After a brief rest, the group left the tavern and set off for E-Rantel. The female elf with a purplewood recurve bow slung across her back walked ahead of them.
To be fair, this female elf wasn't a bad sort at heart. She knew the girl taken by the death knight wasn't in any real danger, so she had stopped Franco's "heroic rescue," keeping the three adventurers from clashing with the death knight on Sorcerer Kingdom soil.
The female elf carried the classic traits of her people: tall and graceful, with long, slender legs. Her rounded thighs were wrapped snugly in tight emerald-green leather pants that showed off every smooth curve. Franco's gaze stayed glued to the sway of her back. After a few dozen seconds, the lecherous mage could no longer hold back. He stepped forward and struck up a conversation.
The two of them hit it off right away, chatting and laughing. The corners of the female elf's mouth lifted in a faint, easy smile. Franco turned to Barrett and EeDechi. "All settled. This beautiful lady from the Elf Country has agreed to be our guide."
"When did we ever say we needed a guide?" EeDechi leaned in and whispered to Barrett. She was still disguised as a male adventurer, so it wouldn't do for anyone to hear her real voice.
"Franco just wants to pick up chicks, that's all. Whatever. In a place like E-Rantel where we don't know a soul or the lay of the land, a guide isn't a bad idea." Barrett nodded in agreement. Franco dug into his own pouch and handed the "guide" twenty gold coins.
The female elf introduced herself properly. Her name was Vaelynn Seraphina, from the Elf Country that bordered the Slane Theocracy. At the age of sixty, guided by a druid, she had become a ranger. She left her homeland to wander and adventure across the world, and it had now been twenty-six years since she last returned home.
In other words, Vaelynn was now seventy-six years old. For a human, that age would already be deep into twilight years, but elves lived for centuries. She was currently in the prime of her life, bursting with energy and vitality.
Vaelynn Seraphina had come to E-Rantel to sell off a few rare items she had picked up along her travels. She had visited the city more than a dozen times. Although she didn't live here permanently, she knew E-Rantel as well as any local.
"Miss Seraphina, actually we share quite a connection," Franco said smoothly. "I carry a quarter elven blood in my veins and have always held the elven race in the highest regard…"
Vaelynn didn't mind Franco's slick flattery at all. Unlike most elves, she had an open, free-spirited nature. After twenty-six years of roughing it in the mortal world far from her own kind, she had picked up a wild edge that clung to her like a second skin.
She laughed at herself, saying that if she ever went back to the Elf Country, her forest-dwelling kin would probably take one look at her and turn up their noses.
"E-Rantel really that great?" Barrett asked Vaelynn.
"Well…" Vaelynn's expression grew a little wry. "In my twenty-six years of wandering, E-Rantel is hands-down the most luxurious city I've ever seen. Maybe only the legendary capital of the Eight Greed Kings could match it. The people live in peace and comfort, and the security is the best anywhere—crime is so low you could almost say it doesn't exist."
Then her tone shifted. "But as for how things really are… I'll show you once we get there."
Vaelynn's face suddenly turned serious. "Remember three rules. First, don't say even one bad word about the Sorcerer Kingdom!"
"Second, don't utter the name of any ruler of the Sorcerer Kingdom! The only exception is Supreme Overlord Ainz.
"Third, no drawing weapons or casting spells! Barrett, tighten that sword belt of yours. Franco, stow your staff."
The group soon arrived at E-Rantel. Towering granite walls filled their entire view, grand and majestic, radiating overwhelming might.
Walking beneath them, the adventurers felt like ants crawling beside a colossal dam. A wide, flat road of solid stone slabs stretched before the city gate, broad enough for five carriages to ride abreast.
The gate stood wide open with no delays. No soldiers inspected passing merchants, no officials demanded entry taxes—only two towering high-tier skeletal guards stood watch.
The skeletal guards gripped swords that gleamed with cold, deadly light. Yellow flames danced inside their skulls like twin suns, warning every traveler not to stir up trouble inside a Sorcerer Kingdom city armed with absolute power.
A massive stone stele dominated the space in front of the gate. Bold, powerful flourished lettering was carved into it, the grooves inlaid with pure gold that sparkled brilliantly under the sunlight:
"Welcome to E-Rantel, a paradise on earth protected by Supreme Overlord Ainz Ooal Gown. Here, every race in the world lives in harmony. There is no hatred. There is no slaughter. Any race willing to treat other races as equals will always have a place in E-Rantel."
The moment the group stepped through the gate, wide streets branched out in every direction, lined with neat, handsome buildings. A quick glance upward revealed the tallest structure in the city—the golden statue of Ainz Ooal Gown.
