My family runs an adventurer's guild.

This resulted in a large influx of currency into the market on one hand, and a significant decrease in the import of goods compared to pre-war levels on the other. Furthermore, as a feudal medieval city, the fortified city of Yelantil originally didn't have a very large market...

As a result, prices soared within days, and many shops even put up "sold out" signs, causing widespread complaints from ordinary citizens to gamers.

To solve this thorny problem, Ainz Ooal Gown, after discussing it with the silver dragon Lulutia and the cat Firi, had no choice but to take a multi-pronged approach. First, he ordered the adventurers' guilds in the city to issue a large number of hunting and trading missions, so that the players who were idle in the city would find a way to go out and get some food.

Next, the skeleton soldiers were driven to cultivate wheat and vegetables in the countryside to increase production.

Then, in an emergency, Ainz Ooal Gown also collected some food from the Great Tomb of Nazarick and put it in the market to stabilize public morale.

(The NPCs in the Great Tomb of Nazarick basically don't need to eat, but there are still canteens, bars, and kitchens, as well as many items that can produce food and alcohol. However, their production is limited and it is difficult to independently sustain the daily needs of a city of 100,000 people.)

Finally, they tried to restore traditional trade routes to import grain from surrounding villages, manors, and even the Bahars Empire to the northeast.

Somewhat surprisingly, the players who accepted the grain-purchasing quest discovered that the subjects of the Kingdom of Ri. Estize seemed to have far less integrity than expected. As long as there was money to be made, they didn't mind selling grain, alcohol, and other food to the fallen fortress city of Ye. Lantier.

There were even quartermasters in the kingdom's punitive expeditionary force who, completely disregarding the impending war between the two sides, secretly sold off military rations allocated from the capital for personal profit...

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

Overall, after about two months of taking over the city, despite some setbacks, the Kingdom of Nazarick's rule over the fortress city of Ye-Rantir was basically stabilized.

In particular, all sorts of shady underground circles were swept away by iron-fisted violence, greatly reducing potential destabilizing factors. Meanwhile, the influx of players brought unprecedented prosperity and vitality to the city.

While it's impossible for the native inhabitants of the fortress city of Ye.Lantir to immediately develop a strong sense of identification with the new ruler, it's pure fantasy for the Kingdom of Ri.Estize to think that sending a random envoy into the city to incite a rebellion is enough.

Especially the inner city within the third wall of the fortress city of Yelantil, after the reconstruction was completed and the "Sanssouci Palace Pleasure Club" opened, it was transformed into a giant Disneyland of "prosperity and extravagance", where every day was like a carnival.

At this very moment, Ainz Ooal Gown stood atop the tower of the third wall of the city of Yerantil, overlooking the street scene below.

The once narrow and winding streets have now been widened to the point where four carriages can travel side by side. However, the fortress city of Yelantil doesn't yet have that many vehicles, making the roads seem quite empty, so many stalls have naturally appeared along the roadside.

On the shelves of several mobile stalls, various colored potion bottles were displayed. The stall owners stood to one side, shouting exaggerated advertisements for their goods to attract customers. On a carpet, another masked man laid out a variety of knives, including winding snake-shaped daggers, flaming greatswords with wavy blades, and various throwing knives and arrows that shimmered with magical light.

Several vendors carried loads of goods, peddling all sorts of strange and unusual amulets and cursed items. The problem was, they all looked like fakes, so few people were willing to buy them. Meanwhile, the stall selling snacks and fruit next door was doing brisk business, with a steady stream of customers looking to satisfy their appetites.

In addition, there were several traveling performers, some of whom were either players or locals, performing fire-eating and acrobatics. Unfortunately, the content was old-fashioned, and there were few spectators.

Another tiny imp, no bigger than a palm, was performing a cat-riding-through-fire-hoops act. Because the performance was novel, it attracted a slightly larger crowd. Unfortunately, the cat seemed rather clumsy; although it managed to jump through the fire hoop, its tail caught fire. The cat immediately went berserk, not only throwing the imp off its back but also dashing into the neighboring food stall with its tail still ablaze. This caused a commotion of overturned pots and pans, angry roars, and piercing screams…

Looking further into the distance, at the intersection of two streets, there is a small square paved with bricks and stones, where a song and dance troupe is holding a public performance.

