My family runs an adventurer's guild.

Phil interjected, "...While we don't need to care about the grievances of some ordinary people, we also don't need to take the blame for something we didn't do!"

"...Okay, we'll do it your way! But before that, we need to take control of this city first!"

Ainz nodded, then looked up at the still dark night sky, "...Dawn is not far away now!"

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As the first rays of dawn gradually appeared on the horizon, the fortress city of Yelantil, protected by triple walls, remained utterly silent.

From the outer city to the inner city, every gate of every wall was open, and the soldiers guarding the city were nowhere to be seen.

The flags representing the Kingdom of Ri Yesteje on the city walls were torn down and replaced with banners bearing unfamiliar patterns.

Looking through the open city gates, one could see that every street and alley of the fortress city of Ye Lantier was deserted. Shops, taverns, and markets were all closed, their doors and windows boarded up, as if the entire city had perished.

However, through the crack in the door and behind the curtains, one could still vaguely sense the presence of someone, seemingly holding their breath and spying on the outside world.

Only the chubby mayor of Panasonic and a few accompanying officials, forced by their mission, stood trembling outside the city gate, holding the gate keys symbolizing surrender, awaiting the arrival of the city's conquerors, who would then judge their fate.

As time slowly passed, the "Magic King's" entourage finally arrived outside the city gate and accepted the city gate key presented by Mayor Panathore.

Bells and trumpets, a symbol of welcome, then rang out throughout the city, though both the bell ringers and the trumpet players were filled with trepidation.

A few moments later, the surrender procession finally passed through the second city wall and entered the more densely populated civilian neighborhood.

In an instant, countless eyes peered through the cracks in the door and the gaps in the curtains, anxiously watching the arrival of the city's new ruler.

In fact, long before the "Magic King's" entourage and army entered the city, magicians had already been flying around the city in the night sky, addressing all the residents and declaring that the Magic King would treat the city's inhabitants well and allow those who did not wish to live under his rule to move away at will, without causing them any trouble.

However, after several hours of unrest, the vast majority of the city's residents decided to stay and see how things went.

Firstly, the citizens of the fortress city of Ye Lantier do not yet trust the "Magic King's" assurances. They are very worried that he is just making empty promises and that if they actually leave the city at this time, they will be intercepted and killed by his terrifying army of monsters.

Secondly, most of the truly wealthy and influential people had already fled before the army besieged the city.

As for the remaining citizens, the reason they continued to live in the fortress city of Ye Lantier, even though they were filled with fear, was because they knew very well how desperate a life of wandering away from home would be for ordinary citizens like themselves.

In this world largely governed by aristocratic feudal medieval systems, free trade under capitalism had not yet emerged, and the free movement of labor was virtually nonexistent. Generally speaking, the handicrafts and service industries in every city were monopolized by various highly exclusive guilds.

Anyone from out of town who wants to enter this line of work has to endure all kinds of discrimination and oppression, and can only start from the lowest position.

Even if you were a master or expert craftsman in the fortress city of Ye Lantier, you'll have to start all over again as an apprentice in other cities.

In other words, without a certain level of wealth, fame, and status, even if one leaves the fortress city of Ye Lantier and flees to other cities, most citizens would likely find it difficult to find work with an income level similar to their original one, relying solely on their skills.

To rise above others again would be extremely difficult, and there is a real possibility that one's entire life would be wasted in the slums.

Therefore, with their future uncertain, the citizens of the fortress city of Yelantil mostly chose to stay for the time being.

They planned to wait and see for a while, and only pack their belongings and flee if there was really no other way to survive.

You should know that the conqueror who is about to enter the city, the legendary Sorcerer King who came out of the ancient tomb, may very well be an undead creature!

What's more, just last night, this city was almost submerged and devoured by undead creatures, turning into a terrifying realm of death.

Although the undead creatures surging out of the cemetery were eventually stopped outside the second city wall thanks to the fierce battle between the defenders and adventurers, the citizens hiding in their homes could still smell the pungent stench of blood and decay, accompanied by terrifying howls that drifted on the wind, making it almost suffocating!

Now, the fortress city of Ye Lantier is about to open its gates to welcome an "ancient king" who appears to be an undead to rule it!

Who knows if he would take pleasure in killing and torturing citizens, or even enjoy bathing in the blood of children?

So everyone hid inside, intending to peek through the cracks in the window at the figure of this "ancient king" and the military appearance of his troops.

Soon after, Ainz Ooal Gown's army entered the city gates and arrived at the city's most bustling street.

The citizens who came into view of them instantly lost their ability to speak, and even their thoughts froze.

