Slime Immortal.

Chapter 160 The Silly Lizardman

Dark Lands, Eternal Night.

In this perpetually dark heartland, the most prominent symbol is the ancient castle that stands silently atop the cliff.

This place is dark, quiet, and full of artistic atmosphere... It is the most comfortable residence for the vampires, the "uncrowned kings" of the Underworld.

Surrounding it is a vast, desolate cemetery, where mottled tombstones lie askew and dead trees with twisted branches reaching upwards like desperate arms stretching towards the gray sky.

Occasionally, a few jet-black crows would land on the bare branches, emitting hoarse and unpleasant cries, their blood-red eyes coldly scanning this lifeless land.

On the cemetery path leading to the castle, a black carriage pulled by four pale, thin horses was moving at a leisurely pace.

The pale-skinned coachman drove the carriage with vacant eyes. The lantern hanging on the side of the carriage behind him swayed gently with the bumps, its dim yellow light flickering in the deepening twilight like a will-o'-the-wisp, stretching and shortening the twisted shadows of the trees along the roadside.

At that moment, the carriage window was pushed open by a hand wearing a black leather glove, and a handsome man dressed as a nobleman placed his hand on the windowsill.

His gaze languidly swept across the scenery outside the window, his tone weary: "So much time has passed, yet the atmosphere here remains as stagnant and dull as ever, utterly devoid of any novelty."

A soft laugh came from another man in the carriage, his voice relatively clearer: "What, my esteemed Sir Casimir, are you still reminiscing about the novelty of dealing with those filthy rats of the 'Rusty Key'?"

The vampire jazz, known as Casimir, shrugged humorously. "Oh, I like your retro tone, dear Deng Lun. At least those little mice know how to struggle, they have some energy, while here..."

He sniffed. "Those who are asleep or awake are mostly just moving dead people."

"If it weren't for Lord Salazar's orders, I might be experiencing an interesting mercenary life right now, scheming against the goblins at the Rift Pass, bullying those missing-limb skeletons in the ancient ruins, or... joining in the excitement of that recently much-discussed A-level bounty target."

Salazar is the legendary mage who supported the revival of the vampires and secretly controlled the entire Underdark. He is the most mysterious and feared being in the Underdark.

Across from him, Deng Lun, dressed in a dark mage's robe, rested his hands on the velvet-covered backrest and chuckled, "Teacher is currently working hard to overcome the final bottleneck in mass-producing 'Bloody Scrolls,' which has consumed countless materials."

"If the castle's defenses are weak and those rude Stoneborn take the opportunity to raid the core warehouse, the losses will be incalculable."

"As for that A-level bounty target you mentioned..."

He paused, his tone calm, "It is indeed quite unusual. The Black Fang Mercenary Group hasn't taken on a public bounty of this level for a long time, especially one issued by a goblin himself."

"However, the one leading the team is Calvin Douglas, a true knight."

“Believe me, Kazimierz, you will never have a pleasant time with him. Although he is not as rigid as some knights, his arrogance is ingrained in his blood and he looks down on us who hide in the shadows.”

Kazimir pursed his lips and spread his hands, saying, "Alright, alright, you're right. That guy's strength is indeed terrifying. Even as an elite professional, I can't afford to mess with him."

But then he became interested again, “Don’t you think that swamp is strange? It’s so strange that the goblin legion has put up a bounty on it. Maybe this expedition won’t go so smoothly.”

Deng Lun's reaction was rather indifferent, seemingly unconcerned: "Isn't this an established fact? An elite regiment led by elite professionals and equipped with ample scrolls is already comparable in combat power to a small regular legion of the kingdom."

"It's impossible to fail in eradicating that demonic force; it's just a matter of how much the cost will be."

Kazimir was about to say something more when his gaze was drawn to the commotion in the dead woods beside the path.

Several blood slaves were seen digging a deep pit, with a heavy-looking stone coffin placed beside it.