To the accompaniment of flute and harp music, filled with a desert atmosphere, played by musicians dressed in short jackets and riding breeches, a group of alluring dancers, clad only in brass and short skirts adorned with gold and silver chains, revealing their snow-white bellies and long, slender legs, were gracefully dancing, displaying their supple, boneless waists... With each leap and undulation, the gold and silver ornaments adorning their bodies swayed and bounced with the undulating waves of their breasts...

Well, these dancers with bare thighs and exposed bellies are actually relatively respectable. At least they have a few pieces of semi-transparent gauze on their bodies. Strictly speaking, they should be considered relatively decent entertainment industry workers, rather than real sex workers.

As for those in the sex industry who have truly lost all sense of decency... outside the glittering, brightly lit "Sanssouci Palace Pleasure Club," there are always naked prostitutes of various ethnicities, exposing their brown or white bodies, using every trick in the book to attract customers—in order to compete with the luxurious "Sanssouci Palace," those small-time prostitutes have now completely lost all sense of shame!

They used flirtatious glances, seductive voices, and even offered themselves to the new players, quickly hooking up with them and openly chasing each other through the streets and playing among the crowds...

The air in this comprehensive "entertainment district" is always filled with the smell of adulterous couples having sex.

However, this scene of "prosperity and lavish prostitution" made Ainz, the Pride of Souls, feel a deep sadness and a surge of inexplicable anger.

—Because, although he now possesses countless loyal and beautiful women, he has become a skeleton, disarmed and lost his fifth limb!

What would a man who can't have sex feel if he watched so many adulterous couples having sex so passionately?

Good heavens, why did I suddenly pick up a candlestick and try to find a gasoline can?

The next moment, a green light of "Forced Calm" appeared above his head, startling Phil, who was reporting on the city's current situation to him.

"...Ainz-san, what's wrong?"

"...It's nothing, I'm just feeling a bit sentimental...Please continue!"

Ainz Ooal Gown pretended to be nonchalant, but inside he was still filled with endless sorrow and bitterness.

If he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have come here to inspect; instead, he would have stayed in the Great Tomb of Nazarick and had Phil come over for a meeting to discuss it!

Wasn't it because she couldn't stand the noise from these two scoundrels that she refused to stay in the city and moved back to the Great Tomb of Nazarick?

As the saying goes, "How much sorrow can one have? It's like a eunuch going to a brothel!"

Ainz Ooal Gown's current situation is even worse than that of a eunuch—at least a eunuch has hands and a mouth to use, and if all else fails, can watch lesbian performances and read erotic novels. But even if Ainz wanted to read erotic novels, he'd be completely ruined by [Forced Calm]!

Although it differs from the original Overlord storyline, following Firi's suggestion, Ainz Ooal Gown managed to get himself some kind of human skin before descending into the other world, so he wouldn't have to maintain a terrifying giant skeleton appearance all the time...

The problem is, once this "skin" materializes, it's really just a cover, much like a piece of clothing. Even with this "human skin," Ainz is still essentially the lich. He still can't eat, can't have sex with women, can't even show any expression on his face, and his soul continues to be suppressed by "forced calmness," preventing him from even indulging in erotic fantasies.

One can only imagine the unbearable pain this would be for Ainz Ooal Gown!

Even the most hardened office worker still has male desires!

Chapter 171, Ainz Ooal Gown's Future Sexual Bliss

Meanwhile, following Ainz's gaze, Firi turned to look at the pleasure district in the city. Seeing many heavily made-up prostitutes chasing and soliciting customers in the street, she suddenly realized what was going on. She turned back to Ainz, her face showing a look of understanding and pity.

"...Ainz-san, I understand... You must have been having a lot of trouble lately from suddenly losing that function, right?"

He reached out his right hand, wanting to pat Ainz on the shoulder to comfort him, but due to the height difference, he could only pat Ainz's robe instead.

"...Please rest assured, Miss Lulutia and I have been researching ways to solve this problem for you, and we've made some progress. If everything goes smoothly, in two or three months at most, you'll be able to enjoy the happiness of being with a man again..."

"……what?"

