Volume 8.5 - CH 5

Hot Spring 

Alright, this may seem sudden, but it’s 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. It’s 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 isn’t the focus of this expedition. Rather, it’s 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 didn’t seem to resonate with everyone too well. 

“I mean…a 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 didn’t think much of it.” 

The dwarves Kaijin and Garm seemed uninterested, Dold and Myrd also nodded in agreement with Kaijin. Hot springs don’t seem to be anything special, well that view isn’t 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 volcano’s extreme heat, right?” Hearing Benimaru’s 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 I’ve 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 we’ll 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 I’ve 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 you’re only taking a bucket shower you wouldn’t take off all your clothes, but if you’re bathing in a hot spring then it is completely reasonable to take off all the clothes.” 

“No, even so…” 

“We’re fine with just a normal shower, right?” 

“……” 

Eh, I really don’t 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, don’t 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… that’s 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 doesn’t mean there is no way to bathe, it’s a far simpler problem—the 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, we’ve discovered the most suitable source with the right temperature. 

Now it’s 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 isn’t a concern for me. The real problem I’m 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 that’s a story for another time. 

Eh, so what happened to “Mixed Bath”? Well, there isn’t 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 you’ve 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 “it’s 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 heart’s content, but that doesn’t have anything to do with them.