A/n: Thank you all for your support; chapter 2 was out so quickly because I wrote about half of it the same day I wrote chapter 1. Expect chapters more in the 2-3 day time frame.
Cristian: I forgot to moderate reviews, so I didn't see yours, sorry! But do remember that apathy is a human emotion, not limited to the undead. I gave the reason in the first chapter. But Ainz's life was flipped upside-down, and he is now coming to terms with things. I think we would all be apathetic.
Overlord666: Probably not, if by that you mean level 100 (Probablemente no, si con eso te refieres al nivel 100)
Part: 1
Hours had passed since Jircniv's meeting with Ainz. Now court had long been in session, and Jircniv was fighting off the urge to sleep. Jircniv had only been half paying attention to what his vassals were saying, but he knew what this was about.
For months now, since Kayal Rile Furt's death, his son, who inherited his title, has been spending his family's wealth at an unprecedented rate. To Jircniv, this was a betrayal of his father. That gold was not his to spend. That gold was the culmination of generations of his ancestors' hard work and dedication, not his pocket change.
Jircniv had already decided on this matter. Despite Count Furt's easily manipulated nature, he would not allow such a fool to be his vassal. So the constant back and forth of the various noblemen on whether or not Sir Furt would receive some form of punishment was moot to him. There were many reasons the nobility wanted Count Furt punished, namely that Kayal had been a prominent distributor of goods within the capital, but after the rise of his son, deals started to break down. Suddenly, and without warning, Count Furt had decided to cancel these arrangements, citing that said deals didn't have enough in them for him.
"Ridiculous! Kayal is rolling in his grave, you fools!" Viscount Zesch shouted at Count Furt and what few took his side.
"It is you who is the fool, Viscount! It is imperative that nobility show the wealth they have! Or would you rather Count Furt live as an impecunious peasant!" Count Femel retorted.
"It matters not how he lives now, fool! In but a few years, that is exactly what he will be!" as Viscount Zesch said this, gasps and laughter filled the room.
"How dare you, Viscount!" Count Furt retorted in a rage, but his anger was overshadowed by the mocking laughs of the various nobility.
"Enough-" Jircniv bellowed, bringing silence to the room.
"Your petty squabbling bores me. Even Ainz has more sense than this," Jircniv said, closing his eyes and shaking his head in disapproval.
As Jircniv spoke, an array of emotions filled the room. Some showed mocking smiles, others discontent frowns. But the most noticeable reaction was that of Count Furt. His face was bright red, fists curled, and he visibly shook. The rage on his face was visible. But Count Furt knew that he couldn't speak up. Just after Jircniv ascended to the throne, Jircniv commenced the grand purge, which gave Jircniv his moniker of "Bloody Emperor." If Count Furt were to speak up here, he had no guarantee he wouldn't find himself on a list as the emperor had never seemed to like him. However, in his foolishness, Count Furt failed to realize that he had been on said list since Jircniv first caught wind of his activities.
Jircniv would not outright strip him of his title so soon, however. In doing so, he would be only receiving a minuscule, in comparison, addition to his collection of gold and getting rid of one more foolish noble. Instead, he would allow Count Furt to continue on his path to self-destruction for a time, and hopefully, in doing so, the grand fortune of the true Lord Furt would be at the least distributed into the economy of the empire.
Bringing the attention of the noblemen to him, Jircniv said, "if the price Count Furt gave is that bad, simply do more business with the commoners. I'm sure they would appreciate it more. Now, let us move on to something of greater importance before I dismiss the court," and all eyes went to the throne. Some seemed upset at Jircniv for not passing judgment, but they knew the emperor was not a fool and that he must have had his reasons.
"Preparations are almost complete, and our Legions are in place at the Katze-plains. In just one week, we will send our declaration," Jircniv addressed his vassals in a more serious tone.
"Your Majesty, why are we doing this? Just last year, we declared war on the Kingdom and got nothing from it. Why declare war again?" Count Alexander asked.
"That doesn't concern you. Just know that these plans have been layed for a long time, and I do not plan on ending them," Jircniv rebuked.
Some in the room exchanged glances, but they knew there was no opposing Jircniv; doing so would be suicide. So Count Alexander bowed and said, "understood, your majesty."
"Good, there will be no more questions like that," with this said, Jircniv continued. "Ah, one last thing. Ainz has shown interest in becoming a craftsman and enchanter; with all of my most capable busy with the war effort, I will need one of you to lend me one of yours who is competent enough to teach him. Rest assured, you will receive compensation for their time."
With this said, a little under a fourth of the noblemen in the room raised their hand. But Jircniv already had a person in mind. The only reason he bothered to mention this in court was to send information down the gossip train and, in doing so, add more fuel to the fire, bringing Ainz's reputation to even greater heights. Jircniv was sure word would get around; whether by the fools who would try and use it against him or those simply interested in gossip, it mattered little to Jircniv.
"Duke Vanelland, are you offering to send Elias?" Jircniv asked with the eyes of the room going wide. Elias Parrott was well known in the empire for the quality of his work, so known in fact that Jircniv had granted him a knighthood. It was only natural for people to be so surprised.
