Magical Tool Master Dahlia Never Compromises ~ Starting Today: Life as a Freelancer ~

It turned out that the black slime suddenly jumped and hit the inner layer of glass.

Even the crystal plates, with their physical and magical defenses, seemed unable to withstand the concentrated attacks of the black slimes. A thin crack appeared on the first layer of glass inside the breeding tank.

"Please don't provoke the black slime!"

Hearing Idiya's almost screaming voice, Wolf turned around and gave an elusive smile.

"Sorry, it might be a habit from expeditions, I accidentally used 'Intimidation'..."

Dalia could only laugh dryly.

As for the cracks in the breeding tanks, Itia said they would be repaired immediately.

Although Wolfer asked for compensation, the person in charge explained that it could be repaired with magic and he was not responsible, which made Wolfer feel relieved.

After the apology and handling process was completed, the four people were ready to move on again.

At this moment, Dahlia suddenly felt a trace of sight. She couldn't help but look back and found that the black slime was completely attached to the glass within her sight, with its body spread out flat.

Dahlia wordlessly shifted her gaze.

She silently realized that even the black slime, whom she had just met, seemed to harbor hostility or resentment towards her.

Finally, she left the room with the black door quietly without looking back.

The next room they were taken to was further down the hallway, and the door had Idiya's name written on it.

The room wasn't very big, and contained several small breeding tanks. Surprisingly, red slimes, blue slimes, yellow slimes, and green slimes were all mixed together in the same tank.

"This is a slot for pairing research, to see if slimes of different colors can mate."

"Mating? Don't slimes usually reproduce by splitting within themselves, producing individuals with the same characteristics?"

"Yes, that's right. But mutants do appear occasionally, so I think that might be a possibility... We're currently experimenting with putting different types of slimes in the same tank."

Dahlia had not originally thought that the birth of mutants might not be determined by environmental conditions, but be related to the mating between slimes.

If a mutant species were born here, perhaps this could be proven based on its characteristics.

"Um, Ms. Itia, the blue slime seems to be attacking the red slime..."

"Yes, but although the blue slime attacks, it's not fatal. And sometimes, it's the red slime that's chasing the blue slime."

Dahlia had been a little worried about whether the two slimes were on bad terms, but it looked like they were just playing around. Perhaps their compatibility was unexpectedly good.

"Can slimes also have love that transcends color, or rather, love strategies?"

"I don't know, but I don't think this is something we should be considering right now..."

Faced with Ivano's simple question, Wolf showed a confused expression.

“Is this also part of the farming?”

"No, it's more of a personal research than a breeding operation... I borrowed this room to set up my own breeding tanks."

"So, did you buy these breeding tanks yourself?"

"Yes, because I can buy it with an employee discount. I can live in the farm's staff dormitory without having to rent a place in the capital, and I can also have food delivered. This way I can invest my salary into research, and I'm very grateful."

She gave an unwavering smile.

Ah, this is a typical focused personality - Dalia thought, but forgot that she is the same.

This made her think of her father Carlo again.

When she was immersed in her research on magical tools, she would sometimes become so focused that she would ignore her surroundings, even buying expensive materials. However, she had not yet reached the level of her father.

When my father was alive, he often challenged himself to use rare materials such as fairy crystals.

He has made many magical tools since he was young and should have a good income.

However, when his accounts were reviewed after his death, the remaining amount was found to be quite small, presumably because he had been investing most of his income in this material since his youth.

When Dahlia closed her father's account at the Merchant Guild, the staff member in charge expressed considerable concern for her.

But for Dalia, this is not a problem because she is able to work and make a living.

"The one in this breeding tank might be a mutant."

Idiya said this while pointing to the smallest breeding trough with a smile.

Inside the tank is a dark grey slime about the size of a softball.

"Is this a gray slime?"

"We call it a gray slime. It was found in the tank where the yellow and green slimes were kept. The adventurer said there weren't any slimes of this color when they were captured, so it's likely that it was born in this farm. There's only this one right now, and it hasn't split yet."

"This might be a new monster..."

"In a sense, that's true."

Dahlia nodded in agreement. This reminded her of the creation of the artificial sword, but she decided not to think about it for the time being.

"We don't know the characteristics of the gray slime yet. It hasn't attacked at all, nor has it displayed any magic. I plan to perform a 'composition analysis' once its number increases to two or more."

"Composition analysis..."

Wolff repeated the word in a low voice.

The gray slime seemed to tremble slightly, but it must have been just an illusion.

After the visit, Idiya said he had some documents to hand over to them and went to the office alone.

While waiting, Dalia and the others watched the blue slime again.

Looking at the slowly moving slimes, Dahlia couldn't help but fall into recollection.

There were many red spots on Idiya's hands, which looked like burns from the slime dissolving liquid.

Although her laboratory is not spacious, the breeding troughs purchased by Itia are kept very clean and the observation records are neatly classified.

Dalia didn't know how much Research Director Itia was paid.

But an enchanted glass culture tank of that size is definitely not cheap.

"Ivanor, I have an idea... Can I sponsor Miss Itia's research? At least help her pay for the breeding tanks. After all, these slimes could potentially become new raw materials."

"Of course, we can, but the money shouldn't come from the president's personal assets; it should be covered by the Chamber of Commerce. Also, if we don't pay, perhaps we could propose it to Augustus-sama; he might be interested. Oh, or we could talk to Fortu-sama and bring both sides in... No, a joint proposal might be faster. Could you let me handle this?"

Ivanor suggested winning over several guild leaders while looking at Dahlia with his deep blue eyes.

"Okay, I'll leave it to you."

Wolff observed the conversation between the two silently without interrupting.

Not long after, Idiya came back.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting... Miss Dahlia, I don't know if this would be of any use to you. If you don't mind, please accept it."

