Day 10 of Reincarnating as Rimuru

“Ahhhhh—!!”

When their revered deity was swallowed whole by a slime, the surrounding worshippers of the Dust God instantly erupted into sharp, frantic cries: “That creature is definitely an evil slime! Spit out Lord Guizhong, you bastard!!”

Even the usually composed Crane White couldn’t stay calm now. He raised a finely crafted hand crossbow, the fiery red elemental power flashing dangerously on its arrowhead.

“Jinping, move aside, or I’ll kill you too!”

Facing the enraged Dust God’s followers who wanted to tear the slime apart with their bare hands, Jinping struggled to explain: “Don’t be impulsive! Lord Rimuru must have a reason for doing this. Why don’t you wait a little longer?”

Not only were the Dust God’s followers nearly fainting from shock, but even the entourage behind Jinping wore expressions of terror.

Lord Rimuru, what on earth are you doing?

Weren’t we here to rescue?

Why did you suddenly swallow the Dust God?!

Help! Are they going to be torn to pieces by this furious mob...?

Surrounded by countless glaring eyes filled with murderous intent toward the ‘slime,’ Rimuru wore an expression as if to say, “Why are you making such a fuss? I’m healing, do not interrupt.”

After some time analyzing, Rimuru discovered that Guizhong was also an earth-elemental demon god. Yet, judging by appearance alone, he could see no resemblance whatsoever between Guizhong and that rock-headed one.

Could demon gods have gender differences too?

While pondering such thoughts, Rimuru ‘savored’ the presence of the Dust God within him.

“Hmm (chew chew), you know, this is my first time eating a demon god (chew chew). The taste is quite unique (chew chew).”

[Notification: The healing-type earth elemental energy field is ready. The demon god individual named ‘Hagentus’ is being processed. The wounded party has been injected. Healing commencing.]

Hmm? So Guizhong’s real name is Hagentus?

Morax, Hagentus... Interesting. Why do all your demon gods have four-character names? Are you trying to exclude poor Rimuru?

Despite his owner’s grumbling, the King of Wisdom continued the healing process, with Raphael reporting progress.

[Removing water-elemental interference that hinders self-healing is underway. Preparing to infuse healing-type earth elements of the same attribute... Healing progress report—30%, 55%, 86%... 100%. The demon god individual named ‘Hagentus’ has been fully healed. Release now?]

The recovery was incredibly fast—no surprise coming from Master Raphael!

Since the wounds are healed, it’s time to spit him out!

The answer was obviously: “Yes!”

Rimuru first praised his skill ‘King of Wisdom’ as usual, then took a deep breath and said, “—Let’s go!”

The perfectly unharmed Dust God was spat out by the slime. Seeing their deity safe, the nearly rioting followers finally calmed down.

Jinping and the others who had been desperately blocking the way sighed in relief: “Phew, finally over...”

Lord Rimuru, could you warn us before doing something this huge next time?

This really is a heart-stopper!

Feeling the murderous aura dissipate, Jinping and his companions visibly relaxed, though it would take them a long while to fully recover emotionally from this ordeal.

Meanwhile, Guizhong, now free from the slime’s belly, felt his previously heavy body become light and agile. Even his godly power, drained from battle, was replenished. He could no longer hide the surprise on his face.

He looked at Rimuru with suspicion: “Rimuru, what exactly are you?”

How could a slime have such abilities?

Did you think I’m uneducated?

Rimuru blinked innocently: “Huh? Who else could I be? I’m Rimuru the Slime~”

Guizhong: “...”

“Well, to me, knowing your name is enough.”

Guizhong put away her suspicious look and slowly smiled warmly: “I apologize, Rimuru. I want to retract my earlier rash decision. I—Guizhong the Dust Demon God Hagentus—am willing to form an alliance with you—Rimuru the Slime.”

“All right, all right, I agree to the alliance...”

---

Rimuru nodded in satisfaction at first, then suddenly froze, his expression turning horrified: “Wait, didn’t you say the wrong thing? It’s not an alliance with me—it’s with Morax!”

