I dragged the bag containing the head of the griffin and that of the leader of the Armats across the floor before depositing it next to the reception of the guild. It had taken me three days to track them down, kill them, and bring their carcasses back to Kalinsha for two quests well done. It earned me quite a bit, but that was to be expected since I had almost reached the peak of what was capable of reaching in the hierarchy of adventurers.
After a short talk with Elise and Kathrin, I walked out of the guild and glanced at the carriage parked right in front of the entrance. Without hesitation, I walked towards it, only for Alyssa to quickly open the door for me and Fubuki. As I sat down in the carriage with Fubuki taking the seat next to me, I listened to Aneko and Yuri about the progress they made in getting the underworld under control.
Almost all major players that were dealing with major cash flows throughout the city and to and from other cities were already our people and anyone that wasn't, were people that allied with our people. It wasn't necessary to subject more people to our direct rule as the more people involved would create a higher risk that something got leaked. So, only about 6 people had direct contact with Aneko's proxy.
Of course, some had already gotten wind of an organization or an alliance among the current major gang leaders and saw them as a threat to their own trade routes and share of the black market, but they had long disappeared into the wind with no one knowing what had happened to them. Of course, most could guess what had happened.
Because Kalinsha was an important city, it allowed us some access to black markets of other cities and a lot of smaller gangs, who were now running errands for us. For most people on the light side of society, nothing really changed, for the top of the underworld everything had.
Yuri gave Fubuki a list of all potential people that could be 'saved' and join the little group that Fubuki would create in the open. The two quests we had done were just to consolidate our strength and to show everyone that we truly had the right to be ranked as Orichalcum adventurers. It wasn't enough to promote us again, but that wasn't going to be our next move for now and it wasn't my goal with these two quests we had done.
Yuri and Fubuki would now work on creating a fellowship that would ride and die for us, while Aneko spread her influence across the entire country's shadow side. Sueko on the other hand had already chosen a mansion to be our current residence for now. It had been bought with quite the offer as we had some 'connection' to the not quite lawful owner of it.
I also had some plans for Sueko to get her own little forest to start a farm for future mythical plants that would give us a leg up on anyone else in the entire world. With my item to help her, I would have an endless supply of whatever I needed.
Still to keep up appearances the payment for the mansion had officially burned through our savings. Of course, we got most of it back to fund our supplies and operations in the background. I wasn't really in need of the country's currency as I could have anything I wanted without paying a single coin. So, all the financials were managed by Fubuki and Aneko.
I looked out of the window of our carriage and saw the grand estate that we were approaching. Truly something straight out of a picture book, a majestic fantasy mansion. The sprawling grounds in front and inside the boundaries of this plot of land were meticulously manicured, with a vibrant garden that bloom in an array of colors, even as we approached it exuded an enchanting fragrance appropriate for the sight we were beholden.
I stepped outside of the carriage and took a deep breath, enjoying the blessed nature that was taken care of with precision and passion. It was clearly the most taken-care-of aspect of this property. Of course, the mansion itself wasn't something that was lacking with its harmonious blend of intricate stonework and delicate embellishments.
Just seeing the work made me realize that someone from Nazarick had touched it up, and improved on the design since it gave off an artistic sense that was unlike the rest of the surrounding lands. Less focused on functionality and more on the aesthetic, but then again I hadn't seen the nobles' home until now.
Perhaps it was just the fortress that looked comparatively bleak. I glanced over the size of this mansion and find it almost too big. There were towering spires adorned with ornate carvings that reach towards the heavens as if to connect with the very sky. I glanced at the grand entrance with massive double doors with intricate motifs of wings framing it before I turned to Sueko, who greeted us with a bow.
"Sueko where can I plant the bush?" I asked, getting right to the meat of it. The reason why we had bought a plot of land in the first place was to grow some things and experiment with them. A permanent residence where Sueko can tend to the blueberry bush without having to worry about any curious eyes was the first really important task she would get.
Of course, I could have just planted it in Nazarick where the only one I had to worry about was Ainz with his unexpected visits and the fact that I would visit my garden too often than necessary. It would be highly suspicious for me to visit Nazarick too often only to visit my garden. Maybe not to the other NPCs but to Ainz? Possibly.
When the visits get more strict, I could think of numerous excuses that would explain my return to the tomb beside a stroll through my royal backyard, but why would I do that when I could just plant it wherever I operated from? I followed Sueko and handed over the seemingly ordinary blueberry bush. "Treat this as important as my life. This goes for you too." I glanced at the assembly of my few followers, who nodded solemnly at my words.
