That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (転生したらスライムだった件)

You were trying to scam us, weren't you?!

No, sir, I'm saying we can pay you anything besides Dwarven gold coins!

Please, everyone.

I doubt even a nation of monsters will default on their debts to any of you.

Isn't that right, Mjöllmile?

Yes, exactly, Duke Meuse!

In that case, I do hope you will put their minds at ease.

By providing them payment in Dwarven gold coins, of course.

B-But, sir, like I'm saying...

I'm sorry to keep you all waiting.

I hope you are doing well, Lord Rimuru.

I am Duke Muese from the Kingdom of Ghastone.

I heard you guys were making quite a noise.

These merchants were worried

their payment might get defaulted,

so they asked me to mediate on the issue.

I was told our budget is ample enough.

These people only accept payment in Dwarven gold coins.

Isn't that to be expected, Mjöllmile?

Any legitimate merchant would only trust Dwarven gold coins.

Plus, this is a nation of monsters.

It is only natural to accept payment in trustworthy currency.

Lord Rimuru.

If you need help on this issue, I would be glad to offer it.

You understand, Meuse?

Get into Demon Lord Rimuru's side, make him owe you, and earn his trust.

You have my words.

Anything for the Rozzos.

I believe everything happens for a reason.

If it's for you, I wouldn't mind getting you Dwarven gold...

That wouldn't be needed. Come in.

Very well.

We'll pay you in Dwarven gold coins, then.

P-Please wait!

Are these genuine?

Oh, you mean to say they're fake?

P-Pardon my rudeness.

But...

If you doubt them, feel free to appraise them.

In that case...

- Hey! - Yes, sir!

Great Rimuru, the reporters said they wish

to write an article about these negotiations.

Perfect timing.

We will now apprise the coins, so let them be in attendance as well.

Th-They're real!

These are all genuine Dwarven gold coins!

Let's proceed with the payments, then.

Th-Thank you very much.

With this, all the payments for the Founder's Festival have been settled.

Impressive, Lord Rimuru.

I have no idea how you managed to assemble such a fortune in Dwarven gold.

Well, as long as you respect international law, we have nothing to complain about.

We hope to continue doing business with you in the future.

We'll have to pass on that.

We're done doing business with you.

This is it .

Wh-What do you mean?!

We told you we will trust you as long as you pay!

Wasn't it you guys who said that our nation can't be trusted?

We don't want to do business with those we can't trust, too, after all.

That's why we won't allow any of you to do business in our nation anymore.

D-Do you seriously think such tyranny is acceptable?!

These merchants were simply claiming their legitimate rights under international law...

It seems like you have the wrong idea,

but our nation has yet to join the Council.

And even if we can't, it matters little to us.

After all, we're planning to build our own new giant economic bloc.

There's no reason for us to join the Council...

Th-That won't be good!

I know! How about I serve as an intermediary with the Council for you?

That won't be needed either.

After all, you'll lose your footing here anyway.

What?

All the reporters here will write articles once they go back to their home nations.

Articles on the merchants who demanded payments only in Dwarven gold coins.

And a noble who's not personally involved but swoops in to unite them.

Now, if someone read that article, what would they think?

U-Um, that...

Well, could you handle the rest, Mjöllmile?

Of course, sir.

W-Wait, please! Lord Rimuru!

All the negotiations have been settled.

Everyone may now make their leave.

Thanks to you, the negotiation went smoothly, Lady Elmesia

I'm glad to be able to help.

Still, I did not expect Great Rimuru would take such a draconian attitude.

That was all part of Great Rimuru's plan.

What do you mean?

If you want to make others do your bidding,

it is better to make them owe you than intimidating them with fear.

Thanks to that bit of threatening from Great Rimuru,

when I told them I would intervene in their cases,

all those merchants started wagging their tails at us.

Next is whether the mastermind will show up or not.

The mastermind?

That Duke Meuese is just a pawn.

Since I rejected him while following their rule,

they now have no choice but to send in someone higher up.

Well, since that problem is now behind us,

I'd like us to start sharing thoughts about the Founder's Festival.

