What is the True Identity of Munch-Munch?
Raziel came with a message from Georges, saying that Maria wanted to consult with me, and to please stop by the workshop when I had time.
It’s rare for Raziel to give permission for someone to see Maria.
Well, since I got permission, I might as well go right away.
"Maria, Raziel said you had something you wanted to consult about. Did something happen?"
"Young master Reinhardt, I’m sorry to trouble you. I’ve hit a bit of a wall, and I was hoping you might be able to give me a hint..."
It was about the maids' clothing. A topic we had discussed around last summer.
Apparently, she hasn't been able to find the right materials.
She tried dyeing thread using things like herbs with a refreshing feel that could be procured cheaply, or by boiling powdered slime, but none of it worked out well.
"Is there anything we can do?"
"Nothing comes to mind right away. I’ll think about it and let you know if I come up with anything."
"I understand. Also, we were asked if it could be made thin enough to wrap by hand—how about this?" She said, showing it to me.
Ah, I completely forgot.
When I received the copper tape, even I could bend it by hand, but it still felt a bit too thick.
"Think we can make it as thin as paper?"
"Paper, huh."
"Get it as close as you can. Also, make it just wide enough so that when it’s attached to glass, the edges can be bent inward by about one millimeter." I requested.
When I asked about the deodorizing sheet, she said she made it by mixing paper pulp with slime liquid that eats water impurities, then added charcoal or slime powder to it.
Apparently, paper with slime liquid mixed in absorbed liquids (like water or urine) better than plain paper.
Charcoal, huh...
I wonder if a charcoal-infused mask could help block the smell of the Skeleton Flower.
Since I’m at it, I’ll ask Maria to make some charcoal-infused fabric. If I explain what I want to use it for, even if she says it won't work, she’ll probably make a different version—knowing Maria.
Once the conversation ended, I left the workshop.
Since Maria had asked, I decided to read up on plants instead of purification today. I brought three blank books into the greenhouse, transcribed them from the slate, and started reading.
Thanks to the blessing of the Sage God, transcribed books read smoothly even outside the library, so I finished all three in about an hour.
Munch-munch? Munch-munch?
I heard a sound coming from the back of the greenhouse. It should be empty right now.
The gardener who manages the greenhouse knows I often use it in the afternoons, so he usually finishes maintenance in the morning.
Without making a sound, I carefully approached the source of the noise—and found a slime munching on tonmi.
Why is there a slime in this greenhouse?
Slimes in this world aren't dangerous. In fact, they’re extremely useful to us.
For example:
- Weed-eating slimes... the liquid they expel becomes fertilizer.
- Slimes that eat water impurities... their expelled liquid turns into nutrient-rich water that improves harvests when sprayed on fields.
- Slimes that eat rusted iron... what they expel are iron pellets. While not as strong as new iron, they can be reused for everyday items like pots and knives.
- Slimes that eat food scraps... the expelled dirt-like substance becomes fertilizer.
- Slimes that eat toilet waste... again, what they expel turns into fertilizer.
Each slime has different preferences...
That’s why slimes are kept everywhere and aren’t exterminated when found, though they do multiply quickly, so if their numbers grow too much, they’re culled and circulated as fertilizer.
While watching the slime eat tonmi, I was thinking when suddenly—
"Ah, there you are. Found you.” said Tom, the gardener who manages the greenhouse.
"Young master Reinhardt, I apologize. I’ll get it out of the greenhouse as soon as I catch it.” Tom said.
When I asked for more details, he explained that it was one of the slimes kept to eat weeds, and this one especially loved tonmi.
Tonmi grows rapidly when left alone, so from spring to autumn, it was fine for the slime to eat only tonmi.
But in this season, with no tonmi around, the slime had to eat other weeds—and it hasn’t been eating much.
As a last resort, they tried mixing tonmi with the weeds harvested for cooking and offering that, and it reluctantly ate them.
He realized it had escaped when one was missing during a headcount, and the crate of weeds with tonmi mixed in hadn't been touched.
Suspecting that the tonmi-loving slime had escaped, he came here—and was right.
Just how much does this slime love tonmi?
Tonmi is a type of herb, similar to mint in our previous world. It’s basically "mint" spelled wrong with and an added o, like some kind of pun.
Then again, this world has a lot of plant and fruit names that resemble those from my previous life—like mandalin, rapple, limon, etc.
Anyway, it’s kind of odd that a slime loves sniffing tonmi.
Sniffing? Refreshing scent?
Could it be used to make cool-feeling fabric? Maria said slime powder didn’t work, though.
But what about the liquid from a slime that’s only eaten tonmi?
Still, there’s not much tonmi around right now. Maybe I can increase the tonmi with my plant-boosting ability. If not, I could ask Captain Kyle to make some magic water.
I called out to Tom, who was about to take the slime away.
When I held the slime, it faintly smelled like tonmi.
I told Tom I’d try to increase the tonmi in this greenhouse for now, and asked if he could feed this slime only tonmi and give me the liquid it produces.
Apparently, this is the only slime that eats tonmi, and it can be isolated, so the liquid can be secured. I asked that the liquid be given to Maria.
After Tom left, I sprayed water using water magic on the tonmi plants in the greenhouse, saying, "Growth Enhancement, grow big tonmi!"
I hope this works.
What do you think about this chapter?