—This, this is indeed an extraordinary being from a legendary story!

At first glance, this army seemed quite impressive, because the person standing at the very front of the column, carrying the flag, was a beautiful woman with a radiance like the bright moon.

The beautiful woman carrying the flag wore an exquisite pure white dress, with ebony-black hair and porcelain-like skin. Her slender figure and elegant beauty were adorned with star-like rainbow gems, making her resemble the purest and noblest princess.

Unfortunately, the sharp horns protruding from her head and the black wings growing from her waist both tell people that she is not human.

After this stunningly beautiful woman, who was like a goddess, the style of the procession changed drastically, transforming from beautiful and noble to ferocious and terrifying.

—Because, behind this beautiful woman in white were two death knights walking side by side in two columns.

These humanoid undead elites are generally over two meters tall. They hold a huge tower shield in their left hand and a sharp flame-shaped sword in their right. They wear tattered black cloaks on their backs and black armor that looks like it is wrapped with veins, with sharp thorns protruding from various parts of the armor.

What's even more chilling is that these death knights all have their visors open, revealing their rotting faces. In their empty eye sockets, a malevolent crimson soul fire forever burns, filled with endless hatred for the living and a fanatical anticipation of slaughter…

—Just one or two Death Knights like these could turn the entire fortress city of Ye Lantier upside down.

But at this moment, they marched in formation in the streets of the city in groups of dozens or even hundreds, frightening the citizens so much that they dared not even breathe.

Following the Death Knight appeared a group of liches, or rather, archmages of the dead, clad in dazzling crimson robes. Each of them possessed a skeletal body identical to Ainz Ooal Gown's original form, with malevolent soulfire flickering in their empty eye sockets. Atop each of their shoulders perched a small, owl-sized flying familiar—a tiny demon with bat wings, bronze-colored skin, and a pointed tail dripping with deadly poison.

—Just last night, the necromancer Khajiit spent five years preparing to sacrifice the lives of everyone in the city in order to become such a lich… However, in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, such liches, even if not everywhere, are at least only mid-tier units.

In fact, the safest and most convenient way for Khajiit to abandon his human identity and become a lich would be to run to the Great Tomb of Nazarick to pledge his loyalty and become a guide... Unfortunately, it's too late now.

Chapter 164, The first priority in conquering a city is to find a brothel?

After finally waiting for the undead to finish their journey, a demon army appeared next.

At the front was a group of large, fat torturers with butcher-like physiques. These torturers wore black leather aprons, were shirtless, and wore full-face hoods similar to those worn by wrestlers. Their belts were covered with bloodstained daggers, axes, hammers, knives, and chainsaws, making them look as terrifying as psychopathic killers in horror movies—and their work was indeed similar to that of psychopathic killers.

In short, just like their racial name suggests, they are responsible for interrogating prisoners and captives... and of course, they can also be deployed in battle when necessary.

But what follows is a succubus who looks like a beautiful woman, so much so that instead of feeling fear or aversion, one can't help but be mesmerized.

These succubi had enormous black wings spread across their backs, yet their voluptuous and slender bodies were almost entirely naked, with only a tiny metal plate embedded in their crotches. Their exquisite faces and graceful figures seemed to dye the air a dreamy pink. As they walked the streets, they would even throw a string of kisses at the citizens hiding in their houses, leaving men mesmerized and their hearts filled with longing.

In addition, there were also the Greed Demon General who looked like a muscular young man, the Jealous Demon General with a crow's head, and the Furious Demon General, all of whom walked through the streets of the fortress city of Ye Lantier, giving the citizens a variety of visual impacts and eliciting gasps of surprise.

Beauty and ugliness, strength and allure—such stark contrasts in visual perception are strangely intertwined, creating a truly dizzying effect.

After the demon procession finished, a group of tall and heavy golems, or golems, or magical versions of mobile suits Gundams, rumbled up behind them, causing the streets and houses on both sides to tremble slightly with their footsteps, just like tanks passing by during a military parade on Earth.

Moreover, unlike the inferior golems concocted by the native human mages of this world, every golem in the Great Tomb of Nazarick is made of extremely rare magical metals. Their cost alone equals the taxes levied on the fortress city of Ye Lantil for countless years. Their combat strength is beyond question; even in terms of individual combat power, each golem here is far stronger than the bone dragon that smashed through the city gates last night.

Behind these high-grade golems made of rare magical metals, there are even more stone and wooden golems—similar things exist in the Kingdom of Riyestej, but only a handful of high-level mages can wield them, and they are considered the ultimate weapons for decisive battles. However, in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, these golems are not even qualified to participate in combat; they are merely used as laborers for civil engineering projects.