I could see the curiosity about why I would give this plant much attention, but they didn't need to know the reason. "Don't let anyone else know this exists." I looked at them as they swore their secrecy, my eyes lingering on Yuri, who knelt before me with her head bowed.
"Sueko, how long does it take until this bush grows ripe fruits?" I asked wondering when I could use it to essentially cut the mana cost of all my spells in half and peek into realities foundation.
"It will take about 3 weeks until this one's fruits ripen. Afterward, I can make it bear ripe fruit every month." She spoke with such certainty that I swallowed my disbelief. She was said to have a green thumb, but wasn't that too much?
As far as I knew it would usually take longer for blueberries to grow than that, right? Not that the real-time growth of blueberries was going to be a limiting factor if the item I still had was going to work as intended.
I only shrugged mentally. It wasn't really my place to say how long this would take as I had no experience in growing things. I would just let her do her thing, so with that I nodded at her. "Alright, I will let you to it then-" Her back straightened, making me pause for a moment. She fidgeted slightly as her eyes darted to me and back to the bush, making me wonder what was going through her head. "Anything you want to add?" I asked, curious about what she was hesitating about.
"If your majesty wants, I could cut down the time by a lot..." She said though not as confident as before.
My eyebrow raised a notch as I watched her hesitate. If it came to tending plants, she wasn't shying away from asking for more money, so this clearly had to be something big for her to hesitate in asking for it. "What do you need?"
"I believe that the growth of this plant can be accelerated with divine energy. Almost all plants that don't rely on negative aura would grow more rapidly by being supplied with divine energy. I believe y-your energy would benefit its growth."
"Sure, what would you have me do? Should I just inject my energy into the ground?" I asked, not seeing any problems with giving her some of the energy. My armor was generating an inexhaustible supply of it, so I had some to give away.
"The energy needs to be mixed evenly into the ground around it-"
"I see." Without hesitating, a part of my armor separated from the rest and then slid into the ground like conscious black ink until the ground looked like before. However, now divine energy was being released and I could see how greedily the bush absorbed the new energy source, just like the surrounding plants tried to.
If one looked at the sight, one wouldn't see anything wrong with this plant trying to absorb this energy as it behaved like the other plants despite what power the fruits of this bush would hold in the future. Wasn't too surprising as the entire lore was based on the fact that no one was able to detect the true nature of this bush.
"Is this fine or should I tone down the energy output?" This piece of armor which settled in the ground was still under my control. It didn't even affect the rest of the armor as I could change the size and shape of it however I wanted.
She looked at the ground with a bit of a stumped look and I could see the disappointment flash through her eyes when she nodded. "This works as well." Her voice was even though I could tell that she was a bit unhappy.
"What were you initially thinking about how to inject my energy?" She turned to me and opened her mouth, but no tone came out, giving me an idea of what she was thinking about. "Was it my semen?"
Her lips thinned as she nodded hesitantly. "I was worried that it would take too much effort to give me some for it, but with this, there is no need for it."
I couldn't help but smirk at her disappointed look. "This is a good thing, right? Now you have a steady supply of energy. Why do you look disappointed?" I teased already knowing the answer, though it seemed she didn't.
Her eyebrows furrowed in thought as she looked at the bush that was now much more vibrant. She then shook her head before admitting her ignorance, "I am not sure."
I patted her head. "I can give you some later." After saying that, her mood picked up again as she gave me a radiant smile before nodding happily. "Oh, one more thing." I pulled out another item I had changed the lore of. It wasn't as important to my personal strength, but I had figured it would be important for the future when I would isolate myself for several centuries in the future...
Flora's Embrace Vial
An endless glass vial filled with a potent elixir derived from the nectar of mythical flowers and mutated during an unknown divine miracle. When sprinkled upon any plant, it imbues it with a surge of vitality, causing it to grow at an accelerated rate. From modest garden herbs to ancient tree trunks, the Flora's Embrace Vial nurtures and invigorates plant life. If the will of the planter is imbued into it during its usage, the elixir can even grow plants without the necessary seeds.
I placed the vial into Sueko's hands, who looked at it with wide eyes. She could probably feel the might it was radiating, especially since it complimented her hobby and passion perfectly. She looked at me holding the vial close to her heart with tears forming in the corners of her eyes. I just smiled slightly and wiped the forming tears away.
"Protect it will all your might. I rely on you to use it and grow me some fantastic plants in the near future." She nodded determined.
