Slime Goodwill Ambassador*2
Now then.
So, I temporarily peeled the slime-loving big sister away from the slime farm, and while she was glaring at me with an intensely resentful look, I handed her one smallish slime nearby, saying, “Well, knead this for now and calm down…”
The slime-loving big sister quieted down.
The slime, while being kneaded, settled into a sort of “well, this is fine too…” kind of calm.
Sorry about that, slime. Please endure being kneaded for the sake of world peace.
“As for us, we’d like to use this as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the elven country. There’s probably a chance that the former Grand Cathedral folks are already negotiating with your side with their ‘Blessing’, right?”
“Yeah.”
“We want to avoid the elves and the former Grand Cathedral people teaming up. That’s why we’d like to provide the elves with this slime farming technique, which could become an upper-tier alternative to ‘Blessing,’ and in return, have them show some flexibility on those matters. I’d like you to hear the details from Her Highness the Princess, though.”
I figured it wouldn’t be good for me to push negotiations forward entirely on my own, so I drew a line there while explaining to the slime-loving big sister, “This is basically our intention.”
“And on the elven side, they’re asking us for some way to deal with the monsters overflowing from the dungeon, right?”
“That’s right. I’ve never heard of a case where a World Tree existed in the depths of a dungeon. We don’t even know why permission was granted for a World Tree to exist inside a dungeon.”
I see. The fact that the slime-loving big sister was properly sharing information with us meant there was room for actual negotiation and discussion. Much appreciated, truly appreciated.
“… Well, when it comes to the ins and outs of the dungeon, a lot of it involved overlapping strokes of luck, so I don’t think we can just directly hand over the technology to the elves.”
“I see…”
The slime-loving big sister seemed to be seriously thinking about that, at least. She pondered for a bit, then stared straight at me.
“Is that because it involves safety?”
“Hmm, the biggest issue is that it’s far from being technically established. On top of that, there are a lot of unknowns, so all we really have are practical examples. We haven’t built a theory yet. That’s how it is.”
I smoothed things over with a bit of improvised explanation, and it seemed the slime-loving big sister accepted it for now.
… If the elves found out that we can control dungeons, it feels like it would turn into a real hassle, so at least for now, I want to keep that hidden…
Still, though… in reality, monsters really are pouring out in large numbers from the dungeon near the elven village, apparently, so it’s entirely possible that something strange is going on there…
I just hope nothing truly awful is happening on their end.
“By the way, given the situation in the elven village, do you actually want the slime farming technique? Or do you not really need it?”
I figured the elves’ main objective was dealing with the dungeon, but what we want to offer is slime farming, so I asked about demand on that front too. There’s no point in giving something the other side doesn’t want, after all…
“We want it. The plants could die out.”
She answered pretty forcefully. Oh, so there’s demand. That’s a relief.
… Honestly, I’m surprised she gave a proper reason other than “they’re cute.”
So this slime-loving big sister actually has a sensible side too…
“The monsters coming out of the dungeon have started burning the forest.”
“Waooo.”
“Our food supply is in danger.”
“Waooo.”
W-well, with circumstances like that, I guess it makes sense! Yeah!
… On the flip side, I’m starting to piece things together.
The elven country is probably facing one of the biggest national crises in its history right now, and in order to overcome it, they have to rotate capable people all over the place…
As a result, someone like this big sister got assigned to the job of “verifying the truth of the World Tree and obtaining leverage to pressure the former Grand Cathedral people.”
Okay! Got it!
Given that, there seems to be solid demand for slime farming, so that’s a relief for now.
… But what’s really starting to bother me is the root cause of all this.
“Um, so the monsters spilling out of the dungeon are burning farmland, right?”
“More or less… Elves don’t have much farmland. We live on the blessings of the forest.”
“I see. So it’s a foraging-based lifestyle rather than agriculture.”
It’s fitting for forest folk, sure, but my honest reaction is just, “Seriously!? That’s so inefficient!”
A foraging-based lifestyle? What is this, the Jōmon period!?
“That’s why elves cherish the forest, and the forests protected by elves yield abundant harvests.”
“Ah… I see. So that’s how it works.”
Still, I think elves do have their own level of technology. Without something to sustain them, they couldn’t live stably on a foraging lifestyle alone. They probably can use magic that motivates plants, even if it’s different from ‘Blessing.’ Probably.
“So, umm, basically, if the forest is burned, it directly leads to food problems. That’s the situation.”
“Yes.”
“And then the former Grand Cathedral people showed up with the ‘Blessing’ technique.”
“Yes.”
… Yeah.
This is the part that worries me.
“Doesn’t it seem a little too convenient that the former Grand Cathedral people showed up right then?”
“I think so too.”
… I don’t want to believe it, but could the former Grand Cathedral people be trying to pull a match-pump scheme?
In other words…
Could it be that the former Grand Cathedral people are acting as the dungeon master, using dungeon power to burn the elven forest… something like that…?
Well, that’s still just speculation for now, so I’ll set it aside. Even if someone needs to panic, it shouldn’t be me. Wawawawawa.
“Well, if that’s the case, slime farming should be effective as a symptomatic treatment. As long as you have slimes, you can manage somehow. Oh, of course, we’ll be conducting further discussions through Her Highness the Princess.”
“Yeah.”
So, it feels like mutual understanding with the slime-loving big sister has been cleared, more or less. I’ve learned a bit more about their situation too…
Wait, though, was it really okay for the elves to reveal “monsters pouring out of the dungeon causing food shortages”?
