[Book 1 Completed] Industrial Mage: Modernizing a Magical World [Kingdom Building LitRPG]
B2 | Chapter 9 – That was easy

Theodore hadn't considered how extremely monotonous slime farming would be. Hunting them down? Simple enough. Killing them? Child's play with his skills. However, catching the little jerks alive and holding them there? That was a whole other beast. For three days, he had been trying to figure out how to move the yellow ones without them turning into pools of goo that dried too fast to be useful. Glass jars worked, sort of. Within hours, they would still perish as they bounced aimlessly against the translucent walls, their gelatinous bodies losing their cohesiveness. Not the best. Not even close.

He had attempted a fresh strategy on the fourth morning. Cave moss-lined wicker baskets. That seemed to appeal to the slimes more, since they lived longer. Still died, though. Always fucking died. However, it wasn't a total waste of time. Theodore gained a great deal of knowledge regarding the peculiar characteristics of yellow slimes. In comparison to anything he had seen in the market, their goo was an exceptional insulator once it solidified. Of course, there were many that stored slimes to use them for insulation later, but it was a lot of work. In any case, the material absorbed shock, withstood heat, and even reduced sound. And the more he worked with it, the more he began to understand its lifecycle.

It started out as a liquid, a vivid yellow that moved like honey but lacked the stickiness. If he was lucky, that period lasted for roughly a minute following extraction. The foam stage followed, developing stiffer but still moldable, and swelling to almost twice its initial volume. The last phase was a solid state. Despite being as hard as oak, it was still sufficiently flexible to withstand pressure without breaking.

Beautiful stuff, really. Using this in buildings would be a perfect fit for him. But that was the issue, though. The goddamn timing.

Just a few minutes. That's all he had to work with for the liquid. Furthermore, how would he put that to use? Couldn't transport it. It was too big to store. All of his ideas had been exhausted. Instead of slowing everything down, using cold water actually made things worse by increasing the solidification rate. Using fire magic to keep it at a constant temperature caused it to evaporate entirely. He went so far as to blend it with different cave plants in the hopes that some of the natural ingredients could make it more stable.

Nothing worked. On the sixth day, half of Theodore's tent had been filled with experiments that had failed. Yellow foam in jars that had solidified. Dead slimes in baskets. Tools half-coated in uneven layers of hardened slime-stuff.

In any case, he hadn't been slacking with his training.

He would begin each day by focusing his magic for an hour through [Meditation], then practice [Mana Shield] until his clothes were soaked with sweat. He would test the shield's strength by pushing it to its breaking point before letting it fall. By now, he could maintain a shield strong enough to block a falling boulder. Not bad, honestly. [Mana Reinforcement] was trickier. It was a new skill, so it was understandable that it still felt awkward. However, he was growing.

[Healing Touch] saw plenty of use. Some injuries, such as cuts and bruises, were inevitable due to the frequent training and fighting that took place in the cave. In the time between his training, Theodore and the others explored the cave and cleared it up.

He had long since lost track of how many he had killed, and how many he had burnt through with [Mana Bolt].

The slimes grew stronger the farther he pushed into the mines; they grew bigger, moved more quickly, and some even split on death to continue fighting.

However, that didn't deter him.

And it paid off.

Your class, [Mage], has leveled up – Lvl 21 > Lvl 22!

Your race, [Human], has leveled up – Lvl 10 > Lvl 11!

Your race, [Human], has leveled up – Lvl 11 > Lvl 12!

[Mana Shield] has leveled up! - Lvl 8 > Lvl 9!

[Mana Reinforcement] has leveled up! - Lvl 1 > Lvl 2!

[Mana Bolt] has leveled up! - Lvl 5 > Lvl 6!

[Meditation] has leveled up! – Lvl 17 > Lvl 18!

[Healing Touch] has leveled up! – Lvl 8 > Lvl 9!

***

Rufus POV

"I'm telling you, Baron Ashton, this is a waste of money. That boy of yours—the noble, the [Mage], whatever he calls himself—he's dead weight."

