Chapter 183: Life Sharing Contract
"Why don't we have a talk? You can't hide forever, can you?"
It was nighttime, and the dazzling moonlight made the Water Slime Lake resemble a fairyland.
The water's surface, like a mirror, emitted a bluish glow.
Standing on the shore, Li Meng gazed at the moonlit lake view before him.
The oven by the lakeside had already been extinguished.
This indicated that the mithril inner armor had been completed.
In the forest, the goblins were sound asleep.
By tomorrow, the convoy would set off to return to the Throne Tribe.
Ever since "Heart Speech" had evolved into "Word Spirit," the range of beings Li Meng could communicate with telepathically was no longer limited to intelligent creatures.
He could converse with an ant, an insect, or a bird. He could even have peculiar interactions with trees.
At this moment, a semi-transparent slime emerged from the calm water surface.
A second, and then a third, followed closely behind.
"Goblin, I hate you!"
The lake was tranquil, and the Water Slimes couldn't produce sound.
Yet, Li Meng could hear their voices.
Their chirping echoed in his mind.
"Why do you hate me?"
Li Meng sat down by the water's edge.
"You threw stones at us!"
"Yes, you threw stones at us!"
"And you littered our home!"
"Yes, those glowing stones are so annoying."
"Bad goblin, you're a bad goblin!"
"Lighting fires, lighting fires!"
"There's fire, there's fire, bad goblin!"
"Bad goblin, bad goblin!"
More and more Water Slimes appeared on the water's surface, until it was teeming with them.
The cacophony of voices in his mind grew louder.
"How about becoming my underlings? I won't bother you anymore!"
Li Meng grinned, trying to entice the Water Slimes.
"No, I don't want a goblin boss!"
"No, I don't want a contract with a goblin."
"Me neither, goblins are too ugly."
Sitting by the water, Li Meng's mouth twitched.
Admittedly, goblins were indeed ugly.
But in goblin terms, his appearance was considered quite handsome.
These Water Slimes clearly lacked taste.
Where did they even get the confidence to criticize others?
They themselves were just blobs of sticky, unattractive goo.
"So, there's no room for negotiation?"
Li Meng grinned wickedly, glaring at the slimes in the lake.
The Water Slimes' chattering grew chaotic again.
"By the way, what's this about a contract?"
Li Meng caught a few Water Slimes mentioning something about a contract.
"The goblin is so dumb, doesn't even know this."
"Exactly, that's why I hate goblins. They're so stupid."
"Should we tell him?"
"I'll do it, I'll do it!"
One of the Water Slimes cautiously approached Li Meng.
"We slimes are a subspecies of spirits, naturally capable of forming Life Sharing Contracts with other beings. Slimes provide magic power and elemental magic, while the host shares their life force with us."
Providing magic power and elemental magic?
Li Meng's eyes lit up, his heart skipping a beat.
His gaze toward the Water Slimes grew greedy.
Magic was a precious resource, and magic power even more so.
"Sharing life force? So, does that mean you'll consume the host's vitality?"
He suspected "life sharing" wasn't as simple as sharing joys and sorrows.
"Yes, yes, slimes have very short lifespans and need to extend them through a host."
The Water Slime's response confirmed Li Meng's speculation.
Li Meng grinned, flexing his muscular arm.
"Form a contract with me. I'm strong."
Though goblins weren't known for their longevity, their lifespan wasn't short either.
Ordinary goblins lived around 50 years.
By consuming high-grade magical beast flesh, they could extend their lifespan.
However, due to their inherent weakness, goblins rarely died of old age.
Great Goblins could live for about a century.
Goblin Warriors had a lifespan of around 150 years.
Goblin Champions lived roughly 200 years.
Goblin Leaders could live up to 300 years.
As for how long Goblin Kings lived, it was unknown.
None had ever died of old age, as Goblin Kings always fell to unnatural causes.
"Should we form a contract with him?"
"He's so small, he must be weak."
"No, I don't want to. He's too weak."
"Exactly, exactly, I don't want to either!"
Hearing the Water Slimes dismiss him as weak, Li Meng stood up and removed his clothes.
"We're slimes, after all!"
"Goblins are just , aren't they?"
"Not that it matters; he can't do much."
"Our bodies are soft and squishy. Perverts love that."
"No, I don't want to!"
"The goblin's going crazy. Run away!"
Li Meng's act of disrobing frightened the Water Slimes.
They dispersed, melting back into the water.
Their accusations made Li Meng roll his eyes.
These little blobs sure had wild imaginations.
"Don't run! I told you, I'm strong!"
Li Meng grinned as he discarded his large shorts.
His green-skinned body suddenly swelled and twisted.
The sound of bones creaking echoed in the air.
In the blink of an eye, Li Meng's two-meter frame expanded into a five-meter giant.
"How about now? Pretty strong, right?"
By the water's edge, Li Meng performed a few stretches.
His bulging muscles and massive build left the Water Slimes in awe.
The water's surface stirred once more.
One by one, the Water Slimes reappeared.
"He's really strong!"
"Yeah, so strong! His vitality is incredible!"
One slime approached the shore.
"Goblin, I'll form a contract with you!"
Revealing his true form, Li Meng had finally won over some Water Slimes.
Li Meng sat cross-legged by the water.
"How do we form a contract?"
A round, jelly-like Water Slime bounced onto the shore.
Its soft, elastic body resembled a jiggling jelly.
The Water Slime that came ashore was quite large, with a diameter of about half a meter.
It approached Li Meng and extruded a bluish crystal from its body.
[Water Slime Contract Origin Crystal]
Li Meng pinched the Water Slime's Contract Origin Crystal.
As soon as the crystal separated from the slime, its magic power attribute changed.
From 6264, it dropped to 3132.
In other words, the Water Slime had shared half of its magic power with him.
The Contract Origin Crystal was small, about half the size of an average human fist.
"Are you sure there won't be any side effects from eating this?"
Despite his doubts, Li Meng's body acted honestly.
He took the crystal and put it into his mouth.