"My lord, what is this?" All the villagers knelt on the ground. The middle-aged man at the front asked Momonga.
"I saw from afar that the village was under attack, so I came to rescue you." His words brought a wave of reassurance to the villagers. "You're safe now. You can rest easy." As he spoke, he walked forward. Seeing this, Chu Lian followed as well.
Yet even when Momonga stood before them, the villagers still wore doubtful expressions, not daring to rise from the ground.
Chu Lian gently reminded him, "Big brother, they're worried whether you have other intentions. Ask them for the compensation you deserve. That way they'll understand this isn't charity. After all, your Death Knight is too terrifying. They're afraid you might turn on them as well."
Her words perfectly matched what Momonga had been thinking. As expected of my sister—even the way she sees things is exactly the same as mine. This is true happiness.
After glancing at Chu Lian and the Death Knight, Momonga turned back to the villagers and said, "Of course, this wasn't a free rescue. I require appropriate compensation."
Hearing this, the villagers finally relaxed. As long as he had a clear purpose, he likely wouldn't covet anything else from them.
Hah, it seems the sisters were afraid of my skeletal face. Honestly, I had Deloris conceal her form, yet I didn't pay attention to my own appearance. Just in case, I'd better resolve this potential identity issue. Hopefully memory manipulation magic still works.
Inside the village chief's house, Momonga and Chu Lian stood before a table, speaking with the same middle-aged man who had addressed them earlier.
Unlike Albedo in the original story, who had to stand guard outside, Chu Lian's status meant she had no need to do such a thing.
Momonga, deliberately displaying his greatness, also did not choose such a conservative approach. Instead, he allowed Chu Lian to remain with him as they learned about this world.
First, YGGDRASIL coins were not in circulation in this world. Though they still held monetary value, using them in the future might bring danger.
Then they inquired about the surrounding nations. They confirmed that Carne Village and the area around Nazarick were within the borders of the Re-Estize Kingdom, and that the neighboring nation across the great mountain range running north to south was the Baharuth Empire.
The two countries were hostile to one another, clashing annually on the plains near the fortress city of E-Rantel along their shared border.
There was also a southern nation bordering both countries—the Slane Theocracy, a country ruled by religion.
They also learned that based on the crest engraved on the shields, the village chief believed the attackers were from the Baharuth Empire. Of course, it could not be ruled out that they were from the Slane Theocracy disguised as imperial soldiers to sow discord between the two nations.
Only now did Momonga feel that he had made a slight miscalculation earlier. I should have captured a knight to question who they truly served. Now we can only speculate.
It wasn't that Chu Lian hadn't considered this point, but she hadn't reminded him. Not because she was unwilling—rather, she knew that before long, someone would conveniently present themselves for interrogation. There was no need to do more right now.
"My lord, what's wrong?" The village chief seemed to notice Momonga's distraction and asked.
"It's nothing. Continue telling me about this place," Momonga said, not revealing his thoughts.
"Yes. The nearest city is E-Rantel. There are goblins, beastmen, and ogres in the area, but adventurers also patrol regularly. As long as you follow the main roads, it's mostly safe."
That statement gave Momonga a clue—there was a profession called adventurer here.
"Adventurers—what are they like?" This time he did not hide his interest and directly asked.
"Adventurers are professionals who eliminate monsters in exchange for rewards. There is an Adventurer's Guild in E-Rantel that assigns them missions." The village chief carefully explained the profession.
"Adventurer's Guild…" Momonga murmured before asking, "How large is the population of E-Rantel?"
"I'm sorry, I don't know the exact number…" The chief's answer made Momonga realize he had asked too much. After all, he was only an ordinary village chief—how could he know so much?
As expected. It seems we'll need to live in the city for a while. As he pondered this, the long-silent Chu Lian finally spoke.
"May I ask how much money you have? I can exchange treasures or other items with you."
"Lady Deloris, our village is not wealthy. I'm afraid we cannot offer much money." Though taken aback, the chief answered honestly.
"It's fine. I only need a little. This should be enough to exchange for some money." Chu Lian spread her palm, and a brilliant orb appeared in her hand.
"This item is too precious. We cannot afford its price. And even if we had it, we would not know how to use it." The chief showed no greed upon seeing the orb. He only sighed and shook his head.
Exactly the refusal I wanted… Chu Lian had no intention of truly trading something so valuable. In a small village like this, such a treasure would only invite the greed of adventurers and plunge them into danger again.
