Chapter 31 - Team

"It's true! I saw it in a book!" I defended myself from their prying eyes. One was suspicious and one was playful.

Ugh this guy I swear!!

'Do you want to expose Fily you dumbass!?' I typed in my stat-hut and pressed sent to him immediately.

"Tch" I heard him snicker before going back to his seat, defeated.

"What is it Young Master?" Miss Melody said with confusion upon seeing him go back to his seat.

"She's right we did read something like that in a book too." He lied.

Thank goodness he understood the situation despite his remaining two brain cells..

"Gosh why are the librarians so careless!" I heard Miss Melody mutter under her breath while locking the windows and the doors hastily with a loud sigh.

"I'm not required to educate you about the powers of the Energy slimes but since you knew of it's existence, I cannot reject your request for further explanation." She said unwillingly.

'Yes! More information about this! Enlighten me please Miss Melody.'

A slight thanks there for Mr. lazy Prince for not exposing my little white lie. But I won't tell him that! Over my dead body, it will only make his head even bigger that it already is!

"Energy slimes are said to be an important ingredient for the Superhuman formula." She said with a soft voice, cautious of being heard by anybody from outside.

"But you said you didn't know the ingredients of the Superhuman formula." I blurted my thoughts out loud again.

'Stop doing that Gem!' I secretly hit my mouth to stop it from talking.

"I-i'm not allowed to discuss them with anybody carelessly." She said while looking at the floor.

"So you lied to us." Lei said with a threatening tone.

Oh, what is this? Lei also wants to join our little white lie?

Miss Melody nodded her head subtly, admitting her actions.

"Forgive me young masters but I was instructed to never disclose these information with you unless you were the ones to start the topic. The Energy slimes and other ingredients of the Superhuman formula are confidential topics and only those in the higher cluster of the hierarchy has the right to learn them." She said with respect, opening her eyes afterwards and meeting our interested gazes.

"So what does it do? The Energy slimes?" I opened the topic again.

I really should stop doing that.

"It is a buff to all kinds of powers. The main ingredient for the supers in all of this world." She said and stopped there, hesitating to say more.

Maybe she needs a little more push to finally spill the beans?

I raised my hand with a question in mind, "what kinds of powers does this Energy slime buff?"

"Enchantment. It is an enhancer. It improves the efficiency of other ingredients-"

'or things' I cut her words in my mind.

Mr. Gemini said that the Energy stones inside the gemstone can induce anything that I store in there.

And by anything, I believe he literally meant everything including clothes, armor, weapons, potions, food, and everything else that I can store in it.

Even including air or oxygen like that time when Von and I fell down the island.

I wonder how many years had passed since the gemstone started storing those things inside of it.

'Does the duration of stay within the Energy slimes affect it's effectiveness in the induction process?' I asked Mr. Gemini without expectations for an answer but was surprised when he answered to my call immediately.

[Yes, the longer it stays inside the stronger the induction gets.]

'Mr. Gemini!!!' I exclaimed in delight, 'glad you're back!'

[The system upgrade has been done, you can now use a better version of your gadget with me.]

'With you? You mean you're done configuring the Stat-hut?'

[Yes and even offered additional settings that you can use for more efficient experience with me.]

'Wow! That's uhhh great!'

"So in conclusion, you're saying that Energy slimes can multiply the effectiveness of a potion and our powers!" Von shouted exasperatedly which was then followed by Miss Melody's desperate shushes to him.

"Yes, but can you please lower down your voice?" She said weakly, her whispers went straight to our ears sending shivers down my spine as if she went closer to us to whisper but she did not move a muscle at all! She was still standing in her position but her voice can be heard directly beside me.

Is it a skill perhaps? I want to learn how to do that too!

"Hmp." I heard Von's disrespectful remark which was ignored by almost everyone except me.

This is not right! Why are they letting that Prince grow without a single ounce of respect for the elderly??

I shook my distaste for Von and focused instead to what Miss Melody was saying.

"The Energy slimes may be the strongest kind of ingredient in this world but it was also the cause of its extinction-" Miss Melody expressed her grief for a moment before continuing her lecture.

"If only superhumans weren't as greedy before..." She trailed off, looking down with her curled up fist.

I thought for a moment about what she was saying.

She's right. It was human greed that caused my lovely Salamanders to disappear.

[Initiating calming mist.]

The Stat-hut announced in the middle of our rage.

I held my necklace tightly when a pang was felt in my chest.

This is unfair. Humans were blessed by the Salamanders with powerful gifts but in exchange... They only caused destruction.

Their greeds were fed in exchange for temporary delight.

[Calm down master Gem.]

I closed my eyes upon inhaling the calming mist. I really should calm down first.

I don't even know why I was so enraged by this when I'm not even a Salamander.

"You are all aware of the capabilities of a normal healing potion right? It can only cure flesh and it takes a lot of time for a complete cure to happen. But when influenced by an Energy slime, not only does it speed up the healing process but it also allows the potion to cure bones! Just imagine how better the world could be if only Salamanders did not become extinct."

"If only humans learn how to control their greed." I gritted my teeth upon saying those words.

"Gem?" Miss Melody called out to me.

"Yes?" I looked at her innocently.

"What is that?" Von was the one who voiced out their concern.

'Mr. Gemini!!'

The white mist was getting out of hand! It made a cloud around me!

[I thought you needed it.]

He said innocently while I heard the crystal-like popping of some of the tiny water droplets that exploded cutely around me.

'But it did not even work Mr. Gemini, I am panicking here, please help me get rid of it! Do something. Miss Melody would not let this strange phenomenon go. I've got to think for an excuse real quick!'

[Stopping the release of calming mist.]

Mr. Gemini announced.

Oh no, what do I do with this cloud!

[Message from Lei: Act like it's smoke]

The Female Stat-hut voice read the message out for me.

Act like it was smoke... O-okay!

*Cough, cough*

"What *cough* is this?" I followed Lei's advice and met him inside the thinning cloud, looking for me.

When we got out of the mist- or smoke, I saw Von hiding behind the teacher's back, probably scared of the gemstone's powers again.

"I'm very sorry Miss Melody, one of my smoke grenades accidentally rolled down Gem's seat." Lei bowed his head upon saying that lie.

Miss Melody quickly refused to accept the bow and told Lei that it was okay.

"Just don't bring any more toys like that in your next classes alright?"

Thank goodness Miss Melody did not notice the misty properties of the cloud and easily believed that it was smoke-

"But why is it that your smoke smell good?"

-or not.

Lei and I looked at each other in panic.

"It is a common practice for our kind to add fragrace in our smoke grenades to confuse our targets of our intentions." He quickly explained with a straight face that even I who knew the truth almost got convinced.

"Okay, well, there's nothing we can do about it. You can now proceed to your next class. I'll let you go five minutes ahead. See you tomorrow kids." Miss Melody waved goodbye at us before locking the classroom with the mist still inside.

"Thank you for your help... guys." I muttered while walking behind them.

Von turned around to look at me while floating just to roll his eyes at me while Lei just shrugged it off.

I guess the three of us could make a good team after all.