Taste

The sun slowly set, and the forest began to be shrouded in darkness, surrounded by utter silence.

Mo Li walked through the forest holding Rimuru in his arms. Strangely enough, for some unknown reason, they hadn't encountered a single monster along the way.

Even when they did spot monsters, the moment they saw the two of them, they fled without stopping.

To be honest, not only was Rimuru puzzled, even Mo Li was a bit baffled.

Although Mo Li had read the Cute King novel several times, he had only reread the exciting climax parts multiple times. As for the details, he really wasn't too familiar with them. Plus, ever since he was reincarnated into this world, thanks to the butterfly effect, he couldn't guarantee that other things wouldn't change.

Though for now, it seemed the plot hadn't deviated too much.

"Mo Li, I want to eat something."

At that moment, Rimuru interrupted Mo Li's thoughts.

Hearing this voice, three black lines appeared on Mo Li's forehead.

"You've been lying in my arms since we left the cave without walking a single step, and I haven't even said I'm hungry yet! And now you're telling me you want to eat."

Mo Li scolded Rimuru.

"I don't care, I don't care, I want to eat!"

Rimuru started acting spoiled.

Seeing Rimuru like this, Mo Li felt helpless.

Just as Mo Li was about to look for food, he suddenly remembered something.

"Wait a minute, Rimuru, you're a Slime now. Are you sure you still have a sense of taste? I mean, are you sure you can taste anything when you eat now?"

Hearing Mo Li's words, Rimuru's Slime head looked as if it had been struck by lightning.

"That's right... Do I still have a sense of taste now?"

"Boo hoo, I can't taste delicious food anymore!"

Rimuru burst into tears.

Seeing Rimuru like this, Mo Li was at a loss. To be honest, he didn't have a good solution. At least for now, it seemed Rimuru really couldn't taste anything when eating. Even following the plot development, when he did regain his sense of taste, it wouldn't be too late, but it wouldn't be early either. That meant Rimuru would have to endure tasteless food for a considerable period.

Watching Rimuru act so unstable, Mo Li was speechless. Who would believe this was the famous Cute King, one of the three rulers of the other world? With this crying and whining attitude, the butterfly effect was truly terrifying. Not only had it turned the Cute King's past life into a woman, but it had also completely changed his personality. Seeing Rimuru like this, Mo Li felt exhausted. He had wanted to cling to the Cute King's coattails! With this, if he wanted to live a peaceful life, it probably wouldn't be easy. Chances were, he'd end up being a babysitter.

"Wah wah wah wah wah wah."

Listening to the crying, Mo Li grew a bit annoyed, then spoke softly to him.

"Alright, stop crying first. I only said it's a possibility, not a certainty. Don't be so hopeless, okay? Besides, don't you have the Great Sage? Ask him for a solution, won't that work?"

Hearing Mo Li's words, Rimuru instantly stopped crying, his face changing so fast that Mo Li had never seen the like in his past life.

"And eating is a minor matter. Haven't you noticed something strange?"

Mo Li then brought up the question that puzzled him.

"What's strange?"

Rimuru asked with an innocent look.

Seeing Rimuru like this, Mo Li's assessment of him deepened. It seemed that not only was his past life a girl, but her IQ probably wasn't very high either.

"Haven't you noticed that since we entered the forest, we haven't encountered a single monster? Even when we did, they turned and ran. Don't you find that strange?"

Mo Li voiced his doubt.

"Isn't it because they're afraid of you?"

Rimuru blurted out, leaving Mo Li stunned.

"Because of me?"

Mo Li was confused.

"Look at you, you clearly don't seem like a low-level race. Plus, with the massive magic power radiating from both of us, it'd be strange if they weren't scared."

Rimuru said matter-of-factly.

Hearing Rimuru's words, Mo Li quickly called out to the Gamer.

"Gamer, use magic perception on me."

Mo Li then realized that his entire body was emitting powerful magic, like a mountain. Combined with his appearance resembling an Eastern dragon, and because his magic power wasn't black but a dark golden hue like the old man's—steady and calm like him.

"Damn, no wonder no monsters showed up in front of us."

Mo Li finally understood the reason, wanting to cry but having no tears.

Then Mo Li withdrew all the magic power radiating from his body back inside.

Seeing Mo Li like this, Rimuru was a bit confused.

"Mo Li, what are you doing?"

"We've just arrived in this world and aren't familiar with it yet. If we're this flashy, aren't you afraid some strong being will discover us and hunt us down, or that other monsters will surround us? By then, it'll be too late to cry. Besides, who knows what other powerful beings are in this great forest? We'd better be careful."

Mo Li said to Rimuru with a serious expression.

Hearing Mo Li's explanation, Rimuru felt a chill of fear and quickly withdrew all the magicules from his body back inside.

Seeing this scene, Mo Li said nothing more. In truth, there was another reason—he hadn't forgotten his current goal amid the unfolding plot: to build up Tempest (the Demon Country Federation). He couldn't afford to lose the big picture for the sake of small gains. If he remembered correctly, in the original story, Rimuru's first subjects were a group of weak Goblins—this was the foundation of the Demon Country Federation and could not be compromised.

"Alright, let's keep moving."

Mo Li suggested.

"Keep moving? It's already dark. Why not rest a bit?"

Rimuru asked, puzzled.

"Didn't you want to eat something to test if you have a sense of taste? Let's find some food first to help you verify that, then we'll rest. Besides, you don't have to walk—I'm carrying you, so what's there to complain about?"

Mo Li said.

Hearing Mo Li's words, Rimuru felt a surge of warmth.

"Ari, you're so good to me."

"Alright, enough talk. Let's hurry and find something."

Before long, Mo Li spotted a red fruit growing on a tree.

"Ari, look—fruit!"

Rimuru exclaimed excitedly.

"Don't shout, I see it. Wait here for me, I'll go pick some."

Mo Li set Rimuru down from his arms, leaped onto the tree, plucked a few of the reddest fruits, and jumped back down.

He placed the fruits in front of Rimuru and said, "Try these. These few look decent."

Rimuru didn't waste words. He used his slime body to form a mouth and gulped them down one by one.

"Sure enough, no taste."

Rimuru said, looking dejected.

Seeing Rimuru like this, Mo Li felt a pang of sympathy.

"Ask Great Sage. He should have a way."

Mo Li suggested.

Rimuru immediately communicated with Great Sage in his mind.

"Ari, you were right. Great Sage has a solution."

Rimuru said in surprise.

"See? Now you can relax."

Mo Li said gently, stroking Rimuru in his arms.

"I'm relaxed, I'm relaxed."

"Alright, it's getting late. Let's find a place to rest for a while. We'll deal with tomorrow when it comes."

Mo Li said.

"Right."

Rimuru agreed.