Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

Suo Liuxiang lowered his eyes and remained silent.

Sebastian took a list from his pocket and handed it over.

“During this time, the Aindora family’s influence has been helping to collect magic scrolls. Most of them are production-type scrolls, and this type of magic does not exist in Nazarick.”

Suo Liuxiang took the list.

"Your task is to remain in the capital and be responsible for receiving and storing these scrolls."

Suo Liuxiang carefully folded the list and put it into his pocket.

“There’s one more thing.” Sebastian paused subtly. “Because of Mr. Rune, a group of noble ladies have recently invited you to a banquet.”

Suo Liuxiang raised her eyelids.

"This is a great opportunity. Although those noble ladies do not participate in politics, they are all people in the decision-making circle of the capital. A lot of valuable information can be obtained from their casual conversations."

Sebastian said, "So it's the most appropriate arrangement for you to stay in the capital."

Suo Liuxiang remained silent for a moment.

“…I understand, Lord Sebastian.”

Meanwhile, in another house, Rune was standing by the window, his fingers gently tapping on the windowsill.

He was unaware of the debate taking place in the throne room, but the outcome was exactly as he had predicted.

The specific information about the dragons lured Sebastian to the Dragon Kingdom, while the invitations from the noble ladies of the capital prompted Solus to stay.

Without Solusian as a third wheel, Rune can do much more.

Chapter 71 Accepting the Invitation

The man lit the lantern at his waist, and the special oil emitted a green flame, illuminating the surroundings with an eerie light.

Stepping outside, a wave of heat hit him. The man looked annoyed, but it was hot this time of year anyway. Even though the sun had set, the kingdom remained unbearably sweltering.

"Ugh, it's so hot today."

"That's right. I heard it's cooler towards the North Sea."

The man complained, and his partner chimed in.

"I wish it would rain."

He looked up at the sky; the night sky was clear, without a single cloud.

"Alright, let's get to work."

To call them ordinary villagers would be a stretch. With long swords at their waists and leather armor, their bodies and faces exuded an aura of violence, making them far from being peasants.

The two men walked silently through the village. The village, shrouded in darkness, was eerily silent, as if everything was dying out, yet they calmly continued their patrol.

The village is surrounded by high walls, with six watchtowers visible to the naked eye, a structure rarely seen even in border villages. This place is more of a strategic outpost than a village.

What's truly troubling, however, is that the fields are enclosed within walls. Walls are usually built only around residential areas, but this village is protecting its green grass as if it were gold.

The man sensed the gaze from the watchtower, where his companion stood guard. If anything happened, he could raise his lantern and wave it to get support.

Although he thought he'd get a scolding when he changed shifts, he decided to immediately flash the light if anything seemed amiss. He didn't want to risk his life for something trivial.

But he didn't think anything would go wrong. The same patrols had been going on for months, and presumably would continue indefinitely.

Halfway through the journey, a snake-like object suddenly covered the man's mouth. No, it was an octopus's leg.

My chin was suddenly lifted, and a burning pain shot through my throat. It all happened in less than a second.

The sound of him swallowing liquid was the last sound he would ever hear in his life.

He released his hand from his mouth and only pulled it out after confirming that the "vampire blade" that had pierced his throat had drained all the blood.

The person standing there, holding the man, was dressed in black. Except for her eyes, all her body was covered by cloth, and the metal plate on her chest was clearly bulging; she was a woman.

Behind the other man were others dressed similarly. The former looked at the latter and nodded slightly.

After confirming the assassination was successful, she surveyed her surroundings. There were lanterns providing illumination, but they were pressed so tightly together with the man that they were difficult for the people on the balcony to detect.

She ignored the blood-sucking dagger and braced herself as she nearly collapsed. From the watchtower, the patrolman had merely stopped, but falling would surely arouse suspicion. However, that wasn't her job.

Suddenly, he felt a sensation in his palm, like the man's body striking a pillar. The next moment, the dead man began to move stiffly.

She released her grip and activated the ninja skill "Shadow Steps," blending into the shadows. It was impossible for the naked eye to detect her.

The men continued to move, as if unlocking a door, their pace sluggish and clumsy. The red lines on their throats no longer gushed blood, for the blood had long since drained. They were nothing more than zombies, obeying the commands of their creators.

"Everything is ready here."

"Perfect."

The conversation was conducted in hushed tones, and the responses were equally quiet.

"Hmm, I need to head to the next location. I need to capture someone of high status."

This is also a woman's voice, rather high-pitched and with a touch of childishness.

"We're going to start the attack too. Where are the other two?"

"Stay near the village and be fully prepared. I'm going to the first priority area; you all proceed as planned."

