By the Grace of the Gods (神達に拾われた男)

Time sure does fly, doesn't it?

Dear Lady Eliaria Jamil,

I hope this letter finds you well.

Hey. Always a pleasure!

In the short while since I left the care of your family

to live by myself here in the town of Gimul,

life's honestly been pretty amazing.

Ours sure is.

If you couldn't tell as much.

Yeah, what a morning rush!

Sorry I wasn't here sooner to lend a hand.

Rare for you to be late.

I won't make a habit out of it, so don't worry.

Hours always feel like seconds whenever I'm studying slimes.

You bet!

Whatever your laundry needs may be,

we're here to take care of them all.

Next customer, please.

Right this way!

Wow! It looks completely new.

Of course.

Rest assured, we get rid of any scum that makes

its way in here!

There you are! Good morning.

Same to you.

Things running smoothly?

Indeed.

We've got it under control!

Thank you for the reassurance.

Something sure smells good.

Oh! Good morning.

Just prepping things for lunchtime.

It's always nice to see your smile.

Looking forward to another great day.

Every person and slime is working very hard

to keep Bamboo Forest flourishing,

so as the manager, it's my job to provide

a proper work environment worthy of their dedication.

Hey! Morning, everyone!

Another day, another chance to do our best!

Right!

What?

Allow me to explain again.

The time you arrived today was perfect,

so why not make it a routine for you?

Why so late though?

We haven't had a slow morning since we opened.

How busy we are has nothing to do with it, sir.

This is about how you do all the preparation work

when you get here before we open.

You take work away from your employees

when you do that.

Prepping is also a good chance to train.

And not just us, it's a good chance

for you to train, too.

You can learn to delegate and rely on others

to handle things.

I was robbing my own staff of opportunities.

Okay, I gotcha.

From now on, I'll start coming in later.

Thank you, sir.

Though, there is one more suggestion I have.

I'm all ears.

In regard to a second shop, I...

Hey, what's all the hullabaloo?

Almost done tying, then I'll tell ya all about it, sir! Ha!

Those guys aren't customers of ours, are they?

They're nothing but a couple o' crooks who came

to the wrong shop to try 'n' complain.

Huh? We heard a bunch of laughter, not anyone yelling

or complaining.

Well...

Hey!

Do you see how dirty this thing still is?

Mine's filthy, too!

This shop is a joke!

--Um... --Whoa.

The heck?

Didn't I tell you to dirty these up so bad

they'd be stained forever?

That's exactly what I did!

Idiots!

We ain't no idiots!

I dare ya to say it again!

I'll go turn them in to the guards.

And there you have it, boss.

Oh.

My goodness, what a nuisance.

I guess they weren't listening when I said we get rid of

any scum that makes its way in here.

Maybe I should give some more thought to beefing up

security around here.

Like the glass.

Oh! Is our meeting adjourned?

I suppose.

Because I was just struck by a wave of inspiration,

so I'm heading back to the mines!

Okay.

I'll have the sticky slimes make some hardening solution

to start.

Then I'll use a separation circle to remove moisture.

Add another layer of hardening solution.

Then blend it with a mixture circle.

And remove moisture once again.

The more I repeat this simple process,

the more condensed the hardening solution

will wind up being.

Good, but it needs to be shaped into a sheet.

Enhancement magic didn't even crack it.

And it's clear enough that it should work

just fine as a replacement for window glass.

But the safety factor was the most important part.

I'll rest easier knowing my staff and clients

are better protected.

Excellent work!

But I'm going to need a whole lot more of these things.

You guys up to it?

Yeah, that oughta be plenty.

I should probably get some sleep, huh?

Huh? Never seen that dark green slime before!

Appraisal.

Says you're a medicine slime.

But I would've remembered making that contract.

Did you evolve, maybe?

A spear mastery skillset?

I'd bet my shop you were a poison slime before!

I wonder what you could've done to change

into a medicine slime, though.

Wait.

I accidentally dropped a bottle of antidote yesterday.

Ah! No one panic!

It's gone.

I assumed the cleaner slimes soaked it up

while I was in the other room, but I guess not.

Was it a fluke?

Nope! The others love it, too!

So turning into a medicine slime's just natural

with a steady diet of antidote! Heh!

Medicine's pretty broad.

Will you show me what kinds you can make?

If you don't mind, of course.

Oh, quite a few, apparently.

Let's appraise these.

Ointment.

Hemostat.

Antidote.

Fast poison.

Slow poison.

Fast paralysis poison.

Slow paralysis poison and antibacterial medicine.

As extensive as it is impressive!

I guess both medicines and poisons count

as drug synthesis, but what's this

"antibacterial medicine?"

"A fluid with strong antibacterial properties.

Most effective when used to kill viruses and germs.

However, it's harmless to humans."

So, it's a disinfectant!

This'll definitely come in handy.

I'll gradually make a difference with what power I have,

one step at a time.

I've also gotta prove to the Jamil ducal family

that I'm okay on my own so they don't worry

about me.

Oh, you know what?

I haven't caught up with the gods in a minute.

I've just been so busy with my research and my shop.

I'll stop by the church tomorrow!

That kid's back at it, doing even more interesting things!

Hello! Happy to be with you again!

You're always on my mind, Mister Ryoma.

Every day!

Welcome.

May I ask what brings you to our door today?

Prayer.

Ah, I see. Continue this way, please.

Yes ma'am, thank you very much!

Huh? What gives?

I was expecting to get sent to the gods' realm

like always, but no dice.

This must be how most people feel when they pray

in here.

Ah, there we go.

The usual big, blank void.

Was there a specific reason for the delay?

Just that I rarely use that power.

Took a minute for me to figure out how it works.

Sorry.

Unless Gain, Lulutia, or Kufo got a makeover,

this must be some other god.

I'm very pleased to make your acquaintance.

I live here now.

In Gimul, I mean, not in your sacred realm,

so I wanted to come and pay my respects.

I know.

I'm Tekun, god of technology and craftsmanship.

And just talk freely, kid.

Formalities are pointless with me,

so you can just drop 'em.

If I wanted to, I could read every thought