Ainz Ooal Gown trembled with excitement, followed by another green [Forced Calm] flash above his head. "...Oh, this feels awful...Wait, the solution you're talking about isn't to reincarnate into another race, is it? That would make me lose all my levels! And then, whether the NPCs in the Great Tomb of Nazarick will still acknowledge me as their master is anyone's guess!"

"...Of course, it won't be such a simple, crude, and extremely risky solution! Ainz-san, you need to have a little more faith in us, okay? If the Great Tomb of Nazarick gets out of control, our gaming business will be finished too!"

Phil waved his hands repeatedly in denial, saying, "...In short, although we've made some progress, there are still some technical difficulties that haven't been resolved. After all, it concerns your lifelong happiness, so we must be extremely cautious and absolutely dare not be careless in the slightest!"

So, I hope you can be patient and hold on for a while longer. I will let you know as soon as I get good news…”

"...Okay, I understand, I get it! Anyway, I wasn't very popular with women in my original world, and I was already mentally prepared to never find a wife in my life... So I can wait for now, as long as you don't provoke me all the time! Let's talk about politics first!"

Ainz nodded slightly disappointedly, but did not press further. "...Were we talking about food security earlier?"

"...Yes, that's right. Currently, due to the continuous influx of players from our world, as well as the magical pets and goblin armies summoned by players into the city, the food consumption of the fortress city of Ye. Lantier has been rising steadily, far exceeding the supply capacity of the nearby villages."

Ferry opened the booklet again, “...Although thanks to the efforts of native merchants and traveling traders in purchasing grain, as well as some food supplies provided by the Great Tomb of Nazarick, the fortress city of Yelantil is not currently facing famine. However, just in case, we still need to increase the grain production capacity within our controlled area—currently, the city's grain reserves are only enough to last for one month, and it will be troublesome if a siege occurs…”

"...A siege?" Ainz was somewhat confused. "...What other power in this world could force us to defend a city?"

"...We don't necessarily have to attack the fortress city of Ye. Lantier directly, meow! As long as the surrounding countries unite and implement a long-range blockade to cut off trade routes and a scorched-earth tactic, the players and natives gathered in this city can easily crush us!"

Firi shrugged. "The Great Tomb of Nazarick alone can probably only support a few thousand people!"

"...Regarding this issue, haven't I already experimented with using skeleton soldiers and other undead creatures to cultivate the land, establishing farms in the desolate wasteland of the Kaz Plains, far from the fortress city of Ye. Lantil?" Ainz Ooal Gown asked. "...As far as I know, the farm reclamation work should be going smoothly, right?"

"...That's right, the experiment of using skeleton soldiers to cultivate the land has been very successful. Although it will be a long time before the wheat harvest, the first batch of potatoes, carrots, and cabbages have already been harvested. Therefore, in order to ensure food self-sufficiency, I hope you can expand the scale of cultivation by skeleton soldiers as soon as possible."

"...No problem, I'll go to the city cemetery and summon another batch of skeletons. There's plenty of raw materials (bones) there."

—As one of the great “benevolent policies” implemented by the Sorcerer King Ainz after taking over the main fortress city of Elantil, the obligation of all citizens to perform military service without pay was recently completely abolished by the new ruler (in fact, he was worried that the original militia would rebel and cause trouble, so he disarmed them in advance).

Currently, both the security patrols of the fortress city of Yerantil and the guarding of the cemetery to prevent the undead from appearing are handled by the goblins, demons, and undead creatures of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. The citizens who were originally forced to perform these duties are finally free of these burdens.

However, in reality, Ainz Ooal Gown turned the cemetery of the fortress city of Ye Rantil into a recruitment point, creating a large number of death knights and skeleton soldiers. The former were responsible for maintaining order, while the latter were responsible for farming—in a sense, it could be considered "taking from the people and using it for the people."

"...Next...is the military issue—Ainzsan, the punitive expeditionary force of the Kingdom of Reyestig has already attacked!"

Firi glanced down at the notebook in her hand, then said to Ainz, "...Now we need to devise a strategy..."

