...

The Wood Plank

The interior was made of simple wood. The name truly did fit this inn, but if there was one word to describe it: Filthy. In the old world, there was a lot of dirty and disgusting places; even Nazarick had places that were made to creep people out. Yet nothing compared to this place.

Food was half eaten and lying on the floor, the wooden floors were corroded and damaged, the counter was a mess, and inside it resembled a pit of cavemen.

Momon glanced around, looking for an owner or someone to quickly make a transaction with. He didn't want to stay here longer than he had to.

The only person who resembled an employee was a bald man with a scarred face. He was wearing a white apron that had stains on it, and held a broom as heh cleaned the floor. Well, the word clean was a bit of a stretch. It was more like he was swatting it away to the corner.

He noticed the two new people here but couldn't figure out why such imposing people were at his inn. The only thing that came to mind was trouble. Rich people would often come to his inn and mess around with the people staying here. "Hey! If you're here for business then get it over with and leave!"

Momon was started at his open hostility, and Nabe started to raise her killing intent directly at him. How dare you address the Supreme Being like that! You Filth! Normally she would be calm and composed, and not hide her disgust for humans; but this person was directly ordering a Supreme Being around. How else could she react?

The man instantly felt the room go dark. Sparks of electricity shred through the floor and encircled him. The heat rose drastically and the electric chains ripped through everything nearby and he felt his skin burn as they closed in on him. He couldn't move nor breathe. The pressure being released onto him forced him to freeze and prop himself up with the broom. Then-

"Nabe, did you forget what I told you?"

"O-of course not Momon-sam-n" Realizing her blunder, she reeled in her killing intent, making it vanish like it was never there in the first place.

The bald man was gasping for air and looking around to see the damage dealt to his in. Shit! This is gonna cost a year to fix! But-

There was nothing. No damage was done. The people inside were chatting away like they were before. It was like they hadn't known the terror unleashed upon him, like it was some silly nightmare. He then moved his eyes to the two figures in front of him. His intuition told him they were dangerous and not to mess with them.

Momon waked up to him and stopped a couple feet away. The sun was shining through the front swing doors, and casted a giant shadow over the poor man. "I'd like to stay a night here. A single room for two will do."

The man felt an inferior like never before. Normally the nobles would look down on the commoners, and high ranking adventurers were stingy; but this person before him made him feel like nothing but an ant to be crushed. He couldn't even muster up his usual voice when he spoke. He could only release a squeal, unbefitting a man with his rough looks. "Y-Yes! T-that will be 5 coppers. O-One more if you want oatmeal with m-meat."

Momon reached into his little pouch and puled out a silver coin, handing it over to the man. When the man took it, his hands was shaking nonstop and he fiddled in his pockets to find the right change. When he handed back 8 coppers, Momon took it. "Umm, where do we go to?"

"Ah! Y-Yes!" He followed the man back to the counter, where he pulled out a key and handed it to Momon. "T-take the stairs to the second floor and the f-first room on the right."

Momon and Nabe didn't feel the need to stay any longer, and headed to the staircase in the corner. What a weird guy. Kinda reminds me of Mare, but Mare's stutter is cute and cool since he's a kid. That old man just seems so pathetic. Ma, it doesn't matter.

When he was passing by a table, he noticed a group of men drinking and playing cards. One of them had the audacity to look at him and stick his foot out the moment Momon and Nabe approached. It was to hinder their movements and cause trouble.

"Cheh" Momon couldn't hide his disgust at people like this. It reminded him of all those bosses in the old world that would do everything to make people's lives worst. He didn't hesitate to step onto the man's leg. The sheer pressure crushed the man's leg into the ground, easily breaking it and all the bones in his left foot. But he wasn't done there.

He pretended to trip, falling towards the man with his leg out and he used his hands to push the man's body into the ground. His weight crushed the poor soul, crushing his leg and arms, breaking 8 bones and severing his knee joints and rupturing his spine. He made sure to stay down for a while, holding him in this awkward position of pain before getting up.