"Thank you, your Majesty! I won't disappoint you!"
I nodded at her declaration before turning to the others and indicating for them to follow me as I began to move inside the mansion. Although I was impressed by the inner architecture and the effort that went into decorating this place, I wasn't going to waste any more time.
The blueberry bush was now planted and we would just have to wait until the fruits were ripe for consumption. I assumed it was going to take a day and in the meantime, I was going to go along with my plans that had been put on hold as I was cementing my social status in this kingdom and waiting for any suspicious movement by Nazarick's other NPCs.
Obviously, being distracted by pussy hadn't helped at all, which was why I needed to do this sooner than later when I was focused as I was currently. After Pandora's Box had proved to me that I was able to block any leakage of information through the usual happenstances that occurred when using these event items, I could move on with what I have been sitting on for the three weeks I have been in this world.
Regardless of the fact that I had to wait until I moved out a week after we were transitioned to this world, there had been two weeks during which I had only used one of my items and read the last of my three magic books which contained the knowledge from the 0th tier all the way to beyond Supreme tier and into chaos/wild magic.
With all that knowledge, I was confident that no one could compete with me in the arcane. However, theoretical knowledge wasn't enough if Ainz realized I had hijacked his friend's beloved 'child' and went apeshit. After all, he had proven impatient and unwilling to listen to those he believed had sullied or insulted what his friends had left behind.
All the items I had prepared were more or less event items, which had influenced the world at large or at least were something that had some implication on the game's world at large. A story arc item, event items, or some loot boxes that were spread across the nine worlds. After all, it would give some legitimacy to the item's power without having explicitly been stated in the lore.
Of course, if my low-level blueberries gave me the effect that I had written into its lore then all that effort had been for naught, but since I couldn't have known this beforehand, it wasn't really something I could regret or lament.
With that in mind, I moved into the basement, leaving the human maid to help Sueko, while the others followed me. I then opened a portal and stepped into it without hesitation. The surroundings changed into that of a noble's living room. It was the same room I had opened Pandora's box in just in case it wasn't my barrier made out of the souls of the dead but the distance to Ainz that prevented him from getting the notification.
Yuri and Aneko stepped outside to guard the property in case someone approached us and to inform the owners to not disturb us. The demon that had previously welcomed us was busy preparing the rebellion. I wasn't too keen on having him here again as he would be the only one besides the nobles, who would know of our arrival here.
If he reported our strange visits from time to time, which he would obviously do since he was Demiurge's subordinate, then I might have to give Ainz an excuse. Maybe I would just say that I was here to pick up women. He was rather shy to talk about these things...
After sealing the room off with my domain and layered some spells on top of Fubuki's, I pulled out an item that was made out of something called 'Chaos Shard' and story-wise being the crystallization of defiance. Something a group of hostile NPCs sought after to spread chaos by creating creatures through its pure chaos energy to wreak havoc across the nine worlds.
I hadn't played that story arc since I was an NPC, but I knew what it was capable of. This crystal, when used, could give the player a short boost in all stats. A short berserk mode to increase damage, speed, and resilience with the only downside being some loss in HP and a corrupt status that would make the consumer of this item be corrupted and marked as an agent of chaos.
Unlike Pandora's box, other players weren't notified of an agent of chaos, though a symbol marked them as one and could be hunted down without consequences. No, the real problem was that for one real-time day, any neutral NPC was hostile to the consumer as they could sense the 'heretic'.
For that reason, I had waited for the time after I had given in a quest as it would be normal for an adventurer to take some time off afterward. I glanced at Fubuki, who was standing to the side vigilant and curious about what would happen next. The hostility of the NPCs shouldn't be a problem as this world wasn't one of the worlds of Yggdrasil, still, I would remain here for a day after absorbing it.
Chaos Crystal (9/9 | Complete)
The Crystallization of Defiance, an unnatural singularity of chaotic energy, and harbinger of the end of the World Tree's reign. Not for the first time did Yggdrasil feel the threat of losing control over the very reality it encompassed. A divine entity called Azazel was so powerful at birth that he was wrestling away the tree's control by his mere presence. Something Yggdrasil couldn't allow to remain.
In an effort to not be devoured by the very existence its own reality had birthed, it tried to destroy the angel's access to the chaotic energy that permeates all there was, the very fabric of reality. With the sacrifice of a few worlds, it was only able to isolate the angel's ability.
