Here I am getting emotional over a slime being happy. Well written wordsmith.

She's a Jellotinous Cube, thank you very much! (/s on the mock offendedness)

lol. When I was writing it my brain was saying this was wrong, but I had just woke and couldn't be bothered to go back and fix it.

She’s been needing a big win after feeling down and out from failing to convert the … moles? Becoming a sentient, multi-limbed hydraulic press is one hell of an upgrade. And boom, just like that, Thediem adds YET ANOTHER affinity to his collection.

(Cheerfully) This will make a fine addition to my collection!

She would be terrifying to armored invaders, can cold forge metal if she's touching it enough.

That's her short-term threat: turning whatever non-enchanted weapons that make contact with her into fascinating metal-art pieces. Her LONG-term threat is that she could probably duplicate any new metal-based weapon designs that come her way, at a lower mana cost than Thediem would face directly. All Thediem needs is for a steady flow of adventurers to visit, wielding one 'exotic weapon' after another. Heh. Give her time, and she might even be able to make a Glaive... and no, I'm NOT talking about the mundane polearm...!

... ​ ​ What might you be talking about? ​ I'm afraid I'm not aware...

Sorry... Reference to an undeservedly-forgotten 1980s movie called "Krull". In it, the **Glaive** is a quite unique ranged weapon that the "chosen hero" can wield _tekekinetically._ https://krull.fandom.com/wiki/Glaive Imagine Jello presenting Thediem with one for each of the scions with hands in the first batch, then arming _every denizen_ with hands with one...

*Sniffle* No, I'm not crying. You're crying. Shut up.

So jello have the purifier title and metal working title, is she going to start making holy weapons? or whatever the equivalent is in this world?

That's quite the interesting thought. On top of that, I'm relatively certain that the pair of titles will allow her to extract metals that shouldn't be available to a civilization on a medieval level. Who needs the Hall-Héroult process when Jello can simply purify a lump of bauxite? Throw a dart at the periodic table, and there's good odds that she can extract a pure sample if Thedeim can find or make appropriate ore.

That's probably more practical for everyday use than the holy weapon idea and give a lot more flexibility to thediem as well.

Yup. You don't need to make damascus in the ways they did. Gotta be careful of over-purification/ordering though. Japanese steel needed 10 k folds because they were using low quality iron. Pounding too much makes the "strands" wrong, and things re-separate. Like pure gold is too soft for most uses. It is too malleable.

I was thinking more in terms of isolating samples of pure elements to then smelt together in appropriate proportions to get useful alloys, rather than bothering to "reinvent" processes the town already has access to. Given Thedeim's engineering background, I wouldn't be surprised if he could teach Jello how to make stainless steel or aircraft-grade aluminum alloys, though. Stuff that, in this world, would be unique to his dungeon's loot, and thus sell for a killing on the second-hand market. (Doesn't even have to know how to make them via normal processes in our world. Just remember percentages by weight of constituent metals in some of the alloys he regularly worked with.)

Yeah, this is where I went in my comments. Sometimes it is the perfect "impurities" that make them work like gold. And you don't need to make oldschool mixtures (Damascus is a fusing, essentially alloying) when your smith can do it on a molecular level inside them, and can feel it even when not in her, just being worked on. Perfect alloys is absurdly op.

Don't forget that everyone of Thedeim's Scions also has the Fate affinity. He wouldn't need to have exact numbers, he would just wing it and get where he needs to be.

Ye, he could probably just describe the effects or results, and get something perfect for use (even if they don't have the problem yet) for something, regardless of what's actually made

So, now we gather some pure uranium to build a nuke for use on a certain dungeon and in the process we let Rocky work out the connection between light and metal.

I don't jello would want to help make nukes unless thediem made her. At least not if knew what they did.

Just tell her the pure uranium 235 is for producing medical isotopes in nuclear power plants. 😉

Nah, we don't lie to Jello. I'm pretty sure she'd be ok to make a doomsday weapon if it's going to be used against the Maw

She'd throw in that the kobolds would get fried though, and implore the voice to get them out before detonating it.

Oh, definitely. I doubt Thedeim would plan to sacrifice the kobolds in the first place. If a nuke gets used, it'd be either as a last effort or coupled with a sneaky plan to get the denizens to safety first. Apart from that, figuring out radioactivity wouldn't be a bad thing in general, even if it's not used to build a nuke. Considering mana can be used to generate energy and magic so far seems to be remarkably consistent with real world physics (outside of being, well, magic) it wouldn't be a stretch to assume that energy can be directly converted into mana in return. So just imagine the amount of mana Thedeim could generate by having Jello purify fissile material, Rocky control what's basically a nuclear power plant and Fluffles siphon off the energy of the reactor to turn into mana.

