cautious with the black slime.

When you get close to the breeding tank, you can see a curled up black slime in the center.

It was about the size of a handball, and even when the four of them approached, it didn't move at all.

This was Dahlia's first close look at the black slime in a long time. It was a translucent, glossy black. The powerful magic it exuded made it stand out among all the slimes.

When Dahlia was immersed in the obsidian-like color of the black slime, the black slime suddenly moved slightly.

She couldn't help but stare at it, only to see it slowly crawling towards Dahlia.

Although Dalia thought this was a good opportunity to observe closely, she felt a strange chill on the way and involuntarily took a few steps back.

It was Wolf who immediately stood before her to protect her. She wondered if the cold, oppressive feeling she felt from his broad back was just an illusion.

"Wolf?"

When she couldn't help but call out his name, she suddenly heard a "crack" sound, as if something was broken.

"What?"