Main Chapter 4 - Lopsided Duet
Author's Notes.
All reviews had been appropriately responded to via PM.
Also, let it be known that there will be no named OC character in this story. Everyone mentioned is searchable in the book/web novel/game and audio drama.
Thank you for your continued support!
With disappointing faces spread across the group, the sword of darkness returned to Re-Estize. They brought with them fragments of a broken 'enchanted blade.'
Thanks to [Gate], their mission elapsed by merely forty minutes, not even enough time for a more intricate pottage to be made.
While some adventurers were stunned by how quickly they returned, the receptionist seemed to anticipate this as she would look at them blankly before calling for the guild master, Who then escorted the group into a guest room, allowing the group to speak.
Celicia would be the one to talk, masterfully placing the gathered pieces of evidence on the table as she recounted the events, how the sword was a ruse, what happened to the adamantite group, and the Withered Rose's quest to search for the blades and 'bring forth the calamity.'
"...So the 'threat' never existed... Look where our paranoid hierarchical system got us." Ainzach said as he leaned back to the sofa, looking up at the ceiling as if to find fault among the well-polished woods. "The matters of that rogue adamantite group will be for the higher-ups to deliberate. You lot are dismissed; claim your due rewards downstairs as usual."
Momonga was about to get up, but Ainzach stopped him with a motion of his hand. "Please, spare me a moment of your time, Sir Momonga.".
Hearing this, the sword of darkness bowed politely before promptly making their leave.
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A few seconds later, Ainzach would pull out what could be fairly described as a comically large bag. With his arms twitching, unable to fully stand their weight, he finally placed it on the table, which resounded the *clang* noise across the room.
"Your due payment. Due to the lack of platinum coins, we decided to substitute them with gold and silver. However, the net amount should be accurate."
"I do suppose the guild also paid my temporary comrades?"
"Quite, two golds for each, in fact." The guild master said curtly, expressing dissatisfaction though clearly not at Momonga... But whether the player could see that is another story.
"They were paid only that much?! I suppose I can give them some... But I need to revive more of my friend's creations and fortify Nazarick..."
But a scene replayed in his mind, one of his peers expressing their disdain for employees who got paid more than they should even though they accomplished a similar amount of work. Be it because of their connection or the utilisation of human lust. Suzuki naturally agreed and still held that belief in his soul.
"Hard work should be compensated..."
And so he said, "I would not mind sharing mine with them to flatten the discrepancy." gaining a bitter smile from the guild master.
"I'm sure they will be most grateful... But isn't it ironic? Despite my position, I can't live up to its namesake and adjust anything other than selecting which adventurer group to tackle each task... Regardless, that's not the matter at hand. The guild wished to propose an offer."
"About the [Gate], I presume?"
The guild master nodded his head, pouring a 'grape juice' for himself. "Correct, the guildwished to formally enlist you to transport our adventurers. While the payments for each time would not be much compared to what you just earned, we can ensure that it would be comparable after multiple times."
While the offer certainly sounds tempting, using [Gate] all day long isn't much of a feat to be accomplished, nor would it be draining for him. But would it be wise for him to provide such service without having sufficient information about the guild and their alignments? Would providing service unheard of to humans of this realm agitate the unknown enemy? But how else would he generate income and search for HeroHero?
"...While my magic is certainly not finite, my mana certainly is. If I can limit how many times per day, then I would not mind accepting, after hearing about the rest of the terms and conditions, of course."
"We would ask you to use [Gate] for us only three trips a day, but I need to ask you this first; While we had already been informed that similar to a normal spell, yours also need a clear illustration of the scene you wish to translocate to, but that weakness had been subsidised by other means. So I ask you this, would the distance be a problem? Is there a particular limit to how far you can go?"
Momonga gulped his non-existing saliva. If he affirmed Ainzach, then a question would rose why he could not just use it to go home. But if he didn't, someone capable of using this tier of magic would immediately know of his deceit.
"None of the people I've seen so far is above level 30... But that could be deception... The Sword of Darkness seemed genuine to their level... but what about adamantites?"
In YGGDRASIL, the top 1% player is exponentially stronger than the bottom 70%. The same is true for every game and even real-life hierarchy. However, mid-tiers in YGGDRASIL could absolutely wipe the floor with this world's gold-ranked adventurers. If based on that, the adamantites probably would not be a threat, though there still lurks the matters of the unknown enemy.
"Damn, what should I answer?!"
There was an uncanny feeling at the back of his mind as if the development which led him to this situation was planned. But he decided to continue to the matter at hand; after all, he had been silent for quite a while.
"Ahem, pardon me, master Ainzach. I was just pondering how I should explain... Could I borrow a map from earlier?"
"Certainly." said the guild master as he pulled out the same crudely drawn one. "While I would be delighted to provide you with more accurate ones, I trust you understand that we could not share our cartography works so casually.
