Things had settled into a good groove for the next few days. I worked on mass-producing potions of regeneration to give everyone a dose at once. Souei became friends with Karna and Fenrir the strongest goblins and wolves that I named. Shuna worked with Kaijin to make a series of silk looms and with Demeter's help, she was able to mass produce silk products with the help of other female goblins helping her use the looms.

While Shion was now my 'secretary, personal chef, and bodyguard.' Though some goblins and the dwarves would tease me at night while we drank that Shion was basically my wife or something, with how she almost always was hovering over me.

Things were great honestly in this new life. Sure I wasn't getting laid every day or anything like that but I was working hard to digest my potion to get stronger with the next Sequence to come. And everyone... Was just awesome to be around, Shion and Shuna were sweethearts.

The goblins were all honest to a fault and just super helpful. The male Kijin were cool in their own ways and I would sometimes spar with Hakurou with the three hundred plus years old Kijin teaching me how to properly fight with my preferred weapon of conjured spears.

And Rimuru was basically a tie to my old world and sometimes we would just sit down in a room and talk. Talk about our past lives, and how America and Japan were different. If we could get back to earth and so many other topics.

We truly became close friends after being not only neighbors but sharing the same origin after a couple of months of being here in this world.

"We are running into a bit of a metal shortage with the weapons, and houses being made. Frankly with the issues that happened last time in going to the Armed Nation of Dwargo, it probably will be for the best if we can source materials on our own in the local area." I spoke after reading the report written up by one of the hobgoblins working under Kaijin.

Rimuru hummed as she pondered over my words before she snapped her fingers with a grin crossing her face. "Ahaha! I got an idea, we can use Veldora's old cave as a mining center as it goes super deep underground, and due to Veldora being sealed there for super long, his powerful mana soaked into the area making the ores there more exotic and useful." 

I blinked before nodding and putting down for Ragna and Sif to clear an actual path to the cave so the goblins and the dwarves could begin such a mining operation. Idly I frowned as I was well aware that our population was straining itself with the number of projects we had going on.

"How is your potion collection going?" Rimuru asked in turn and I grimaced and the room became tense as I chewed on my thoughts before saying with some slight anger. 

"There is a rat... Someone has skimmed some off the top, not much, being less than five percent but five percent of dozens of liters of potions can be noticed and that's a few people who wouldn't be able to get such a potion." I said coldly and Rimuru went stiff as she was well aware that was an issue.

As we really... Really didn't want my ability to bottle skills to get out, as that was something even more frightening than Rimuru's ability to gain new skills by eating people and monsters along with combining them into stronger skills.

So either we had a criminal among the goblins or other people here which I very highly doubted with how we had named all the people living here and forming a soul bond with all the people. Or... Or someone was spying on us and was stealing from my potion stores for some damned reason.

Our silence of consideration was cut off as the door to our meeting room was knocked on and I heard Shion's voice call through the door. "Lord, it's lunchtime! May I bring in your meal?" She asked with excitement and Rimuru shuddered as I answered in affirmation with the happy Kijin bouncing into the room with a bowl of devilish food glowing with malevolence.

Shion happily set down the bowl that had three scoops of what looked like eldritch sludge ice cream with each having a face that was moaning out loud their despair at having come into existence as such filth that garnered the very world's attention as being foreign to logic.

I took a bite and ignored the crunching noise of what sounded like wailing peanuts screaming in both agony and delight as Rimuru shuddered and her pale skin went blue. As purple flames escaped my nose one of the nuts decided to explode in my mouth only to be snuffed out by the flames of the Yatagarasu.

"Always a delight Shion, thank you for the meal," I said with an honest smile feeling the potion within myself being digested by the added eldritch essence within Shion's cooking.

The Kijin bounced over and began massaging my shoulders gently as she said happily. "Oh no my lord, it is no task at all for me Haha!" She said and my lips twitched as Rimuru glared at Shion as the Kijin's massive breasts bumped into my head repeatedly as she massaged my shoulders.

But thankfully before another catfight about 'distracting' me could happen, a swishing noise rang out and Souei teleported into the room already with his fist over his heart. "My lords, I have an important report to make." He said and we stopped messing around to hear the ninja like Kijin. 

"The Lizardman's delegation is only a couple of minutes from the town. They are here to recruit for the upcoming war with the invading Orcs." Souei announced and I blinked at that news.

'Oh... Time to meet Gabiru then.' I thought wryly and I spoke out. "Good work Souei. Rimuru let's go meet our guests... Also, I bet that the Lizardman delegation leader is an utter goober." I said with a wide smile and Rimuru gave me a suspicious look but nonetheless bet the opposite.

"Nah, I bet he will be super serious, arrogant, or otherwise dragon-like!" Rimuru said making my lips twitch as I hid a chuckle as we left the building to head out to meet the lizardman.

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