"Ah, Vahn. Welcome. It's good to see you..." Ainz greeted, seated behind a luxurious wooden desk topped with stacks of folders. Notably, in place of his traditional god-tier items, he was wearing a comfortable-looking white robe with elaborate golden trim.
"You seem busy. Should I come back later...?" Vahn questioned, producing a comfortable chair from his Inventory and taking a seat.
"On the contrary. I needed a break, and your arrival gives me the perfect excuse to set these documents aside—even if only for a moment..." Ainz sighed, slumping his shoulders.
"If you're this occupied managing just one city and a handful of frontier villages, just imagine how busy you'd be managing tens," Vahn hummed, leaning onto the knuckles of his right hand.
"I understand your point. And, at least for the time being, I have no plans of expanding our territory. Instead, we are seeking alliances and focusing on developing the domain and villages presently under our control..." Ainz revealed, simultaneously reaching into his Item Box to produce a bottle of wine and two glasses.
"Well, your ability to mobilize leaves little to be desired. You should have few issues protecting this conveniently pre-fortified city," Vahn hummed, manipulating the glass Ainz had poured to him using his Domain, floating it toward his free hand.
"Indeed. Though there are still many issues we haven't yet resolved. For one, there are very few merchants who are willing to trade with us. I am confident that particular issue will be resolved with time, but it would help if we had a unique export—something only our nation can provide..." Ainz posed, raising his glass in concert with Vahn before they tilted their heads back and took a drink together.
After emptying his glass in a single go, Vahn felt compelled to point out, "Do you not already possess the perfect export in the form of your high-ranking Undead? From what I've observed, the average strength of this world's inhabitants is on the lower end. If you lease your Death Knights as mercenaries or dispatch squadrons of low-ranking Undead to assist with agriculture or construction, you could spread your influence and gradually influence how people perceive Undead at the same time."
"Hmmn...you're not the first to suggest such an approach..." Ainz revealed, lowering his gaze and cupping his inordinately pointy chin in introspective consideration.
"Is the issue the lack of corpses to produce Undead...?" Vahn questioned, prompting Ainz to affirm, "Indeed. Since I've been heeding your advice to avoid provoking other nations, our capacity to produce Undead has been hindered. What you witnessed earlier today represents the majority of our deployable forces..."
"Then I may have a solution," Vahn stated, producing an item that closely resembled the Orb of Death he had pilfered from the Zurrernorn Executive called Khajit.
"This is a Greater Orb of Undeath, an item capable of absorbing Negative Energy and repurposing it to produce Undead. Unlike the original, it does not require a corpse as a medium," Vahn explained, prompting Ainz's eyes to flash like crimson stars.
Before Ainz could speak, Vahn appended, "I heard about the PR stunt you performed in the Empire. I am also aware that the Adventurers in this city have largely been put out of a job due to your Undead regularly patrolling to eliminate bandits and monsters before they have a chance to establish themselves..."
"Indeed. Because of that, I have been working with the Guildmaster of the local Guild branch to rebrand Adventurers as explorers—people who seek and explore the unknown..." Ainz revealed.
"That's not a bad idea. But, just as you took offense to your home being invaded, other nations aren't just going to simply sit by and permit the Adventurers you sponsor to venture into their lands. You need a way to bring them together in one place," Vahn asserted, floating the Greater Orb of Undeath toward Ainz as he explained, "The idea I had was to construct a Dungeon here in E-Rantel, using that sphere as its core."
"I see..." Ainz muttered, his eyes igniting like torches as he affirmed, "As a veteran gamer, I understand the allure of Dungeons well. So long as there are sufficient rewards to compensate for the risks, a Dungeon would allow us to attract Adventurers and Merchants from across the continent. And if we lease Undead as bodyguards or baggage carriers, we kill two, possibly even three birds with one stone..."
"You should also consider that it would be a convenient way to scout and train those who might serve your Kingdom's expansion," Vahn pointed out, contending, "If we engineer it so the Dungeon can produce a functionally infinite number of monsters, it becomes a place where those who seek to improve themselves gather—consequently attracting those who facilitate and seek to take advantage of such individuals."
"I love it...!" Ainz exclaimed, rising to his feet and raising his hands with such force that he nearly sent the table before him slamming into Vahn. Fortunately, while the folders atop it were sent flying, Vahn caught them all with his Domain, suspending them in the air as he smiled and hummed, "Yes, I thought you might..." in a playful tone.
fuwaa
Following his body being enveloped in a brief, beryl-green aura, Ainz, now calm, questioned, "How will we ensure that those who enter the Dungeon are sufficiently rewarded for their efforts? While Nazarick has many items that could be offered as rewards, our stockpile is not infinite. If there are thousands of Adventurers regularly entering the Dungeon, we will run out sooner or later."
"That won't be a problem. This won't be the first Dungeon I've helped to construct. In fact, I'm partly responsible for the existence of the largest Dungeon in Invirtua—but that's a matter for another time..." Vahn stated, his expression gaining a degree of devilishness as he asked, "Now, shall we discuss the features you would like your Dungeon to have? Or do you need to confer with your advisors?"
