"You've tamed another monster!" Looking at the majestic Houndoom, Rimuru said in surprise.
"But I don't think I've ever seen this kind of monster before." Kaijin also looked at Mega Houndoom with a puzzled expression.
"Yes, its name is Houndoom." Seeing the curious group, Takeru lightly laughed and told them Houndoom's name.
Hearing Takeru's words, everyone nodded. Rigur and Ranga also took the initiative to approach Houndoom and establish friendly relations.
Knowing that Takeru harbored no ill will toward Rimuru and the others, Houndoom didn't refuse Ranga and Rigur's overtures and quickly became familiar with them.
As for Takeru, he calmly watched this harmonious scene while pondering whether the monsters he created in this world could be brought to the main world. If not, it would be somewhat disadvantageous.
Due to this uncertainty, Takeru had been collecting the corpses of hunted monsters along the way and hadn't manifested too many Pokémon.
"Takeru, the grilled meat is ready. Come eat together!" While Takeru was deep in thought, Rimuru bounced over to him and called out excitedly.
"Hmm." Looking at the round, bouncy Rimuru, Takeru smiled and nodded.
Taking a piece of roasted meat from beside the campfire, Takeru began to eat. Although it was far inferior to the cooking of Rem and Ai, the meat itself was excellent, making it quite delicious.
After dinner, Kaijin and the others began resting at the campsite, while Takeru jumped up into a tree, gazing at this world's moon.
Rimuru, carrying his own concerns, noticed Takeru alone and also leaped onto the tree, coming to Takeru's side.
"Is something on your mind?" Looking at Rimuru beside him, Takeru asked calmly.
"Yes, Takeru. I want to ask you something… are you from Japan?" After hesitating, Rimuru directly asked.
"No. However, Kotobuki Tsumugi and I are also not humans from this world." Hearing his words, Takeru stated directly.
"Eh, is that so?" Hearing Takeru's words, Rimuru nodded in understanding. Although Takeru wasn't from the same country, Rimuru mistakenly assumed they were from the same world and felt a bit closer to him.
"Well then, Rimuru, since you can name Japan and you're a slime, that means you're a Reincarnator, right?" Looking at Rimuru, Takeru frankly identified his identity.
"According to Veldora, I really am a Reincarnator. Actually, I was stabbed to death. By the time I came to, I had turned into this cute form." Hearing Takeru's words, Rimuru said narcissistically.
Of course, his main intention was to explain the reason for his reincarnation and that it wasn't his original intention. However, he found his current life quite enjoyable.
"Is that so? Then, Rimuru, have you ever thought about returning to your previous world?" Hearing his words, Takeru lightly nodded and then asked again.
"Well... although I kind of want to go back, I've already become like this. If I returned, it would probably cause a commotion, or I might get captured and used as research material." Hearing Takeru's words, Rimuru smiled awkwardly.
"I suppose so."
"But my current life isn't bad either. I've taken in a group of goblins and the Direwolves, so I'll focus on making the best of my present life." Subsequently, Rimuru made it clear he didn't have a strong desire to return.
Through his conversation with Rimuru, Takeru gained a clearer understanding of Rimuru's character, which wasn't much different from the image he had in mind.
Mild-tempered, peace-loving, easygoing, and somewhat airheaded… overall, not much of a threat to Takeru.
With his own objectives, Takeru intentionally sought to build a good relationship with him. Thus, this deep conversation brought Takeru and Rimuru considerably closer.
Soon, as the sun rose the next day, Takeru and the others quickly resumed their journey. Takeru and Tsumugi once again rode on Salamence, while Houndoom ran below alongside Ranga and the others.
By afternoon, the group finally arrived at the outer-central area of the Jura Forest, the location of the goblin village.
However, upon noticing the large number of goblins in the camp, Rimuru was stunned. The entire slime seemed somewhat flustered.
"Hey, Rigur, what's this?" Looking at Rigurd hesitantly, Rimuru had a certain guess.
"Having heard rumors of Rimuru-sama, goblins from nearby villages have all come seeking protection!" Hearing Rimuru's words, Rigurd said while flexing his muscles.
"Rimuru-sama, welcome back!" Numerous goblins in the distance also shouted excitedly.
"Great Sage, how many goblins are there?" Seeing the crowd of goblins in the distance, Rimuru broke out in a cold sweat.
[Explanation: Approximately 500.]
'Five hundred... I'd like to send them back, but what would happen if I did?' Hearing Great Sage's words, Rimuru felt extremely troubled.
Truth be told, in his previous life, he was just an ordinary office worker. Now, being thrust into the role of a lord-like figure responsible for numerous goblins put immense pressure on him.
[Explanation: With the disappearance of the Storm Dragon Veldora, intelligent monsters in the Jura Forest, such as the Orc Tribe, Lizardmen, and Ogre Tribe, are beginning to compete for forest hegemony. Un-evolved goblins would likely be eliminated.]
"Don't put it so lightly... I understand. Let those who wish to come, come." Hearing Great Sage's explanation, Rimuru felt reluctant to abandon them and decided to accept these goblins.
Of course, the main thing was that apart from the hassle of naming them all, management matters could be handled by Kaijin, Rigurd, and other monsters, so it wasn't too troublesome.
Additionally, future development would require population. Moreover, when goblins evolved into hobgoblins, quite a few attractive female goblins would emerge.
While Rimuru was busy naming the newly joined goblins, Takeru and Tsumugi, guided by Rigurd and Rigur, leisurely toured the goblin village.
Of course, since the goblin village had just formed and previously lacked any skilled individuals, what they called houses were merely tents barely constructed from wooden poles and canvas.
Noticing this situation, Takeru shook his head. After thinking for a moment, he went to the edge of the area and used Earth Release to build several tall houses.
"This is!" Rigur looked at the ability Takeru had used, filled with awe.
"I'll be staying here for a while. I plan to reside here temporarily. As for the other houses over there, you can have people live in them. Of course, if you don't like them, I can also tear them down." Looking at Rigur, Takeru said calmly.
"No, no, thank you so much for your help! This way, Rimuru-sama, Kaijin-san, and the others will have somewhere to stay for now. We're truly grateful!" Hearing Takeru's words, Rigur said excitedly.
"Is that so? I'm glad you like them." Hearing this, Takeru nodded and then looked toward the long line of goblins waiting for Rimuru to name them.
Truly a naming maniac. And the vast mana within him was somewhat enviable. According to Takeru's estimate, Rimuru's current personal mana probably exceeded thirty to forty thousand. Combined with Veldora, the Storm Dragon, acting like a storage battery, he could likely use over two hundred thousand mana in a short period.
Although Takeru could store mana using his Gluttony skill, stored mana wasn't his personal mana and wouldn't regenerate automatically. This meant Takeru needed to regularly replenish his mana for unrestricted use, which was somewhat troublesome.
Soon, after successfully naming numerous goblins, Rimuru's continuous mana output left him completely limp. Seeing this scene, Takeru found it somewhat amusing.
After some thought, Takeru decided to transfer some mana to Rimuru as a small favor. Then, asking him for recovery potions and requesting his assistance later would be much simpler.
With this in mind, Takeru picked up the slime that had collapsed into a puddle and began channeling his mana into it. After infusing nearly ten thousand mana, Takeru stopped the transfer.
Although regaining mana restored Rimuru's form, the prolonged high-intensity consumption had severely depleted him, making immediate recovery impossible. However, Takeru wasn't particularly concerned.