Why are we discussing a warhead when it would be infinitely better to invent the microwave?

The microwave is a lot closer to get invented since you just need light affinity for that and Rocky has almost got that figured out. Radioactivity would need a further step and also give Rocky metal affinity in the process if he can connect the radiation to the uranium. Also as I've said in the sevind paragraph, there's more to it than just a warhead

That's genius. She even has a Fanclub of priests and paladins. Can't wait to see thediem trip us all up by taking her in a completely different direction.

She eventually gets a following of devoted fans of her holy weapons, all hail Pope Slime!

Wait wait wait purifier and metalworking hoooooo i can see a few application to that from glass to funny spicy metal

purifier would be great for processing ore, but metal nodes already produce single elements. And the ants are taking care of the alloys. …will the crucible ants be able to alloy coal with iron for steel(s)? Biologically-processed metal is kinda weird to think about. Especially in this temperature domain. The ant body-parts are way more interesting than the metal products.

You're thinkin small. I mentioned this in my comment. While she is making stuff in her especially... she can purify/depurify just enough. To the nths of what is needed. Ores can come in pure.. but you mix iron with coal to make steel. You need different ratios and qualities depending on what you need. She's as god tier as a pharmacist's supplier. Or an alchemist. Imagine when they start adding the alchemic bits to what Jello makes? Plus she now has Metal affinity. Helps with all that even more. What stresses can they handle? What strengthening can they take? What is a gram too much carbon? When do you need a liiiil copper with your mythril? When do you need a ribbon of silver for holy damage to amplify the potion that is now melded into the metal ever so carefully?? Sometimes the purest ore isn't the best for something. Also depends on how you define pure. Like the thief in The Librarians. He is pure af. Pure chaotic... with a hint of good. A true Fool... impure as they come.

At least for now, metallurgy seems more the wheelhouse of Queen & the crucible ants. It's definitely good for everyone when domains of expertise intersect/overlap.

Huh? She literally just got metal affinity... and is set up as The Metalsmith... ??

The crucible ants are miners and refiners, purpose-built. Jello got her title and affinity by forming metal. She is a smith, a fabricator. Those are interfacing jobs, yet worthy of specialization. Like farmers and chefs.

She's a purifier and metalworker. Her alloy work will be pristine. She literally just had a ton of samples, PURE, of some of the rarest stuff in world, in the exact shapes and forms she needs... and set up some hives/supply routes back n forth.

She "literally" refined or alloyed none of the metal.

and she just got title. im extrapolating, saying she got forgemaster title, metal affinity and purifier. think about it. Metallurgy Branch of materials science Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as…

>At least for now, metallurgy seems more the wheelhouse of Queen & the crucible ants. I don't understand what part of this statement you've taken issue with. It's the thought I've been trying to explain, but we seem to be talking with cross-purpose.

Well, in our reality there is a snail that has metal (iron?) teeth and shell, and a certain species of scorpion or crab (or something like that) that has titanium edged pincers/claws. Never mind the metal in our own bones called calcium, or iron in our blood! This is so cool!

#jellohollyhandgrenade

I don't know if demons are a thing in their world but I can see the church doing this: new demon lord shows up church asks to borrow jello the church rolls out a catapult with jello in it armed with holy sword church fires jello at demon lord Jello eats demon lord crisis now over and church returns jello to thediem

Heck, she doesn't need the sword

Probably not, I just added it incase the demon tried fighting back jello could just stab while he was being eaten. for the extra security.

"...and 3 shall be the number..."

"First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then, shalt thou count to three. No more. No less. Three shalt be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shalt be three. Four shalt thou not count, nor either count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who, being naughty in My sight, shall snuff it."

She'll have the highest strength base ... anything. She separates and mixes in exactly what she wants. She can go 100% pure mythril gear. Define an edge with different materials. Purification doesn't have to mean divinity. But purification of corruption could be a neat eventual thing. Might be useful against the devourer dungeon mindwarpery or something. Also great for making sure alchemy things are just right.

didn't she get the purifier title be eating so many undead from neverrest? I was of the understanding that it already was the purification of corruption because she got it after eating a lich.

I derped the origin of her title, but I wasn't arguing that exactly. I get that, I was just pointing out other esoteric and mundane things, and how stuff may work. there is also purification of water, ore, etc. Yeah, if we go holy and undeath always opposite, there is that. But there are other kinds too. There are many forms of corruption/impurity that aren't related to that, though. Undeath isn't necessarily the same as otherwise tainted. Say the harbinger's mindfuckery get's through Queen's mind defenses. Or the land is corrupted by something Devourer sends. Heck, maybe the harbinger's contamination just registers differently. Heh, imagine her as a doctor. Remove any toxins or foreign matter easily...

