Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken (LN)

Hot Spring

Alright, this may seem sudden, but its a matter concerning the region to the west of the wetlands that the lizardmen inhabit.

There you will find a vast underground cavern, the natural labyrinth formed by an active volcano. Its complex interior structure is made up of countless winding roads, spanning an area so immense, that even the lizardmen are unable to fully grasp it.

Should you choose to explore one of these paths, you may be led to a frozen cave world, whereas another may lead to a world of burning lava. There also seem to be hidden paths that lead to magical hotspots, though they are deemed too dangerous to traverse.

However, the labyrinth isnt the focus of this expedition. Rather, its the existence of the active volcano. Because of that, there may be hot springs there as well or so I thought.

***

Everyone! I want to take baths in hot springs, so how about it?

My voice echoed in the meeting room, though my thoughts didnt seem to resonate with everyone too well.

I meana hot spring is just hot water, right? You can just wash yourself in the river.

Hmhm, in Dwargon, hot spring water is channeled into the bath house, but I didnt think much of it.

The dwarves Kaijin and Garm seemed uninterested, Dold and Myrd also nodded in agreement with Kaijin. Hot springs dont seem to be anything special, well that view isnt necessarily wrong. But my vision is completely different from the dwarves.

Hot Spring? What is that supposed to be?

Seems to be a place accumulating hot water boiled by a volcanos extreme heat, right? Hearing Benimarus question, Souei gave a quick answer, he is surprisingly knowledgeable. Anyway, regarding those who have no interest in hot springs, I need to make them understand the beauty of bathing.

In terms of hygiene, bathing at a bathhouse can prevent disease; more importantly, as a former Japanese Ive made up my mind to promote bathing culture and am looked forward to enjoying it for that reason. But I suppose that goes without saying.

Yes! Although not completely correct, there are also hot springs without a volcano, but well put that aside; As Souei said, hot springs heated by volcanoes are the goal of this expedition. By heating the water underground, a variety of minerals get dissolved in the water, which Ive heard are very good for your body. I would even go so far as to say that it is the best cure for a tired body after combat.

After emphasizing that part, Benimaru also seemed intrigued.

Sounds pretty good, it would be interesting to try it out.

Incredible, Rimuru-sama, you sure know a lot.

It seems they have become interested in my plan, so now all I have to do is to convince the dwarves.

Moreover, imagine this: you have to wear some clothes while bathing in the river, right? If youre only taking a bucket shower you wouldnt take off all your clothes, but if youre bathing in a hot spring then it is completely reasonable to take off all the clothes.

No, even so

Were fine with just a normal shower, right?

Eh, I really dont get this bunch. Whatever you guys wish, but at least try to use your imagination a bit, like

Ah!? Before I could describe things in detail, Kaijin seemed to have realized something. Could it be! Master, to think you are

After Kaijin, Garm also figured out what I was trying to say.

Fufufu, it seems you all have noticed. It is precisely that, my friends. It should be heavenly for you guys, dont you agree? My words made everyone slobber over the prospect. Their eyes now glowing with enthusiasm, it was the polar opposite of their previous attitude.

Besides, the beauty of hot springs lies in the tradition of mixed bath

Young master, allow me to help!

Of course, we are all companions!

Hmm thats how it is!

!!

The dwarves were now fully on board with the plan. Benimaru seemed to be on the fence about it, while Souei showed a disinterested expression.

And so, the operation bringing hot springs to Tempest State had been initiated.

***

So why is bathing not possible? No, it doesnt mean there is no way to bathe, its a far simpler problemthe expenses are way too high. The large amount of firewood required to heat a hot spring is unaffordable. Although we already collect scraps and woodchips left over from all of the construction projects, there is no way this would be a sustainable source. Even though we collect branches from the forest, cooking also requires fire, so it would seem irresponsible to waste firewood on bathing.

Now that the on-site investigation has been completed, weve discovered the most suitable source with the right temperature.

Now its time for me to utilize my skills, using Shadow Step to connect Tempest State and the hot springs utilizing pipelines out of magisteel. Normally, working in the shadow space forces you to hold your breath, which isnt a concern for me. The real problem Im facing here is the nightmare of routing all of the different pipelines within the shadow space. Luckily for me, I could leave it all in the hands of Great Sage, who made quick work of this issue.

The dwarves decorated the bath house with ornately carved marble. The words Mixed Bath must have given them plenty of motivation, since the final result looked extremely high-end. At a glance, one can already feel the luxurious atmosphere radiating from the elegant construction.

The hot spring later became a famous attraction for visitors from all around the world, but thats a story for another time.

Eh, so what happened to Mixed Bath? Well, there isnt such an amazing thing in this world.

Oh wow, you did a tremendous job, as expected of dwarven craftsman. Now that the FEMALE ONLY side is finished, I hope the male only side youve planned to make will turn out just as exquisitely, Shuna said with her most charming smile, immediately shutting down any room for discussion.

Benimaru comforted the dwarves by saying things such as its good enough that we got hot springs. So they will continue to build the male only bath house enthusiastically.

By the way, since I am a slime, I get to move in the female only side to my hearts content, but that doesnt have anything to do with them.