When he rose up, he glanced at the man screaming in pain and addressed him. "Ah- It appears I accidentally fell. Sorry bud." And he continued forward to leave.

Everyone in the inn looked over to see what caused the huge crash, but were surprised to see the Man in Armor simply crush a well build man, accidentally. Nobody had their suspicions about what occurred, writing it off as some unlucky dude. But everyone was bewildered at this man's strength. To crush him like that meant his armor was that heavy, and for him to wear in nonchalantly spoke of his power.

They were going to go back to do whatever they were doing when they saw the Man and Woman head in a direction to leave. But a shout rang through the dead-like silence and forced them to reassert their attention.

"You! You'll Pay for That!" One of the men yelled. It seemed to be one of the crushed man's friends.

"Boss, hang on! we'll get you healed."

"Hold On, I'll take you to a priest right now!"

The group of friends seemed to be concerned with their friend's state, but one of them only looked at the man in armor with vengeance in his eyes.

The man in armor turned back around to look at all the yelling. When he did, he realized that the commotion caused was because of his little skit. "Hmm, it was a simple accident. That's all." He was about to turn to leave, not wanting to deal with these hooligans, when the man wanting to avenge his friend drew his sword.

"Accident my ass! When I'm done with you I'll have that woman clean me up real good." The man lustfully looked at Nabe.

Hearing this claim, Momon couldn't take it anymore. He could handle any insult thrown at him, but when someone dared to insult his friend's creations, their children, his family; they signed their death contract.

Nabe drew her hand into her mantle. People couldn't see her sword, but she was prepared to kill this worm at any moment.

"Hoh? You seem to think you can." Momon said. He was ready to attack this man in 'self defense', but Nabe spoke to him. This caught him by surprise, ever since she went undercover with him, she rarely spoke.

"Momon-sa-an, this maggot doesn't deserve your attention. Let me deal with him."

I guess she would be mad. He just offended to defile her. I wish I could punish him for his crimes, but Nabe was the one insulted. It only makes sense to let her take care of this trash. Momon thought.

In Nabe's head, she was thinking Cheh, such a stupid looking maggot dude wants to fight a supreme being, let alone defeat one? Insolent fool, you won't even get the privilege of dying to hands of one. She couldn't care less about his insult, in fact, she probably didn't even catch onto what he meant.

The man knew he was going to fight a tough opponent, literally. He watched his friend get crushed by the sheer weight. But he let his anger get the better of him and his pride wouldn't let him back down now. So when the woman stepped forward, he was quite relieved. He didn't want to kill her, so he would toy with her for a bit and show her who was stronger, then back off and offer a deal of peace. That way, he could keep his pride, and she wouldn't have to fight to the death.

Never did he think that he would have been utterly defeated.

The instant he took a step forward, the girl disappeared.

Teleportation?

Before he could realize where she went, he felt a pain in his stomach. His eyes shifted down to see a sword pierced into his abdomen. He wanted to scream from the pain, but the girl kicked him and he was sent flying into the wall. When he crashed, he blacked out from the damage he took and the blood he was quickly loosing.

Momon watched from the side, unmoving. When Nabe used [Dimension Move, he knew that idiot was done for. Nabe could have used a simple [Lightning] or [Drown] to kill him quickly, but she was going for a slow and painful death.

When the man crashed into the wall and broke a table, the employee he thought was weird began yelling.

"Stop! What the Fuck are you Guys Doing! This is and INN! Not a fucking free for all!"

Woah, when did he grow a pair?

The man would have been scared of speaking out, and he really was. But when he saw his precious table break, his fury rose to infinite heights. Overwriting his fear, he calmed down everyone. Except one person.

Nabe.

She was standing over the blacked out man, smiling as she thrusted her sword deeper into his wound.

Momon understood the employee was upset, and pitied him. It was unfortunate that his business had to be interrupted due to some barbaric customers. "Nabe, that's enough." With those three words, Nabe scoffed at the injured man and swiftly slashed the air with her sword, ridding the blade of blood before she sheathed it.

When she reached Momon, they finally had enough of this scene and were about to retreat to their room, when a new shout could be heard.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! What do you think you're doing!?"