"Stop," Kazimir said, and the carriage slowly came to a stop.

He sat in the carriage, his gaze sweeping through the window over the few blood slaves kneeling in panic, finally settling on the stone coffin. His voice carried an undeniable authority: "Whose vassals are you?"

The blood slaves trembled upon seeing him, hastily replying, "Replying...Replying to Your Excellency, we...we are vassals of Lord Vladimir..."

"Vladimir?"

Kazimir frowned. "Instead of staying in the castle to keep watch, this guy has come to a place like this to 'rest'? And he even had the master send a special message for me to come back..."

Before he could finish speaking, he noticed the grayish-white skin of the figure lying in the crevice of the stone coffin, which looked exactly like the texture of rock.

His eyes narrowed, and he abruptly pushed open the car door and strode over.

Deng Lun also sensed something was wrong and followed.

With a wave of his arm, Kazimir's Blood Shadow lifted the heavy stone coffin lid.

Contrary to his expectations, what lay inside the coffin was a human-shaped statue whose body had mostly turned into grayish-white stone.

You can still vaguely make out his mercenary uniform, one of his arms is completely severed and missing, and there is still an expression of extreme terror on his face.

"Petrified?!"

Kazimir's face darkened. "Didn't we have the latest antidote? Why aren't we using it?"

Deng Lun stepped forward and examined it carefully, then shook his head: "Judging from the situation, it wasn't even used in time."

"That idiot must have been tempted to venture deep into the ruins of Gor to search for the Stoneborn again. He got spotted by the gargoyles, and by the time he was discovered and smuggled out, the potion's effects had long since expired."

Kazimir's gaze deepened, his tone slightly sarcastic: "I told you his brain was filled with nothing but sleep and expired blood plasma."

“He dared to go to places that even my father wouldn’t dare to venture into easily. This time he learned his lesson, but unfortunately the price was too high.”

He crouched down and carefully ran his fingers along a damaged area on the chest of the stone statue, noticing that the petrified clothing there had irregular tears.

"However, this wound doesn't look like something a gargoyle's claws could have caused. It's more like... the effect of some kind of extremely powerful evocation spell exploding."

"Perhaps it was ambushed by the gargoyle's special ability, or it triggered some ancient trap." Deng Lun didn't seem too concerned about it.

"Alright, Sir Casimir, our teacher is still waiting for us in the castle. Don't waste too much time on a reckless fool..."

Before he could finish speaking, a jet-black raven, composed of shadows and faint magic, silently flew through the withered forest, precisely heading towards Deng Lun. Then, with a soft "poof," it condensed and coalesced into a scroll emitting faint magical fluctuations, falling into his hand.

"An urgent message from Lord Salazar?" Kazimir asked, raising an eyebrow.

Deng Lun nodded and quickly unfolded the letter to read it. A dozen seconds later, he looked up, his expression turning somewhat strange.

"Sir Casimir, I have some news that I don't know if it's good or bad for you." Deng Lun's voice carried a hint of something unusual.

"Oh?" Kazimir gestured for him to continue, his interest piqued.

"The mercenaries who went to the Eastern Swamp to hunt down that A-level bounty target... have returned, but in a rout."

"The mission was a complete failure. Calvin Douglas was defeated and captured by the undead lord of that monster's forces."

"what?!"

Kazimir's expression immediately turned serious. "Even Calvin was captured? This is not the standard expected of a mere A-level bounty target."

"Of course it's not A-rank. That's a force with dragon units and an undead knight who's almost at the transcendent level." Deng Lun waved the letter in his hand.

"The teacher has already learned of the news and personally changed their bounty level to S-rank, the same level as the task of exterminating dangerous dimensional rifts."

"The problem now is whether the goblin who issued the mission is still willing to pay the S-rank bounty in advance. After all, this failure cost the mercenary group a lot of equipment, scrolls and compensation, and the losses probably exceeded a thousand gold coins. This debt can only be paid by the goblin."

