AN; Thank you all so much for the positive reviews! I never thought this would take off so quickly. I'm hopping to post on fridays.

Even if they are small asides, like mini side stories. (Don't worry, they'll be labeled as such for anyone who only cares about the main line.)

Now, on with the show!

Citrinitas navigated her way through Nazarick by instinct alone. Any NPC of Nazarick should know its tunnels by heart, and she was no different. Although the newfound knowledge scared her a little. In her 6 years, she hadn't really been around Nazarick all too much, say for events but even then she hadn't seen it all. The entirety of the map came to her like it was something she knew from birth.

'Just how much about me is different now?' She wondered, looking at her hands, feeling a strength that wasn't there in her past life. 'If my stats are higher than Luther's, what would that mean mentally? What dictates a higher intelligence stat, if that is a measurable stat at all? It would be impossible for someone to measure themselves in a vacuum, much like how a camera can't see itself. Perhaps it is best that I leave these questions under the rug for now.'

Despite the enormous size of Nazarick, it was never quiet in it's halls. Maids and servants diligently fought the tide of dust, monsters wandered the halls on patrol, and barricaded doors were always being opened and shut. A tension hovered in the air as guard monsters seemed vigilant and ready. Nazarick's security was raised to max.

As Citrinitas was passing one of the cleaning maid groups, they stopped her. They were eager to know, and one of them had mustered the courage to speak up.

"Is it true Lady Citrinitas, is there really a race to be Lord Momonga's wife?"

"Uhh." She didn't know how to reply to that, the distinct memories of paparazzi hounding people came to mind. Citrinitas gathered herself for the barrage of questions she was no doubt going to be barraged with on the daily. "Yes, there are several women looking for Lord Momonga's favor."

"Are you really in the running?"

"... Yes." The maids squealed to themselves. She took the opportunity to remove herself from the situation and carry on.

"We are rooting for you! Good luck!" They called out before returning to their duties. Dust and other common dirts were a common find in any structure this large, but add on the wide array of monsters to the mix, and things can get intense. Some oozed trails of gunk that had to be mopped. Others had sharp claws that damaged the carpets which needed to be sown. At least 3 that Citrinitas had seen were larger than the common door, and one of them was prone to bumping into things (the large flesh golem, lovingly named Frank, had broken a wall light trying to get out of her way.). Nazaricks halls were never quiet, something was always happening.

Descending past the throne area, and into the private sanctums of the players, Citrnitas carried forth till she found Lord Momonga's section. Each sanctum was an expression of the players themselves, much like how a house reflects the people who live in it. Lord Momonga's appeared fairly normal, matching the aesthetic of Nazarick as a whole. The walls and furniture seemed appropriate, however upon closer inspection, one could see his personality. His desk was like that of a corporate boss, complete with his own name tablet. The bookshelf was full, not of necromantic tomes, but game guides, ledgers, and a few personal books of his collection.

Citrinitas bowed, approaching Lord Momonga's desk. "Lord Momonga, you summoned me?"

"Please, there's no reason to be so formal, take a seat." He gestured over to the fireplace and… was that a mockery of a tv? His 'office was more a lounge than a true office, Lord Momonga wasn't an uptight man. He followed her over and took a seat across from her at the coffee table. "You mentioned a 'new normality', I wanted to hear more about it."

"Where would you like me to start, Lord Momonga?"

"What changed when we came here?" If Citrinitas wasn't a member of Nazarick, she would have sweat after hearing that question. She feared he was on to her.

'How much does he know? What does he think he knows? Do I reveal I'm not truly an NPC like the others? While it may be nice to have his backing, the others are already looking to kill me. Perhaps it would be best to hold my cards for now, for my safety. Unless I can establish my security, I cannot have his attention focused on me.'

"When we came here, I felt that how we did Alchemy had changed. I didn't believe we were in Yggdrasil anymore," Momonga's eyes shined at that. "With this change, I fear the magic systems may have changed as well."