Nodding in understanding, Momonga gently traced his finger on the map, as if drawing an invisible circle from it. Of course, he could not clearly understand how much area he covered as he could not read the map legends. However, he had a rough estimation due to his trip to the Katze Plains.
"Would opening [Gate] consecutively be possible to extend the distance?" asked the guild master thoughtfully.
"That would be tricky." The overlord replied. "While it is theoretically possible, the item that allows me to divine locations also has its limits. And it can only be activated four times a day with each session not being longer than six minutes."
"That should make enough sense... right?"
"I see." The guild master said, pouring another glass for himself. "I would need to inform the higher-ups of this. Expect a contract by tomorrow evening. If all goes according to plan, the payment shouldn't be short of 150 gold per trip."
"Question... Would I be registered as an adventurer? If so, what rank would I be placed."
"No, you will be labelled as an associate instead. However, if you wish, you could register with the receptionist downstairs, but I highly do not recommend it."
Momonga looked with utmost curiosity. "Is that so...?"
"Yes, you see. Unless they are above mythril rank, the adventurers are paid very minimally. As demonstrated by the Sword of Darkness earlier... But in spite of that, we often overwork low rankers under the guise of 'training' them."
"Uwa, sound just like HeroHero-san's company... If only he's here to hear this."
"I don't suppose it has always been this way?"
"Of course not... Not until the cracks first appeared... Every branch of the guilds suffered greatly. Not only did our greatest assets die, but new talents also did not have environments to grow as many of us were conscripted to push back the cracks... But not long after, the situation relaxed a bit. The monsters from the cracks made no attempt to attack us unless we entered the miasma around it. After a bit, at least in Re-Estize, conscription was relaxed."
"I've heard from that boy - Climb, that the miasma corrupts everything in its vicinity. So I suppose having a massive army of conscripts wouldn't be able to close the job."
Ainzach clicked his tongue and slightly nodded. Was he impressed? Or did he wish to explain that himself? Momonga could not quite read him.
"With proper support, it's possible for one to linger in the miasma without much effect. Since every monster in it needed to be eradicated before the crack closed, we had to perform a prolonged skirmish in order to bring down a single one... And that is when everything went downhill for the guild."
He sighed before producing a crystal whose colour is hard to describe. In its centre was coloured white. However, the colour bordering it would be almost dark purple, a contrast of brightness and twilight. However, the further from the centre, the lighter the purple was like a sun which, instead of emitting light, flooded out darkness instead. It radiated a soft purple-ish colour which neither gave warmth nor cold.
"Beautiful thing, isn't it...? This is a chaos stone. It's dropped from vanquished chaos beasts... It took us quite some time before we could exploit it."
"What exactly can it do?"
The appearance reminded Momonga of YGGDRASIL's data crystal. However, the size, colouring, and perhaps shape, were not quite exact.
"Healing, restoring mana, enhancing gears, repairing magic items, synthesising into something else, curing those infected by the miasma, and much more... Some might even call it philosopher's stone due to its seemingly perfected properties... And soon enough, with us being the only ones to fight the beasts, we monopolised this thing and gained influence beyond any of the nation's control. And that's when the reorganisation happened, local guild masters' power was lessened while the council grew more and more powerful."
Hearing that, the inner salary man within the overlord was deeply disturbed. The situation was similar but not as severe as his world's. Cooperates rose to rival the government because of their influence and monopolies on goods, and eventually overtook the law to become governments themselves.
With a deep sigh, the guild master briefly glanced at the exit before addressing Momonga. "That should be about everything. Thank you for your time; you may leave now."
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Returning to the inn, Momonga noticed that Remedios the bard was still performing. However, the crowd of people was even thinner, as if dispersing along with the unclouded fogs. He noticed a brief glance from the performer, but that would be the extent of their interaction.
"Now that I think about it... why is a former paladin working as a bard?! Couldn't she work as a sellsword or some kind of bodyguard? And where are the rest of the refugees...? Well, I suppose miss Kelart retained her line of work..."
Perhaps his more...emotional friends would be quick to help them; maybe some would even suggest aiding in taking back their fallen kingdom. But Momonga saw no benefit from such perilous philanthropy.
For now, he must gather as much information as possible, and with a bag of currency in hand, he would experiment if they can be converted into YGGDRASIL currency, or even substitute for the resurrection cost.
Had something not caught his mind, he probably would enter the inn immediately-
"Khajiit's lovable pastel pastries?" he muttered to himself. Thanks to his earlier purchase, he could now read the new world texts.
Not far from the inn stood a stall in a shade of bright pink. On it lies a big sign which Momonga just read. A skeleton underneath diligently handed out what seemed to be flyers. "Hmm... I should buy some for Demiurge and Sixth..."