Kazimir suddenly realized something and his expression changed slightly: "Wait... Lord Salazar doesn't mean he wants me to take over this mess and lead a team to subdue that S-rank target, does he?"

"Cough cough... I suddenly feel unwell today and need to go back to my coffin to rest for a few months." He made a move as if he wanted to run away.

To everyone's surprise, Deng Lun shook his head: "It's not about condemning. The teacher's order is to appease."

"Appease?" Kazimir stopped, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Yes."

Deng Lun explained, "That force is entrenched in the Eastern Swamp, which is not directly adjacent to our core interest area. Instead, it is closer to the border of the White Horse Kingdom and the Goblin Legion's sphere of influence."

"The main force of the mercenary group is currently tied up by several newly emerged dimensional rifts, and cannot spare more forces for an S-class extermination battle with an uncertain outcome."

He paused, a glint of light flashing in his eyes: "More importantly, the teacher's view is that if handled properly, we might be able to bring this emerging monster force into our sphere of influence, or at least establish some kind of connection."

"In this way, when we clash with the goblin army in the future, they may be able to cause considerable trouble for those green-skinned scum from the flank at a crucial moment."

"Don't forget who's behind the goblin army—it's that greedy great demon."

"These abyssal creatures have no concept of true alliance or loyalty. If it weren't for those ancient ruins serving as a buffer zone, the greedy goblin army would have already launched a massive invasion of the Underdark and plundered its resources."

Deng Lun looked at him, a meaningful smile appearing on his lips. "Sir Casimir, the teacher specifically praised your personal charm and negotiation skills."

He believes that if you want to make initial contact with those monsters whose intelligence is unknown but whose strength should not be underestimated and try to appease them, you have to go there in person.

After listening, Kazimir's face showed a complex expression of helplessness mixed with interest.

He finally shrugged: "Alright, alright, since it's Lord Salazar's order... anyway, it's just a trip, and I'd like to see for myself what kind of undead lord could defeat and capture that arrogant Calvin."

"I hope they can satisfy my curiosity."

……

Swamp Fortress.

Unaware of the impending visit of the vampire messenger, Chen Yu was preparing to head to the Western Swamp.

He leaped lightly off the city wall, his gelatinous body tracing a graceful arc in the morning breeze. He took flight, soaring straight towards the western swamp, passing right by the thriving slime village.

Looking down, you can see a bustling scene in the village. The slime engineering team, preparing to head to the front line and establish a base, is busy moving like industrious worker ants. With the help of beetle engineers, they are loading the packed tools, stored nutrient water, and ash crystals onto the trucks.

Then head to Grey Mist Lake and the Western Swamp to build defensive lines and new fortified outposts.

Indeed, in Chen Yu's plan, what he was going to build this time was no longer scattered and small outposts, but fully functional outpost fortresses.

There are still three in total.

It is estimated to be no smaller than the current fortress, and perhaps even larger and more magnificent.

After completing the preliminary work for the third phase, he intends to completely drive the adventurers from the outpost ruins and the goblin army from the Rift Pass out of his territory and establish a true monster kingdom.

Looking down at the column of soldiers moving like ants, Chen Yu secretly began to plan. He intended to build the first fortress on the original site of the outpost where Arthur had stayed. The location was good, right at the throat of the road on the shore of Gray Mist Lake.

Expand it into a sturdy fortress, equipped with artillery and a swarm of soldiers, and it will be like a nail firmly planted at the entrance to the dungeon, preventing adventurers from going deeper.

The western swamp is much larger and more difficult to guard, requiring at least two fortresses to be built there.

A city built in the southeast direction, directly facing the Cracked Stone Pass, must be tall and sturdy enough, with thick walls and many cannons, to completely dispel the goblins' idea of invading the swamp again.

One was built in the southwest, right next to the tree spirit's territory, ostensibly to protect the supply lines and shelter allies.