After pretending to hesitate, she withdrew the orb. Turning slightly, she waved her small hand, and a pile of grain sacks suddenly appeared inside the chief's house.
When she finished, she turned to the stunned village chief and asked, "How much can these be exchanged for? Trade as much as you can. After all, the village has just suffered a calamity. So many have died, and with fewer laborers, the coming days will be difficult, won't they?"
This time, what she produced truly moved the chief's heart. Though the sum she received was not large, it was enough for her needs.
She had never expected to gain much. She was merely doing a good deed—while also building her own reputation.
Unlike Momonga, who wished his power to resound across the world, she needed a good identity—one she could use effectively when going out alone in the future.
Deloris seems to have her own preparations. To think she could anticipate this in advance… truly my sister.
The bone man's siscon tendencies were growing increasingly severe. It wasn't entirely his fault. It wasn't only Chu Lian's personal charm—his own past made him cherish every bit of affection deeply. Whether guild members, NPCs who now possessed their own intelligence, or Deloris, he valued them all.
As for Deloris in particular, there was no need to elaborate. In the memories implanted by the system, Chu Lian had lived with him for at least seven years. Living together day and night made Momonga treasure her above all else. Perhaps this was the emotional anchor of every lonely person.
After clarifying the situation around them, Momonga and Chu Lian went to where the girls had appeared. When removing the protective barrier around the girls, he also used memory manipulation to erase their recollection of his true face. That way, the risk of his identity being exposed was nearly eliminated.
I should have said it back then. He only reminded me not to reveal my identity, yet didn't pay attention to himself, making things this troublesome. Next time, I need to clear unnecessary problems in advance according to the plot. Honestly… The girl laughed helplessly at her own foolishness, but it was a lesson. A dungeon was ultimately different from the original story.
On a hillside near Carne Village, Momonga and Chu Lian stood aside, watching the grieving villagers and the crying girls. Their moods were somewhat complicated.
"Deloris, do you think I should use the Resurrection Wand to revive the dead villagers?" Though he already had a decision, Momonga still wanted Chu Lian's opinion.
"It is normal for magic casters to cause death. But reviving the dead—that belongs to the domain of gods in legend. Even if it brings them back, it would invite countless troubles upon yourself. It isn't worth it." Chu Lian replied calmly. Ultimately, these people had nothing to do with her.
Of course, if it were someone she cared about—or someone who died because of her—her attitude would be entirely different.
Just like the battle in the basin, when Liu Yanran died and she nearly lost herself in madness. That was something she had to reverse.
And in the battle in Miami, all she could do was stake her life on personally killing that giant dragon.
For those who were not by her side, no matter how grand one's words about righteousness, very few could truly act upon them. At least, Chu Lian was not one of them.
As she spoke, she used virtualization to scan the wand in Momonga's hand.
"Resurrection Wand: Can revive a deceased life. Restriction 1: The body must remain intact, and death must not exceed 24 hours. Restriction 2: The soul must still exist. Restriction 3: Those who died by abnormal means cannot be revived. Restriction 4: Resurrection defies fate and surpasses rules. After use, you will suffer heavenly lightning punishment. Restriction 5: This wand can only be used once in a lifetime. Restriction 6: Each revival consumes 10,000 Dream Points. Restriction 7: Unknown."
"This restriction applies only to the host, not to others."
Seeing this explanation—especially the final line—Chu Lian felt utterly helpless.
So even items from another world, once used by her, would still be constrained by the rules of her own world.
In that world, death was not something to be feared. In a realm filled with endless mysteries, death was perhaps merely a doorway to another gate.
But resurrection—restoring one's original body completely—would inevitably attract the scrutiny of rules and the world consciousness.
Even if it succeeded, punishment would be unavoidable.
She knew that the first six restrictions might not harm her as much as the final word—"Unknown."
Even so, this wand was one of the items she absolutely had to obtain. The pain of losing someone by her side was unbearable. She never wanted to experience it again, even if it meant putting herself in danger.
"Yes. Death, which happens so easily, is far easier to accept than resurrection, which is nearly impossible. If we could change the present, that would be another matter. But saving the village alone is already enough." Momonga put away the Resurrection Wand and let out a soft sigh before walking down the hill with Chu Lian. There was nothing more here that required their concern.
The sun sank behind the western mountains, crimson clouds dyeing the sky. This turbulent day gradually drew toward its end. Yet what happened today was not yet over…