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Upon entering the shop advertised on the pamphlet, which was quite a distance from the inn. Momonga was greeted with the aromatic air of freshly baked bread, while he no longer possessed the sense of taste, somehow, his sense of smell was undamaged if not enhanced.
"Welcome to Khajiit's pastries dear customer!" Greeted a man who wore intricate-looking red robes. His face reminded him of one of his old bosses, aged and bald. He smiled creepily and gestured for the overlord to browse.
Looking from the outside, the bakery looked to be quite spacious. But the space used to display the various bread and for customers to look around is but a size of a glorified lavatory.
"Do you have any recommendations?"
With a swift motion, the older man made his way to one of the showcases; retrieving two baskets each having replica of bread arrangements pasted on it.
"I call this one 'Maternity love', it features banana bread as its centre, surrounded by equally sweet brioche and cinnamon bagel. This one featured plain bread as a filler, but it's slightly sweetened by honey and sugar."
"Sixth might like this one... I think?"
"The other one is named 'Mother's kindness'. It featured herb-infused bread with mostly salt being the main flavouring. It might have a bitter aftertaste, but after that's passed, the after-aftertaste—If you will; would be rewarding
"What's with the names?!"
"If I order ten of each, can you prepare it immediately?"
"But of course! I will give some extras because of your big order!" Khajiit said before turning around to the archway connected to the room. "Mamaaa~ Ten of ML and MK! and giftbag too~"
The way he said it made Momonga almost burst into laughter, seeing an old man talk like some form of a grade-schooler is rather amusing. Thankfully, he held on long enough for his timely emotional suppressor.
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"Welcome back, Momonga-sama!" said Sixth with a smile. The level of coincidence it took for him to teleport to where the maid was cleaning was baffling. One could say that he possessed some form of ultimate luck. Next to her, skeletons holding sponges and buckets could be seen, scrubbing the walls. "The entirety of the tenth floor had been cleaned to the best of my abilities, I should finish this floor within tomorrow!"
"Excellent work Sixth, I assure you that you will be rewarded for your efficient work."
"S-Serving Momonga-sama is enough of a reward for me..." She turned away blushing slightly. "And I have the help of Momonga-sama's summons, so it's not entirely my handiwork..."
"Was her characterisation always this way? I don't quite recall..."
"Is that so? Don't push yourself too hard... Once you are done, proceed to the first floor... Ah, that reminds me. Does your ring work properly in this world?"
"I believe so, It's negated my fatigue and my other needs as intended so far."
"I see... Is your [Item Box] still functional? I've brought you some bread from nearby human settlements"
"I...I-I'm overjoyed!" exclaimed Sixth as she looked and sounded like she was about to cry. "T-The storage is damaged, but a part of it remains usable."
Hearing that, the overlord handed out a basket full of all kinds of pastries, as if portioned for ten grown adults. However, this much is only 'sufficient' for a homunculus, who's known for their high food maintenance.
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In the throne room stood Demiurge, and another demon who was not one of the evil lords. Its species was dubbed 'Abyss Demon', with a muscular shiny grey body, a pair of dark wings and an animal skull masking its face, it looked rather intimidating.
"-And that is why I believe resurrecting Shalltear-sama would be the best course of action." said Abyss Demon.
"So that's your conclusion from my given data... Interesting." Demiurge smiled satisfyingly before continuing. "However, going by your scenario, you failed to take account of how our equipment returned along with the resurrection.
"...Then Aureole-sama would be the best decision considering her equipped world item." replied the Abyss Demon. "An item that can break through any teleportation restrictions will prove to be useful against our unknown enemy. However, assuming that Nazarick fell once even with her being active, we should take into account that it may be ineffective."
"In conclusion...?" urged Demiurge.
"Aureole-sama would still be the best decision due to Shalltear-sama's cost being too steep."
"Most interesting... Wouldn't you agree Momonga-sama?" the demon said as he turned towards his master before bowing gracefully, followed by his minion.
With a hand motion, the two would raise their heads. Who knows how they could observe his movements even with their heads down.
"I know it has not been more than two hours since our last conversation, but I believe you have updates...?" said Momonga, getting into his character.
"Yes, Momonga-sama. Thanks to your [Gate], Greed is now commanding lesser demons I spawn and initiated the mining operation. Anti-divination measures had been put up as instructed. We also intensified nearby undead in order to deter possible invaders."
"...Might I speak up?" asked the Abyss Demon. Seeing Momonga's approval, he continued. "While the deterrence certainly would be effective against the low-grade enemy, would it not be particularly attractive for stronger ones?
"Ah, that problem has been taken into account and resolved, isn't that correct, Momonga-sama?" Demiurge paused for a brief moment before a twisted smile started to form on his face. "I just realised, but from the first moments you use [Gate] for that human, you had already foreseen this development."
"Uwa... his smile is quite scary... Well, I suppose it's less scary than that Renner... Still, which human? the Sword of Darkness...? No, is he talking about Climb?"
