Strangers from Afar
Days later, Rigurd's Village...
'Rimuru-sama's back!'
'Welcome back Rimuru-sama!'
The dwarf brothers stared.
Sure there's Rigur's group but THESE are HOBGOBLINS?! How the hell did Rimuru evolve these guys?! The men are tall with muscle! Lumps of muscle! The women all have the bodies of bombshells they'd usually find in Escort Bars! At least the goblins are...well...typical goblins.
'Alright people, we got us some craftsmen!' Rimuru chimed. 'We'll give Garm, Myrd and Dord a day to recover from their journey before we start working!' she then spat out the dwarves' luggage. 'Prepare a feast!'
'Yes!'
'Rigurd, did anything happen while we're gone?' Rimuru inquired.
'Well ah...' said Rigurd sheepishly. 'They've heard tales of your power and streamed in from nearby goblin settlements asking for refuge.' he said.
'Population Boom in just two weeks?!' Rimuru squawked out in shock as she counted five hundred additions, meaning, five tribes! 'How did this happen?!' she sputtered at the elder and she has NOT forgotten the fact that other goblin tribes spurned and scorned them after Rigur I died. And now they want to join the very people they spurned?
They've been here for days while she was gone, its impossible to kick them out now. But if they betray her and her original group, she won't hesitate to lop them off and set an example.
'Well, while during hunting some of our guys were seen by other goblin tribes and they asked questions...leading to this! They all wished to join us and evolve as well.' Rigurd said wryly. 'At least they earn their keep and obey our rules, so I have nothing to say. You see...'
Rigurd told her a lengthy tale.
When Veldora, her current form's Magicule-Daddy disappeared, its indeed a free-for-all as she theorized.
The Orcs, Lizardmen and Ogres began to move in order to dominate the forest.
Even until now, they had skirmishes, but they are in tacit agreement so it did not lead into armed clash.
However, that is in response to the situation where the lord of the forest is gone. So far it seems they moved to clear away their old resentments of the past. Originally, Monsters had a nature that likes to show off their power to cement their status in hierarchy, the power totem pole. Reputations had to be earned to protect themselves as well.
Therefore, to clear away the accumulated resentment, each race prepared to move out to gain dominance and fame.
The goblin race is just a weak race, their presence is only for being trampled by them.
Each Chief Goblin was in panic.
In this state, they will be ruined by simply being in the way if two or three armies happened to be where they decided their battlefield would be!
During the chief meeting, they carried out discussions every day, but they aren't very intelligent. It was like how Rimuru had a hard time talking to even Rigurd pre-evolution.
The discussion ended without resulting with any solution...
Meanwhile, the news of the attack from Fanged Wolf clan was received, well not far from it. Therefore, Rigurd's village was forgotten.
However...
Around the time the food stocks become scarce, there came a bad news. It was reported that a new threat in the forest has appeared!
The rumor was about the black beasts and their riders.
Those riders are running within the forest just like it was in plains, they hunted powerful monsters in the forest and hunted them.
When they received the report, they all were astonished. Who are those riders?
Apparently, that what it looked like for those goblins...
In response of this report, opinion was divided.
The first opinion claims that, any day now, those riders will take them under their protection.
The second opinion claims that, it's too suspicious! It must be so kind of trap!
The ones who said it's a trap; there is no reason to bring us into a trap! They didn't listen when being persuaded.
In addition, even if it's not a trap, it isn't necessary for us to accept.
Without intellect and only sadness, the words for conclusion can't come out.
Therefore, they select a person as representative to ask for asylum. They told me that was the reason why they went to this place. Rigurd handled things very well that those who came here, sought refuge while the distrustful ones stayed home and rather risk their fates.
Rimuru understands. At least only 500 goblins from various tribes, she doubted she can house EVERYBODY! She'll really complain if EVERY goblin in the forest came here!