I’m just an ordinary slime; where would I have territory or subjects?

Guizhong, has that slime messed up your mind?

Could it be that Master Raphael’s healing plan has a bug??

[Clarification: There is no bug in the healing plan. Please do not casually question the professionalism of this skill.]

Hearing Rimuru’s doubt, the King of Wisdom was a bit annoyed.

“Fine, fine. How could Master Raphael ever be wrong? Guizhong would rather ally with me, a penniless slime, than with Morax. Since no one here is wrong, it must be Morax’s fault!”

Realizing his prideful skill was acting up, Rimuru quickly softened his tone and casually shifted the blame onto Morax.

Seeing Rimuru flustered by his own words, Guizhong covered her mischievous smile with her wide sleeve: “Let me guess, Rimuru, you’ve already formally signed a contract with that Earth God, haven’t you?”

Calming the King of Wisdom, Rimuru nodded hastily at her question: “Yes. So you also sign a contract with Morax. Although he’s as stubborn and dull as a rock, you have to admit, he’s quite powerful.”

At least more powerful than me with my sealed abilities.

Hearing Rimuru’s evaluation of Morax, Guizhong’s smile widened, extending beyond even her broad sleeves.

“Hahaha, I never expected the Earth God to be seen that way by Rimuru.”

It was somewhat unexpected for her.

From her few rare meetings with Morax, Guizhong had gathered some sense of the Earth Demon God’s character.

Though the Earth Lord of Tenheng wielded great power, his nature was as cold and unyielding as a solitary rock—harsh and merciless. Yet in Rimuru’s eyes, this decisive rock lord showed a clumsy, inarticulate side.

Truly incredible.

Could this slime really possess authority comparable to that Earth God?

Rimuru the Slime, gentle yet powerful outsider—could she dare to hope?

Harboring this thought, Guizhong began to earnestly coax the slime: “Since you’ve already allied with Morax, wouldn’t my alliance with you mean I’m allied with Morax as well?”

“Huh? Is that so?” Rimuru’s head spun.

“Yes~” Guizhong continued to coax.

“That’s... not true!”

Tempted by her charm, Rimuru suddenly snapped to attention, eyes wide: “I’m just a common slime freeloading in Morax’s territory! How can allying with me be the same as allying with Morax?”

Seeing her tactic fail, Guizhong chuckled softly and stopped testing him further.

She stood and looked around, beckoning Crane White: “How is everyone’s situation? Has the casualty count been completed?”

Still dazed from seeing their deity eaten by a slime, Crane White snapped back to work: “With the lord’s unwavering protection, your followers are unharmed. The wounded have been properly treated. I believe the priority now is to dispatch more people to salvage unaffected crops.”

The massive waves stirred by the Whirlpool Demon God rose hundreds of meters high. Had Guizhong not summoned a vast dust storm as the first line of defense for Guili Village, the land would have been wiped out entirely.

Recalling her helplessness against the towering waves that day, the smile faded from Guizhong’s face. She looked sorrowfully at the submerged farmland, her voice unusually weak.

“Go, and within your capacity, rescue as much food as possible to feed our surviving people...”

“Yes, Lady Guizhong!”

No longer wallowing in self-pity, the Dust God’s followers shed their despair and redoubled their efforts.

Seeing this, Rimuru instructed Jinping behind him: “You all go too. The more, the stronger! Don’t worry, I’ll try to persuade Guizhong again. I think she’s very likely to agree to an alliance!”

Jinping paused mid-movement.

Huh? Alliance? Was that mentioned?

Lord Rimuru, aren’t we here to negotiate for food? How did it suddenly turn into alliance talks?

“But Lord Rimuru, we...” Jinping hesitated at the command. He wanted to remind him but saw Rimuru was ignoring him completely. With a heavy heart, the man turned and joined the rescue efforts.

Once the unrelated personnel dispersed, Rimuru hopped eagerly over to Guizhong’s feet and cautiously looked up, asking:

---

“Guizhong, are you sad?”

“Rimuru wants to comfort me? How gentle...”

