Some time later, the girl on the bed trembled slightly, her eyelashes fluttering as she slowly opened her eyes.
In that instant, Will froze.
The clouded, lifeless eyes she had before were now as clear as sapphires.
Her pale skin had regained a healthy flush, and her once-dull yellow hair now shone again.
"Brother...?"
Claire's voice was no longer weak and faint, but clear and sweet.
She drew in a deep breath. The air flowed into her lungs with incredible ease, without the slightest obstruction or pain.
For the first time in her life, simply being alive felt effortless.
"Claire! How do you feel?"
"Good... no, better than I've ever felt before!"
Claire threw off the blanket and leapt lightly out of bed without even needing Will's support.
The sensation of her feet touching the ground left her dazed.
She stared at her own hands in disbelief, feeling an unfamiliar, warm power flowing through them.
"I... I'm really better?"
Tears overflowed uncontrollably from her eyes.
For someone who had effectively been handed a suspended death sentence from birth, the ability to breathe freely and run on her own was a miracle in itself.
"That's wonderful... it's really wonderful..."
Will could not hold back any longer. He rushed forward and wrapped his sister in a tight embrace.
"Gwah, this is exactly what I wanted to see! Ahh, I must be getting old—I'm starting to love a good happy ending."
Zhou Yuan wobbled with satisfaction, feeling as though a holy glow had lit up behind his head.
"I'm just too magnificent. This is what it means to hold back the tide and prop up a collapsing building."
It took quite a while before the siblings finally calmed down.
Without the slightest hesitation, they turned toward the blue slime by the bedside and dropped to their knees, pressing their foreheads to the ground.
"Brother Yuan! From this day on, Claire's life and mine belong to you! We'll offer you everything we have!"
"Me too!"
"Stop, stop, stop!"
Zhou Yuan hated this sort of thing the most. He immediately stretched out two tendrils and forcibly hauled them both upright.
"Stand up straight, both of you! We're not doing that feudal nonsense here."
"Lesson one: nobody kneels around me."
Zhou Yuan spoke sternly—or as sternly as a blob of jelly could.
"You don't kneel to me, and as my people, you don't kneel to anyone else either. I saved you because I liked the look of you, and because I genuinely need manpower. So this is an employment relationship. Boss and employees. Got it?"
Will and Claire exchanged a glance, both looking completely lost.
On an Imperial hive world, human life was cheaper than bullets, and the strong ruling over the weak was the most natural thing in the world.
"It's fine if you don't get it right away. You can learn slowly."
Zhou Yuan had not expected to overturn their worldview in a single night, so he continued:
"Since this is an employment relationship, then we do things by the rules. You work for me, and I pay you. That's only natural. But in return, you stay loyal to me."
"No! Absolutely not!" Will waved his hands frantically. "You saved our lives—how could we possibly still accept payment from you?"
"If I say I'm paying you, then I'm paying you. What, you planning to revolt already?"
Zhou Yuan glared at him.
"Making people work without wages is what black-hearted capitalists do! I'm a proper successor of socialist values! Even if conditions are rough right now, we still have to respect basic labor rights."
"Listen carefully. My benefits are simple: room and board included, weekends off, double salary at year's end. Perform well, and there'll also be bonuses and paid leave!"
"Week... ends off? Paid... leave?"
Will and Claire were utterly dumbfounded.
Those words were incomprehensibly profound to them.
In the siblings' worldview, outside of nobles and highborn masters, who would ever dare talk about taking leave? That was practically disloyalty to the Emperor.
Looking at the way the two of them stood there in stunned silence, Zhou Yuan sighed inwardly.
Trying to establish labor rights in a world full of industrial slavery was going to be a long road indeed...
"Anyway, since you're officially my employees now, let's begin with onboarding training. Explaining it verbally would take too long, so bear with it. You might feel a little dizzy."
Before either of them could react, Zhou Yuan's tendrils were already pressed against their foreheads.
In an instant, countless images flooded into the siblings' minds.
They saw burning star systems, endless swaths of poisonous green fog, marching armies of living corpses, and the Plague War that would soon sweep across the entire Ultramar sector.
Immediately after that came forbidden knowledge of the Warp.
"Ugh..."
When the transfer ended, Claire doubled over and retched, her face pale as paper.
"S-So terrifying... That loving voice I heard in my dreams... it was actually..."
"That was Nurgle, one of the four Chaos Gods. He really is very loving, but ordinary mortals are not blessed enough to endure that kind of love."