"I feel the same myself. The nature of my spellcasting has changed, albeit my potentials remain the same. To my current knowledge that is. Tell me Citrinitas, do you know what a GM call is?"

'A GM? Like a game master or admin? He's trying to flush me out!'

"Why do you ask?"

"Because I need to know just how much things have changed. Just how far from our old normal are we?"

Citrinitas sat in silence, weighing her options. The silence between the two ticking onward. The only sounds being that of the fire and of her breathing, while Lord Momonga's chest did not rise and fall, not even his fingers twitched. He stood absolute, waiting for her with emotionless eyes.

She cleared her through, "Not to my knowledge, however I fear I no longer have an inventory."

"Oh, go on." Momonga pushed, 'Perhaps she knows more than she lets on.'

"Well, back in Yggdrasil, the players would yell at each other about filling my inventory when my hands were too full to accept new items."

Momonga hummed to himself, logging her use of game terminology for later. "Now, Citrinitas, what about alchemy. Has anything changed there?"

"Not to my knowledge my Lord. I haven't had the chance to make anything yet, I shall inform you of my findings."

"Very well then, I shall want reports on this as soon as anything of note is found out. We will need your potions going forward." Momonga meant that fully, a master alchemist could make consumables that rivaled cash shop items, even if they didn't raise Nazaricks data limit.

Citrnitas stood up and bowed, "It shall be done, Lord Momonga." Promptly leaving for the safety of her lab.

Once the door closed, Momonga rested his head deeper into his armchair as he pondered everything he knew, and everything he knew he didn't know, and feared everything he didn't know he didn't know.

'I've been isekai'd with everything my guild had from Yggdrasil to a completely new world. We know nothing about this new setting other than that we know nothing. We must assume that other forces have arrived here, if I could cross into this new world then it would be safe to assume there are other worlds out there interacting with this one.

As for the NPC's, they all hold such high expectations of me! Half of them see me as a god, the other half see me as god-like. They all have such distinct personalities now, and seem to know each other like family, except me. I know little of them, and they know little of me.

Sebas suggested using a viewing mirror to safely scout for civilization, I'll have to get on that. Aura should be busy networking with the local wildlife, can't let anyone find us here without us knowing. Citrinitas is busy exploring magic, which will be incredibly important, if we can't restock then we are doomed to decay in power. Come on Momonga, think more positively! She definitely knows more than she's saying though, she has referred to us as players, mentioned losing her inventory, and seemed concerned when I mentioned GM call. Does she know Yggdrasil was a game? Maybe Albedo mentioned it to her after I groped - Gahh WHY!' Lord Momonga's inhibitor shined to life, curbing his embarrassment.

'At least Albedo loves me… against her own free will, that you changed. Would she have loved me without the changes? What are you talking about, I can't be in love with a subordinate, that causes all kinds of problems. I suppose it's better than being a slut.

I feel sorry for Aura and Mare. I lost my parents when I was their age, respectively, I can't let them grow up with what I didn't have. Either I'll get one of the other guardians to look after them, or I'll do it myself. I'll be the father I never had! Kind of a silly thought though. They're older than me, we're different species, and I am a skeleton, yet some problems go across such boundaries. I should probably check in on Aura come sunrise, see how that network is going.' Lord Momonga continued to stare at the ceiling, listing off everything he had to do.

Shutting the door behind her, Citrinitas sighed in relief. The loosening tension visible in her shoulders. 'That was a close one. If Lord Momonga finds out I know about the game, that gives him reason to focus on me, between Shalltear and Sis, I can't allow that.'

The sound of her shoes clicked along through the halls. Maids were rare, and the guards this deep in were invisible spiders that clung to the ceiling like security cameras, waiting patiently for prey. Silence was something Citrinitas was all too familiar with, and all too done with.