Although the ability to bend reality to its owner's will was successfully taken away, it remained inherently defiant to the will of the World Tree. This defiance to the World Tree's interference and hostility, crystallized and separated into 9 Chaos Shards to forever spread chaos across the remaining nine worlds until it once again unites with its origin.
I held up the blood-red crystal that was the size of a basketball and let my divine energy interact with it. Instantaneously, I could feel another puzzle complete my existence as the entire crystal melted and infused into my body, elevating my life form to a higher level. The output of my armor's energy tried to keep up as my body hungered after energy to support its evolution. I was draining the armor for all its worth as the makeup of my existence changed and improved.
The chain of Hod, the Emanation of Submission, shattered into smithereens, signifying that my level had increased to level 109 and gave me access to the next realm, the Emanation of Endurance, Netzah, but my advancement didn't stop there. The weight of reality seemed to be placed onto my shoulders, immobilizing me for a moment.
However, with the combination of my inherent, heaven-defying talent, and direct access to pure chaos, I could see beyond the layer of reality that obscures all. I could see deeper into reality until everything lay bare. The weight on my shoulders increased, but I could feel myself growing as well. New strength emerged from the weight of having chaos answering to my will.
After a few moments, the weight increased to the point where I found it difficult to endure, but I held on as best as I could. Surprisingly, the weight suddenly aided me. It shattered another chain before the disappeared, but it didn't vanish. I could feel the growing weight settling into my existence as the ability to use chaos magic properly united with me.
However, I didn't feel like celebrating as my mind was occupied with a new sensation filling/emptying me. I could still feel the weight of Endurance/Netzah, the guiding motion of Submission/Hod, the gateway between the spiritual and the physical that supports existence through Life/Yesod, and the foundation of the physical Kingdom/Malkuth.
However, besides what I had understood from these aspects of being an Archangel, there was something else that thread through them and into the unbroken chains. I tried to focus on it, but it was like nothing was there, while at the same time filling the gaps.
Da'at, the Emanation of Emptiness. A conduit that was not there nor here. Emiting no light nor holding any shape. It touches nothing while filling everything, something that nothing passed and nothing affected, while simultaneously everything danced in its void. It was perfect and invisible. Solitary and all affecting. It didn't exist while being the center of everything.
I opened my eyes and felt the changes that had occurred, further fulfilling my existence as an Archangel. Level 112. I had reached and dived into realms of invincibility.
It wouldn't be long until nothing could harm me. I was already invincible against any one level 100 if the difference in terms of items wasn't too high. Even if I only had low-tier items, as long as my enemy wasn't fully equipped with divine items, I was confident to come out victorious.
I glanced at Fubuki, who was staring at me with wide eyes like a deer caught in headlights. "You good?" I asked with a vibrant tone that seemed to resonate with reality and I knew every word I would speak could become true if I willed it so. Although NPCs were said to become hostile she wasn't. After all that shouldn't have been the case as it was only the neutral NPCs like those in the city or in the wild who would become hostile.
Followers and the NPC in your guild wouldn't go berserk, but then again it also wasn't the case that the player absorbed the Chaos Crystal entirely.
She nodded slowly at my question before taking a deep breath. I approached her and she remained still like I was a predator, fixated on my eyes like her mind was being pulled into them. Her body trembled when I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her into an embrace. Her nipples poked through her dress as if to announce their presence and she finally lost the tension in her body as I supported her.
"S-sorry." Her tone was but a whisper, hardly able to exert the strength to increase her volume. "I-It's too overwhelming. You are everything." She admitted quietly before sitting down on the couch that had been pushed to the side with my help.
"No, not yet." When advancing through several levels, it was difficult to control all the energy I produced in one go, so some of my existence would burst through as an aura.
Even Fubuki, who was level 83, was completely overwhelmed by the difference in power. Fortunately, I didn't traumatize her as she looked like it aroused and fulfilled her. Maybe because she loved me or because I was an angel of Lust that now represented several cornerstones of reality. Either way, she just needed some rest.
More and more energy was being produced by my armor and I could even pull in chaos magic to advance all the realms I had access to and understood to some degree even further.
However, I wasn't going to wait here for anything. I would be locked inside this room for at least a day, so I might as well use the next item. I was still hesitant as there were several that would cause a worldwide event and I wasn't sure if I could block it with just my current powers. It would be best to delay that until I was at least firmly in the realm of a World Enemy.
However, there was one I could use without too much problem. The Whispering Tome, when used, released a tone so loud that anyone in the vicinity of 25km could hear it. It wasn't even a tome or a book. It was a stone slab. The devs and their dumb fucking humor.