She handed over a heavy sheaf of parchment, bound together with leather cord.

"This is the ingredient list for the slime we cultivate at our farm. I've received permission from Minister Tasso of the Adventurer's Guild to give you this information."

Turning over the top parchment, one could see the type, weight, state and composition of the slime recorded in detail in neat, square handwriting.

The sheer volume of data makes one wonder how much time and effort went into it.

"Thank you so much for providing such valuable information. This is truly remarkable... I've never seen such detailed slime data before."

"I'm glad you said that. However, the properties of the magic in these data will change slightly after being pulverized, so they may not be usable directly."

Although Itia collected such a huge amount of data, her expression did not reveal any hardship, but was instead filled with the joy and pride of a researcher.

"No, this is a very valuable reference for me. Blue slime is used for waterproof cloth, and green slime is used for breeze cloth, but judging by the ingredients, the difference is quite big. I was also surprised to find that the composition of yellow slime is closer to that of blue slime. I also want to try the powder here."

"I'm very much looking forward to hearing your results. Also, we've recently started sorting the slime powder, possibly into high-quality and low-quality products."

"Is the difference between high-quality and low-quality items based on the amount of magic power they contain?"

"Yes. While there are significant individual differences, factors such as nutritional status, activity level, and whether or not one can live a stable life have a significant impact."

This place truly lives up to its name: a slime farm. Adequate nutrition and a stress-free environment seem to be key to cultivating high-quality slime.

Dahlia couldn't help but worry whether she and Wolf had put too much pressure on these slimes today.

"However, the most difficult thing is red slime. There are fewer of them, and even in powder form, they are the most difficult to process. So far, the only successfully commercialized dyes are those that have been made non-toxic."

Idiya's words reminded Dalia of the cosmetics store she and Gabriela went to for the first time.

"However, the dye is already amazing. The lipstick made from red slime is very popular and feels great to use. I'm using this lipstick right now."

"So that transparent red color comes from red slime. I'm going to buy a slime lipstick next time!"

Even though the topic was getting heated, they couldn't just stand there and chat.

Itia seemed to realize this and straightened her posture.

"Ms. Dahlia, please forgive me for being so personal—I've loved slimes since I was a child. However, this kind of research isn't popular at the academy, and funding is difficult to obtain. I'm truly grateful to be able to research and raise slimes like I am now."

"This isn't just my achievement; it's also thanks to the support of various guilds—but I'm really happy to hear you share this."

"While there are still many unknowns about slimes, if we can understand their individual characteristics, they may have a wider range of uses as materials. If we can do this, we can breed more slimes than we currently do, making them more integrated into human life."

"I also think slimes have a lot of potential in magical tools, so I want to give it a try. I'm looking forward to the results of Ms. Itia's slime research."

"Yes, Miss Dahlia. Thank you for your guidance from now on!"

Dahlia took the hand that Idiya extended without hesitation. The two shook hands tightly and smiled at each other.

Ivano watched their interaction with a smile, while Wolf watched with some admiration.

"Once the expansion is complete, we'll add more slime varieties besides the green slime. Please come and visit again."

Behind Idiya's brilliant smile, the slimes in the breeding tanks seemed to be shaking more violently than usual.

*

It was almost evening when we returned to the capital from the slime farm.

Ivano said he had something to do at the Chamber of Commerce, so they took a carriage to take him there first.

Afterwards, Dahlia and Wolf returned to the Green Tower together.

Although they discussed whether to go out for dinner, Dahlia suggested that since Wolfe had brought some wine a few days ago, they might as well use it to make cheese hot pot, and this suggestion was quickly accepted.

As a result, the two of them bustled around in the kitchen, preparing a fondue of Dongjiu cheese, steamed vegetables, steamed chicken, steamed shrimp, and white bread. Then, they set out Dongjiu and small pewter glasses on the dining table.

These small silver wine glasses allow people to relax and savor fine wine slowly.

Dahlia thought, since tomorrow is Wolf's day off, she might as well relax today and enjoy some fine wine. With this in mind, she began to prepare dinner.

"Cheers to the success of slime farming and the future development of magical tools."

"Here's to the moderate prosperity of slimes, and safety from the threat of black slimes."

After saying these slightly different toasts than usual, the two of them gently clinked their tin glasses together in the living room.

On the small magic furnace, the East Wine Cheese Hot Pot exuded a different aroma than usual. After tasting it, I found that it had a unique and rich flavor that complemented the steamed vegetables and steamed chicken very well.

It seems that Dong wine is indeed suitable to be paired with cheese hot pot.

"How should I plan my next expedition..."

Wolff, who had been enjoying the meal contentedly, suddenly frowned and began to express his worries about the upcoming expedition.

"Well, if you don't mind, I can listen to your troubles. Although I might just be listening..."

Dahlia thought that Wolfe's troubles might be related to the equipment of the troops, or the location of the expedition, or how to deal with powerful monsters.

Even if Wolff confided in her, she probably wouldn't be able to help much and could probably only listen.

However, she was willing to listen to him if it would make him feel a little more at ease.

Wolf's golden eyes flashed with hesitation as he stared at Dahlia.

"On my next expedition, I'm planning to make cheese fondue in the expedition oven, but I'm wondering whether to use white wine or the traditional Japanese wine like today..."

"You can hesitate as much as you like."

Dahlia smiled and threw Wolf's troubles back to him, then continued to enjoy her dinner.

Dip the steamed pumpkin into the cheese, and the salty taste of the cheese will bring out the sweetness of the pumpkin. The pumpkin melts in your mouth and is full of the delicious taste of the season.

"It's pumpkin season now."

"yes."

The golden pumpkin and reddish-brown mushrooms on the steamed vegetable plate are very summery.