"...Uh? Has the main enemy force assembled in the west already started moving?" Ainz Ooal Gown's tone was somewhat confused. "...According to the intelligence from the past few days, they shouldn't have amassed 200,000 men yet, right? Does this mean they're going to attack before the entire army is fully assembled?"

"...No, the main force of the Kingdom of Riyestege is still assembling, but small reconnaissance units have already begun their preliminary battles."

Phil replied, "...In the last ten days, four villages on the outskirts of the Kingdom of Nazarick have been attacked by enemy forces..."

"...Wait, an outpost? What do you mean by the outlying villages of the Kingdom of Nazarick? Apart from having Demiurge manage the fortress city of Ye-Rantir, I don't recall ever sending any troops or officials to any place other than the Great Tomb of Nazarick."

Ainz seemed even more confused, "...Even in Carne Village, which is closest to the Great Tomb of Nazarick, I don't have direct jurisdiction. I only sent people to keep a remote watch, and there has been no intelligence about anything unusual..."

"...The problem definitely didn't occur in Carne Village, Ainz-san! It's with those players!"

Phil sighed, "...Do you remember? On our way to the fortress city, some players went off to find villages and hunt for women, refusing to continue with us. And we couldn't do anything about these big spenders, so we just let them be..."

"...Uh, those guys who were obsessed with having sex with village girls and couldn't break free? They don't listen to me!"

"...However, in the eyes of the Kingdom of Ri. Estize, they are still on our side...and that is indeed the case..."

Chapter 172, The Outpost (Part 1)

Shak Village

This is a small village southwest of the fortress city of Ye. Lantier. The village has only a few dozen people and the land is very barren. Apart from the crops in the fields, there is nothing else of note.

The village's proximity to the road adds a touch of liveliness to the village.

About two months ago, a huge army mixed with many monsters rumbled past the village and announced that Shak Village was now separated from the Kingdom of Riyestej and belonged to a "Kingdom of Nazarick" that appeared out of nowhere.

Completely powerless to resist, the villagers could only accept reality with numb expressions. At the army's request, they hung the flag of the Kingdom of Nazarick at the village entrance, and with smiles on their faces, slaughtered pigs and sheep. They also took out their treasured wine from the cellar to reward the soldiers and ward off disaster.

Fortunately, although the army brought many monsters and looked terrifying, they were generally quite friendly. After accepting the cobbled-together rewards from Shak Village, they not only restrained their soldiers from harassing the villagers too much, but even gave the flattered villagers some money as a reward.

After that, the terrifying army left Shak Village and reportedly captured the fortified city of Ye. Lantier shortly thereafter.

Shak Village returned to its former tranquility. Except for a middle-aged mercenary named Hans, who was left in the village by the army (in fact, this player voluntarily left the party) to serve as the garrison commander of Shak Village (in fact, this title was self-proclaimed).

The villagers generally felt that this stranger who had entered their daily lives was relatively easy to get along with.

Although Hans, a seemingly strong and burly middle-aged mercenary, slept with two young widows in Shak Village on his first day there, he also generously gave each of them a sum of money and many gifts, thus silencing all the villagers' complaints.

It's a transaction of money and sex, it's consensual, so what right do outsiders have to make a fuss?

You see, when those nobles from their own country came to this village to take village girls as concubines, they never paid a single coin. They simply abducted them, relying on their noble privileges—it wasn't that these nobles were too poor to afford it, but in the noble circles of the Kingdom of Li. Yestige, where greed and shamelessness were prized, having to pay for a woman was a shameful thing to be laughed at… What's worse, even after they got tired of the abducted village girls, the nobles usually wouldn't release them to go home. Instead, they would sell them directly to the slave market, squeezing every last drop of profit from these poor girls…

Compared to the disgusting attitude of nobles who think, "I'm not disgusted by your woman's filth," the generous mercenary Hans is quite good.

If it were some kind of vicious bandits and thugs, let alone giving gifts, they probably wouldn't only have to play with the women for free, but the villagers would also have to pay tribute.

Therefore, the villagers of Shak Village generally had a good impression of this generous mercenary from out of town.

Moreover, compared to those officials who did nothing but collect taxes, Hans at least helped hunt down monsters that roamed the village. When Hans returned from hunting in the nearby forest, he would occasionally share some extra animal entrails and scraps of meat with the villagers.