The stealthy companions floated lightly in the air, using "flight" to move towards the building stronghold that had to be captured first, in order to catch the liaison officer inside.

The two ninjas began to run, from one shadow to another, so fast that even a high-level adventurer would have difficulty spotting them.

The companions running side by side moved their fingers nimbly. This was assassin sign language, used at a speed comparable to everyday conversation.

Luckily, there were no dogs.

Agreed. Much easier.

I went to reserve the building.

To understanding.

Their companions went their separate ways.

She walked briskly alone, glancing sideways at the fields. What was being cultivated were not grains or vegetables, but the raw materials for "black powder," the most rampant illegal drug in the kingdom.

Black powder, also known as "Lyra powder," is a black powder that is mixed with water for consumption. Because it is inexpensive and readily available, and easily produces a euphoric effect, it has become the kingdom's most notorious drug.

Black powder made from wild plants is highly toxic, while artificially cultivated black powder is less effective but still highly toxic.

Most users resume taking the medication after stopping it, before the toxicity has been completely eliminated.

The most troublesome aspect is that the symptoms of addiction are not obvious, so the kingdom's high command ignores its danger, and the empire even protests against the kingdom's tacit approval of the anti-fan industry.

As an assassin who had used this drug before, she was not averse to it, but this commission was made by her friend who was the team leader and had not been approved by the Adventurers' Guild, so it was inevitably somewhat dangerous.

She arrived at the building codenamed "Number Two." Her mission was to gather intelligence and then set fire to the fields. The toxic smoke could endanger the villagers, but there was no time to evacuate them.

She disregarded the safety of the villagers. Trained from childhood to be an assassin, death had little effect on her.

The only thing I didn't like was the expression on the team leader's face. But the team leader had already given his approval for this operation.

After the attack, she would have to teleport to other villages to continue setting fires. The cultivation sites weren't limited to this village; there were at least ten large-scale production areas throughout the kingdom, and there were likely more yet to be discovered.

Written instructions would be ideal, but that seems unlikely. The only hope is that the village leaders have some information.

Even if the team leader only has some clues about the organization, he will be happy.

The criminal group is called "Eight Fingers," named after the god of thieves who has only eight fingers.

It is divided into eight departments: slave trade, assassination, smuggling, theft, drugs, bodyguarding, finance, and gambling. It is the head of the kingdom's underworld.

The blatant cultivation of illegal plants before our eyes clearly demonstrates their sphere of influence. The nobles who own this land must be accomplices, but even if reported, they will only claim ignorance.

With limited legal avenues for impeachment, they had no other recourse but to resort to violent means such as setting fire to the fields.

Frankly, burning these drugs wouldn't be the right solution. The influence of illicit organizations eroding the kingdom has permeated politics.

The capital of the Kingdom of Rijesteje.

The carriage set off through the morning mist. Rune lifted a corner of the curtain and watched as the outline of the capital gradually became clear in the thin haze.

Rune had not yet received a reply from Sebastian when he boarded the carriage bound for Lorenz.

Lorenz is located at the deepest part of the capital, with an outer perimeter of 1,400 meters. Twenty huge cylindrical towers form a defensive network, and the city walls surround the vast land.

Princess Lana invited him and Silk to come and discuss matters concerning the "Eight Fingers".

Rune didn't want to get involved with this twisted, monster princess. But now that Lana didn't even have Clem by her side, he worried that Lana would become even more extreme than before, so he had no choice but to make this trip.

He had tried to prevent Silk from meeting Lana, but they met without his knowledge.

During that period, Rune once suspected that some worldlines might be immutable.

He was only truly at ease when Shalltear was successfully captured by the Theocracy.

Chapter 72 Prince Balubro

The carriage moved slowly through the morning mist, its wheels making a rhythmic rumbling sound as they rolled over the stone pavement.

Rune leaned against the carriage wall as the morning mist in the capital gradually dissipated. The gray-white stone buildings, the towering temple spires, and the majestic towers of the distant royal city of Lorenti all seemed like phantoms emerging from the mist.

His thoughts, however, were not on these sights.

Feifei.

Or rather, Ainz Ooal Gown.

After advancing to the Mithril-level adventurer, the name "Feifei" disappeared from the Adventurers' Guild's public information.

There were no new commission records, and he didn't appear in any town's guild hall, as if this person had never existed.

This isn't right.

Rune tapped his fingers lightly on his knee. Based on his understanding of Ainz, the Undead King valued the identity of "Adventurer Feifei" quite highly.

This was his key method for gathering intelligence, building his reputation, and conquering the world.

Under normal circumstances, even without the credit for eliminating vampires.

Ainz will likely use other methods to gradually increase his adventurer rank, eventually becoming a highly influential Adamantite-rank adventurer.