… Well, now that it’s been revealed, I know about it. But if the elven side wanted to keep it secret, it might be better for us to pretend we don’t know. Otherwise, this slime-loving big sister might get scolded, and that’d be sad…
Now then.
I gave the slime-loving big sister a slime massage voucher, saying, “Please enjoy a slime oil massage,” and the moment she got it, she eagerly went off to receive one. See you later.
Alright, next step is to consult with Laperesiana-sama and arrange an opportunity for negotiations with the elves…
So, off we went to Laperesiana-sama’s place right away.
Laperesiana-sama was currently enjoying her vacation in Panis Village. She’s been overworked nonstop, after all. I want her to properly recover with hot springs, food, alcohol, and slimes.
That said, I’m really sorry to bring up work matters in the middle of that. But this is a major issue for the country, so please forgive me.
“So, we ended up learning a bit about the elven side’s circumstances. Is this something we’d have been better off not knowing?”
“… Well, it wasn’t included in the documents from the elven village. For now, it would be best if all five elves were gathered together and had them state it again from their side.”
First, we’ll share this point. Since we don’t know whether it was just a slip-up by the slime-loving big sister or not, we’ll wait and see how they act. The leader will probably handle it skillfully. If not, we’ll press the issue.
“Still… to think they’re interested in methods of dungeon control.”
“Apparently, when they heard there’s a World Tree inside the dungeon, they jumped to the idea of, ‘Then doesn’t that mean you can do whatever you want with the dungeon!?’”
“I see… Unfortunately, I’m not well-versed in the ecology of the World Tree, but I have heard that it cannot be planted without the land’s permission.”
Yeah. Mishisia-san said something like that too, so it’s probably true. That’s why she was searching for a place where she could plant a World Tree.
… Which means land often doesn’t grant permission to half-elves who aren’t pure elves?
If so, does land have a will of its own? That’s a whole other can of worms, so let’s leave that aside.
“We would like to keep the matter of seizing the dungeon master’s seat hidden… but it may already be known.”
“Ah, you think so too? I do as well. Not to the elves, but to the Cathedral people…”
This is the part we truly need to think about.
If the dungeon is acting strange…
We have to worry whether the enemy has already arrived at the same truth we did.
“Well, an investigation will be necessary.”
Which leads to the obvious conclusion.
“It would be ideal if the elves have investigation results, but they may wish to conceal some information… In that case, perhaps the Royal Third Knights Order should personally clear the dungeon.”
“Isn’t that too dangerous? If the opponent is the Cathedral people, that might be exactly what they want.”
We don’t fully know the enemy or their objective, so moving Laperesiana-sama feels extremely risky.
Especially if the opponent really has become the dungeon master… they could do anything. Like me, for example.
“But we do want information… Which means relying on the elves.”
“That seems reasonable, but the reason things have gotten this bad is because the elves haven’t been able to suppress the dungeon yet, right…?”
“Yes. That’s right. In that case, it would be best to ask the five goodwill ambassadors… Most likely, there are simply too many monsters, and they can’t spare the manpower to investigate the dungeon’s interior.”
Yeah, that makes sense. For the elves, the forest serves as both food source and living space, and it’s being lost to dungeon incursions… so they probably don’t have the leeway to strike at the root cause.
“I think we can provide technical support for rebuilding daily life and restoring the forest through our slime farming.”
“Yes. We can use that as leverage in negotiations.”
“And I can provide daily necessities. We’ll need them to handle transport, but it should let us earn some goodwill from the elves.”
“Is that acceptable? If Asuma-sama says so, then I will gratefully accept…”
I think. About how to earn goodwill from the elves.
… Given how rare it is for elves to be the ones in trouble, I don’t want to let this opportunity slip by.
I want to sell them a favor and secure cooperation somehow…
“Even if you sell them that much goodwill, they are elves. Dealing with people who do not view humans as equals is not necessarily all benefits.”
Laperesiana-sama seems to have a poor impression of elves. Fair enough. They sent that kind of document, after all. There’s no need to think “that’s polite for elves.”
Still… I can’t help worrying about the dungeon.
“Let’s establish a cooperative framework. We may need to have them help in destroying the dungeon… If the elves investigate the dungeon, they’ll find out that the dungeon master’s seat can be taken, so we should at least be able to conclude an agreement.”
“I see… hmm.”
Laperesiana-sama pondered. I did too, thinking, “What should we do…?”
“Then should we prevent the elves from investigating the dungeon and crush it ourselves?”
“We could still earn goodwill that way, but taking on the combat ourselves is dangerous, and I doubt the elves would let us go without at least one of them accompanying us…”
I want to reduce risk as much as possible. Especially since Panis Village had already declined due to the war… I don’t want to invite combat-related risks here.
Sure, it would be best if the human side could destroy the elven village’s dungeon alone. But that would inevitably involve casualties, and from the elven perspective, it’s a security issue, they wouldn’t want to leave it entirely to humans.
And clearing the dungeon while leaving the elves out is extremely difficult…
… Wait.
There is a way to proceed without having elves accompany us.
And at the same time, to suppress the dungeon as safely as possible.
But… but that depends on the dungeon’s structure, and more than that… it’s, well… problematic in many ways…!
“Ah… I have a good idea. But it’s a dangerous one.”
“Oh? Let’s hear it.”
Seeing Laperesiana-sama wearing a look of great interest, I steeled myself.
“Well, depending on the dungeon’s structure, it’s possible to take down a dungeon without ever entering it.”
~Read Chapter 104-130 in advance on Patreon~
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