As for the fact that he slept with two women by himself... well, in the harsh rural areas, those vulnerable women originally needed to find a capable man to rely on in order to make a living. It was also common for noble families to keep more than a dozen concubines.

After all, the rule that "the strong are entitled to enjoy more women" has been a fundamental and conventional law in human society since the primitive tribal era.

In short, life in Shak Village remained peaceful until the day the disaster struck...

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

It was another quiet and peaceful day.

Hans, a player from the Golden Dragon Kingdom, slowly dressed, then got up and opened the window of the cabin, letting the bright spring sunlight stream in and fall on the alluring skin of the two widows who were still fast asleep behind him.

A refreshing morning breeze blew by, causing the two widows to sneeze, then they turned over and continued to sleep soundly.

Hans disagreed, saying that in such a peaceful and comfortable place, with such warm and pleasant weather, people tend to be lazy.

It was precisely to enjoy this tranquility that he did not follow the main force to the fortress city of Ye. Lantier, but instead stayed in this small village.

Those curious little ones would probably be eager to sneak into mysterious ruins and treacherous jungles to cut off the heads of those powerful monsters; or to show off their skills on the battlefield where flesh and blood fly; or even to defeat a beautiful and agile female warrior, and then, under her angry gaze, strip her naked and play with her to their heart's content, in order to demonstrate their manly prowess.

But for Hans, who was already exhausted, all he wanted was to rest in this small village that resembled his hometown.

—In real life, Hans was an immigrant who came to the Golden Dragon Kingdom from the Old World.

He left his small village with great confidence, boarded a large sailing ship to cross the ocean, and was determined to make a name for himself in the New World, which was said to be full of opportunities and unlimited hope.

Unfortunately, unlike some lucky protagonists with a halo of destiny, Hans' life in the New World was not smooth.

He carried heavy loads at the docks, washed dishes at taverns, worked as a sailor on ships, and was a vendor at markets. He even went on adventures in the wilderness with others. However, despite his hard work and dedication, he could never accumulate much wealth. Even when he occasionally made a small fortune, he would usually squander it all quickly.

To make matters worse, even his wife couldn't stand the loneliness and ran off with a gigolo while Hans went gold panning with his friends.

So, after returning home with his fortune, Hans, looking at his empty house, became dejected and spent his days drowning his sorrows in alcohol, feeling as if life had lost its purpose.

To cheer Hans up, some friends took him to the Temple of the Sleeping God to play the supposedly popular "Otherworld Adventure" game, *Overlord*. Hans was initially uninterested, but couldn't resist his friends' good intentions and eventually entered the game world.

Then, after following the large group in a daze for a while, he was surprised to find that the layout and scenery of this village of Shak were quite similar to his hometown in the Old World! Even if they weren't exactly the same, they were at least 70 or 80 percent similar!

A strong sense of homesickness welled up in Hans's heart, making him unable to move his legs... As a result, while the others excitedly headed towards the fortress city of Ye. Lantier, Hans remained alone in the peaceful and tranquil village of Shak.

And so, aside from logging off a few times during that period, Hans rested for a long time in Shak Village and felt that his mentality had recovered a lot.

However, what made him sigh was that daily life in this village seemed just as difficult as in his hometown.

Chapter 173, The Outpost (Part 2)

In fact, according to the villagers of Shak Village, their village is considered quite prosperous in the Kingdom of Riyestege.

At least, the villagers of Shak Village can eat three meals of black bread every day, live in brick houses instead of dilapidated shacks, and only need to pay 30-40% of their crops as taxes, with virtually no other miscellaneous taxes... The price is that they may suffer from war and monster ravages at any time.

—Due to the years of war between the Bahars Empire and the Kingdom of Riyestege, many villages along the kingdom's borders have been ravaged by war and reduced to barren wastelands. Some remote mountain villages that escaped the ravages of war have been brutally slaughtered by the monsters that occasionally rampage through the forests…

In such a perilous environment, in order to prevent the border from becoming a no-man's land, the fortress city of Yelantil had to implement a low-tax policy that rewarded land reclamation and reduced taxes, in order to prevent border farmers from fleeing to the interior and thus ensure the city's agricultural supply.