In fact, he also had a selfish motive. If the tree spirit territory was willing to be fully incorporated into the kingdom's territory in the future, then this fortress could continue to expand, annex the tree spirit territory, and become a prosperous border town, firmly protecting the precious grain-producing area.

In that time, not only will we be able to achieve food self-sufficiency, but we may also attract profit-seeking human caravans to exchange the swamp's specialties for what the kingdom needs.

Once these three fortresses are completed and connected in a line, most of the underground city will be completely incorporated into the Slime Kingdom's territory.

Further explore the depths of the underground city, and uncover all the resources and secrets of the Western Swamp...

He can then begin the third phase of the project here and build a real city.

A slime capital city belonging to slimes and monsters.

With that thought, he flew even higher, looking down at the vast and vibrant swamp forest below, the morning light gilding his round body with a golden edge.

This ambition burned like a flame in his heart, filling his small body with power.

In a good mood, he adjusted his direction and sped towards the western swamp.

He couldn't explore that dimensional rift by himself; he needed to find some help.

Half a day later, when he arrived at the outskirts of the tree spirit territory, he saw Little Ka and Peggy diligently carrying out their defense mission.

Little Ka hovered low, its gaze scanning the sky above the woods. Peggy, on the other hand, patrolled the edge of its territory like a mobile fortress.

Chen Yu landed on the ground.

The two guys got excited as soon as they saw Chen Yu.

Little Ka let out a cheerful cry, lowered its altitude, and circled around him. Peggy even took off running and rushed over, even trying to stick out her drool-covered tongue to lick him.

Fortunately, Chen Yu dodged it, otherwise he would have definitely taken a saliva bath.

After finding Iserline and explaining their purpose, the elf lady of unknown age also took the appearance of the "plane rift" quite seriously.

"Dimensional rift?"

A slightly languid voice suddenly rang out, and Chief Viola's spiritual form, like a startled firefly, abruptly separated from Iserline, floating in mid-air with a keen interest on her face.

"Count me in, I want to go and see too."

"Aren't you forbidden from leaving the territory?" Chen Yu asked.

“Who said I can’t leave?” Viola’s spirit blinked.

"With just a small soul projection spell, a portion of my consciousness and knowledge can be temporarily entrusted to Iselin and follow you into the past."

"Although I don't have much power, I'm more than capable of being an advisor... Oh dear, I can't talk to you any more. My energy is being depleted too quickly, and my projection won't be able to hold up until we get there."

Before she could finish speaking, her ethereal form vanished back into Iselin's body with a "whoosh," as if it had never existed.

Seeing that Viola had agreed, Iserline arranged for the other elves to continue the defense, while she and Chen Yu set off together in the direction described by Earl Bran.

Chen Yu rode his little car ahead to scout the way, while Iserine sat gracefully on Peggy's broad and sturdy back.

Soon, Peggy demonstrated an amazing ability to clear paths on land. Without needing to find any existing trails, she simply lowered her head and used her massive body and sharp fangs to carve out a wide road through the dense bushes and low trees.

Before long, the scenery ahead began to change.

The dazzling sunlight refracted through the trees, and the surrounding air temperature began to drop noticeably. Chen Yu sneezed, and the bubbles instantly turned into mist.

They had officially entered a strange region covered in ice and snow, which stood in stark contrast to the lush swamp forests surrounding them.

"Is this the effect of the rift?" Chen Yu looked around with some curiosity. This was the first time he had seen the so-called dimensional rift phenomenon with his own eyes.

“No, this is just ice elemental magic leaking from the fissure, altering the surrounding environment in a small area,” came Iserin’s voice, who was wearing a gel hair ornament.

She cautiously observed her surroundings. "The real crack is still in the center, but judging from the extent of its impact, it shouldn't be too large."

"The other side is likely a quasi-elemental plane with mixed elements. Be careful, Slime, there may be monsters that have escaped from the dimensional rifts here."