Guizhong lowered her gaze, staring at Rimuru blankly, then slowly smiled bitterly: “Yes, I am sad. You know, this fertile land was cultivated by my people over generations, taking a great deal of time and effort. Yet its destruction was so easy—only a whim of a demon god.”

Mentioning the culprit who carelessly ruined the crops, Rimuru was also angry: “That Whirlpool Demon God has no foresight. Such good farmland flooded so easily. Doesn’t he know food is humanity’s most basic necessity?”

Weren’t demon gods supposed to love people? Don’t the Whirlpool Demon God’s followers eat food?

Looking at the crops ruined by seawater, the slime was nearly heartbroken: “Really, I wonder if draining the seawater would save them... Ah, my rice, noodles, and dumplings, why are they all gone QAQ.”

Morax’s territory was all mountains, unsuitable for farming. Now Guili’s fertile fields were destroyed. Would he really be destined to survive on coal and stone cakes?

Nooo!

In this world without delicious food, he would surely wither away!

The more Rimuru thought, the sadder and angrier he became. Clenching his fists, he punched the air a few times, silently marking the culprit who destroyed his food: “Anyone who wastes food deserves harsh punishment! Next time I see that Whirlpool Demon God, I’ll give him a lesson!”

“Rimuru is really amazing.” Guizhong looked somewhat surprised.

A slime who dares to talk about punishing demon gods—Rimuru truly possesses strength she lacks.

Maybe...

Seeing the slime shyly scratching his head at her praise, Guizhong lowered her eyes and feigned disappointment: “Even Rimuru has the power to stand against Oser, but I only have a clever mind and not enough strength to protect my people.”

The goddess’s figure was tinged with melancholy: “I can’t drive monsters completely out of my lands like that Earth Lord. So my people are often attacked by savage monsters while reclaiming the wilderness. I cannot shield them from bloodshed and death, so I had to take a different path—studying mechanical arts.”

“Guizhong...” Rimuru’s shyness vanished, wanting to comfort the gentle demon god before him, but she interrupted him.

“Perhaps there is a balance. Though I lack great strength, my wisdom happens to be useful for mechanical studies.”

Speaking of mechanical arts, Guizhong’s expression turned proud: “When I created mechanized hand crossbows with enough destructive power, my people no longer died helplessly in the wild from lack of strength. We used wisdom to cultivate farmland and build settlements, until the glass lilies took root in the wasteland. As the sea of flowers thrived, so did our village.”

“Thus, Guili Village was born.”

“That’s amazing—no wonder it’s called Guizhong!” Seeing the girl regain her spirit, Rimuru breathed a sigh of relief and gave a thumbs-up, praising enthusiastically.

Guizhong didn’t understand the gesture but realized she was being complimented. The youthful demon god smiled shyly.

“Thank you.”

Her smile faded instantly: “But even so, my mechanical arts still can’t rival demon gods.”

She gently patted the slime’s head. Seeing Rimuru’s sudden blush, she continued: “So Rimuru, I’ve always wondered, if besides wisdom, I also had absolute martial power, could I build a city where my people live in peace and prosperity?”

After hearing Guizhong’s heartfelt confession, Rimuru’s voice turned serious: “Definitely yes!”

If you ally with Morax, the fusion of wisdom and might will surely establish such a city!

And he himself will live a comfortable life clinging to powerful allies!

“So don’t blame yourself, Guizhong.”

Harboring a pleasant daydream, Rimuru extended a cool tentacle, gently embracing the guilt-ridden Dust Demon God.

“Believe in Morax, and believe in yourself. Together, we can create a city in this messed-up world where both gods and mortals live happily.”

Comforted by the gentle slime, a cunning smile slowly appeared on Guizhong’s once-lonely face.

“Yes, we definitely will.”

Knowing the moment was ripe, she leaned down, holding the slime in her arms, her delicate chin resting atop Rimuru’s head. She deliberately ignored the mention of that Earth God’s name in Rimuru’s mouth and made a playful overture.

“So Rimuru, will you join my Guili Village?”