Anything's fine, let me hear your feedback.

As the king of a nation allied to you, there's something I want to say.

Rimuru, what was the meaning of that ?

Huh? "That"?

That large projector displayed at the arena!

Oh! Quite neat, wasn't it?

It's far from that!

With that, you can transmit accurate information over a long distance with detailed images!

From scouting to making plans. It could change the way wars are waged!

Wait, really?

I wish you could've told me that earlier.

I should be saying that to you!

This nation truly makes some of the most convenient things.

Ellie, I've got quite a few ideas I'd like to be implemented back home.

I got it, Eren. Let's discuss that later, all right?

Your Excellency! Please refrain from spoiling her!

And you too, Eren, you shouldn't call Her Majesty "Ellie"!

You're so loud, Erald.

You always exaggerating, you know that?

Right?

Well, so you have it.

I would like you to send your engineers to our nation.

That means the problem will be transporting.

While you're at it, could you also transport them via that "train" system?

We haven't gotten around to developing the actual magitrain model yet, actually.

So that thing's called magitrain?

It'll be powered using elemental cores... elemental magic-driven power reactors

that'll be installed into a system that can adequately control them.

Sounds perfect, right?

Hmph. You make it sound so easy.

That's right. It's not as easy as it sounds.

So if we can get your sorcerous science experts to help with that, I'd appreciate it.

Of course! I will even give you some funding for it!

Right, Erald?

I will send the word out...

Looks like the start of a full-scale joint research.

Tying Thalion's top-class sorcerous science

and Dwargon's elemental engineering in Tempest, huh.

I can't wait to see it complete!

In that case, let's start by laying down rails to Thalion first.

We can do that alongside our highway construction,

and the tunnel construction might...

Wait.

Does that mean will you be needing one of those tunnels in the future?

Yeah, someday.

We also have a plan to construct magitrain there.

Then as for making a hole through the mountains?

Yeah, but we won't force you on anything if you don't like it.

I understand.

If it will not affect our mountains, I'll allow you to build this tunnel.

For real?!

Yes, for real.

But as for the overlooker of this construction...

I'd like for Sir Benimaru to do it.

Benimaru!

I can't do it! I don't know anything about construction!

Yeah, I bet.

Sorry, but Benimaru's my right-hand man.

At most, he can go check things out once in a while.

Oh, that's fine, too.

As long as he will visit our homelands when he does.

Looks like this was the goal from the start, Benimaru.

Huh...

Rimuru... I mean, Sir Rimuru.

May I ask for something, too?

What is it, Sir Youm?

Well, I'd like to explain it myself, but I'm not too well-versed in this stuff.

So I'd like my wife to speak on my behalf. Would that be okay?

Of course. Go ahead, Queen Mjur.

Thank you, Lord Rimuru.

About the highway from Blumund to Dwargon running through our nation.

Should we consider this a part of the Monster-and-Man

Co-Prosperity Sphere you've mentioned before?

Monster-and-Man Co-Prosperity Sphere?

Monster-and-Man Co-Prosperity Sphere, huh...

I like the sound of that.

It encapsulates the ideal we're aiming for really well.

In order to realize this ideal,

our nation is willing to cooperate with you as much as we possibly can.

Then how about we start with agriculture, like we talked about before?

We're already having our people grow the designated crops without issue.

Oh, then how about getting the local nobles to join our side...

Thanks to Sir Diablo, all the opposing nobles are now very cooperative with us.

Then how about the order within the nation?

Thanks to the restructuring of the knight orders, the law and order are stable.

The people are also gradually uniting under King Youm's rule.

Then can you bring together those who are still out of work for me?

The outcasts?

The Lycanthropes who were studying under Geld should master surveying soon.

I'm thinking of having those people work under them.

I see.

Then I'll pick whoever's literate out of them as a leader and divide them up into teams.

This is getting a little exciting.

I'm sure the magitrains transportation network will serve

as the lifeline of our Monster-and-Man Co-Prosperity Sphere.

Yeah.

Things that take a week to deliver by wagons can then be delivered in less than three hours.

What?!

And it can carry over a hundred times more goods in comparison.