With that, the labour force erupted into production for the snail homes. The Gulk were incapable of heavy labour, but they contributed by secreting useful slimes. One produced a slime that acted as an incredible tanning agent. The quality of our leather shot up thanks to them. Another produced a slime that served to be used as mortar mix, making our stone walls stronger. The Gulk must have been created to serve as biological factories. A grim thought, one could hardly blame them for escaping. Or were they released? A mage would hardly have issues with capturing a Gulk. Could there be some defects? Before I could as such personal questions, it was important to build some rapport.

“Umlau, I have been meaning to ask you something.” I looked at him during dinner.

“What is it, my Lord?” He asked with a mouth full of pork.

“Normal snails are hermaphroditic, you see. Are the Gulk similar?”

They nodded, “Indeed. We both have male and female organs. We mate depending on preference between individuals.”

“Hmm. What about your moustache?”

Umlau played with the dangling flesh on his face. “We have a small amount of control over how our bodies are shaped. I grew this because I thought it made me look more distinguished.”

“It has a certain… charm,” I said awkwardly. Over the course of my life in this world, I had grown a full beard. The main difference between mine and Umlau’s facial hair was that mine was made of hair, and not of my own body. Such strange creatures.

“Snails lay eggs in clutches. Is it true for you as well?”

They shook their head. “We lay eggs, but only one at a time. They don’t always hatch either. It has been awfully hard to grow our numbers.” Umlau said with some regret in their voice.

That must have been the reason why the mages let the Gulk escape. It was of no matter to me. In fact, it would have been a problem if my own vassals outnumbered me by the hundreds in a few generations.

It came to my attention that one of our prisoners tried to strangle themselves. The grim news made my stomach churn. But it was a perfect opportunity to test my [Goblin-Thrall Conversion] skill.

Interface Goblin-Thrall Conversion You can convert a member of a different goblin race into a loyal and obedient Crystalline Thrall. These Thralls are hardy and durable but have a severe lack of intelligence. A Crystalline Thrall can reach Refinement, to become an Amber Skin goblin. To convert the victim into a thrall, the victim must be convinced of their imminent demise and their will must be broken. The victim must ingest 10 millilitres of the caster's blood. A sacrifice of a once-living being, weighing at least 20 kilograms, must be prepared. An offering of a magically imbued gem or crystal, weighing at least 10 grams, must be presented. The victim and the ritual items must be within 2 metres of the caster. Cast time: 10 minutes, Consumption: 350 mana, Recharge rate: 1 Hour, Persistent.

The resources were easy enough to gather. Through constant experimentation, I had wasted a lot of magical Torchite. I could put the waste products to use. For the ‘Once living being’, a simple dead boar sufficed.

The prisoner in question was chained and dragged to the underground chapel. They were tied to the ground and placed directly under the ceiling statue of Yantago. The other prisoners were present to witness the “death” of their companion.

“For the crimes of murdering our ancestors and blasphemy, you will be punished. You will serve your atonement, under the watchful eye of The Great Gemmed One, who shall save your heretical soul.”

All the prisoners’ eyes bugged out with rage at my own blasphemy against their god. I had the foresight to gag them beforehand.

I began the ritual. I pricked my finger and dribbled it into a vile of boiled water, to dilute the toxicity. “The first step of atonement is consuming will of Yantago.” I forced their mouth open and poured the mixture in.

The prepared Torchite and dead boar disintegrated into glowing yellow dust. The dust gathered in the air and began swirling in a vortex above the prisoner’s head.

“The next step of atonement is accepting the body of Yantago.”

The dust divided itself into glowing needles and penetrated the red goblin’s body in various spots. Slowly, the red goblin’s flesh was being replaced by the yellow powder. It tried to scream and shout for help, but it no sound came out of its mouth.

After their entire red body was covered, they withered into yellow sand. The sand then glowed with intense light and formed into a creature resembling an amber skin goblin. Except its skin was purely crystalline, like an actual gem, and it was shorter and skinnier than a normal goblin.

Interface You have successfully completed a Conversion. You have created a Crystalline Thrall! Due to the unique elements used in the spell, the Crystalline Thrall is a Burning Blood Crystal Thrall. If killed, this Thrall will burst into a large fiery explosion.

The Thrall stood mindlessly in the centre of the room, its breath sounded like cracking crystal. Its eyes glowed with orange energy. The Amber Skins cheered, and I felt their faith flow through me. The Bloody Bones’ expressions were completely drained. They stood shaking in place, with tears and snot coming out of their eyes.

“Kneel before me,” I ordered the thrall.