Dimensional Slime Rancher-Chapter 17: So, you’re the famous ’Rancher’?

The System’s solemn voice rang out in Ren’s mind, startling him. How could he have failed? The Starlight Lotus fragrance was so strong...

As the thermal compression array hissed and the blast doors slid open, a thick amount of glowing steam mixed with the scent of burnt cosmic energy gushed out.

The sweet, starry scent of the Lotus was still present, but it was tainted by an acrid, metallic smell. Ren coughed, waving the glowing silver smoke away from his face.

Inside the primary synthesis crucible, the mixture was slightly quivering like chunky, spoiled jelly, and the liquid was still bubbling aggressively.

Every time a bubble burst, a harsh spark would fly out.

The pure silver essence of the Radiant Moth had turned into a muddy, dull gray color after fusing.

There was a layer of thick, black foam floating above the liquid; it was the burnt crystallization of the Starlight Lotus’s essence.

"Hmm?" Ren was frowning as he stared at the color of the ruined elixir.

After a long while, he gave a heavy sigh, and a touch of genuine frustration appeared on his face.

There was no mistake. Ren had indeed failed the first step. If he had successfully synthesized the Luminous Spirit-Lotus Elixir, the liquid would not be a dull, muddy gray.

In order for the core-repairing elixir to achieve perfect efficacy, the genetic essence of the Lotus had to flawlessly bind with the moth fluid on a cellular level, resulting in a liquid that glowed with a pure, brilliant white starlight.

[System suggestion: During the process of high-tier biological synthesis, the Host can expedite and stabilize the genetic alignment by injecting pure true energy through the Quantum Splicer.

This acts as a manual buffer, preserving the delicate cellular structure of the spirit flora and preventing thermal degradation,] the System advised.

"Use my own true energy as a buffer?" Ren’s eyes slightly lit up.

There were basically no mistakes in his physical splicing steps, but the raw elemental clash had still ruined the batch.

He reviewed what he did and pondered for a while, only realizing his oversight after the System’s reminder.

He was synthesizing a life-saving, high-tier elixir, and the raw dimensional materials used contained overwhelmingly dense energy.

In order to perfectly neutralize and bind the volatile spirit energy of the moth and the lotus, he could not just rely on the automated thermal arrays.

He also needed to actively use his newly acquired Foundation Establishment true energy as a stabilizing medium to manually guide the fusion.

The truth was, it was not just this specific elixir. In the future, Ren would absolutely need to use his true energy as a medium when synthesizing other high-tier beasts and items.

It was the primary reason why the System had aggressively laundered his profits to boost his cultivation level in the first place.

Many high-grade dimensional materials contained a tremendous amount of unstable spirit energy, and it was simply not possible to rely purely on mechanical tools to handle them.

In the event he made a mistake with higher-tier materials, it would easily result in a catastrophic explosion that could level the entire district. Ren would need to master this manual energy control before he started handling materials that exceeded Tier-5.

"Huff~" Ren deeply inhaled, then beckoned for Unit 01.

He carefully placed the ruined, bubbling crucible of gray sludge into the golem’s recycling compartment to be safely disposed of.

He stretched his stiff back and yawned loudly. It was time for him to sleep.

As a young man aiming to become the Rancher King of the Multiverse, Ren must regulate his work and rest. When it was time to sleep, he would definitely not be stressing over a failed experiment.

Even though Ren had failed his first attempt at synthesizing the Luminous Spirit-Lotus Elixir, he was still enigmatically calm and lazy as usual.

He still had two more tries, after all.

After patting Unit 01’s wide brass chassis, Ren went back to his room and peacefully slept.

The next morning, Ren woke up early. After washing up, he started preparing for the day’s business.

He practiced the Quantum Splicer training as usual, fusing another batch of basic cores to complete his daily mission.

Then, he used the leftover cosmic Stardust batter from yesterday to fry up some Cosmic-Battered Fish for breakfast.

After Ren tasted it and was highly satisfied with the crispiness, he expressionlessly left a large portion for Pudding, who was already vibrating hungrily by the front door.

The shop was starting to get incredibly popular. At the very least, when he flipped the sign to ’Open’ every morning, he would see a loyal, heavily armed army of nobles waiting outside.

Fatty Jin and his entourage came every single day, regardless of rain or shine, completely addicted to the ambient Qi of the shop.

"Boss Ren, I’ll have a bag of Fuzzball Kibble! Oh my, the Void-Spiced Ribs actually cost five hundred Spirit Stones! Since my father just gave me my allowance, I’ll have a serving of those too!" Jin Bao laughed loudly, the fat on his face jiggling as he slammed a heavy pouch of gems on the counter.

The other wealthy nobles also excitedly ordered their items and basic slimes, and so, Ren started his busy morning routine. Xiaoyi quickly arrived as well, carrying her feather duster.

After working for a few chaotic days, the little girl was slightly more experienced and much more proficient at bossing the nobles around to keep the queue organized.

During the morning rush, Ren was working as lazily and efficiently as usual.

He did not seem to have the time to stress about the complex synthesis method of the Luminous Spirit-Lotus Elixir, appearing to be very calm.