The voice was furious, but it was new. Momon could tell it was woman, but when he turned around, he jumped back from her unsightly view. She had red hair that looked like a bird nest. It was messy and her face was messed up. Bags were underneath her eyes and she looked half dead.

"We're going to our room?" He said sarcastically.

"No! Look at what you did!" She gestured to her hand. Inside of it was a glass bottle with it's top half broken off. The contents of what was within it were no longer there. "I had to cut meals, stop drinking, and even take on extra jobs just to Afford this Potion! One Gold and Ten Silvers! You owe me that much, and I know you can afford it." She eyed his armor as she said that last part.

Momon knew what she was implying. She wanted a compensation for her item that broke due to the fighting. But Nabe only saw it as another weed to be yanked out. She stepped forward to be behind the girl and was ready to draw her sword, instantly being able to decapitate her without her realizing she died. Momon saw this and while he didn't mind Nabe killing, he only allowed it within reason. He certainly wasn't going to let her kill this girl who did nothing wrong.

"O-okay okay, If it's a potion, I could give you a new one and we'd be good, right?"

The girl nodded in agreement, and Nabe coldly gazed at her.

Momon reached back to his pouch and pulled out a fancy vile with blood-red fluid in it. He handed the Minor Healing Potion to her and quickly went to their room before any more drama could unfold.

Inn Room

Momon and Nabe retreated to their room and the first thing he did was cast protection Magic. He casted spells that prevented people from scrying on them, listening to them, and teleporting into their field without their consent. Now that he finally do nothing and take a break, he jumped onto the wooden bed and laid down.

His entire body covered the bed and more, forcing his legs to dangle over the edge.

The bed he laid upon was a simple wooden bad frame with a straw mat over it, acting like a sheet. A pillow half-stuffed with cotton was at the top part of the bed frame. Overall, it was a bed fitting for an inn like this.

Nabe looked disgusted at the room they had to stay in. It was only faired a little better than the inn lobby, and was by no means something her master should have to even look at. "Should I replace the furniture in this room? A place like this is unworthy of your presence Ainz-sama."

Momon was and Undead. So he didn't need to worry about things like the comfort of his bed, so the state of this room didn't stand out to him more than the early impression he had. More so because he wasn't planning on being here when he didn't need to. What did stick out to him though, was Nabe's words.

"Nabe, how many times do I need to tell you, when we are undercover, only address me as 'Momon'."

She knelt down in shame and brought her sword blade to her neck. "I apologize Ain-Momon-sa-an. I shall use my life to atone for my continuous mistakes."

Honestly... Why does she have to be so dramatic...

"It's fine. I forgive you. But focus on staying in character. We can never be too careful."

Naberal put her sword back and rose. She moved to the corner by the door and stood, not wanting to touch this place more than she had to.

I know Pandora's Actor is dramatic, but that's because I made him flamboyant. Why does everyone else have to be so as well. Should I send her to him for acting lessons? He was thinking to himself about how to further develop the denizens of Nazarick. He often thought about this when he was alone. The notion that they're no longer a bundle of data and coding still shocks him. His precious friends and all their hard work finally manifested themselves in the form of actual life. But that didn't mean they were perfect.

Everyone in Nazarick was cherished, but they had room to grow and learn. Ever since they gained life, Ainz had thought of ways to excel the process of their growth. Taking Narberal with him was also an idea to test out how she could fare in this Native World. Similar to a Beta Test.

He was using this as a way to measure how her time outside of Nazarick will help her mature. But so far, it's been a mess.

Amidst his thoughts about this matter, he was also recalling the next steps to his plan and how to proceed. As the pinnacle, he had multiple topics shuffling though his mind to maintain order and a smooth proccess. I should let Demiurge know since we have free time.

He dispelled his helmet and raised his right skeletal hand to his head, activating [Message].

"[Demiurge]"

[A-Ainz-sama! I wasn't expecting you to contact me so soon. How can I serve you my lord?]