'Sigh, housing aside, NOW we need a bigger space.' Rimuru deadpanned, nursing a headache and sporting wings. 'I'll look for a bigger space from above, this is ridiculous! For now proceed as planned with hunting for a massive feast, but first...'
Using Thought Communication, Rimuru summoned the original tribe's men.
Using her skills, she analyzed her boys so she can give out appropriate gear that fits them snugly, even if they'll get to have clothes in the near future. Kaijin's wares are all Rare-Class Goods that she took, that she can equip her original group's worth of men and a few fight-happy women.
Not only that, each fights they get into, they'll get stronger and go level-up. Such is the ability of Rare-Class goods. Then she chucked them out to hunt with the wolves alongside the newcomers.
Then she took to the skies with bat wings she got from a bat monster in the cave to look for a bigger space that's also hopefully, near a river for future farming ventures.
She found a nice spot to begin clearing operations. The Ameld River is indeed, huge! And it's near Veldora's old cave! Not only that, it's sustainable enough to last more than a millennia.
Alrighty, tomorrow, they'll begin their journey there!
xxx
After a large dinner that night for almost everyone as Slimes have no taste nor ability to eat solid food, getting by with her magicule stock, she gathered everyone.
'Alright, I have an announcement!' Rimuru hollered. 'Tomorrow, we'll move to a bigger, better place!' she declared, 'We'll be near the bigger part of Ameld River I found for the sake of future farming prospects! Hunting isn't sustainable forever and you all experienced that for yourselves! There WILL come a time when prey will run out from overhunting that we rendered species essentially extinct!' she told them. 'Upon going to the new land I found, I will split you into three after I name the rest of you. One group will do the farming, the next group will do the hunting, and the last group will focus on working with the Dwarf Brothers in building our town after I level down the land we need! However, I will select ten ladies to help look after the children!'
'Farming? What's that?' a goblin asked them.
'Farming is where we raise our own food. We will grow our own fruits and vegetables, then we harvest it and carefully use it up so we'll be OK till next harvest day.' said Rimuru. 'Humans and Dwarves are plentiful because of farming. If there's plenty of food, plenty of children can survive till adulthood which is our biggest challenge to date.' the hobgoblins and goblins gasped at this. 'Moreover, like I said before, hunting is not sustainable forever. We don't give prey time to have offspring for the next generation of food and that, is bad.' she said. 'Especially in Winter when nothing grows that meat becomes more precious than gold itself.' those words were said so grimly.
'Once we build our farmlands, I will teach the farming team personally.' Rimuru continued. 'Sleep early, we're in for a rough few months. A week after I level the land we need for farming and our town, I will Name everyone else before we begin land-clearing.' she promised.
'Yes, Rimuru-sama!'
And so, next day?
Traveling began. It took two days to reach the destination.
Rimuru assembled everyone by the rivers. She then used a massive amount of power to level down the land evenly and very flat. Enough for farmlands, then cut down trees to the very roots, before cutting off leaves and branches for processing by everyone. She then put the farming team to work, and had the building team be led by the Dwarves. The Hunters are a Team of Twelve led by Ranga. Clearing operations will be a little...tough.
While she educated the farmers, she multi-tasked talking to the dwarves using Thought Communication.
The three dwarf brothers each have a specialty.
Myrd was the Architectural Expert. He was so good at it compared to other architects, but like his brothers, had bad luck with employment until Kaijin and later Rimuru came along. Bad luck came from shady, bad employers who would short him.
Garm and Dord once owned shops and had trading partners, but got swindled out of their hard-invested shops! Their mother angrily intervened to change the name of the shops stolen from her sons, so incase anything happens to the shops, her sons' name won't be tarnished and angrily explained to Real Estate why. So the brothers worked as a team instead and had better luck as Ore Miners yet mining was NOT their true profession and expertise, but underemployment was better than no employment at all.
Talk about really bad luck!