Zhou Yuan withdrew his tendrils and said gravely,
"Now that my power flows through your bodies, it functions as a kind of vaccine. Corruption won't be able to harm you. But even so, it's best not to stare into the abyss."
Will rubbed at his swollen head, trying to force all that new information into place.
"Brother Yuan, then what do we do next...?"
"Build high walls, stockpile grain, bide your time before claiming the throne."
Zhou Yuan spoke the nine-word strategy, then explained:
"This town may be remote, but that makes it perfect for quietly building up our strength. Our tasks from here on out are heavy. First: gather resources so I can devour them and level up."
"Second: find people with potential, like you two, and modify them to expand our ranks."
"Third: we need a ship. Whether we build one or steal one, before the plague host arrives, we need a way to run if we can't win."
"Understood." Will nodded.
"But the townspeople..." He hesitated. "If I come back alive, they'll definitely get suspicious. And those two who abandoned me..."
"Want revenge? If you say the word, I can turn them into genuine fertilizer tonight."
Will fell silent. He clenched his fists, but eventually loosened them again.
"...Forget it. I can more or less understand why they did what they did. Killing them wouldn't help our plan to develop quietly."
"Oh? Look at you broadening your horizons."
Zhou Yuan shot Will a surprised glance. The boy might look simple, but he had a clear head.
In the Warhammer universe, that kind of rationality was a scarce resource.
"Alright, since that's what you want, I'll save myself the trouble."
Zhou Yuan's body shuddered slightly, and an invisible wave of psychic force spread outward from the dilapidated shack in ripples.
Thought Manifestation: Group Suggestion.
He did not crudely erase anyone's memories—that would consume far too much energy.
All Zhou Yuan did was implant a vague idea into the minds of the townspeople: Will had been injured, but not badly, and had retreated back with the others.
"There. Done. I'm exhausted. Let's call it a day and get some rest."
Zhou Yuan collapsed into a limp puddle.
"Brother Yuan, you've worked hard!"
Will and Claire looked around the room, which was drafty on all four sides and held only a single wooden bed. Both siblings looked a little awkward.
"Um... Brother Yuan, you should take the bed. We can sleep on the floor."
"Oh, give me a break. I may be a slime, but I still care about quality of life."
Zhou Yuan wriggled over to the pile of scrap wood and tattered cloth in the middle of the room.
A blue light flashed, and Thought Manifestation activated.
Under the siblings' astonished gaze, three single beds appeared in the room. They were not luxurious, but they were absolutely clean and soft, and even carried a faint scent of fresh wood.
"Go to sleep. In dreams, you can have anything."
After saying that, Zhou Yuan hopped onto the middle bed and began snoring in less than two seconds.
Will and Claire exchanged a glance and saw deep awe in each other's eyes.
That night was the most peaceful sleep either of them had ever had in their lives.
-------
April Special Days *Sale 20%*
patreon.com/RuneA
-------
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (400 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (140 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (158 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (400 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (172 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (261 Chapter) (Ending)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (200 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (96 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (140 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (160 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (165 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (180 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (160 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (130 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (90 Chapter)
The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (160 Chapter)
Naruto: Tsunade's Deskmate (130 Chapter)
I Just Want to Live a Normal (50 Chapter).
Genshin Impact: A Hundred Confessions? It's Just a System Task (70 Chapter)
OnePiece : Starting as a Veteran of the Roger Pirates (60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : I Have Special Horse Taming Techniques (190 Chapter)
Uma Musume : My other self is a Horse Girl (130 Chapter)
Jujutsu Kaisen : All Affection Stats Maxed Out (200 Chapter)
