Dimensional Slime Rancher-Chapter 8: Does the shopkeeper really not know who I am?

"There’s a new beast, of course," Ren nodded and said. He had wanted to slowly enjoy his quiet morning, but since there was a customer he put down his teacup.

The tall man in the dark green robes strode heavily into the store, his boots leaving wet, muddy tracks. He slammed his hand on the counter and hoarsely demanded,

"Shopkeeper, give me your strongest beast. I want to see what this ’Dimensional Ranch’ considers powerful."

Ren expressionlessly acknowledged with a nod. He pointed a lazy finger toward the holographic menu on the wall.

The glowing red text of the new item was flashing prominently.

"Searing Mana Cube, one thousand Spirit Stones per cube. But you’ll need a Hydro Slime to actually use it in combat."

"A thousand stones for a cube of food? And you expect me to fight with a puddle of water?" The Beast Tamer was startled, but quickly sneered. Even though he had heard rumors of the astronomical prices, seeing it in person was still slightly ridiculous.

"System, isn’t the price actually a bit low for a combat buff?" Ren silently asked in his mind.

[The price set by the System is calculated based on raw material cost and synthesis time. While the Searing Mana Cube induces a powerful temporary mutation, it is a consumable item. Compared to permanently mutating a beast’s core, the price is balanced. One thousand stones is the optimal market value for a consumable buff,] the System solemnly explained.

Ren nodded internally to indicate that he understood.

"The Searing Mana Cube costs one thousand stones. The Basic Hydro Slime is one hundred,"

Ren expressionlessly said to the man wearing the bamboo hat.

"A thousand stones..." The man seemed to be calculating. It seemed slightly ridiculous to pay that much for a consumable, especially from an unverified alleyway merchant. However, when he sniffed the air, his eyes narrowed beneath his hat.

After a short silence, he said, "I’ll take one cube and one slime. When I passed by the alleyway, my Obsidian Lion suddenly grew restless. I could smell the faint scent of pure Fire-Drake blood drifting out. I hope the product here is worthy of that scent, otherwise, I’ll let my lion eat your shop."

Quality goods did not need aggressive advertising. The corner of Ren’s mouth slightly curled up.

"You won’t be disappointed by the spice," Ren confidently replied. Then he walked back into the Workshop, retrieved a glowing Searing Mana Cube from his lead-lined pouch, and grabbed a jar containing a Basic Hydro Slime from the Breeding Zone.

He placed both items on the counter and simply said,

"Here’s your order. Handle the cube with care; it’s highly volatile."

The man nodded, then slowly reached up and took off his wide bamboo hat, finally unveiling his face.

Ren was slightly surprised by the other party’s facial features.

The man had sharp, narrow eyes and a long, pale scar running down his left cheek.

His aura was undeniably cruel.

"Wait... this guy actually resembles that Snake-Eyed Elder I saw leading the parade on the main street!" Ren realized.

"Shopkeeper, why are you staring at me?" The Beast Tamer chuckled darkly and hoarsely asked.

"You look familiar, that’s all. Please, enjoy your purchase," Ren expressionlessly replied.

Then he sat back down in his recliner and picked up his tea.

The Beast Tamer was unconcerned by Ren’s lack of respect. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he unscrewed the lid of the slime jar.

The moment the seal broke, a rush of pure, crisp water Qi instantly gushed out like a mountain spring, rushing through his nostrils. The sheer purity of the elemental energy was staggering.

He then reached for the Searing Mana Cube.

As his fingers brushed the golden-crimson surface, he felt the terrifying, trapped heat of the Fire-Drake blood pushing against the Stardust Gel binding.

"This energy..." The man was unable to suppress his shock as he softly exclaimed. "This isn’t a normal beast supplement!"

Without hesitation, he dropped the glowing cube into the jar with the Basic Hydro Slime.

As the cube made contact, the slime instantly engulfed it.

The blue jelly violently bubbled, shifting rapidly from blue to a bruised violet, and finally to a furious, glowing crimson.

The clash of water and fire elements inside the confined space of the jar created a terrifying, vibrating pressure.

The Beast Tamer violently exhaled as his narrow eyes lit up, filled with absolute incredulity.

He was completely captivated by the violent elemental reaction happening right in front of him.

"Good heavens! The core stability is flawless! It’s comparable to the ’Blood-Rage Pills’ used by the Sect Master!" the man praised, his voice trembling slightly.

It was volatile, powerful, and perfectly balanced! It was even able to stimulate the water slime to emit a high-tier fire aura without destroying its own cellular structure!