Perhaps when Kaijin foisted the brothers onto her, luck finally shone? She had given them their first four-year pay.
The reason they took so long to come here?
They left their mother 10000 gold coins for her spending while they were gone, while safely keeping the rest, fearing the banks. They would come home once a year to replenish her money.
So the construction from hell began.
Clearing the lands is the first step while others processed the wood, after she used one tree trunk which she magically crafted into paper, and spat out unusable stuff. There's now a ton of short bond papers she made with enough thickness and stiffness for sturdiness. Too bad no bleach, so she had to magically make it white. She also has to magically create writing charcoal sticks by using Fire Magic and carefully process it and voila! And big enough for the dwarves to use. She even sharpened it for them to their delight.
They need to clear up land fast, before everyone can sleep in tents by nightfall. Who'd want to sleep on rocky ground, right?
The Hobgoblin Hunting Team is now capable of hunting stronger, and larger monsters to bring home when as Goblins, they can only DREAM. Prey weak enough for even a goblin to hunt, is getting scarcer and scarcer due to overpoaching. And larger, older monsters are a lot tastier.
Rimuru supposed that once they get everything done, she'll drill cooking techniques into a tribe that only knows how to roast.
While Rimuru is Supervising the Farming Team, she wanted to bring fantasy into reality while still making sure it can POSSIBLY be made with available materials in Jura Forest which is mostly, wood, rock carved through masonry and clay.
She thus 'burned' images of types of housing she had in mind with insulation so its cool in summer but warm in winter, until she learned the neat thing called Engraving Magic. By putting Engraved Runes in notable places...possibilities are ENDLESS! The good replacement for electricity!
She also designed a town blueprint so there's organized buildings, and streets comfortably wide enough for two large wagons. Then typical rooms of a house is also taken into account as goblins and hobgoblins tend to have large families so spacing per room, must be comfortably-large! And each house should have a front garden, backyard for activities like outside-grilling or doing both laundry and hanging out laundry after and enough space so each house can have a tree or two, preferably a fruit tree. Then build sewers underneath for drainage of waste, and drain the town waste to the oceans.
That would be quite...the project.
Housing aside, there's also industrial and production facilities to be made for supplies and goods.
That, and decor to 'beautify' the town as a town with no decor is basically a tasteless, boring town that can affect citizen morale. Entertainment can wait when they're stable enough for that!
Upon asking the dwarves for resources and products known to BOTH human and dwarf, Rimuru thought that they're up to Industrial Age...just, minus the machines that needed fuel(and thus pollution does NOT exist here), thanks to the existence of magic.
She also learned that Otherworlders existed as Human Kingdoms tended to summon Heroes from other worlds who may have Unique Skills for Military Use.
Dude, she can see many things wrong with that! Ripped from your life, family and friends just to be made a soldier for another world's country? That's basically forced recruitment with no way back home!
Sighing as nothing can be done about that, she should focus on building a town instead, and educating the tribe under her. She also chose who benefits and who won't, by using Great Sage to scan personalities. The good goblins will enjoy her generosity, while those with bad personalities will get just bare minimum.
A week after recovering enough energy?
Rimuru gathered everyone by batch, according to results of scanning. The goblins all lined up in groups, unaware that Rimuru manipulated them on the sly based on 'troublesomeness'. And she will choose four more goblins to help Rigurd in running their town. He is the Chieftain, and Four Goblin Lords will assist him in running the village by taking on tasks.
'Alright people! There are 570 of us here. 70 are already Named.' said Rimuru. 'You who are from the 500 who chose to join us for better livelihood prospects...thus I welcome you as citizens. However, to balance things out, those who chose not to come, cannot join this town for ten years.' she declared much to whisperings of the now-worried goblins.
'Building our town will take a while. A long while. And stabilizing livelihood is priority. Not to mention we all have limited resources ourselves.' she told them. 'Focus on your families here and this very town you will soon live in. And get to know your new neighbors here who will be future good friends. Sometimes if we want a future, we take risks.' Rimuru told them.