But Jircniv wanted to give the best opportunities he could to Ainz, and with Ainz saying he wanted to work with metal, Elias would be the perfect teacher, and despite Ainz not being allowed to work with metal yet, a smith was not just a metal worker. Being experienced as he is, Elias would know how to work with metal and wood. But Jircniv wanted Elias in the capital for more than just to teach Ainz.
Nimble has been one of Jircniv's knights for the better part of a year, yet the quality of his sword left much to be desired. So while Elias was in the capital, Jircniv would be sure to commission a sword worthy of Nimble's skills.
"Your majesty, wouldn't you rather Elias work on making weapons for the war effort?" Duke Vanelland questioned.
"We are not equipping the common troops with mithril and adamantine swords. Elias' work is unnecessary for this war, and who said he won't be?" Hearing Jircniv say this, The gathered noblemen shared many confused glances.
"Might I ask what you mean by that? Your majesty," Duke Vanelland questioned.
"The time has come for Nimble to receive a new sword. I plan on commissioning Elias for the job."
When Nimble heard this, he could not help but be surprised. Nimble was Jircniv's newest knight, someone who was still, in a sense, proving his worth. To receive a sword from the best smith in the empire was to receive a small fortune. Something unthinkable for Nimble. In noble society, Nimble was only one step away from being a commoner. Being the third son of a baron, this was something Nimble would never be able to afford without the help of Jircniv. So to say he was grateful was an understatement.
"Very well, your majesty," Duke Vannelland said resignedly.
"Now, when would be the soonest he could arrive in the capital?"
"Considering the distance and time needed to finish his work and pack the tools he would need…." Duke Vannelland raised a hand and scratched his chin, " around three months, your majesty."
"Very well, we will speak more about compensation and the specifics of what Ainz is to be taught later. Now, you all know your tasks. Court is dismissed."
Part 2:
The streets of Baharuth were a buzz with activity with people going about their day. If it weren't for the perimeter cleared of people around him, Ainz was pretty sure he would get lost in the crowd. With Fluder and a few of his disciples, along with Olivia, Ainz made his way to the market district, only stopping to wave at the crowds of people, which sometimes blocked his path.
"Your majesty!" a citizen called out to Ainz, which prompted him to respond with a wave.
"He noticed me!"
"He's so cute!"
"I know, right?" hearing the people talk about him in such a way made Ainz think.
'Uwa, are they serious? It's like I'm a celebrity or something. Oh, wait…'
"Make way for his Highness!" Fluder's disciple demanded of the crowd.
It only took moments for the paparazzi to obey and only moments more for Ainz to continue down the road. The destination that they were heading for was the market district. While Ainz was merely going to browse the shops, he knew that Fluder had reason to be going to the market district, although not what he was doing, which got Ainz curious, so he decided to ask.
"Fluder sensei, you said you're working on some kind of ritual, right?"
"Indeed, Ainz. Are you curious?" Fluder asked back, glad to finally be able to share the joy of magic with someone.
"Yeah, what would a strong magic caster like you need a ritual for? Couldn't you just do everything yourself?" Ainz asked, genuinely confused. The only rituals in Yggdrasil were those required to progress through quests or those used to change races. The average player would only bother learning about those said rituals for those purposes and would swiftly forget soon after, and Ainz was the same way. A player would simply have no use for it.
'Although, now that I think about it, maybe there was some kind of hidden job class focussed around them? Just what kind of results could a level one hundred ritual bring forth?' The more Ainz thought about it; the more Ainz realized there could have been a class like that players simply overlooked while doing more fun things in the game.
"Well, I cannot discuss it thoroughly, especially here in public. However, I can say that as strong as I am, Ainz, there are many things I cannot do alone." Hearing this, Fluders disciples couldn't help but smile in pride.
"Really?" Ainz asked, genuinely confused.
Ainz, of course, knew that Fluder, in the grand scheme of things, isn't that strong. However, Ainz did not expect Fluder to face problems he couldn't solve; considering the weakness of the world, relatively, Fluder was extremely strong. For Fluder to have a problem doing something would mean one of two things to Ainz: Firstly, perhaps Fluder was trying to reach the Seventh-Tier, but he lacks the mana to do so on his own. Alternatively, perhaps Fluder was attempting to turn himself into an undead, but Ainz found this highly unlikely. It would make sense to Ainz if Fluder hadn't already surpassed an average human's life span, but that wasn't the case.
Fluder smiled warmly at Ainz and replied, "Yes, Ainz, I would like to discuss this more with you; however, it is classified information. If you wish to know, you must ask your father."
Fluder was developing a ritual because he was working on a new spell, a spell inspired by the undead's ability to dominate other Undead. If Fluder were successful, it would open a vista of opportunities. Both in his magical research and the empire. The Empire's economy relied on elven slave labor, no doubt a deliberate move by the Slane Theocracy to make the Empire reliant on them. However, Jircniv was not a fan of this. Jircniv knew that slave labor was only a temporary solution to a permanent problem. Sooner or later, the empire could not support itself on slave labor alone. A fundamental problem with slaves is that they are just that, slaves. An enslaved person would receive no wage, meaning the empire would receive no income tax. In addition, without a salary, an enslaved person would never be able to distribute money into the economy. The only ones who benefited were the owners of said slaves and the theocracy for continuing their profit-motivated war.