It was definitely worth more than a mere thousand stones!

"Haha! I didn’t think that I would be able to find such a miraculous synthesis technique in this dump! I am really lucky! The Emperor is watching my Elder parade around the plaza with clumsy rhinos, while I am discovering true elemental manipulation right here. I am not losing out at all!"

The man laughed a raspy, cruel laugh, staring at the glowing red slime in the jar.

Ren was much more refined as he pleasantly sipped from his teacup. He knew the cube was good, but seeing a professional Beast Tamer lose his mind over it was highly satisfying.

"Shopkeeper, do you have any permanent mutation formulas?" the Beast Tamer finished analyzing the slime, then turned to Ren and demanded.

"No," Ren simply replied.

A flash of intense disappointment, followed by greed, appeared on the man’s scarred face.

"Why are you still open for business today? Why didn’t you go to the plaza to watch the grand exhibition of the Beast Tamer Sect?" the man asked Ren, his tone turning interrogative.

"What does your Sect’s exhibition have to do with me?" Ren calmly replied, not even looking at him.

The Beast Tamer suddenly went into a daze, then started laughing a low, dangerous laugh. He seemed to be genuinely amused by the sheer audacity.

"The shopkeeper is a bold, ignorant fool. Let me enlighten you."

The man sneered, his hand resting on the hilt of his chained beast-whip.

Ren remained expressionless as he continued to leisurely sip his tea.

Someone once said there were two types of Beast Tamers.

The first type simply dominated beasts with brute force and fear, treating them as disposable tools for war.

The other type understood the delicate balance of genetics and elemental affinity, nurturing their beasts to unlock their true, mythical potential.

"That’s right, what does our exhibition have to do with you? No matter how pure your slimes are, you’re still just a lowly merchant playing with toys. You are nothing compared to the military might of a true Sect."

The man suddenly became incredibly hostile, his aura flaring up and filling the tiny shop with the stench of blood.

"This guy is definitely looking for a fight," Ren blinked and thought, setting his teacup down.

"Shopkeeper, I’ll buy your entire stock of these cubes! Give me the synthesis formula as well," the Beast Tamer demanded, slamming his fist on the counter.

"The formula is not for sale. And the store’s rules state: each customer is limited to one high-tier item per month," Ren simply replied.

The Beast Tamer frowned, his face twisting in anger. His hand suddenly gripped his weapon, and the heavy, spiked beast-whip immediately came out of its holster.

The vicious crack of the whip resounded like a thunderclap within the store, shattering a nearby decorative vase.

The man was holding the whip with one hand, the spiked tip hovering only an inch away from Ren’s nose. Ren could even feel the sharp chill emanating from the dried blood on the spikes.

Faint goosebumps instantly covered Ren’s arms, but his face remained completely deadpan.

The System’s [Intimidation Filter] was working overtime.

"Do you know who I am? Do you really dare to refuse a direct order from the Beast Tamer Sect?" The man teasingly said with a cruel, wide smile.

"Why should I care who you are? Are you trying to cause trouble in my shop?" Ren simply replied. Even though the deadly spikes were only an inch away from his eyes, he remained unmoved.

The Beast Tamer watched Ren for a long, tense moment.

Finding no fear in the young man’s eyes, he slowly lowered the whip and coiled it back onto his hip.

The suffocating, bloody aura that was raging within the store moments ago vanished.

"The shopkeeper is truly a strange, suicidal person. Here is one thousand one hundred Spirit Stones. I am taking the slime and the cube," the man said with a cold laugh. He tossed a heavy pouch onto the counter, then adjusted his bamboo hat and headed toward the entrance.

As he reached the door, he stopped and looked back,

"Does the shopkeeper really not know who I am?"

"I don’t know, and frankly, there’s no need for me to know. Anyone who enters my store is a walking wallet. I’ll welcome anyone as long as they pay and don’t break my furniture," Ren seriously said, looking at the shattered vase.

"You owe me fifty stones for that vase, by the way."

"Hahaha! Good! Very good! I, Gu Tian of the Beast Tamer Sect, acknowledge you as a worthy opponent!"

The man laughed loudly as he suddenly stepped out of the entrance and disappeared into the misty alleyway.

"Gu Tian? His surname is Gu... He’s related to the Elder leading the parade," Ren pondered. However, he pursed his lips and muttered to himself,

"What an egoistic, dramatic fellow. Who acknowledged you as an opponent? I just want my fifty stones."

As he finished muttering, the solemn voice of the System suddenly rang out in his mind.