Slime Immortal.

Chapter 208 The Slime Kingdom Becomes Famous
In a caravan of merchant horses that had just departed from the docks and left the lower town, one of the large boxes wrapped in thick canvas wobbled like a jelly as the carriage jolted along.

"Damn it, Mark, didn't you see that box just now seemed to shake by itself!" A security guard rubbed his eyes and said incredulously to his companion next to him.

The soldier named Mark chuckled and patted his companion on the shoulder: "I told you not to get so drunk yesterday. Now look what happened, you're hallucinating. If you delay the convoy's journey, Mr. Jonathan will definitely not let you off the hook."

The team member muttered, "I only had a little bit, really just a little bit... By the way, don't tell that stingy guy about my drinking."

“Of course, if I were to say it, Mr. Jonathan already knew you called him a miser behind his back.”

"..." The team member was speechless.

Inside the canvas-covered box, Arthur and his companion were crammed into the cramped space, quietly listening to the chatter of the trade team members outside, seemingly trying to discern their surroundings through sound.

Count Bran stood on Arthur's arm, marveling at the lush green space.

"I never imagined His Majesty could grow so large. Those foolish fellows didn't even bother to check us before letting us pass."

"In my opinion, they're not very smart either."

Calvin seemed thoughtful, and said with a headache, "It doesn't seem like they were careless; it seems like trouble is on their way."

"Perhaps it's another group vying for the Crown of Ignis. Damn it, how many hands has this news passed through? How does everyone know this?"

Arthur, with his hands wrapped around his knees, squatted quietly in another corner. After listening to Calvin's complaints, he respectfully asked Chen Yu, "Your Majesty, you seemed to have guessed that someone would come?"

Chen Yu said matter-of-factly, "This is not a guess. The two groups have different auras, so it's easy to tell them apart."

"One smells of rust and blood, the other smells of dessert; you can tell they just came from a pastry shop."

Calvin was somewhat surprised. "His Majesty's sense of smell is truly keen."

"Be bold!"

Count Bran immediately shouted in displeasure, "How dare you steal my lines! I'll peck you!"

As it spoke, it actually poked Calvin's arm armor with its beak.

Arthur hesitated for a moment, "But what's usually used to describe a keen sense of smell..."

Before he could finish speaking, Count Bran quickly flapped his wings and covered his mouth with the tips of his wings.

“Oh, I see. It’s Calvin who’s been subtly criticizing His Majesty. He’ll still peck at you.” Count Bran immediately shifted his focus to Calvin.

Calvin was pecked twice for no reason. He paused for a moment, then decided to ignore the noisy crow and got to the point, asking, "Now that the trail to Bailey has gone cold, where should we look for the Crown of Ignis?"

His tone turned serious: "Moreover, if we indirectly cause her to fall into the hands of the devil or his minions... we must find a way to rescue her."

Upon hearing this, Count Bran folded his wings and stopped making a fuss. Instead, he asked Chen Yu:
"Your Majesty, do you have any ideas?"

Chen Yu said, "I have no choice either, but a guy who smells of coffee came with a solution."

As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of horseshoes clattering on the stone pavement came from outside, growing louder as if someone on horseback had caught up with the caravan.

They heard a series of indistinct voices outside, and then their carriage suddenly came to a stop.

The sudden stop caused a jolt, making the gel disguised as cargo jiggle several more times.

Arthur: "..."

Calvin: "..."

Count Bran: "..."

Outside the carriage, the faint sound of a match being struck could be heard, followed by a rather young-sounding male voice.

“Come out, Sir Calvin, I know it’s you.”

Count Bran asked curiously, "Do you know this person?"

Calvin shook his head: "I don't know."

Count Bran's eyes widened suddenly. "What do you mean, 'I don't know'?"

Calvin sighed and explained, "In fact, I haven't been back to the kingdom for a long time."

"More than a decade has passed, and even the closest friends have become complete strangers, let alone this voice, which I have absolutely no recollection of."

"So, should we go out?" Count Bran asked in a low voice.

Arthur remained calm. "I will obey Your Majesty."