"[I just wanted to check on you to see how your preparations are coming along. Did you have your team necessarily informed about their goals and ready to go?]"

[Yes, all of them know exactly what to do and what to look for.]

"[Very good. I have a new task to add on. I want you to pay a visit to the Merchant's Guild. It can be assumed that they work with the Underworld of the Kingdom and you can use that to learn more. Also, if your team has the chance to, have them gain as much currency they can attain while keeping a subtle presence.]"

[kukuku Moving onto the next phase already? As expected of you Ainz-sama. I'll update their instructions and begin looking for a suitable candidate.]

W-what candidate? Did he mistake my goals? No, that can't be. He specifically recited them back to me. Ahh! I hate how smart he is, outsmarting me at my own plans. Well, as long as he says it's suitable it should work.

"[Ah-Ahem. Then begin the infiltration immediately.]"

[Of course. Failure won't be an option.]

Nabe could only hear half of the conversation, but knew it was about something important. Ainz-sama is too magnificent. Already taking into account my mistakes and moving his plans further along...

But in his head, something was itching the back of his mind.

A Suitable Candidate... I wonder what that's for...

The Wood Plank First Floor

At the counter, the employee watched as the group of men had to pick up both of their friends and rush out to get them healed. He watched as the two newcomers annihilated some of his regular customers. When he watched this, he would have sided with his regulars, but he knew doing so was a mistake; since he knew they were the ones to start the whole fiasco.

He didn't really care about the fights and outbursts that happened in his inn, as long as they didn't damage the structures. But he had a soft spot for the regulars, after all, business is business. And he needed their coin to keep things up and running.

He poured a fresh mug of beer and walked in the direction of a table with a specific person. When he placed the mug onto the table, the girl looked at him with a skeptical glare.

"I didn't order this."

"I know, but I overheard you earlier saying you had to cut back on the booze. It's on the house"

Her gaze didn't leave him, as if she was silently questioning what trick he was trying to pull. When he saw this, he sighed in defeat. She's not as stupid as she looks.

"Look, Miss..."

"Brita"

"Miss Brita. That's an odd potion you got there. How do you know you weren't scammed?"

Brita's eyes widened as she realized what his motives were. You bastard! You were trying to get me drunk!

"Hehe. I don't..." She moved the bottle containing the red liquid into both of their sight, gripping it tighter. "...But look at this."

She pointed to show the care and details taken into account engraved into the bottle. It was precisely cut and made with glass that was clean and pure, unlike the foggy and dirty glass most nobles used. For something so minute as a bottle, there was no way it could hold anything less than extraordinary.

"Besides, you saw what he wore. I just have this hunch..."

"My thoughts exactly."

Brita shrugged as she thought about the potion sitting in her hands. Then her thoughts shifted to the man before her now.

"Say, what does it mean to you anyways? It's not like my potion will pay for your bills." She glanced at the broken table she was sitting at before.

He chuckled slightly. Straight to point huh?

"It's only my curiosity. I've never seen anything like that. In fact, I'm more curious as to what it can do rather than the price it might sell for." He reached to a pocket in the the back of his apron and took out a small notepad. From it's size and way he held it, it was probably what he used to write down people's orders.

"Tell ya what, I know a great pharmacist in the city. I'll give you a recommendation so you can have that thing appraised. I'll even pay for the cost."

Brita raised an eyebrow. "And you want me to..."

"Just tell me what it does when ya finished."

That was all he said. He ripped out the page and placed it onto the table, along with a couple of coins he took out of his back pocket. He turned to leave, but before he stepped, he took the untouched mug of beer and went back to serving his other customers.

Bareare Pharmacy

Nfirea was a boy in his mid teens. He was nothing special and didn't stand out amongst the crowd. He wasn't strong or gifted with an apptitude for magic. While he could cast Tier 2 spells - A huge feature in the Kingdom, he didn't prioritize getting stronger or even using his magic for attention. He liked his life the way it was and only used his spells when it was called for, which was mostly alchemy.

