Dimensional Slime Rancher-Chapter 18: This is going to be incredibly troublesome!

"You’re the famous ’Rancher’? The arrogant merchant who allowed his golem to shatter Luo Qing’s core, and then casually claimed to be able to synthesize a cure?"

General Ouyang asked, his arms crossed and a fake, terrifying smile plastered on his weathered face.

There was a dense trace of freezing coldness in his deep voice.

He really wanted to see what kind of miracles the owner of such a tiny, shady shack could conjure to back up his massive ego.

With Luo Qing’s critical injuries, even the Royal Alchemists and the Luo Clan Elders combined could only barely keep her frozen core from completely detonating.

How could the direct perpetrator of the injury dare to conceitedly claim that he could synthesize a cure in just three days?

Ren had just placed the glowing plate of Void-Spiced Ribs on the counter.

When he heard the massive General’s interrogating question, he immediately went into a lazy daze, scratching his cheek.

"Is this Xiaoyi’s terrifying grandfather?" Ren thought as he glanced at the imposing, mountain-like man in front of him.

Honestly speaking, the Ouyang family’s genes were aggressively consistent. Every single member looked like they could bench-press a war-chariot.

"Oh, that’s right. I am that highly benevolent shopkeeper," Ren expressionlessly replied, not missing a beat.

He tapped the polymer plate against the counter, then pushed the Searing Mana Cube and the ribs forward and said,

"Here is your incredibly expensive order. Please enjoy your meal, and don’t feed the spicy cube to the water slimes."

General Ouyang indifferently looked at Ren, his large hand clamping down onto the glowing edge of the Void-Spiced Ribs plate.

He locked eyes with Ren and coldly said, "Your machine nearly killed the Luo Clan’s finest prodigy. An ally of my family. Don’t you have anything to say about that?"

"What’s there to say? Even though my shop is small and the location is remote, there are strict rules to be followed," Ren lazily leaned against the counter, completely unbothered by the General’s intense glare.

"Since she decided to violently unleash a suicidal, forbidden blood-art inside my lobby, she should have been fully prepared to get swatted by security."

Ren’s neither humble nor arrogant reply caused General Ouyang to slightly pause.

The terrifying smile on his scarred face actually became even wider.

"It’s been a very long time since a civilian has spoken to me like this... Since you obviously know that I am Xiaoyi’s grandfather, you should know exactly who I am."

"With my Core Formation cultivation level and battlefield experience, demolishing this flimsy shack is an effortless matter. Aren’t you afraid that I will kill you? Or burn your entire inventory to ash?"

As General Ouyang finished speaking, a suffocating, blood-soaked intimidating aura gushed out from his massive body.

The aura felt like a physical weight pressing down on the room, smelling of iron and battlefields, and the entire atmosphere became extremely heavy.

Xiaoyi’s adorable face turned pale as a trace of genuine horror appeared in her large eyes.

She quickly retreated, hiding behind the stasis tanks in the Breeding Zone.

It was absolutely terrifying when her grandfather was truly angry.

"Oh, you want to destroy my shop?" Facing General Ouyang’s overwhelming military aura, Ren only calmly replied with a bored "oh," and then he seriously said,

"You do not have that capability. Please don’t try; the fine for property damage is steep."

Even though the General’s aura was as heavy as a mountain and as grandiose as a soaring dragon, Ren was completely unaffected while standing behind his counter.

As long as the System’s [Intimidation Filter] was active, all sorts of spiritual pressure were rendered entirely transient.

Ren’s flat, dismissive reply was completely beyond the expectations of the seasoned commander.

Xiaoyi was stunned for a moment, peeking out from behind a tank, and then looked at her smelly boss with a face filled with pure admiration.

Even though she thought he was being incredibly reckless, she felt that he looked actually really cool when he fearlessly stood up to the General.

"I do not have that capability?" General Ouyang stood up to his full height, his armor clanking.

He was so exasperated by the sheer audacity that he started laughing a deep, booming laugh.

As an elite Core Formation master who had slaughtered thousands, how could he not be capable of destroying a little alleyway store?

Within an instant, Ren only felt his vision blurring slightly as General Ouyang vanished, reappearing directly in front of him.

That rugged, scarred face was only an inch away from Ren’s nose, and the intense, freezing coldness coming from the General’s combat aura was causing the hairs on Ren’s arms to stand up.

"You’re quite arrogant for a mere Foundation Establishment rookie. Let me see whether you have the actual qualifications to be this arrogant," General Ouyang simply said.

He lifted his massive, calloused hand and tried to grab Ren by the throat.

Ren expressionlessly stared at the General as the mood became impossibly tense within that instant.

Ren hadn’t even blinked. General Ouyang’s massive hand did not make contact with Ren’s neck, but instead was abruptly blocked by a thick wall of brass that materialized between them.

Unit 01’s heavy mechanical arm was raised in a perfect guard, its hydraulic pistons hissing loudly as it stopped the General’s crushing grip.

There was actual green smoke and sparks coming from where the General’s true energy collided with the golem’s dense armor.

"Hostile Entity Detected. You will be stripped as an example to others," Unit 01’s mechanical optical sensors were flashing a violent red as its distorted, emotionless voice rang out.

General Ouyang’s eyes lit up with sudden, intense battle lust as he fixedly stared at the brass giant. He thought,

"So this is the mechanical puppet that casually broke Luo Qing’s technique? It actually blocked my physical grip with absolute ease! As expected, this weird shop has some genuine military capabilities."

General Ouyang’s massive figure slightly twisted, his combat instincts taking over, as another devastating punch headed toward Unit 01’s chest at a lightning-fast speed.

BANG!

BANG! BANG! BANG!