'There are three types of risks: the good kind, the bad kind and the lucky kind! Nothing ventured, nothing gained! You took risks by joining us as you heard this village is under my protection. The good and lucky risk is that I'm a nice and generous boss guarding this village...the bad kind would be what if I'm a bad, tyrannical boss yet you threw your lot under me for a Name and my Protection? Many people, be it human, demi-human or monster get lucky and unlucky! That, I want you to understand before I proceed with the naming! I will name one group at a time per day as we still have work to do! First group today, are you!' she pointed at the very left. 'Second group next day and so on until fourth group is Named!'
'Do take note that evolution will take hours. It will begin from the inside of the body.'
Thus she named 70 people first...and only then can a very bored Dord can start making clothes! Until then he was helping his brothers out, after clothing the original 70 Hobgoblins. She gave Dord a ton of inspirations to mix and match with, be it clothes or shoes. Color is up to him. Bringing fantasy to reality rocks!
She got bored of modern buildings AND clothes, thank you very much...
xxx
Several days later...
Plowing and Tilling has begun at the farms. Those come first to loosen the soil up as compacted soil is bad for germinating seeds.
After that, is the Watering and finally, Seeding.
Rimuru had to guide the seeding, out of consideration for when the plant becomes fully-grown, to avoid choking other plants.
The hard part of farming is thus, over.
'Good! Now we'll check every week for any weeds!' Rimuru told the farming team. 'You guys get a week-long vacation before you join the Construction Team!'
'Yes!'
But!
It's on this day Rigurd ran to Rimuru who was overseeing operations in town while riding on Ranga's back.
'Rigurd, what's up?' Rimuru asked the Goblin Chief. To cement his role as chief, he was easily the tallest and most muscular goblin.
'Ma'am! Rigur and the Security Unit reported a disturbance in the forest!' he reported. 'There seems to be suspicious activity.'
'Aggressors? Or Tribes going at it?' Rimuru inquired.
Aggressors are monsters no different from beasts capable of causing trouble and destruction. Basically, their prey for food.
Monsters are those from civilized tribes of various races.
'No, humans.' Rigurd told her.
'Humans?'
'They seem to be scouts from some nation hoping to expand its dominion.' Rigurd assumed. Rimuru gave it a deep thought.
'I'll check it out.' she said. 'Ranga, in shadow. I'll fly to where our boys are!' once Ranga went into her shadow, she morphed wings for herself and tracked down Rigur's group just so she can easily find the humans from up above...
...and found them chased by giant, red ants. They were running like hell of course, they have two legs while ants have six.
She supposed like in those Documentary Channels, these creatures are this world's errr nastier version of Army Ants. And the humans are equipped. Adventurers. And they all have red, flushed faces from all that running.
She carefully approached after suppressing her aura and enhanced her hearing. Also, at their state of panic, their guard against other things, is way down. So she used Telepathy to determine their personalities.
Come to think of it, weren't they the same guys who opened those iron doors in Veldora's Cave? It's thanks to them she got out, actually! If they never came, she would be trapped at the bottom of Veldora's Cave forever!
She determined that the party are all good guys but for now, she'll observe. Didn't anyone beyond Dwargon get the memo that Jura Forest is a no-go-zone for now?
She'll wait and see if they need help. Earning their good will will make them more likely to talk.
'Waaaahhhh!'
'This is all your fault, Cabal!' Gido swore angrily, 'You just HAD to stick your sword into an Ant Nest!' yeah, real stupid idea, Rimuru agreed with a sweatdrop.
'S-s-shut up, don't complain to your Leader!' Cabal sputtered out indignantly.
'For a leader, you're way too careless!' Ellen whined unhappily. 'If I die I'm gonna haunt your bedside for the rest of your life!'