Satou Kazuma's Decision to Live by Swindling, Starting from Re:Zero (60 Chapter)
Bleach : Ichigo! Take Over the Soul Society (89 Chapter)
Crossover Anime: The Master of Plagiarism with a 'Love Obstacle (140 Chapter)
Arknights Succubus Nurturing System, But I'm a Quiet Office Worker (90 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: Using My Personas to Break the Hearts of Players (50 Chapter)
One Punch Man : i am King? (150 Chapter)
Genshin: My Stats Are Irresistible (70 Chapter)
Naruto: Master of Dream Fulfillment! (70 Chapter)
Why Are All My Chat Group Friends Spin-Off Characters? (130 Chapter)
Arknights : Batman System (30 Chapter)
Chat Group: Swapping Bodies with the Bad-Ending Herta from the Start (80 Chapter)
DanMachi: Why Did My Dungeon Turn Into a Soulslike Game? (130 Chapter)
Losing Money on Uma Musume...What Do You Mean You Actually Won? (120 Chapter)
I'm Gotou Hitori—Who Are You? (40 Chapter)
Were You Ever Even a Uma Musume? Stop Making Things Up! (78 Chapter)
Moon Project: A Full-Time Love Adventure for the Lobotomy Corporation (75 Chapter)
The Leisurely Days of the Hyuga Main House (65 Chapter)
Arknights : A Draco Surviving in a Matriarchal Terra (189 Chapter)
Arknights: What if My Luck Is Too Good? (135 Chapter)
Honkai: The Romance System Only Shows Up After I Marry Mei (55 Chapter)
Arknights: Who Are You Calling Repressed, X?! (145 Chapter)
The Chat Group Only Arrived After I'd Cleared the Game (102 Chapter)
Gojo Satoru Flat-Out Refuses to Admit He's a Supporting Character (40 Chapter)
Chat Group Isn't Supposed to Be Like This! (30 Chapter)
If You're Moriarty...then Who Am I? (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: Since I "Can't See," They Take Turns Stealing My Underwear (50 Chapter)
Arknights: Why Are All My "Brothers" Girls? (54 Chapter)
Danmachi: Start Training Haki (59 Chapter)
Emiya Shirou's Rebirth (30 Chapter)
I Can Get Stronger Just by AFK'ing—So I Joined a Chat Group (50 Chapter)
Endfield: I Can Always Pull Out One Yuan (65 Chapter)
Limbus Company : I Started a Company in Project Moon (50 Chapter)
Lobotomy: Do Cooks of Alley 23 Dream of Bloodfiend Knights? (50 Chapter)
DanMachi: Freya Familia's "One-Blade Shura" (60 Chapter)
DanMachi: Emiya, the Great Hero Becomes the Protagonist (90 Chapter)
TYPE-MOON: One Special Instance Every Week (40 Chapter)
From Danmachi: The Abundance Apothecary (70 Chapter)
Lord Shadow Descends on DanMachi (90 Chapter)
Fuse with Me, Exusiai! (41 Chapter)
Honkai: Star Rail — After I Die, I Forge Their Madness (60 Chapter)
DanMachi: The Last Zeus Familia (95 Chapter)
Endfield: Arknights Heroic Spirit Summoning (75 Chapter)
Toyokawa Family Finances (105 Chapter)
Starting From DanMachi to Become Stronger (90 Chapter)
DanMachi: My Familia Is Made Up Entirely of Heroines from Every World! (75 Chapter)
Arknights: My Intel Refreshes Daily (110 Chapter)
Digimon : I Never Meant to Do Evil, Even Though I Wasn't Chosen (40 Chapter)
Miss Holmes Could Never Be the Losing Heroine! (40 Chapter)
Takayama Gamu at Tracen Academy (40 Chapter)
Legendary Trainer Takes on MYGO (40 Chapter)
Arknights : Yandere Game: The Operators Have Come Knocking (100 Chapter)
Arknights: This Dating Sim Is Seriously Wrong! (120 Chapter)
Arknights : Ch'en Hui-chieh, I'm Done Being the Good Guy! (50 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Wasn't This Supposed to Be a Family Simulator? Why Am I the Family Heirloom? (40 Chapter)
Honkai: Star Rail : The Trailblazer Only Wants a Peaceful Life (45 Chapter)
Arknights: The Unlucky Dad? But I've Got the Chronicle of Time! (55 Chapter)
The Wheelchair War God Is Speedrunning Hogwarts (50 Chapter)
DanMachi: The Elemental Blaster of Orario (45 Chapter)
Playing Honkai in Star Rail (30 Chapter)
As an Alien, I'm Solo Leveling in Warhammer 40K (30 Chapter)
Arknights: A Symbiote's Survival Guide (70 Chapter)
My Yu-Gi-Oh! Deck Is Built Entirely from Stuff I Picked Up (30 Chapter)
I Can Hear the Thoughts of Uma Mutsume (30 Chapter)
Dead-Men Chat Group: Winning the Resurrection Bracket (40 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero: Saving the World While Falling in Love! (40 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: My Breathing Techniques Can Be Leveled Up (50 Chapter)
Type-Moon Age of Gods: Starting with a Simulation as Heracles (10 Chapter)
Terra Love Trap: They All Want Me to Themselves (30 Chapter)
Dimensional Ranking: Top Ten Saviors (30 Chapter)
Jujutsu Kaisen: Naoya Zen'in Wants to Stay Alive! (30 Chapter)
Bleach: This Everyday Multiverse Is Seriously Falling Apart! (30 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it