As hundreds and thousands of golems of various materials rumbled through the streets, the officers and soldiers who were still somewhat unwilling to surrender, as well as the adventurers who were hostile to the Sorcerer King, all turned pale and their legs trembled violently.

Faced with such a formidable army that defies imagination, their attempt to defend the city is nothing short of a pipe dream.

In an army like this, what are the three layers of city walls that protect the entire city?

Even if all these golems were to crash into the wall one by one, they would still be able to break it down, right?

Their pride in their courage and martial skills was nothing but a joke in the face of such a massive army...

Then, after the procession of demons and golems finished, the style of the next group abruptly shifted to "normal".

—They were a bunch of guys dressed as adventurers or mercenaries. The only strange thing was that there were many different races: humans, elves, orcs, and dwarves. They wore all sorts of leather armor or suits of armor, carried spears crookedly, and had swords hanging from their waists. They followed the orderly demons in a messy manner, chatting as they strolled through the streets and alleys, as if they were just taking a walk. They had absolutely no discipline.

If they happen to see women moving around in the houses on both sides of the street through the window, they will even whistle flirtatiously.

More importantly, there was no oppressive power emanating from these seemingly ordinary people; they were just like everyone else.

Moreover, among these seemingly ragtag groups of soldiers, the citizens could actually see some flamboyantly dressed, quite attractive women, strolling around while singing frivolous little tunes, exuding an air of vulgarity...

Could she be a female mercenary or adventurer? She doesn't seem quite right! Could she be... a prostitute accompanying the army?

Hmm, they look much prettier than those slutty women in the tavern! I wonder how much they charge? Do they take clients other than soldiers?

—Some men hiding behind the windows blushed and clutched their crotches as lewd thoughts raced through their minds…

After the chaotic motley crew of soldiers had all left, the next legion of the "Magic King's" army returned to its previous order and brilliance—it consisted of groups of female vampires, or rather, vampire brides, dressed in pure white linen dresses and carrying bouquets and colorful flags.

Although these vampire brides are quite beautiful, their blood-red eyes, the terrifying atmosphere around them, and their sharp fingernails that are said to be able to cut through steel are enough to make most men shy away and stay far away.

Next, the master of this army, the ruler of the fortress city of Ye-Rantil, the legendary ancient "Magic King" who emerged from his tomb, finally appeared before the long-awaited citizens of Ye-Rantil!

Behind the vampire brides, a magnificent, open-top carriage slowly drove by.

However, the animal pulling the cart was not an ordinary horse, but a terrifying magical beast... a giant Djungarian hamster with intelligent eyes and extremely powerful strength, whose mere glance could make one tremble and feel fear!

"...Could the one pulling the chariot be...the [Forest Wise King]?"

Some knowledgeable adventurers immediately shouted out, and the others also began to discuss it amongst themselves.

"...To actually be able to command such a powerful magical beast to pull a cart? This is truly...tsk tsk, what can one say?"

"...Wow, it truly is a king's chariot! It surpasses the imagination of us mere mortals..."

In this hamster-drawn open carriage, or simply the hamster carriage, a cat-like figure is holding a long whip and driving the carriage.

In the back seat sat a man and a woman, both dressed in rather luxurious clothes.

The female passenger on the left was a silver-haired little girl wearing a black lace dress, but her eyes were as bright as rubies, and a faint smile always played on her lips. However, she was not wearing a crown, making it impossible to tell whether she was a princess or a queen.

The male passenger on the right was a young man of medium build with ordinary-looking black hair. At first glance, he seemed unremarkable, but his magnificent white royal robe with gold trim, the crown on his head, and the terrifying aura and magical light emanating from him clearly indicated his identity.

He is the "Magic King" who has emerged from the grave, the conqueror who will soon rule this city, Ainz Ooal Gown!

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As the saying goes, "Clothes make the man, a saddle makes the horse, and a bell makes the dog run happily."

Although Ainz Ooal Gown's appearance after donning "human skin" is generally unremarkable, to the point that he would be hard to spot in a crowd, the presence of so many soldiers and various treasures still commanded the respect of all the citizens who saw him.

Meanwhile, Ainz Ooal Gown stroked the petite and adorable vampire loli Shalltear beside him, secretly feeling quite smug—not only did he have his colleague Firi driving him, but he was also revered like a god by so many people… He'd successfully shown off again! Yay!

However, before he could be smug for long, a little boy popped out of the house next door and threw a stone at his open carriage.

"...You bastard! Give my dad back!"

At Ainz's signal, the hamster cart immediately stopped.