"I owe it to them to do so..." Ainz responded, returning to his seat before bringing his skeletal right index and middle fingers up to his nonexistent ear and arranging an all-hands-on-deck meeting with his Floor Guardians. He wasn't the most aesthetically-inclined, so while he had many ideas for features he wanted to include in the Dungeon, he wanted to make sure he and his Floor Guardians were on the same page and that everyone had a chance to include features of their own...
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[January 10th DxD/September 2nd DBT]
After five days of consultation and a great deal of assistance from the Pritani Clan, Vahn was able to complete the Dungeon he had suggested to Ainz. To commemorate the occasion, the handover took place in the Throne Room of Nazarick, attended by every prominent former NPC that called The Great Tomb home.
"Here you go. As requested, it has ninety-nine floors, with monsters ranging from Levels 1 to 70, Bosses that appear every ten floors, and natural resources that replenish on a twenty-eight-day cycle..." Vahn recited, presenting Ainz a miniature tower, which, when inserted into the leyline beneath E-Rantel, would penetrate deep into the earth on both a physical and spiritual plane.
"Splendid...!" Ainz exclaimed, accepting the glossy black miniature, his eyes blazing with a mix of fascination and excitement. He was greatly looking forward to exploring the Dungeon as his alter-ego, Momon. But that would have to wait until later.
Rising to his feet, prompting Vahn to step aside so that he was visible to the packed audience hall, Ainz proclaimed, "With the boons provided by this Inverted Tower of Babel: Nazarick, Ainz Ooal Gown, and the Sorcerer Kingdom will soon enter into an era of never-before-seen prosperity and growth. In recognition of his contributions, I hereby appoint the Dragon God of Infinite Possibilities, Vahn Mason, to the honored position of Vice Guild Leader. Henceforth, the only difference between his and my orders is the mouth from which they emanate...!"
"Glory to Ainz Ooal Gown! Glory to the Dragon God...!" shouted the crowd, their voices ringing out in concert. It was a bit much in Vahn's opinion. But if he could help shape Ainz Ooal Gown into a unifying power, rather than a conquering force, he didn't mind occupying the position for the remainder of his stay in the setting of OL-2138...
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While his counterpart was participating in the handover ceremony and the banquet that followed, another version of Vahn was preparing dinner for the members of Blue Roses. He had become their de facto chef after they tried eating at a tavern and nearly threw up from how bad the food tasted in comparison to his own. Tina and Tia had consequently demanded that he accept accountability for reshaping their insides so they couldn't live without him, so he had been preparing the Party breakfast, boxed lunches for when they were out and about, and dinner each day since.
"Mmn...how much longer? I can't wait to have your meat deep inside of me..." Tina remarked, her expression and tone flat as she enveloped her arms around Vahn from behind, intentionally pressing her breasts to his back and peering around him to see what he was cooking.
"Not too much longer..." Vahn responded, barely paying attention to the golden-haired Kunoichi's antics. She and Tia had grown increasingly bold since their arrival in E-Rantel, even going so far as to sneak into his bath, but he didn't mind. He had previously told them that skinship was fine, so, as long as they didn't step too far over the line, he quite enjoyed watching them make out and employ other methods to tempt him...
"What's on the menu? Something ridiculous, I bet..." Gagaran remarked, seated at the nearby dining table in casual clothes. The aforementioned table was originally located in the adjoining dining hall. But the salivating aroma and the overall process of Vahn's cooking had compelled the group to relocate it to the kitchen.
"The main dish for tonight will be Charis Lobster Soup. Similar to the sake you've been drinking, it's an ingredient that originates from a place called the Charis Sandsea. The ingredients from there are highly complementary to one another, so I believe you will enjoy it," Vahn answered, scooping up a sample portion of the soup using a ladle before raising it to the lingering Tina's lips.
slrrrrp
Without any hesitation whatsoever, Tina slurped up the soup Vahn had provided, her red eyes gleaming and her skin glowing as the warm and rich, crab-like flavor spread through her body and saturated her cells with nourishing energy. When Vahn previously prepared the Party Jewel Meat, he noticed that their muscles had become noticeably more defined. Since then, he had been nourishing them with dishes that drew out the natural beauty of men and women alike, causing even Gagaran to slim down and lose most of her blemishes.
"You're in the way..." Keno said, stabbing Tina's exposed side with her left index and middle fingers.
"Tsk..."
Though she clicked her tongue and narrowed her eyes, Tina promptly moved out of the way, allowing Keno to position herself at Vahn's side before asking, "Are there any additional preparations needed, or are you just stirring the broth...?"
"Mmn...I'm not entirely sure. Why not taste it and let me know what you think...?" Vahn proposed, setting down the ladle and taking a step back from the 100-liter pot he was stirring. As he did, Keno wasted no time in positioning herself directly in front of him, her cheeks flushing slightly as she raised the ladle to her lips. She had demanded that he teach her how to cook on the same day that everyone nearly got food poisoning eating normal food, so Vahn habitually settled in behind her, the disparity in their sizes allowing him to see over her without issue.
"Mmnngh~"
Contrasting Tina, who had spent a lifetime suppressing her emotions and responses, Keno couldn't resist closing her eyes and issuing a faint moan as the hot Charis Lobster Soup flowed down her throat. Fortunately, Vahn had anticipated this, dampening the sensual sound so that only the two of them could hear it...
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