As the veteran General and the machine exchanged rapid-fire blows, their fists almost turned into a violent blur as they continuously collided.

The muffled, thunderous sound of their impacts rumbled within the tiny store, shaking the display cases.

Ren’s pupils constricted from genuine surprise.

It was the very first time that he had seen a human actually fighting evenly with Unit 01 at this level of speed and raw kinetic force.

As expected of the supreme commander of the imperial army.

Xiaoyi was even more surprised, her jaw dropping.

In her heart, her scary Grandpa had always been the absolute strongest, unbeatable person in the world.

She did not expect the clunky brass robot she helped clean to be that formidable in a direct brawl!

With a loud, resounding crash, both combatants took several heavy steps backward to break the engagement.

Green smoke was venting heavily from Unit 01’s mechanical palms and joints, while its optical sensors flashed at a rapid, warning frequency.

General Ouyang was slightly frowning as he shook his numb arms, taking a deep, stabilizing breath.

"System, isn’t Unit 01 supposed to be invincible in the shop? Why can’t it instantly defeat this old man?"

Ren puzzledly asked in his mind. He had always relied on the assumption that Unit 01 was an absolute cheat code.

[Unit 01’s combat parameters are dynamically scaled based on the Host’s current cultivation level, adding exactly one major realm to the Host’s output.

As the primary security of the Dimensional Ranch, the golem is strong if the Host is strong.

Consequently, Unit 01’s output is limited if the Host is weak,] the System seriously explained.

The corner of Ren’s mouth twitched violently. His current cultivation level had just reached early-stage Foundation Establishment, which meant that Unit 01 was scaled to early-stage Core Formation.

That meant it would only be able to draw with General Ouyang, who was a seasoned, peak Core Formation expert!

"System, what happens if Unit 01 is actually unable to defeat the troublemaker?" Ren asked the System, feeling a rare drop of sweat forming on his brow.

[There is no need for the Host to panic. Unit 01 is merely the first line of defense.

However, the Host must still work diligently to earn more Spirit Stones.

The Host should fight to increase your own cultivation level to raise Unit 01’s combat strength to the Nascent Soul realm,] the System stated blandly.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

General Ouyang had become entirely serious after colliding with the brass golem a few more times.

For the number one military expert within the empire to be unable to dismantle the automated puppet of a little slime shop, he would be an absolute laughingstock if his troops ever found out.

Just when the General was prepared to release his signature, devastating military battle technique to settle the match and melt the machine, he suddenly felt a terrifying, apocalyptic aura wash over the room.

This aura was completely invisible and intangible, but it directly applied crushing pressure onto his mind, causing his battle-hardened body to involuntarily freeze up.

The explosive true energy that he had just gathered within his fist violently dispersed back into his meridians.

At the entrance of the shop, the sleepy, gelatinous blue slime gave a small, bubbling yawn. One of its translucent pseudo-eyes opened and meaningfully, coldly glanced directly at General Ouyang.

That single, simple glance from a puddle of water made the supreme commander of the army break out in a cold sweat.

He had been so focused on the robot that he had completely forgotten about the mysterious, unfathomable beast lying at the entrance.

"Very well. Your strange store has some genuine, terrifying capabilities indeed. I sincerely hope that you will actually be able to synthesize that cure for Luo Qing in two days. Otherwise... even if I have to perish alongside that blue monster, I will make sure you pay with your life."

As General Ouyang’s hostile aura fully dissipated, the suffocating haze enveloping the store immediately vanished. Both Xiaoyi and Ren quietly exhaled, feeling profoundly relieved.

The intimidating military aura disappeared just as quickly as it had erupted. General Ouyang calmly returned to his stool and picked up the plate of Void-Spiced Ribs.

As he started to eat the glowing meat, a rich, spicy fragrance once again filled the store.

"The hostile entity’s cultivation is beyond current parameters. Unable to strip as an example to others..." Unit 01’s mechanical eyes were still flashing yellow as it reported its failure to Ren.

Ren expressionlessly patted Unit 01’s heavy brass arm to indicate that it was alright, and the golem returned to its charging station in the corner.

"Why did the General suddenly stop his attack?" Ren puzzledly thought. "Could it be that the mysterious ’second line of defense’ mentioned by the System actually took effect? What the hell is it?" Ren was suddenly incredibly curious.

After that tense standoff, General Ouyang did not cause any further trouble.

When he finished analyzing the mechanical gadgets and surprisingly enjoying the spicy cosmic ribs, he contentedly paid his massive bill and prepared to leave.

A peak Core Formation general was heavily affluent and did not lack Spirit Stones.

Ren expressionlessly watched as the massive General left the shop.

Pudding, lying at the entrance, also snorted a tiny bubble and continued with its deep sleep in a puddle of water.

"This is going to be incredibly troublesome, this time around." Ren took a deep breath, suddenly feeling slightly nervous.

If he really did not manage to correctly synthesize the Luminous Spirit-Lotus Elixir and failed to save Luo Qing’s core, this terrifying military man and the Luo Patriarch might actually team up to murder him.

While having such anxious, highly motivating thoughts in his mind, Ren continued on with the afternoon business, dealing with the influx of nobles.

After the opening hours were finally over, he locked up the shop and immediately sprinted into the Workshop to start his second desperate attempt at synthesizing the core-repairing elixir.

With the explosive failure of his first attempt, he had already grasped the critical trick of using his Foundation Establishment true energy as a manual stabilizing medium during the Quantum Splicing.

However, it was also his very first time attempting to actively weave his own energy into a complex, Tier-5 biological fusion, so he was absolutely unable to guarantee his success.

In summary, this was a delicate, high-stakes job that required some actual skill instead of just lazy button-pressing.