As the grandson of the greatest Alchemist in the Kingdom, he grew up with the pressure to uphold the family business and exceed his grandmother's features. Something he was eager to do, but at the same time, scared. His grandmother, Lizzy Bareare, was the most adept alchemist in the entirety of Re-Estize, often gaining awards and praises for her outbreaks in developing potions. Even the surrounding countries knew who she was.

The Empire kept a list of people who stood out, like the Warrior Captain, and even tried to recruit her to join them. Trying to follow in the footsteps of this giant was something anybody with such expectations would find intimidating.

But no matter what, whether he passed or failed the expectations given to him, he would regret nothing. For Alchemy was his passion.

Nfirea loved to indulge himself in knowledge and learning more about how to further develop the potion formulas his grandmother made.

There was three types of potions.

The first was a [Minor Recovery Potion] that would speed up the rate which your body healed. As such, it only increased the recovery rate of injuries or physical pain. It wasn't as potent as the other potions, but it could slow down the bleeding of a fatal wound long enough to keep a person alive for a priest to heal them.

The second type of potion was a [Recovery Potion]. It did the same thing as the prior, but the rate at which it increased natural healing by was nearly tenfold. A sword cut that would take 2 months to heal from would only take ten minutes to completley close. The vast difference of regeneration was incredible, often saving multiple lives in the annual wars.

The third potion was more or less a legend. It was rumored to be what all potion makers and alchemist base their formulas to strive for. God's Blood. A potion that completely heals an individual instantly. Not much is known about this type of potion since nobody has gotten their hands on it before, but there are documents that the Slane Theocracy has items left behind the 6 Great Gods that resemble this potion's description.

The difference between God's Blood and the other potions is their color. The tale told of Gods having red blood coursing through their veins and how their divine blood could heal mortals. To have such an item would mean that it came straight from the Gods. So it was natural that Nfirea would be taken by surprise when the girl standing before him was holding a blood-red potion so cluelessly.

As time passed, and people failed to create a potion matching God's Blood, the masses started to forget and even say that such a potion never existed. People simply said that it was only a rumor, like the 13 heroes or the 8 Greed Kings, so not everyone knew the tales of God's Blood. But Alchemists held onto the story close to their hearts. It was their goal, the ultimate pinnacle they could reach.

And seeing this girl made Nfirea's knees weak.

H-h-how? I-is that what I think it is?

"Umm, I came here to get an item appraised." She said, noticing the boy wasn't going to say something proactively.

Oh Crap! I've been staring too long

"O-oh umm, follow me."

Nfirea couldn't get the words he wanted to say nor the questions he wanted to ask out of his mouth. Even if it was all a lie and the potion in her hands wasn't real, nobody had dared to make a fake one. It would have been sacrilege to do so. This only made him want to get to the bottom of this faster.

He took her to the back of the shop and down the cramped hallway. At the edge of it was a door that read 'Alchemists Only'.

Nfirea opened the door and when he did, A wave of herb scented air pushed into the free space, blowing into both their faces. He stepped in and so the girl followed to.

"Granny!"

When the door closed, more of the room was revealed and noticeable.

In the middle of it stood a table, and upon it was a giant machine that had a huge circular base, with a long tube coming out and upwards. Standing on a ladder was an old woman, in her 60's, with grey hair and crinkled skin. She was pouring ingredients of herbs and spices, along with alchemy solutions into the tube. She watched as it spun inside the base of the machine, making sure everything was moving properly, before she shifted her sight to her Grandson.

The first thing she noticed was the girl.

"Nfirea! Why'd you bring a customer here! No one's allowed in here! Take her out! Now!"

Though her anger fell on deaf ears. Right now, Nfirea was focused and narrow-sighted with only one goal. "Granny, the potions all come out in a blue state, right?"

His grandmother wasn't happy that he didn't listen to her, but she knew him enough to know what state he was in right now. Did he make a break through?

"Hmph! Of course, that's basic knowledge you already know."

"Th-then, look at this..." He ushered the girl forward and gestured to her to show his grandmother the potion in he hands.