Rufus didn't shout; shouting would imply he was insecure about what he was saying. Rufus didn't have the mental flexibility for insecurity. He just had one line of reasoning: Rufus is always correct. And if you disagreed?

Well, clearly, you were obviously a fool.

With his arms folded and a muscle twitching at the corner of his jaw, Baron Ashton pushed his lips together. He was trying to be as polite as possible.

Rufus either didn't notice or was indifferent.

"I mean, he's a little noble pup, right? What's he even doing here? Playing at adventurer? Bah. The boy's probably never even seen real combat."

Jent laughed behind him. He was their scout, and he was a rat-faced man. Rufus knew Velka was somewhere in the tent. [Assassin] that she was, she was simply hidden. She'd survived three incursions, lost two fingers, and gained a taste for cruelty. Her current task was to stay here and observe the Baron's activities, with a particular focus on Theodore.

"Slimes. That's what you sent him after, right? He's out there scraping goo off rocks while we're holding the front lines. That's what your plan is, Baron? Hah! You need a real Guild to handle this job."

Ashton didn't answer back.

Rufus spread his hands as though he were teaching arithmetic to a child who was particularly slow.

"Look, I get it," he said. "You've got obligations. Little favors. The noble wants his boy to 'grow into a man' or whatever. But this mine problem is real. It's not a game."

"Rufus."

"Yes, Baron?"

"Your job is to defend the outer sections and escort the supplies in and out. I haven't asked for your opinion about Lord Theodore's assignments."

"Well, maybe you should. I know what I'm doing. My Guild's handled worse infestations. We cleared that cave up north, didn't we? Half my team nearly died doing it. And we got the job done. That boy? He's gonna get himself killed—or worse, he'll get someone else killed."

Jent piped up. "Can't even keep his robes clean."

Ashton remained silent. Rufus saw that as permission to continue.

"Look, you got a favor from my brother. You know who he is. Guildmaster of the White Fang Guild. We don't take every job. But he sent me here, personally. Said it'd pay off. Said you were good people. I came as a favor. But if you want results, you need to let the professionals handle it. Not some pampered brat. He's interfering with our plans."

Of course, Rufus said nothing about how his plan consisted of feeding the Slime King until it grew big enough he could force the Baron's hand into paying his Guild to handle a Rank 3 monster. Which his brother could handle. That had been the plan all along. He was here to pay back a debt, after all, but he would use the difficulty increase to persuade the Baron to officially hire the Guild once the monster reached Rank 3. The "debt" wouldn't matter.

The flap of the tent opened.

Theodore came in.

Then there was silence.

Ignoring the others, he just entered and gave Ashton a courteous nod. His sleeves were pulled up, and his robes were smeared with filth and grime. Calm and inscrutable, his gaze shifted from Rufus to Jent before settling on Ashton.

"Baron," he said simply. "I need to discuss some things regarding the slime variants."

Rufus grinned and stepped in front of him.

"Well, if it isn't the noble himself. You come to lecture us on moss patterns today? Or are you still figuring out how to hold a wand without tripping over it?"

Theodore blinked.

"Excuse me." With a polite remark, Theodore walked by him without saying anything more.

"Ignore him. He's... Persistent." Ashton said.

Leaning over the maps, Theodore laid down some fresh drawings he had created. Ashton moved forward instantly, putting aside his annoyance.

"What's this?"

"New chamber."

"Oh?"

"I found a series of slimes that exhibit a reaction to mana pulses. That is strange. Blue color. They seem territorial. Intelligent, even. And they seem full of mana."

"Ah, yeah. The blues. They're mana slimes. We use them for mana recovery potions and they're also used for healing potions. Slimes are good business."

"Only in moderation, I believe. I suspect they're guarding something. Possibly the Slime King we suspected."

"Already? That deep?"

"Yes. I'll need some supplies to press further in with my team."