Then, he calmly jumped off the carriage and asked the little boy, whose face was filled with fear and tension, "...You actually think I'm your father's killer? But I haven't even launched a single attack on this city! How exactly did your father die?"

"...Dad was eaten by undead creatures last night! You undead boss!"

The little boy, his voice trembling with tears, glared at Ainz, the Pride of Souls, who had jumped off the open carriage, and cursed angrily. His mother, her face ashen, finally reacted and rushed out of the house, hugging her child from behind, trembling as she desperately tried to hide him with her body.

"...He, he's just a child! Please! Please forgive him!"

"...Ah, it's alright, I'm not someone who gets angry easily."

Ainz Ooal Gown waved his hand, "...However, I've discovered that you seem to have some misunderstandings about me. The undead creatures that ravaged this city last night were not my subordinates, but the work of an evil organization called [Ziranon]! They've been lurking in this city for a long time!"

Of course, I know you might not believe me at first, so I brought the prisoner and the evidence with me—bring out the prisoner!

And so, accompanied by the creaking of the wheels, the prison wagon carrying Kajit and his last few disciples appeared on the street.

And so, on the streets of the fortress city of Yelantier, Ainz Ooal Gown, as the new ruler, held a public trial for the necromancer Khajiit and his disciples, the culprits who had instigated the "Rite of Death" the previous night and nearly slaughtered all of humanity in the city.

Although many citizens were initially skeptical, as evidence was presented one by one, along with testimonies from surviving militia members and confessions from the necromancer Kajit under mind control, the citizens gradually came to believe the "Magic King's" claims and understood the truth behind the catastrophe that had struck the city the previous night.

Some knowledgeable mages and adventurers recalled that about twenty years ago, there was indeed an evil organization called "Zhilanong" on this continent. They controlled an ancient ruin and conducted horrific experiments, causing a terrible catastrophe.

Because this organization called "Zhilanong" was rumored to have some unclear and ambiguous connections with the Slane Theocracy, the various countries that were aware of this did not take action for the time being. However, while the various forces remained on the sidelines due to a lack of intelligence, a small, unfortunate city was subjected to a "Ritual of Death" by this organization, and its entire population was slaughtered overnight, turning it into a city of death...

Clearly, twenty years later, [Ziranon] is about to repeat the same scheme in the fortress city of Yelantil, sacrificing its entire population to the Grim Reaper. And the Sorcerer King's army is not the culprit behind last night's catastrophe of the dead; rather, they are the great benefactors who saved the city's inhabitants…

Therefore, after learning the truth (to prevent malicious rumors from spreading, the core of Kajit's "Rite of Death" was deliberately omitted, which was the Sorcerer King rewarding adventurers with magical items), the citizens' hostility towards the Sorcerer King greatly diminished, while they angrily clamored for the murderer to pay with his life.

Seeing this, Ainz Ooal Gown also followed suit and erected a gallows in the street, hanging Kajit and his disciples on them.

Next, the little boy who had just thrown a stone at Ainz knelt down at Ainz's feet, weeping and repenting for his sins. Ainz, however, dismissed it all, generously forgiving his offense with the reason that "ignorance is no excuse."

The onlookers cheered even louder, thinking that the city shouldn't be too bad under the rule of the "Magic King".

In conclusion, everything is wonderful and cause for celebration...

"...Your leniency makes me feel ashamed. Your Majesty, the noble Sorcerer King, I believe you will surely become a great and benevolent ruler..."

After the little boy was dragged away by his mother, the chubby mayor of Panasonic also came over with a fawning smile and complimented him.

"...It's nothing. From the very beginning, I never intended to use such low-level methods as killing and despair to dominate this city that I am about to rule. That kind of approach is too undignified, inefficient, and would also damage my reputation. So you can rest assured."

Ainz Ooal Gown waved his hand dismissively, then looked around before bending down and whispering to Mayor Panathore, "...However, I have a personal matter to ask you—Mayor, how long have you been in office? Are you familiar enough with this city?"

Huh? Is this some kind of recruitment drive to find collaborators and traitors? Could it be that I, as mayor, still have a chance to stay in office?

Upon hearing this, Mayor Panasonic became excited, and his small eyes on his chubby face became bright and alert.

"...Please give your orders, Your Majesty. I would be more than happy to serve you!"

However, the Sorcerer King suddenly fell silent. After a moment of hesitation, he lowered his voice and spoke somewhat embarrassedly.

"...Well... here's the thing... Could you tell me... which famous prostitutes are in this city... and where is the most luxurious brothel in the city? Please take me and my companion there quietly later!"

Mayor Panasore was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then considered the meaning of the words, and finally understood.