Yano's figure gradually emerged from the mist. Just as he stumbled into the fortress construction site, a black shadow landed on the ground in front of him with a "swish" sound carried by the wind.

He looked up.

A crow was holding its head high, like an arrogant noble, proudly extending its wing to block his path.

"Halt! Where did this barbaric human come from? This is the sacred territory of the great Slime Majesty."

"To have an audience with His Majesty, you must perform a grand salute and respectfully address him as 'Great Slime Majesty.' Do you understand the rules?"

Yano was stunned, looking at the crow speaking human language before him, feeling a sense of absurdity rising in his heart.

This crow...

Could it be a magical creature the boss recently subdued?

Or some kind of terrifying demon disguised as a crow?

Just as Yano and Count Bran were staring each other down, a slime came bouncing over and patted Count Bran with its gel.

"Count Bran, this is... uh... my knight, named Yano."

"Knight? Oh... seems like another not-so-proper fellow." Count Bran muttered, thinking of a certain undead retainer who had gone off to farm.

[Accelerate Wood and Shape Form]

Tree roots grew from the ground, lifting Chen Yu's round body, which then lightly landed in Yano's arms.

The Q-elastic, cool touch inexplicably relaxed Yano's tense nerves.

He seemed to have found his anchor and quickly recounted everything about encountering the assassination attempt by the "Rusty Key" thief guild on the road.

After listening to Yano's account, Count Bran flapped his wings and flew up, landing on his shoulder.

"How audacious! Just a bunch of stinky rats who only know how to fart in the shadows, they dare declare war on our Slime Kingdom?"

"Knight Yano will lead the team, and this Count will personally go eliminate them."

Count Bran spoke with tremendous momentum, coupled with his condescending attitude, completely bewildering Yano.

This crow demon... has such strong presence.

From his tone, this demon count seems to possess extremely powerful strength.

Chen Yu bounced slightly in Yano's arms.

This guy's bragging habit is acting up again.

If Yano knew he couldn't even defeat a large field mouse, who knows what expression he would make.

"Yano, let's go back and teach them a lesson."

A round slime saying it would teach others a lesson should have looked somewhat comical, but it made Yano feel incredibly reassured.

The boss was actually going to personally intervene for him.

So touching.

Count Bran's small eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Let's go, let's see which rat dares to challenge the loyal knight of our Slime Kingdom."

...

Half a day passed.

The thick mist was parted again as Yano, holding Chen Yu with Count Bran standing proudly on his shoulder, returned to the oak grove where they were previously ambushed.

The scene was in disarray, with chaotic wheel tracks extending into the distance and cut ropes along with some scattered wood chips scattered on the ground.

The carriage that was originally parked by the roadside, along with the carefully packaged telescope parts on it, had disappeared without a trace.

Not only were the people gone, but the goods were missing too.

"Damn thieves."

These petty thieves launching a sneak attack was bad enough.

But they actually stole the gift he prepared for his younger sister Little Flower.

Stealing from him.

Did they really think this slime has no temper?

Seems like he needs to think of a way to teach these social scum who never do anything proper a lesson.

Bubbles formed in Chen Yu's mind as an evil plan suddenly popped into his head.

Since their target was Yano...

He immediately had an idea.

The two petty thieves had already run away, so staying here was pointless. He returned to the castle with Count Bran.

Meanwhile, Yano, concerned about his wife and children in town, went back first.

Early the next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Yano's figure urgently appeared at the fortress construction site again.

His face showed the fatigue of traveling through the night, but his eyes were unusually determined.

"Boss, I'm back."

To prevent his family from being affected, he had used the excuse that the academy in Smaragdon in Emerald City offered better educational opportunities, making Lola take the children and depart for Emerald City overnight.

He also hired a team of skilled adventurer guards to protect them. With no worries about his family, he had made some kind of decision.

In the camp, Count Bran, still yawning, came over to join the excitement.

Meanwhile, Yano sat on a stone, holding the slime boss, took a deep breath and said: "Boss, I've made up my mind. I... I plan to accept that curse."

He raised his right hand, concentrated his mind, and watched as part of the skin on his arm rapidly transformed from healthy skin tone to grayish-white rough stone texture, as if covered by a layer of hard rock armor.

Then, the petrified part receded like tidewater, restoring his flesh and blood.

"Yesterday, this is what saved me." Yano looked at his restored hand with complex emotions, but no longer with the previous fear and resistance.

"I can feel it, and I can... control it a little now."

Being able to actively control it.

Could it really be some kind of bloodline?

Chen Yu curiously touched the hard petrified skin, then lightly jumped down, bringing a dusty clay pot from the slime nest.

The pot was filled with Gray Gravel Crystals emitting white light.

Chen Yu pointed at the clay pot, then at Yano.

"Absorb these stones clean, and you'll probably awaken your bloodline."

"Ab... absorb these?"

Yano looked at these glowing stones with a bewildered expression.

"Caw? Glowing stones?"

Count Bran stretched his neck into the clay pot to look. Seeing the shiny things, his small eyes instantly widened.

A crow's nature made him completely unable to resist such small trinkets, but how could the proud count admit his preferences? He could only cough and say:

"Great Slime Majesty, ahem... this Count would also like to try the effects of this thing."

"Then I'll give you one."

Chen Yu said generously, picking through them and finally giving him the smallest one.

"Caw hahaha! Thank you, Your Majesty."

Count Bran wasn't picky either, excitedly calling out as he flew up the oak tree with the Gray Gravel Crystal in his beak, probably to hide the crystal in the nest Chen Yu had just made for him yesterday.

Chen Yu jumped into Yano's arms and used the Sound Transmission Technique to teach him a simple spiritual energy breathing method.

Although Yano found it strange, his trust in the boss overwhelmed everything.

He sat cross-legged, clumsily adjusting his breathing, cupped a Gray Gravel Crystal in his hands, closed his eyes, and tried to "absorb" it.

After failing several times, he finally grasped the trick of the breathing method. Almost instantly, a gentle, pure energy slowly flowed into his body through the meridians in his palms.

This power was completely different from the violent mana he had encountered before. It was docile, accommodating, nourishing his tired body and mind, making him feel as if he were floating on warm, comfortable clouds.

So comfortable...

He felt like he could fall asleep right now.

Even more miraculously, under the immersion of this energy, he felt that the vague barrier in his mind separating him from the "demon" inside his body was becoming unprecedentedly clear, as if it could be broken through with just a light poke.

"Boss, I can feel it! I see a 'wall'." Yano opened his eyes in pleasant surprise.