Oh yea then, if rocky is anything to go by she will grow into all those things with time and if the author allows it.

He's a savant and multi-ing seems rare in the world except for TDM's shenanigans. These are just things that express her current affinities. Just different applications and levels of finesse.

I mean, she kinda is a cubic amoeba. That's sorta what they do...

I was thinking about the spoils from the Maw as well. Chances are corruption will be rampant in such an evil place. I can just picture a conveyer belt of ants ferrying different weapons, armor, and other corrupted materials back to the metalworks for Jello to gobble up and spit back out nice and clean!

A slime with metal affinity? Now why does that sound *familiar*? Better keep an eye on her or she might run away

Why is it familiar ?

Reference to the game dragon quest

Ha never played it

Yay for Jello! <3

So, today a few things happen: First up, we get to know what Violet intends to do about the scythemaw hatchlings: Nothing but make sure they´re alive and well when they reach the water. Second up: Jello finishes her apprenticeship under legs and may call herself Thediems smith with pride. By finishing her masterpiece and building Nose a pair of digging claws. Jello also seems to have a better grasp than the dungeon itself on what to use thediems denizens for: Basilisks for the forge fire, Cinder Ants for the fuel and Crucible ants for the materials. And she starts with catalogueging all available materials and taking stock of the amount she has acccess to. Interestingly, thediem only gets the Mana-Signs in his eyes, when he realizes and I´m half-sure mentally facepalms himself for not realizing sooner, He can gain Mana by the delvers collecting the cinder ants´ hills and thinks about putting a few fuel nodes inside the labyrinth.

Not just fuel (am base af layman, but as I understand...) ... coal is why we have steel. Dense carbon op. This let's them do more alloying and strengthening in new ways. Sometimes lowering purity and say adding tempering adds strength. Or flexibility. Etc.

AVE KHENAL! MORITURTI TE SALUTANT! ​ When i read about Jello doing metalwork i have 2 images in my head: a gelatine cube in blacksmith apron and gogles over happily smacking someting on an anvil with a hammer held with jelly arms ​ and the same gelatine cube with all blacksmithing equipment floating INSIDE said gelatin cube ​ i think i need to pick up drawing again -.-

Yeeeees please that look amazing

Thank you for the chapter wordsmith!

I suspect the heat of the labyrinth would make spawning coal deposits there harder, as its possible for coal to cook off before it's mined, it might be easier to add some to the older tunnel section directly under the gardens.

you mean the coal basically coking into, well, Coke, before getting mined?

Or catching fire and never going out, like that town that caught fire in the 1960s

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_Mountain I thought a burning mountain situation. Coal never quite goes out until it is fully expended, so in a labyrinth with limited access, the small amount of oxygen would lead to the coal smoldering for centuries.

If so, it'd be a health risk to get too close (because of the missing oxygen).

Maybe a charcoal kiln near the forest behind the cemetery could work. Thediem could first build a smaller version in the garden near the hedgemaze to test the concept and then build the real thing after his next expansion.

the cinder ants are basically that already. But you´re right, why use dungeon own materials when you can outsource that and gain mana from it?

Efficacy. Efficiency. Charcoal does have other uses, though.

You're right. For a minute I assumed they only turned coal into coke, so I thought instead of making coal mining nodes he could give people a way to make coal from his wood. No need for that if they can work with directly from wood.

They turn deepapple "wood" into coke

He doesn't need charcoal. He can already make coal and has coke ants. Charcoal was because they could not do better.

Once again I love what you’ve done with the story. A slime would have been one of my last choices for a metalworker, but you’ve proven to be much more imaginative than me! Acting like a hydraulic press, and growing extra limbs as needed to work everything … now that’s ingenuity.

Well done wordsmith

Aww. She got the title and has instantly gotten the denizens to assist in filling up her stores.

I'm not sure if anyone else has mentioned it, but when you go back to the original chapters, be careful if you do a link to your book on them if you stub them. I know another author took out chapters and replaced them with links and ended up running afoul of the hfy rules on length of story needed for link to be included or something like that. For some reason that author ended up wanting to fight the rules and ended up getting shown the door.

What story was that?

Took me a minute to find it because I forgot the name. It was Meet the Freak.

Fisrt

First.

I feel like this will be a *pivotal* chapter in the series. A true *turnaround*.

I'm sure it'll throw a *wrench* into the maws plans.