'What if he finds out I was human?' She stopped in her tracks, mind racing at the possibility. On one hand, he could see her as someone like himself, trapped in an unfamiliar body. On another, he could dive into more paranoia, picking at the brains of the other guardians. She doubted they would ever see him as once human, but demiurge was intelligent, if anyone could put the dots together, it would be him. On a different hand, he could just not care at all. The idea of his potential apathy for what she went through hurt her somewhere. Why did she care what Lord Momonga thought of her? Picking up the pace, she rushed down to her lab, desperate to get her mind off what was happening to her. 'Wait, was a human? No, you are human. We went through a lifetime together, so why do you feel so far away? Luther, I'm going to hold on to our humanity, I promise you that.'

The moment she slid open the glass panel, all eyes were on her. The assistants stopped their idle chatting and snapped to attention. The only sound being that of a maid mopping up the hall outside.

'Take a deep breath. If the guardians and Lord Momonga were anything to go off, then they believe in you.'

Citrinitas broke the silence. "Has anything gone missing?"

One of the assistants stepped forward. "No, Lady Citrinitas. Nothing has gone missing."

"That's a relief. We have orders from Lord Momonga, we are to resume production and report back to him on our findings. We'll start small, just health potions will do." The crowd began to move about collecting whatever they needed or prepping stations for use. She felt compelled to join in, as the desire to create and learn spoke to her. Luther had become a chemist for this very reason. Citrinitas couldn't help but follow in those traits.

Guided by instinct, she grabbed everything she needed for a health potion. Potion making, much like chemistry, plays off of elements. However, the elements in alchemy are more conceptual. Coffee has caffeine in it, which alters the functions of the brain to give that waking feeling. Caffeine in alchemy represented energy, and was an important base in many movement based positions, from speed to flight. Conceptual similarities.

As such a health potion required vitality and regeneration, however it would be important to add pain nullifiers as well. Can't have the patient puking it back up when they feel the pain of a leg growing back.

Water for a delivery method, much of which was going to be boiled off; blood grapes for vitality; they resembled grapes but had a rubbery outside that resembled veins, the fluid within is actually blood (O- to be precise); rabbit grass for regeneration, it resembled grass in name alone as it would spread and grow at terrifying speeds, the blades of grass themselves could be identified by their size and split resembling rabbit ears; and milk of the poppy for pain killing, only to be used in a small dose.

A cauldron was to be set to boil. There are giant cauldrons, but a simple health potion could be made in a small one. Meanwhile, the rabbit grass was to be diced and crushed in a mortar and pestle till it was a fine paste. That paste is then placed in a strainer for later. The blood grapes were to be cut into quarters, then placed in the strainer and pressed into the boiling cauldron. The liquid coming out will be a dark red, as the grape blood was unoxidised. Stir for 15 minutes, then add milk of the poppy. Remember to put the lid on. After this, the alchemist should step back from the cauldron before mana dumping, where the alchemist places their hand out and adds mana directly to the potion. Red fumes will form along the top (this is where most of the water is lost), don't breathe them in when opening the pot as poppy milk has been added.

One pot put through this process will result in one small, red vial of healing. It won't go bad as long as it is not opened.

Citrinitas moved on autopilot throughout this process, guided by a knowledge she didn't know she had. It came flooding forth like a student seeing math after winter break, they knew it but did not know it 5 minutes prior. A sense of glee bubbled up as she felt like a child again. Alchemy cared not about hyper precise measurements or complicated tables, but it's secrets were harder to advance through. Discoveries were difficult, as the exact nature of how things interacted would require multiple tests, like finding the variables in algebra. She imagined that any alchemist who didn't have a massive garden would constantly need to resupply, which would naturally drive up the prices.

The head alchemist turned around and raised her vial for all to see. Light applause met her discovery as the assistants struggled to make it work. Out of the 15 groups of 2, only 3 groups successfully made the red health potions, the other 12 made a deep blue, almost purple, variant.

She walked over to the closest blue team and looked at their station; their ingredients were different then her own. They had used hell honey (made by infernal bees. Not fun to harvest.) instead of blood grapes. Similar trends were seen amongst the blue potions, slight variations falling short of purity. Amongst the reds, there were less variations.