Advisor Xu unhurriedly walked into the store, folding his umbrella. Ever since the Crown Prince ordered him to investigate the place, he had been completely taken captive by the pure, purifying energy of the slimes and came almost every day to observe.

"Little Miss, I’ll have a Basic Hydro Slime to go!" Advisor Xu slightly nodded politely toward Xiaoyi.

The purifying chill of the Hydro Slime was Advisor Xu’s favorite thing.

He liked it more than expensive incense or meditation pills.

The feeling of absolute mental clarity as the pure water Qi washed over his aging meridians was simply intoxicating for the old scholar.

After receiving the order, Ren nodded and walked toward the Breeding Zone. His hands swiftly entered a stasis tank and grabbed a perfectly round, vibrating blue slime.

When Ren placed the bouncing slime into a reinforced glass jar, the slime even spat a tiny stream of pure water at him, creating a damp patch on his grey shirt.

Ren was expressionless as he gently tapped the jar with his finger, sealing the lid. His handling technique was even more superb after a few days of constant practice, and his speed when transferring the delicate beasts was extremely fast.

The glowing, pristine Hydro Slime was placed in front of Advisor Xu, causing his old eyes to suddenly light up and reveal a highly eager expression on his dignified face.

Perhaps even the Crown Prince was entirely unaware that his number one, ruthless political advisor was actually a closeted slime enthusiast.

...

Heavy, measured footsteps echoed from the alleyway.

A tall, imposing middle-aged man, with a handsome, rugged face that seemed to have been sculpted from weathered granite, stepped into the store with his hands clasped behind his back.

His gaze was incredibly steady and cold, while his aura was suffocatingly tense, carrying the heavy scent of a battlefield.

The rich, pure elemental fragrance that filled the interior of the store caused a slight, almost imperceptible flash of amazement to appear on the general’s stoic face.

When the imposing man saw Xiaoyi aggressively dusting a display case, he was startled once more and puzzledly asked,

"Hmm? Xiaoyi? What are you doing sweeping floors in an alleyway?"

As his deep, booming voice rang out within the quiet store, Advisor Xu, who was just about to happily poke his new slime, suddenly trembled, and his hand slipped.

"Great... Great General Ouyang?!" When Advisor Xu turned his head and saw who the massive man was, he immediately stood up from his stool and respectfully greeted him while performing a deep fist-and-palm salute.

At the same time, the advisor’s mind was racing.

"My heavens... The supreme commander of the military actually appeared in this little slime shop in person? This is critical intelligence. I must inform His Highness immediately."

General Ouyang nodded stiffly. He naturally recognized the Crown Prince’s number one advisor.

He respected Advisor Xu’s ability to plan military logistics and recognized him as a useful, if overly scheming, talent.

"Grandpa... why are you here?" Xiaoyi nervously asked, hiding her feather duster behind her back. She was still slightly afraid of her grandfather when he wore his ’General’ face.

After all, the number one military expert within the empire was very intimidating.

"Since I am standing in a shop, I am naturally here to inspect the merchandise," General Ouyang simply replied, turning his sharp gaze to look at the glowing holographic menu.

The astronomical prices on the menu did not surprise him, and his stony expression did not change in the slightest.

As expected of a seasoned battlefield commander, his temperament was unshakeable.

Advisor Xu secretly nodded, giving a thumbs up to the General’s composure in his mind.

"A Searing Mana Cube, a Cloud-Compressor, three Basic Hydro Slimes... and a plate of those Void-Spiced Ribs," General Ouyang calmly read out the names of the most expensive items, while standing tall with his hands behind his back.

After memorizing the massive order, Xiaoyi nervously scurried toward the Workshop and relayed the list to Ren.

Ren was slightly surprised as he thought, "It looks like a major whale just walked in. That many high-tier items will cost a small fortune..." After expressionlessly nodding, Ren began to prep the order.

After Advisor Xu quickly secured his slime jar, he bid a hasty farewell to the General and swiftly left the shop. He was in a massive hurry to inform the Crown Prince about the news.

Since the Great General Ouyang was personally visiting the controversial merchant, it was a prime opportunity for the Crown Prince to analyze the military’s stance on the Beast Tamer Sect’s impending monopoly.

Not long after Advisor Xu practically ran out, Xiaoyi timidly served each of the mechanical items and slimes that her grandfather had ordered, placing them carefully on the counter.

Every single item exuded a rich, flawlessly pure elemental aura. Even someone as impossibly stoic as General Ouyang could not help but be deeply surprised...

As he inspected the Cloud-Compressor, he discovered that the runic craftsmanship was far more profound than he had expected from his grandsons’ frantic reports.

They were far better than the military-grade gear produced by the Royal Artificers.

The last item, the plate of glowing Void-Spiced Ribs, was personally served by Ren. As the lazy shopkeeper walked out of the Workshop, he was quickly, intensely scrutinized by General Ouyang.

The massive General crossed his arms, looked at Ren with a dangerous, unreadable expression, and said,

"So, you’re the famous ’Rancher’? The arrogant merchant who allowed his golem to shatter Luo Qing’s core, and then casually claimed to be able to synthesize a cure?"