Slime Evolution

Chapter 397 - Alone

As the magical night slowly drew to a close, the bluish tone of Thalendor’s sky began giving way to a soft dawn, with golden rays of sunlight breaking through the colossal leaves crowning the elven metropolis.

The decorative runes and glowing vines that had lit their path throughout the night gradually dimmed in intensity, adjusting to the daylight beginning to break.

Lisa let out a long, delicate yawn, stretching her hind legs before walking toward one of the white wooden lookout points overlooking the valley of Mythlorien.

Physical fatigue in Elysium was nonexistent for her after resting on the pedestal, but the demands of reality in the real world were calling her back to earth.

"Day has already broken, Halon..." Lisa transmitted, her tone carrying a soft reluctance Lohan picked up on right away. "I have a stack of bureaucratic work and Vance Group logistics meetings to handle today. Honestly, my advisors won’t leave me alone even on the weekend."

Lohan, who had returned to his spherical shape on her back to reduce friction, nodded mentally. "Don’t worry, Lisa, duty calls the President. It’s impressive how you can disconnect from the game and go straight into meetings without even blinking."

Lisa let out a soft laugh that echoed in his mind. "Fortunately, because of my body’s continuous evolution in the real world from Elysium’s stat integration, my mental endurance has reached an absurd level. I can stay awake for over a full day without my thought process being even minimally affected. The neural fatigue that used to crush me after a few hours of meetings now feels like nothing more than a passing breeze."

She paused for a moment, her golden gaze settling on the blue Slime with a softer, more worried look. She knew he’d be stuck there the whole day, unable to move much or disconnect without losing the link to the clones he kept at the Broken Suns’ mansion.

"Before I go, I have a proposal for you," Lisa continued, her voice taking on a conspiratorial tone. "I know you’ll be stuck here monitoring those fools from the Suns. Because of that, I’m going to pay a visit to the penthouse early in the afternoon. I’ll personally bring you the best Grade SS solution my private medical department can produce. That way, I can make sure your physical body gets the best possible nutrition while your mind works hard here in Elysium."

Lohan was touched by her gesture, feeling a cozy warmth spread through his entire biomass.

He knew his body, now integrated at level 16, was incredibly resilient, and that he could go a few days without receiving nutrients without his integrity collapsing. But receiving that visit and the best nutrition available in the real world would be excellent for his muscle development and for stabilizing his mana outside the game.

"Welcome, Lisa," Lohan replied, his mental voice deeper and full of warmth. "I gladly accept the Grade SS gift. Knowing that the owner of the Vance Group is going to act as my personal food delivery girl is a priceless honor."

"But, Halon... I know today is Saturday. I’m sorry you can’t be there with us for the final phase of the interviews."

Her words touched on the one point of frustration Lohan carried at that moment. He let out a mental sigh that made his gelatin sag slightly.

Today was Saturday, the most important day of the week for Astralis Requiem in the real world.

Dylan and Alice had arranged in person meetings for the final selection interviews with the elite member candidates who had made it through the first phase screening in the real world.

Lohan had been extremely excited about the prospect of meeting those people in person, of studying their features and posture outside the game, and of solidifying his role as the active Vice President who would help shape the guild’s future.

However, the tactical need for the investigation against the Broken Suns forced him to stay connected without interruption, making sure his clones remained active and kept relaying every secret of Gideon’s and of the rival guild’s fraudulent finances.

"It’s a shame, Lisa," Lohan admitted, his voice coming out lower over the mental link. "I really wanted to see the faces of those candidates when Dylan started asking his questions. But our guild’s security against the Broken Suns and validating Yrneha’s contract need to come first. I’ll focus my parallel processing on recording every murmur on the second floor of that mansion while you all handle the recruitment."

"We’ll do an excellent job for you, Halon." Lisa said, in a firm, confident tone meant to reassure his core once and for all. "See you in the real world in a few hours... try not to get too bored listening to those idiots’ gossip."

Lisa’s white fox body began to glow with a soft, pearly light, particles of mana breaking away from her fur and floating in Thalendor’s morning air. Within a few seconds, she dissolved completely into a mist of light that rose toward the treetops, leaving Lohan alone on the quiet lookout.

Lohan slid off the railing onto the wooden floor of the walkway, returning to his crystalline blue slime sphere form.

He felt the emptiness of her absence right away, the calm of the night stroll replaced by the coldness of the silent monitoring he needed to carry out over the next few hours.

He activated the Collective Synaptic Sync at maximum power, expanding his mind across the three independent channels controlling the clones inside the Broken Suns’ base.

The hunt for information would be long, solitary, and silent, but Lohan was determined to carry out this tedious work, considering he was the only one capable of doing it, even if it meant he’d have to stay there for a few days.

Fortunately guild members could still come to Thalendor to receive one of his clones to hunt with, which meant at least he wouldn’t stop making progress.