"Ahem, I permit you to explain Demiurge."
Before Suzuki's hope—to glimpse into the demon's delusions of his master's intelligence—could be accomplished. The Abyss Demon bowed deeply and spoke up.
"My deepest apologies, Momonga-sama, Demiurge-sama. I understand now."
"Couldn't you at least share what you understood?!"
Just then, a flash of brilliance sparked in Suzuki's mind. He just had to ask the demon to confirm that 'If they really are on the same page.' or 'In order to prevent false conclusions'. . . .But it seemed the overlord basked in the afterglow of his genius for a tad bit too long.
"Just so." said smiling Demiurge before he changed topics. "Next, during our preliminary cleaning, Sixth and my Evil lords reported one most peculiar fact about the state of this tomb. While magic items stored in various places are mostly gone, the stationary ones are mostly untouched—If we disregard that, most are broken like other furniture."
"I know that [Item Box] isn't taken... but everything else too? Could it be because the invaders couldn't carry it off? No... they could've just detached them..."
"Additionally, items with no magical properties or concealed ones were not taken, at least from the second floor onwards... Due to this level of incompetence, it's unlikely the dragon that human vendor described is not the one who destroyed us, but merely an opportunist." the demon concluded.
"So that dragon hoarded all magic items it could find and placed them at the entrance, making a few trips to carry it to its lair. Those treasure hunters took some before being sealed off...? I suppose that makes sense enough..."
Though this revelation came to light, he still was distant away from discovering the truth behind Nazarick's destruction. Also, Demiurge's conclusion failed to explain one thing.
"What about the treasury?" Momonga spoke. Wanted an explanation of how it was breached, but it seems Demiurge understood it as something else.
"As expected of Momonga-sama. A detail never missed your calculations." The demon bowed deeply in respect; his expression turned even more Renner-like. "While it is obvious to see that the raid of the treasury is done by a different culprit, everything in it, including low-tier material, was taken. Yet, this unknown enemy did not take the minor items from other floors. While there are conclusions I can form at this moment, I don't believe them to be as accurate as yours."
Quickly grasping what was happening, the overlord nodded satisfyingly. "I permit you to gather information about the outside world once the defences are properly established, but you are prohibited from putting yourself in danger."
Demiurge smiled warmly as he bowed, "As you wish, Momonga-Sama."
Seeing his queue to leave, Abyss Demon made his respect before leaving the room.
"Was that your summon? I find it strange he retained memory from Nazarick, despite being re-summoned not resurrected."
"I suspect some variations in ways we invoke summoning in this world might be at play." said Demiurge as he showed a slight frame of uncertainty. "Meanwhile, my evil lords are different from the ones I used to have. They certainly are royal and follow the hierarchy well, but did not share memories."
Momonga contemplated for a bit. Unlike Demiurge, he should know the answer to this. For the sole reason that he held more... meta-information.
Abyss Demon the NPC was described by the flavour text to be Demiurge's default summon, unlike the Evil Lord's which are independent bodyguards.
"Wait...! If NPCs are based on their descriptions... could spells be the same?" He thought to himself.
After handing over baskets of bread to the Demon, Momonga made way to the library of Ashurbanipal, where an area to perform tests had been prepared for.
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Momonga did not know how much time passed.
Had it been an hour? Or perhaps two.
He couldn't tell; he was simply so focused on experimenting with the exchange box and other things to confirm that they could be used.
The notable gists that were written down were as follows:
- The new world's gold currency he received can be a substitute for the resurrection, but only at 0.5x efficiency. Converting them to YGGDRASIL currency yields the same result. Two new world gold equals one YGGDRASIL coin.
- The copper, silver and platinum currency could not be used. Putting them into the exchange box yielded a low result as the box cared for nothing other than the raw material, not its actual value.
- Vague spells worked like its flavour text instead of its actual in-game mechanic. [Wish upon the star], for example, could actually will something to existence. Momonga tried to use it to restore the guild and learn the identity of the culprit. However, both of his attempts delivered no result other than draining charges from his ring.
- In contrast, the equipments worked as they should and not in accordance with their texts.
- Throwing his spawned undead into the exchange box does not result in anything. However, an undead summoned from a corpse will yield some value, but not practical enough to justify killing mountains of humans or robbing graves just for this purpose.
There are also other minor things he thought did not merit writing them down.
Author's Notes:
Relatively short chapter, the next one should be extra-long to compensate. The pacing should begin to accelerate too.
Thank you for reading and your patience! Feel free to leave a review; positive or negative is irrelevant! I will be sure to respond to everything personally~
I just had my third dose of vaccine today.
My heart is beating like crazy, soft burning sensation under the skin of my arms and legs. And my body ached as much as my head, though it probably would not result in my death, unfortunately.
Until later!