Citrinitas spoke up for everyone to hear. "All recipes that successfully made a red potion are to be recorded and brought to my office. As for the blues, get to testing, this is something new." There was no disappointment among the alchemists, for there was no such thing as failure in this scenario. Data had been found, discoveries made. A sense of pride was present amongst them, as their head alchemist was decisive, optimistic, lead by example, and curious.

She retreated into her office. It was a small space, about the size of a cheap college dorm. The desk faced the door, pressed up to the side to allow her to squeeze by. Shelves were littered with scrolls of parchment, books that were only labeled on their faces and not the spines, and random knick knacks that gave the space a dark alchemist feeling. The lighting was terrible, with only one light source in the middle of the ceiling, it was a glass orb that emitted a pale green light. Certainly ominous, terrible for reading and writing.

Her fountain pen danced along the page, detailing the nature of her findings in simple terms, as she knew Lord Momonga didn't have a full education and it was best to avoid intense academic language for his sake. Amongst her and her assistants' findings, several key features stood out. Alchemy was more expensive in the new world, more resources had to be put in for the same output. Made sense, game inventories often obscured values (how much rag is in a single inventory slot of rag?). Alchemy took longer, a health potion in Yggdrasil took 15 minutes, as the water boiling and ingredient prep time was ignored. There were recipes we didn't know. The existence of the blue potions implies information outside of Yggdrasil, normally those recipes would have been denied, you can't make something that doesn't exist within the game's limits. However, the new world didn't have those same limits. She took her time with her report, as no mentions of inventories or game logic could slip through.

Not much had changed about Citrinitas's handwriting aside from the tool being used. It was sharp and jagged along the top and bottom, entirely in a controlled cursive. The report was topped off with a wax seal. Not that it was needed, she just really wanted to use a wax seal. She handed it off to an assistant.

Their stored supplies were a little on the scarce side. After all, why would you need that many healing potions when you had a healer on your team? Without the supreme ones, there were no dedicated healers, with Mare being the only notable healer but one boy can't be expected to heal all of Nazarick around the clock.

The lab was alive with activity, for the first time in over 6 years, it was being put to full use. Days passed. Cauldrons boiled and bubbled, fumes rose, and work moved at a blistering pace. An assembly line was formed, one section would prepare suitable recipes, the next would handle the cauldrons. There was a separate section at the blackboard, listing off everything they knew about the blue potions, long flowcharts of recipes and connections were drawn up. Reasons were written up and erased to be replaced.

Citrintas sat in her office reading everything she had. There was so much to know, Yggdrasil's lore was complicated and messy, often times not making complete sense. Some of the books were actually written by players, as they recorded some of their findings. She felt like she was on to something about Yggdrasil when there was a knock at her door.

An assistant popped her head in with a worried look on her face. "Lady Citrinitas. I'm afraid to inform you, we've hit a roadblock."

"What is it?"

"We don't have any test subjects for our new potions, the girls and I were thinking about how there's only so much that can be achieved through theory. Tests would need to be done to find out more." Hearing this, Citrintas leaned forward in thought.

'Makes sense. Only so much could be done within the confines of theory. Do we even have test subjects for this? What would even suffice as test subjects. They would have to be animals with fairly normal biologies, which scratches off all of Nazarick as everything is a monster here.'

Leaving her realm of thought, Citrintas said "Go talk to whoever can help with that. Your desire for tests has been granted, but I have no resources that could help you with that."

"Thank you. I shall speak with Demiurge at once." With a bow and shutting the door behind her, the assistant ran off to speak with the devil. 'This is going to be so much fun. I can taste the practical knowledge now.' She thought to herself as she hurried to find Demiurge.

A loud crash brought Citrintas to her senses. She dashed out the door to find a sight that stole what little red there was in her face.

Lord Momonga had teleported in. His robes were singed, and he smelt of carnage. In his arms was a warrior clad in black armor, her helmet removed. Albedo had been wounded.