Rufus frowned. It wasn't meant to go like this. The boy wasn't supposed to find the blues.

This noble whelp was fucking everything up. Already, he was sniffing too near the center. It was discovered weeks too soon. The Slime King wasn't ready. It would be disastrous if Ashton got scared and pulled the trigger too soon.

Rufus needed to understand what kind of problem he was dealing with.

"Tell me, Lord Theodore," Rufus said casually, "is it true you nobles get a personal servant to wipe your boots?"

Ashton's jaw tensed again, but he remained silent.

Rufus walked forward a few paces. "I don't mean to offend. Simply put, you exude privilege. You're playing an explorer now? Please don't take this personally, but you only seem capable of hosting a dinner party."

Theodore looked back at him.

"Is that how you speak to a noble?"

Rufus suppressed his smile.

"Oh, pardon me. Did I not bow? Or, my lord, do I also have to kiss your ring?

"You're testing my patience."

"Perhaps. Perhaps I simply enjoy seeing the gilded ones break easily when they're not in their marble halls."

"I had a question for you. Is that how you speak to a noble, let alone a prince? Would you like to be decapitated?"

Rufus lingered for a moment. Then, slowly, a grin formed on his lips.

He made a small, insulting, and sarcastic bow.

"My apologies, your highness."

He pivoted and walked out. His boots crunched on the gravel outside. He didn't speak, did not use profanity, didn't even frown. But he was seething inside.

He loses his temper quickly. Typical noble brat. All bark and bloodline. He cracked over a few words. This will be simpler than I anticipated.

He smiled to himself.

The youngster had fallen for the trick. Rufus knew precisely where to press next because of this.

***

Theodore POV

That was easy.

It had nearly made Theodore laugh when he said it.

He would have cringed at the thought of behaving like a nobleman a few months ago, but now he fit in like a glove.

He was aware of the game Rufus was playing.

The guy was purposefully baiting him in order to see how he would respond. Furthermore, Theodore had responded just as Rufus had desired.

Rashly. Which, of course, was the point.

Theodore hoped Rufus would underestimate him.

Rufus and his brother were tiny participants in the larger scheme of the Capital's affairs, but even crumbs from the high table held sway in the provinces. This "favor" was bolstered by the influence of an aristocratic influence. Although it was a minor noble house, the appropriate guild contracts gave them more weight than they deserved.

That was the risky aspect.

He had to pay attention to it.

He gave Ashton a quick glance before shifting his gaze to glance at a mana source in the corner. Then he looked back at the Baron. The shape seemed oddly human, so Theodore had his suspicions. [Arcane Awareness] was no joke. Having Miss Bodyguard around for months was also no joke. His senses were much keener now, so could sense people like her, at least those lower level then her. He could even sense her sometimes, but that was typically when she wanted him to sense her. It was her way of training him to sense signatures like her, and it was precisely for this reason that he kept his mana hidden. Since arriving here, he had already noticed this figure a few times, let alone Miss Bodyguard.

That begged the question: why had Miss Bodyguard not killed the figure already?

It was impossible that she hadn't sensed the figure. So there had to be a reason.

"How exactly," Theodore asked Ashton, "did someone like that get assigned to this job?"

Ashton sighed.

"He's the younger brother of the White Fang Guildmaster. Years ago, I saved the Guildmaster's life. He insisted on paying the favor forward. Sent his brother with a team to help. I couldn't refuse. He's got some serious political sway in these parts."

For a moment, Theodore remained silent.

And then he smiled.

"Ah. Nepotism. That explains the confidence."

Ashton laughed in spite of himself. "I'll talk to him. Keep him away from your sector."

"Don't trouble yourself."

Theodore rolled up his sketches and returned them to his scrollcase before turning to go. Then he came to a halt as he thought of something.

"Baron."

"Yes?"

With an almost playful glint in his eyes, Theodore glanced over his shoulder.

"Would you be interested in a business opportunity?"

Ashton blinked. "Come again?"

***

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