As Fluder and Ainz walked, they continued in silence, with Ainz observing the surrounding shops; Ainz could not help but be surprised by the things he was seeing. The quality of the Items might have been sub-par compared to Yggdrasil, but Ainz was not blind to the effort that went into their construction. Some stores displayed intricate magic items, others fine goods like expensive furniture. Ainz had wanted to walk into every store simply to look around; however, Ainz's time was limited, so he would have to set these desires aside.
Upon observing a particular shop, Ainz stopped, getting Fluders attention by grabbing his robe he asked. "Fluder-sensei, What are those?" Pointing at said shop.
"Oh, has something grabbed your attention, Ainz?" Fluder asked, looking at the shop.
The shop Ainz was pointing to was a store that sold goods first theorized in the new world by the minotaur sage and later brought into being by the Minotaur Nation. Walking into the store with Fluder's disciples staying outside, the shopkeeper immediately had an intake of breath and said.
"W-welcome to the Sage's Showroom, your highness, Fluder-sama. H-how may I help you?" the shopkeeper stuttered out.
Fluder gestured to Ainz, and he got the message, so he asked, "What is that?" pointing to an item on display in the window. Ainz had heard of the Minotaur sage the first time he saw a magic ice box, and he knew that the Minotaur sage was most likely a player given his storied knowledge. But this specific item caught Ainz's attention.
"W-why, that is a fan, your majesty. Are you perhaps interested in purchasing one?" The shopkeeper quickly walked to the window and retrieved the item in question.
"How does that fan spin?" Ainz asked to the room, and Fluder quickly replied.
"It is enchanted, your highness," Fluder asked, confused as to what Ainz was asking.
"I know Fluder-sensei. But what is it just enchanted to do? Just spin? Why not place that enchantment on wheels to make a horseless wagon?"
Hearing this, the shopkeeper smiled. He, too, had the same idea. Unfortunately for him and Ainz, however, the idea had also been thought of by the store's namesake.
"That is a great idea, your highness. Unfortunately, I regret to inform you that the minotaur sage has already beat you to that Idea. However, no one has been able to make the idea into reality yet," the shopkeeper informed Ainz.
"How come?"
"That would be because a wagon is simply too heavy, your majesty. Such a wagon would require a much more powerful enchantment."
"I see," Ainz said, thinking about how he could make the idea into reality.
'Isn't that like, the whole purpose of gears?' Ainz wondered to himself.
'Wait, yeah. It might not go as fast, but all I would need to do is attach a big gear to the fan and a small one to the wheel or axel… wouldn't that work?' Ainz thought, bringing a hand to his chin in contemplation.
After a short silence, Ainz asked, "how much does it cost?" looking at the fan that the shopkeeper placed on the table.
"Ordinarily, it would be fifteen gold; however, I will give your highness a good price at ten gold," the shopkeeper said with a smile.
'Ten gold!' Ainz thought incredulously, 'Isn't that the price of a small family home!?'
"Isn't that price high? What do you think, Fluder-sensei?"
"I could see how you would think that way, your highness. For a simple magic item like this, one might expect the price to be small. However, that price is reasonable considering the reagents needed for the enchantment process and the enchantment fee." Fluder concluded.
"That makes sense, I suppose," Ainz said. Ainz was still confused about how exactly the enchantment process worked in the New World. In Yggdrasil, enchantments took place via data crystals, but this world's approach was more complicated. Ainz assumed the process was something similar but more deluded. 'Perhaps," Ainz thought, 'Data crystals in this world are a form of pure enchantment, simply apply it to the item in question, and done. Maybe the enchantments of this world are an impure form of that? Are the purpose of the reagents and enchantment to imitate the effects of a data crystal?' But until Ainz had any data crystals to work with, proving this would be impossible.
"May I have one? Fluder-sensei?"
"Hm? " Yes, of course, James," Fluder said, calling for one of his disciples.
James, walking in, asked, "Yes? Fluder-sama?"
"Give the shopkeeper ten gold."
"Yes, Fluder-sama," James replied.
Soon after exchanging gold, Ainz and Fluder were back on their way down the street with Olivia carrying the fan worth an entire elf's life. While walking, Fluder asked, "Is that all you wished to do today, Ainz?"
"No, I really wanted to visit an actual magic item shop," Ainz said.
"Not to worry, Ainz, that is where we will be heading to pick up the materials I need. Is there anything else?"
"Oh, well, not really then. Does the shop we are going to have enchanted weapons?"
"Indeed it does, your majesty. Is that where you wish to go next? However, if we do, we will have to return to the Castle immediately afterward."
"All right, that sounds good to me," Ainz said as Fluder immediately began walking towards his favorite shop.