'Mwahahahaha good luck with that!' Cabal laughed with a comically forced smile on his face. 'BECAUSE I'm gonna be a ghost WITH you!'
Yeah, that'd be more likely, Rimuru sweatdropped even more.
Suddenly, the masked woman stopped to a halt and drew her sword, causing the others to stop when they heard one less pair of running footsteps.
'Shizu!' Ellen squeaked as Shizu stopped, intending to fight.
'H-hey don't!' Cabal protested as they're very outnumbered already! They can't take all these ants on! What is she thinking?!
Shizu drew her sword and coated it in flames. Then used said sword to clearly cast a fiery sword art, barbecuing three near her, then jumping acrobatics to reach the others that one slash causes explosive instant death per ant.
That got Ellen, Cabal and Gido speechless.
'W-wow...'
Rimuru was impressed too. Speaking, she should teach the boys how to fight, too.
But one ant's feelers still moved, which they spotted easily and it raised itself up.
'Shizu! That one's still...!' Ellen gasped out in horror as the surviving ant is about to impale her with its legs. Shizu braced herself for a decisive strike, but staggered into weakness. That was when Rimuru decided to intervene by firing a Black Flame Arrow to pierce it's head from above.
But it's still too strong, enough to blow away Shizu's mask off her and raised a dust cloud.
'Shizu!' the group ran towards Shizu who was on her knees, weakened.
'What was that, that looked like thin black fire just now!' Gido mused, looking at where the rest of it went.
'Yeah, thin enough for a piercing blow.' Cabal agreed.
'Guess that was too strong for that Aggressor but at least it did the job.' they heard a cute, female voice. They braced themselves, forming a protective circle around Shizu. 'Insect carapaces are really unpredictable its hard to see if their armor is tough or not so overdoing it is often, the best choice than waste a chance for a Decisive Killing Blow.'
When the dust cloud cleared, they saw a cute slime that has a face, and Shizu's mask on it sideways.
'A...slime?'
'Waitaminit, what type?! No Slime we've ever seen has a face!' Cabal sputtered.
'Its cute though.' Ellen croaked out as the slime was ADORABLE.
'You guys OK? Sorry about that, but in this forest, if your enemy is an insect-type aggressor, you go big or you be bug food.' Rimuru took the mask into her mouth and bounced towards them, making squeaky 'poing' 'poing' sounds per bounce. 'Better safe than sorry.'
'Wow, I never knew slimes could talk...' Cabal was dumbstruck, amazed as Rimuru went to Shizu.
'That's amazing already.' Ellen gasped out. Its probably a Unique of its kind.
'Here, your mask back.' Rimuru chirped. 'It flew off so I grabbed it.' Shizu gently took back her mask and Rimuru got a closer look...to see a Japanese Beauty.
What the...hell?
Most people she's seen so far have westerner faces. Even the blonde kid has a western face. Shizu is Japanese-y in both name and looks! Could she be an Otherworlder?
'We're OK.' Shizu smiled at Rimuru kindly. 'Thank you.'
'Well, I'm not a bad slime you know!' Shizu did a double-take, before giggling. 'Ranga!' Rimuru called out as a large Tempest Wolf came out of her shadow, making them gasp.
'Yes, master?'
Four jaws dropped.
This slime is this big wolf's master?!
'Let the white cloaked lady ride on your back on the way to our village so they can recover and we'll hear their tale.' Rimuru instructed as she sat on Ranga's head, securing herself with sticky thread. 'She tired herself out against these ants.' Ranga looked around and looked unhappy.
'Giant Ants...they don't taste very good.' he said with a grimace as he crouched down to let Shizu climb up his back. 'Sour with a hint of hot aftertaste? And there's little meat in them, too.' he grunted. 'The yellow ants are sweet! Those round things on their bodies have sweet liquid but really strong.'
'Heee...hope we get lucky to see one!' Rimuru chimed in anticipation. 'For now let's go home!'