Preparing to Name

It didn't take long for all the Goblins and Direwolves to find their partners.

Looking at the remaining dozen or so Direwolves, Lord Rimuru said.

"Then, I'll leave the patrol duties to you from now on."

"Yes, Lord Rimuru!"

The remaining Direwolves shouted in unison.

"By the way, do you have names?"

At this moment, Lord Rimuru turned to ask the Old Goblin.

"Lord Rimuru, we do not have names. Ordinary monsters generally do not have names."

The Old Goblin explained to Lord Rimuru.

"Then how am I supposed to address you all? After all, you all look so similar. Goblins are one thing, but the Direwolf clan looks almost identical to one another."

Lord Rimuru found this problem rather headache-inducing.

"Lord Rimuru, actually, as long as you spend enough time together, you will get to know each other even without names, so you don't need to worry."

The Old Goblin explained to Lord Rimuru.

"But, it's still very inconvenient, isn't it?"

Lord Rimuru still felt it was a bit troublesome.

"I have an idea. How about I give you all names? Would that be alright?"

Lord Rimuru said to the Goblins and Direwolves.

Before Lord Rimuru's voice had even faded, all eyes present were fixed upon him. Even the Goblins and Direwolves standing at the very back stood up in excitement.

"Lord Rimuru, are you serious?"

The Old Goblin asked, unable to believe it.

Seeing their intense gazes, Lord Rimuru was taken aback.

"Wh-what's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Lord Rimuru asked, stuttering slightly.

"It's nothing! We were just a little excited, that's all."

The Old Goblin hurriedly replied.

"Ari, what's wrong with them?"

At this, Lord Rimuru asked Mo Li, who had been sitting to the side the whole time.

Looking at the clueless Lord Rimuru, Mo Li couldn't help but sigh.

"It seems you didn't remember a single thing Veldora said? Have you forgotten what Veldora told you about Named Monsters?"

Mo Li countered, asking Lord Rimuru.

Listening to Mo Li's words, Lord Rimuru fell into deep thought.

Watching the clear, foolish expression on Lord Rimuru's face, it looked exactly like those dim-witted college students from his previous life.

"The reason they are so surprised is because names cannot be given just like that."

Mo Li had no choice but to explain it to Lord Rimuru once more.

"Why?"

Lord Rimuru asked with a confused look on his face.

"Uh, I won't go into the details. Don't you have Great Sage? You can ask the Great Sage in your mind; what it tells you should be more comprehensive than what I can say."

Mo Li suggested to Lord Rimuru.

"That's right, how could I forget? I still have Great Sage."

Only then did Lord Rimuru realize.

Watching Lord Rimuru's expression, Mo Li seriously suspected that even if someone sold Lord Rimuru out, he would still help them count the money.

"Great Sage, why can't names be given casually?"

Lord Rimuru asked Great Sage in his heart.

Great Sage, who had been observing the whole time, watched Lord Rimuru's performance just now and couldn't help but feel a bit of doubt: Did I really choose the wrong person?

Great Sage couldn't help but fall into self-doubt. Forget it, I chose this person, so I have to accept it even if I have to cry.

"The term [Named Monster] literally refers to a monster that possesses a name. In this world, ordinary monsters do not have names. When a low-level monster is about to evolve into a high-level monster, it requires another monster that already possesses a name to use its own magicules as a cost to bestow a name, only then can the evolution be completed. During the naming process, the namer will consume an amount of magicules equal to the rank of the one being named. Sometimes, the namer may be unable to recover the consumed magicules due to the naming process; therefore, high-level monsters generally do not casually name other monsters."

After a moment of silence, Great Sage continued.

"Furthermore, Goblins are a degraded spirit species, belonging to the low-level D-rank monsters. Even after evolution, a male Goblin can only evolve into a C-rank monster, [Hobgoblin], while a female Goblin will evolve into a C-rank monster, [Goblinna]. It is Goblinna! Their strength is not high, and their cost-effectiveness is also low. Generally, no high-level monster would name a low-level race like Goblins. While the Direwolf clan is stronger than the Goblin clan, they are not much stronger, so naming these two races is extremely uneconomical."

Great Sage not only told Lord Rimuru what a Named Monster was but also analyzed the pros and cons of naming the Goblins and Direwolves for him.

Hearing Great Sage's explanation, Lord Rimuru finally had a sudden realization.

"No wonder they were so surprised when I offered to name them. Great Sage, is my magicule count sufficient to name all the Goblins and Direwolves?"

Rimuru asked the Great Sage at this moment.

After a brief moment of contemplation, the Great Sage spoke up.

"Theoretically, your magicule count is insufficient, but you possess a backup energy source."

The Great Sage hesitated noticeably when mentioning the backup energy source.

"Backup energy source? What backup energy source?"

Rimuru asked, curious.

"It refers to the medicinal herbs, ores, and monsters you have consumed in the past."

The Great Sage paused again when mentioning monsters, clearly concealing something.

However, Rimuru did not pick up on it at all.

"I see. Then I'll go ahead and name them."

Rimuru said with an indifferent expression; to him, the ores and herbs he had consumed were plentiful, so spending a little was not an issue.

It seemed he had yet to realize that among the monsters he had consumed, only Veldora the Storm Dragon possessed such a vast amount of magicules. The Great Sage did not prompt Rimuru either. As far as the Great Sage was concerned, she would only do what was beneficial for Rimuru.

Furthermore, because the Storm Dragon belonged to the highest tier of Holy Spirit, known as a True Dragon, and because [True Dragon] and [Dragon] were entirely different species—True Dragons being spiritual lifeforms born from the degraded genetic factors of the [Star King Dragon], who was the [Creator God], and capable of reviving through the convergence of their spirit no matter how many times their physical body was destroyed (though memories would not be perfectly preserved)—they were, in a sense, immortal beings. Additionally, the Storm Dragon possessed the greatest magicule count among the four True Dragons. Since he could not yet fully control it, even if Rimuru's own magicule count was insufficient, the Great Sage could extract magicules from within Veldora to replenish him.

Watching Rimuru prepare to begin, Mo Li asked.

"So, you've figured it all out?"

"I have. The Great Sage explained it all to me."

Looking at Rimuru's expression, Mo Li knew for certain that the Great Sage had not told Rimuru about extracting magicules from Veldora.

Forget it. Mo Li had originally intended to offer a reminder, but upon second thought, he decided against it. After all, it was merely extracting some magicules, and among the four True Dragons, Veldora the Storm Dragon possessed the most immense magicule count. Having read the original story, Mo Li also knew that even when extracting magicules, the Great Sage would be careful to maintain a sense of proportion.