Chen Yu's voice came through, "Then let's meet her. Maybe we can find some clues about Bailey."

As soon as he finished speaking, the gel that made up the box popped open and quickly contracted back into a round slime, which landed on Arthur's shoulder.

With their disguise removed, Arthur and Calvin immediately lifted the canvas, jumped off the carriage, and finally saw their surroundings clearly.

By this time, they had left the bustling city and the carriage was left alone by a low wall.

On the wide road leading out of the city, a blond young man dressed in casual hunting attire was leisurely riding a tall chestnut horse, a cigarette between his fingers, observing them with great interest.

When his gaze fell on Calvin's weathered face, a smile instantly spread across his face.

He nimbly dismounted, stepped forward, and gave Calvin a noble salute.

"I've met the renowned Greyhawk Knight Calvin. Your reputation is quite famous in the Underdark."

He straightened up and introduced himself: "I am Grann Bailey, um... from the Snow Wolf family in the North, which is quite famous in intelligence matters."

"Of course, with your status and reputation, you certainly don't need to care about a small family like ours."

"Please rest assured, both of you. I meant no harm and did not hijack the carriage. I merely used the power of money to make it stop here for a short while."

As he spoke, his gaze swept over the silent Arthur, lingering for a moment on the chubby boy on his shoulder and Count Bran, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes.

"This slime must come from that distant and mysterious swamp of the dead."

Grann bowed slightly to the chubby boy. "Grann Bailey extends his sincerest greetings to you and to that undead lord."

Has the reputation of the Slime Kingdom spread all the way here?
Chen Yu was somewhat surprised.

He never expected that in the heart of the White Horse Kingdom, in a major city like Allenbridge Fortress, there would actually be people who knew about news from the border swamps.

But he still blinked his round eyes innocently, pretending not to understand.

He secretly said to Calvin, "You can handle this guy. It's not a good time for me to reveal my identity."

Earl Bran was talking nonsense, and Arthur seemed to have lost his mind; handing him over to the only living person among them was perfect. Calvin nodded almost imperceptibly, stepped forward, and his aura instantly became cold and powerful, firmly seizing control.

He spoke coldly, his tone carrying a sense of pressure: "Mr. Grann, do you think we're having a pleasant chat right now?"

His terrifying will, honed through brutal trials, seemed to materialize, causing the smile on Grann's face to freeze momentarily.

Grann instinctively took the cigarette from his hand, stomped it out with the sole of his boot, then spread his hands, trying to maintain a smile, and said:

"As I said at the beginning, I have no ill intentions and no intention of offending a knight as powerful as you."

"On the contrary, I can roughly guess what the purpose of your trip is, and I know how to help you."

Calvin remained indifferent: "Just say what you have to say. You still have one chance to save your head."

Grann's lips twitched, and he quickly said, "You're looking for the Crown of Ignis, right? I know where it is..."

Calvin remained silent, not replying, his gaze still fixed on him.

Seeing Calvin losing interest, cold sweat began to bead on his forehead. He shouted, "To be precise, I know where the girl is!"

Upon hearing the name "Belle," Calvin closed his eyes, then slowly opened them again.

"Are you testing my character?" Calvin's voice was calm, yet carried an invisible pressure.

Even though Calvin didn't draw his sword, the terrifying will he had honed through countless life-and-death battles and harsh trials emanated like an invisible hammer, pressing down hard on Grann's mind.

"Uh...uh...plus,plus..."

Grann felt short of breath and his vision went black, as if the whole world was distorted. He wanted to speak, but the words were stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Just when Grann thought he was about to faint and his vision went black, the pressure on him suddenly receded like a tide, and the distorted world in front of him gradually returned to normal.

Then, Calvin's voice came again.

"Whom do you represent, or what forces are behind you?"

Grann coughed violently, gasping for breath, but instead of fear, his eyes shone even brighter.

“Grey Eagle Knight, this is the real Grey Eagle Knight. The ones I saw in the training ground were just fakes bearing the family name.”

Moreover, judging from Calvin's sudden softening attitude, he cares a lot about the little girl, which obviously does not fit the rumored image of a knight as cold-blooded, arrogant, and traitorous.