This massive statue towered half again as high as the city's tallest spire, making the buildings at its feet look like scattered toy blocks. It gripped a staff in its left hand while its right hand pointed straight ahead. Crimson light glowed from the ruby-set pupils, as if the figure could awaken at any moment.
They tore their eyes away from the colossal statue in the distance and continued forward with the flow of the crowd.
Before long they reached a crossroads, where another statue of Ainz Ooal Gown stood right in the middle of the road.
This one was enormous too—three times the height of an average person.
What astonished them most was that every single passerby—human, lizardfolk, dwarf, or any other race—would face the statue, drop to their knees, bow until their forehead touched the ground, then rise and walk away with heads respectfully lowered.
Even carriages halted; drivers and passengers alike would climb down, kneel and kowtow to the statue, then remount and continue on their way.
"Doesn't that seem like a hassle?" Barrett stopped in his tracks. He noticed no Sorcerer Kingdom undead guards were stationed nearby, so were all these people kneeling and kowtowing of their own free will?
"Hmph!" EeDechi snorted through her nose in disdain.
"Let's take a detour," Barrett said. They skirted around the crossroads and took a quieter side street with no statues in sight.
As they rounded the corner, they came face to face with a beholder.
Barrett's hand flew to his sword hilt on instinct. Beholders were notoriously aggressive monsters.
A beholder was a floating spherical creature covered in writhing tentacles. A single enormous eye bulged from the center of its body, and beneath that gaped a mouth bristling with razor-sharp teeth. Each of its waving tentacles ended in its own smaller eyeball.
The beholder's countless eyes were far more than decoration—they could unleash magical rays that delivered Disintegrate, Flesh to Stone, Telekinesis, and a whole host of other deadly effects.
Barrett quickly steadied himself and kept his sword sheathed. He saw that although the beholder kept slowly rotating its body and fixing its monstrous central eye on the passing crowds, it showed no hint of aggression.
Besides, this beholder wasn't on the ground. It hovered above a tall, pillar-like platform, as if it had been placed there on purpose.
Barrett and the others watched the creature for a moment. Once they were sure it wouldn't attack anyone, they continued onward.
The group strolled casually down the street, looking around with open curiosity. Beings of every shape and size—races tall and short, strange and familiar—moved along the avenues, chatting and greeting one another. It really felt like an exhibition hall showcasing every race in the world.
Aarakocra hawked rare sky birds that were nearly impossible to catch; dark elves with deep brown skin held parasols while browsing freshly mined gemstones at a minotaur's stall.
Bearded dwarves hammered away with ringing clangs on iron anvils inside their forges, racks of gleaming blades and swords lined up on wooden frames out front. Burly orcs shouldered large bundles and smaller parcels, weaving through the thick crowd. Every now and then a dark shadow swept across the street—a white dragon gliding overhead with wings spread wide, cargo containers clutched in its claws…
"Interesting," EeDechi said, glancing around. "It really does have the feel of all races living together in harmony."
Vaelynn heard EeDechi speak and shot her a surprised glance. Barrett quickly leaned in close to Vaelynn's ear and whispered a few words. Vaelynn's eyes widened in sudden understanding, and when she looked at EeDechi again, her gaze held a mix of pity, sympathy, and gentle affection.
"Hey, what did you tell her?" EeDechi whispered to Barrett.
"Nothing much. I just said your father died when you were young, and you came down with a terrible illness as a kid. They had to cut out your vocal cords to save your life. Your mother begged a wizard to transplant her own vocal cords into you so you wouldn't be mute. That's why your voice sounds feminine. Because of how weird it made you sound, you grew up shy and withdrawn, never wanting to talk to people…"
"You really are a clever little devil!" EeDechi angrily pinched Barret's thigh hard, making Barret wince and jump up in pain.
The group kept wandering through the city. Once the initial thrill of seeing new sights wore off, everyone started noticing the strangeness.
The most common decoration in this city wasn't fountains or gargoyles—it was huge portraits of Ainz Ooal Gown.
Some of the portraits even carried propaganda slogans. Like the one right in front of them now.
In the painting, Ainz gazed into the distance, one finger pointing straight ahead. Radiating rays of red-and-white light burst outward from him as a backdrop. Below it, bold lettering read:
"WINS COME ALL DAY UNDER SUPREME OVERLORD AINZ!"
And beside every single portrait stood a death knight in full armor, sword drawn and ready.
So EeDechi and the others didn't dare stare too long. They gave each one a quick glance, then hurriedly looked away to avoid any trouble.