After she reminded him, Xiao Ka became more vigilant.

This little guy is quite a worldly crocodile. Although he's no longer as afraid of everything as before, his wary nature remains unchanged.

As Chen Yu and Iselin ventured deeper into the area, they encountered no living creatures, only endless white snow and biting cold; the silence was eerily profound.

Until they reached the location of the dimensional rift.

Chen Yu landed on the ground and looked at the dimensional rift in front of him.

He discovered that this thing was much smaller than he had imagined, only about the height of a person, as if space itself had been forcibly torn open by a brute force.

On the other side of the crevice was a vast expanse of white, making it impossible to see anything clearly, except for the constant seepage of extremely cold air.

Iselin explained, “Every summer, the magical tides of the Prime Material Plane become more active. Areas like swamps, where the magical energy is already chaotic and unbalanced, are indeed prone to creating these temporary rifts leading to the Elemental Planes.”

"Under extremely unstable conditions, it might even briefly connect to the abyss of hell in outer dimensions..."

Chen Yu gazed at the crack, a strong curiosity growing about the unknown world on the other side.

Iselin seemed to see through his thoughts and solemnly warned, "The Elemental Plane is an extremely chaotic place. Sometimes there is not even solid ground to stand on. Everywhere there are violent elemental turbulence, which can easily tear apart the flesh and blood of most beings in the Prime Material Plane."

"It's alright, we can send scouts in first," Chen Yu conveyed his thoughts.

"A scout?" Iselin was taken aback.

Then she saw that Chen Yu's body secreted and split open a ball of light red slime equipped with "Flame Affinity" and "Pea Shot".

The little slime had barely landed when, like a fearless warrior, it plunged headfirst into the crevices filled with surging, snow-white, frigid air.

"Bang!!!"

The instant he passed through the rift, Chen Yu felt as if he had stumbled into a raging storm that could extinguish all sound, followed by an unimaginable, extreme cold that instantly enveloped him.

His body was frozen stiff almost instantly, like a hard ice ball, rolling onto a solid patch of ground.

He has two pieces of news, one good and one bad.

The good news is that there is land to stand on, and although the connection of consciousness is weak, it has not been interrupted.

But the bad news is,
It's fucking cold here!!!
He quickly activated the faint magic power within his body to activate "Flame Affinity," and the gel slowly emitted warmth to resist the harsh cold outside.

After a long while, he barely regained his mobility, hopping around and curiously looking at the pure white world.

As far as the eye could see, there was only boundless darkness and a vast snowfield, with the blizzard howling endlessly, compressing his vision to an extremely short distance.

The place is so desolate it's suffocating. There are no rolling hills, no signs of life, not even a dead tree or a rock.

Is it really that desolate?

A wave of disappointment washed over him.

That's strange. Didn't Count Bran say that there were monsters active here?

Have they all left?
Or... what happened inside?

He decided to explore further.

As for the direction... he tried to jump around and look around, and finally, at the limit of his blurred vision caused by the swirling snow, he vaguely caught a very faint white light.

It's up to you.

Chen Yu began hopping and skipping towards the white dot of light.

Because the snow was so thick, he would sink deep with every jump, making the journey quite difficult for a little slime.

One meter, ten meters, one hundred meters... The distance is slowly closing.

The white dot gradually became clearer and larger in his perception.

It wasn't until he finally reached a distance where he could observe clearly that he could see the outline of the white light clearly.

It seemed to be... a humanoid creature kneeling on the ground, with a long body covered in scales and a tail limply resting on the snow.

Ok?
Chen Yu was stunned.

Why are there lizardmen here too?

Could it be that the ancestors of the lizard people were actually pioneers who loved to explore and went wherever there was danger?

Having explored the entire Material Plane, why not venture out and explore the Elemental Plane?
Wait, that's not right.

This guy looks kind of silly.