However, seeing Calvin's expression gradually becoming "impatient" again, he coughed lightly and replied seriously, "Although our Snow Wolf family was born in the cold northern lands, we have always liked to stick together for warmth and operate intelligence networks. There are members or informants of our family in almost all the large organizations and important towns in the kingdom."

He straightened his back slightly, his tone carrying a hint of pride: "However, my background is a bit more special. I come from the royal family and am currently working for a certain esteemed prince whose name I cannot reveal."

He looked at Calvin and Arthur, his tone sincere: "Knights, the following conversation involves many secrets. Please come with me to the farmhouse next door for a detailed discussion. It is relatively safe there, and I will try my best to answer all your questions."

Calvin stared at him for a few seconds, as if weighing the truth in his words, and finally nodded slightly.

"Walk."

He took the lead and walked towards a farmhouse that looked fairly tidy not far from the roadside, with Arthur following silently.

Grann breathed a sigh of relief and quickly led his horse to follow at the back.

Just as Arthur stepped forward, ready to talk to the somewhat apprehensive farmer standing at the farmhouse door about renting the farmhouse, Grann immediately interrupted.

"I'll pay, I'll pay." He said casually, then took out a gleaming gold coin from his pocket, and without even looking at it, stuffed it directly into the farmer's hand.

"We're renting this farmhouse to you for one day."

"This...this is too much, sir." The farmer looked at the gold coins in his hand, at a loss for words.

"Take it, the extra is compensation." Grann waved his hand, seemingly unconcerned.

This scene immediately made Count Bran's eyes widen. If it weren't for the fact that he had to pretend to be a mute, silly raven in front of Grann, he would have already spoken up and tricked this rich, foolish guy into sending him money too.

That's a gold coin, a shiny gold coin!
You can buy lots and lots of sparkly things!

It was just sent out so casually.

This blond kid is even more wasteful than Calvin, that big block of ice.

A sudden sense of unease arose within it. No, it absolutely couldn't let Calvin talk to this guy too much, lest he bring this wasteful and extravagant lifestyle back to the Slime Kingdom.

Of course, if this guy is willing to give it a few gold coins, that's a different story... ahem.

Inside the dimly lit farmhouse, Arthur used his soul fire to light the stone brazier in the center of the house. The faint light dispelled some of the gloom and illuminated the simple furniture and dusty corners inside.

Because of the distance, the signal became intermittent again, so Chen Yu simply had Arthur place the chubby boy on the wooden counter inside the house.

The chubby boy stared intently at Grann with his round eyes, not actively intervening in the conversation.

When Count Bran saw this, he jumped off Arthur's shoulder and crept furtively into the shadows behind the chubby boy, as if he felt safer hiding behind His Majesty.

After the three of them sat down at the wooden table, Grann cut straight to the point: "I think you should already know that there are some traitors hiding within the kingdom, and they are doing everything they can to seize the Crown of Ignis."

"And the prince behind me has the same goal, but he doesn't want the crown itself; he wants to safely return this divinely bestowed crown to the Church of the Sun."

"As long as it doesn't fall into the hands of those wicked and treacherous individuals, the crown can be anywhere, but returning it to its rightful owner, the Church of the Sun, is undoubtedly the safest option."

"Aren't you after the Crown of Ignis?" Calvin's voice was calm, carrying only a hint of questioning.

Grann shrugged. "What else can that broken crown do besides complete the King's Trial?"

"The ancient trials that relied on sacred objects to prove legitimacy were swept into the dust of history long ago because they were too difficult."

"Now, almost any kingdom established by intelligent beings in the prime material plane has a natural legal basis and popular approval for its rule."

Grann's gaze sharpened. "Therefore, those who still yearn for this crown are precisely the outsiders."

"You should know who I mean by outsider."

Calvin did not delve further into their purpose, but instead asked, "Belle, where is the child?"

Grann thought for a moment, then took a badge from his pocket and placed it on the wooden table.

The badge had a dark red background with two blood-dripping daggers crossed on it.

"The Blade of Vengeance, have you ever heard of this organization?"

(End of this chapter)