When the girl held out her hand, the old lady nearly fell off the ladder. She managed to hang onto the side, and since it was being tied to the wall with string, she was able to regain balance and climb down. However, her arm twisted and would require attention later.

But right now, she would twist all her limbs if it meant confirming what her eyes were seeing.

"H-how! This is God's Blood!" She walked closer to the girl with wide, starry eyes. "Who are you! And how did you get this!"

The girl was taken back by the lady's aggressiveness. For someone who could die any moment, she sure was lively. "I-I'm not sure. I only came here to get it appraised and see what it does."

Without missing a beat, the alchemist snatched the potion and began casting magic.

"[Appraise Item]"

...

She froze for a long time. Then as if the life left her, she slumped down, falling to the ground. When she landed on her rump, she and Nfirea's eyes locked together.

"Nfirea, this is..." She said in a defeated tone.

Nfirea wondered if his grandmother was bitter and that the potion was a fake. If it was, then it made sense as to why she was so defeated. She raised her hopes and excitement through the roof, only for it to come crashing down.

Which is why he was shocked at what she said next.

"...Everything we alchemists work to achieve is in my hands right now. It's the real thing."

When he heard this, he couldn't wonder why his granmother was so defeated. Then-

"Missy, I'd like to buy this from you... I'll give your 30 gold for it."

Brita's eyes widened at such a price. Her old potion wasn't even worth half of that, no, even half was too much; her old potion wasn't even worth a tenth of that price.

Why did he give this me so easily! And how could I have held this so carefree! And What does it even dooooo!?

Letting out a gulp, she came to a conclusion. "If you're willing to pay such a high price, then can you at least tell me what it does? Why pay me that much for just a potion?"

"'Just a Potion'! Do you know what this is?! Do you know how many people died trying to get thier hands on this?" Lizzy couldn't hide her rage anymore. At first she was happy to have found this potion's validity. Then she was defeated that she wasn't the person who discovered or recreated it. And then she became sad at how so many peers had given up on Alchemy and the pursuit of creating God's Blood. How many people died not knowing if it was real or not...

But in front her now was a young girl who didn't even recognize the value of said item.

"No, not really. I mean if I did, then I wouldn't have come to get it appraised."

The way she replied made Lizzy realize where she was at fault. Lizzy calmed down and reigned her emotions in check. "Sorry, I got carried away. Missy, this potion right here is worth so much because it can heal any injury or pain you have."

"Isn't that what any other potion does? If it can't even do that then why would someone buy it?" Brita was a little sarcastic now. The way the granny acted was out of character and not what she expected, taking her on a roller coaster of confusion.

"...Instantly..."

"Huh?"

Nfirea could see his grandmother not in a state to explain, and the customer literally had no clue. So he interjected.

"What my granny is saying is that, this potion, will heal any injury you have instantly. Many people have spent their entire lives trying to recreate a potion with this effect, only to be wasted and fail."

An Item like this exists? This would set me for life if I were to sell it. No, I can't do that. The value is too high to sell, and it's properties would be life saving. Brita's mind raced for the nearest thoughts that came to a logical solution of what to do next. But everything she though of doing with the potion led to more options.

She was stumped.

"60. I'll pay you 60 Gold Coins for it!" Lizzy could see Brita in a daze, and she surely wouldn't miss an opportunity to buy this item. The rarity and mere presence of it was worth her whole career.

"Granny! That much?"

"I won't sell it to you..." After a long moment of thinking, Brita came to a conclusion on what to do. "...But I have a different proposal for you..."

Lizzy raised an eyebrow with some interest and tilted her head for her to continue. After an hour of talking, they managed to negotiate a deal.

E-Rantel City Square

As Brita left the shop, she shuffled 10 coins between every one of her fingers, and she headed back to The Wood Plank. But before she reached the inn, she made sure to place those small golden treasures in her personal sack.

That guy, he's got way more than he bargained for this time.

Grinning widely, she waltzed throughout the city without a care in the world. Not even the black clouds could rain on her parade. It's as if the premonition of a storm wasn't enough to wither her flower.

Perhaps she was the one who got more than she bargained for, one way or another.

...