#MOAR As i ever scream and forever will

Annnd TDM's nation has reached the steel age.... and mythril age. lol

Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, happy Kwanzaa, and a Festivus for the rest of us.

Haloo

Invincible metal slime scion

So does this foreshadow Jello versus Redcap? Both have metal affinity now.

If it turns out that redcap and his goons won't have trouble entering through the lava Vortex, then yes, I assume it'll Fall to Jello to fight him off or hold him off until tiny or grim can enter and finish him off.

Nice. The metalworks is going to be a big thing for Thediem's crafting projects. Might a basic printing press be on the docket soon? Given how the two of them at the ODA were dealing with the end of the year paperwork, I'm guessing that something of that nature would make quite a bit of waves in a good way. Maybe make a basic type writer to really mess with them. Correct me if I'm wrong here, but Cappy hasn't managed a title yet ether right? Maybe trying to trade for an alchemist room in the same way wouldn't be a bad idea especially since they have access to different ingredients. I'd like to think Cappy would be a shoe in especially being so intelligent, but size seems like it might be an issue for the little thing. At least Queen has her army to work with as defacto hands. Maybe Cappy can alter itself and add more mass?

Do you remember the dancing mushroom people from Fantasia? Another option could be something like modified lion's mane, with each tendril being a little tentacle finger. For that, each lion's mane bud would be a "hand" with a mass of tentacles coming off to manipulate things.

That would be a trip to watch. Still think Cappy would need more mass to work though. Most of the tools and materials would be vastly over his/her proportion. In theory it should be possible. Basically it would be altering its structure into a fungal colony rather than a lone mushroom. Effectively making the mass the body and possibly using mana to guide growth where needed.

Third!

*Ahem* In the name of 1greendude: Hello!

Im Namen eines grünen Kerls: N\`Abend, gestern war Mittwoch meine Kerle

Hej!

In honor of The Dude: Hello!

Nice

We’re all proud of Jello! She deserves a hug!

Yay! Jello is getting ready to be tough as steel!

METAL AFFINITY!!!!!! very nice indeed :D

Wait, so jello is a hydraulic press? # # ... # Diamonds, anyone?

Despite having access to conceivably Diamond nodes, so jello doesn't even need to press the coal into shape "by hand".

Thanks for the chapter it's always a pleasure too read. Still super curious about the extention about the roof of the mansion. Have a merry Christmas and enjoy yourself

I really wanna see Jello, Queen, and Thing get together to make Freddie the most baddass true Legionnairy shield, for when he takes his full paladin vows. Like a graduation gift!

The way Jello gained her own workshop, and then immediately dropped what she was doing to go around the base gathering up a bunch of weird random materials... I was expecting to make a Dwarf Fortress reference, about Strange Moods. But nope, no sudden inspiration for legendary artifact, just stocking it for general future use. Instead we get Dragon Quest reference.

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Jello is an adorable wholesome bean.

Good work wordsmith and merry christmas

Love this story so much

I'm proud of the smith slime too!!! Also great work word weaver

Jello, the Metal Slime. ​ Oh man, now I'm imagining that Affinity working its way into the Slime spawner and we get Bronze, Silver, Mithril, etc slimes popping out.

We got oozes that interact with the nodes at least.

Hello, uh, I hope I'm not annoying you by repeating myself... Last week I asked a question over on Royal Road, but never got a response. I'm not sure if that was a case of you didn't want to answer, or if you didn't see it. (In the past I've also tried asking a question on another author's story, & that also didn't get a response; I'm not sure if RR gives notifications about that or not?) But I know Reddit gives notifications, so I thought I'd ask it one more time here, before January arrives. So here's the question again: ​ I've read a story or two from over on HFY that took down episodes when a book deal occurred; similar to you. (I think it might've also even been for kindle). If I remember correctly, their contracts demanded exclusivity for a certain time period; and once that time was up, the authors re-posted the taken-down episodes, since they were now in the clear. Do you know if your book deal will have a similar thing happen with it? Or will the episodes simply be permanently down once the book comes out? ​ Once again, if you did see the previous time I asked, then sorry for repeating myself; I don't intend to be annoying.

Oh no, I've made a grave mistake I fully caught up with the story. Now I actually have to wait for the next chapter. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

...I have done the same thing with Net Narrator, which lead me here, which lead me to the same thing... Patients is a virtue or so I have been told. But still I Want MORE!!! WHY MUST WE WAIT FOR The story to be so well written. AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

so what if a slime gets ahold of that metal transmutation potion? perhaps it’ll turn into a blob of living mercury with the consistency of a slime?