"Majesty?" Leinas asked.

"Yes Leinas?" Ainz replied.

"I'm sure we could find an inn, but...don't you have a manor here?" She asked.

Had Ainz had actually eyelids, he'd have blinked. As it was he coughed and thought as quickly as he could to improvise a reason for an inn rather than staying at his manor so he wouldn't have to admit that he'd forgotten it. "Ahem...well...yes, I do, but...we're here to tour first of all, to view how the city has changed, if I go to the manor, I will be occupied with ceremony and all manner of other nonsense that keeps me from walking the streets of the places I wish to see, therefore we will stay at an inn for now, and in the morning we will pick things up again."

"I see." Leinas said with seeming understanding.

"May I ask something else?" She asked.

'Please don't...' Ainz thought, but he replied, "If you wish."

"Do you always put such thought into your actions?" She said with a measure of pride in her voice.

"It is my job." Ainz replied nobly, "And what use is anyone who does not put pride and thought into their job, no matter what it is?"

It was a sentiment Leinas agreed with, and it reminded her of the diligence of Jircniv, in that idle moment in the darkness of the evening she reflected that though she never held any true loyalty to Jircniv due to her obsession with curing her curse...had that curse been lifted before, she would have felt for him the loyalty she now felt growing for the Sorcerer King. Everyone served someone, that was the way of the world, but the Sorcerer King seemed to take it to mean that the ruler served the ruled in return.

It was a satisfying view, and in some corner of her mind Leinas wondered if she was bearing a walking witness to the beginning of a golden age for her world.

Ainz knew the area better than she, and so when he began to walk, she fell into step one footfall behind and to his right, death knights still patrolled the city streets, but the hour was so late that they were literally the only things moving on the streets other than the Sorcerer King and herself. It was easy enough to find a comfortable inn, E-Rantel had become a powerful and populated city, demihumans lived in such abundance there that all the minority demihumans together were now half the population, balancing out the humans who made up the other half of the total numbers. Integrated as they were into the overall population, it was still divided by district almost by default, since the city had to expand for the new residents, and the new residents were mostly nonhuman, that meant the expanded areas farther from the city center were defacto demihuman districts while the interior of the city was notably growing in wealth. Ainz turned that problem over in his head as he walked, it had been brought up to him before, the lessons of history from his childhood were not lost on him, he knew too well the danger of allowing a distinctly different underclass to appear and have it locked out of prosperity and economic participation.

The problem was not fully solved in his mind yet, and he was still turning possible solutions over in his head when Leinas spoke up. "Sire, may I ask...why E-Rantel?"

Ainz didn't break his stride, it was not an unexpected question. "You could have, with your power, taken over the whole of Re-Estize, or captured Arwintar, or anywhere else. Why this little insignificant city on the border between three nations?" She asked.

"Have you ever heard of something called the 'founder effect'?" Ainz asked.

She looked confused, "Never, sire."

He chuckled, "Of course, forgive my foolish question, I have not revealed it yet." He took a deep breath that he definitely did not need, but which made him appear...so much more human to Leinas, she wondered how long he'd had to practice these little gestures that in subtle ways made humans more comfortable around him. It gave her an odd sense of gratitude that he should go so far to put weaker people at ease.

"The founder effect is the resulting ripple of influence that comes from building something anew. It states that the effect of those who begin a process or institution, echoes far beyond their own lifetimes, much more so than the effect of all those who come after, who tend to follow the precedents of those who began those institutions. Consider the adventurer's guild, it was founded for monster hunting to protect humans, its basic principles of how to treat civilians, demihumans, and so on, were all set along ago, and everyone who came after merely followed the precedent for the institution with very little modification. Nations work similarly, in the distant past, long, long before any recorded history you would ever know, there was a nation known as the United States, a collection of small governments that came together to establish a single nation, their first president...their version of what you'd call a king, could have remained in power for life, but instead he chose to serve for no more than two terms of four years, after which he left office to be replaced, establishing a pattern of succession and transition that would not be broken for many generations, after it eventually was, those in power promptly passed laws mandating that the tradition become a law, the influence of his view of such restrictions continued for centuries. This extended to other policies on how they saw their relationships with other governments, trade, everything. Those who found a body, set a standard that all others tend to follow." He explained patiently as Leinas listened in rapt attention.

"The empire's foundation set a tone for strong central government, a process that continued up to the present with the Bloody Emperor who had at his back, centuries of enduring trends expressed by the actions of the empire's founders themselves. By contrast the Re-Estize Kingdom was created by its founders as a divided entity that relied on a careful balance of nobles against the king, such that their last monarch had to struggle mightily against tradition set by its foundational precedents and was never fully successful. Overcoming this 'founder effect' is very difficult without completely bringing down whatever has grown up from it. By contrast, it is very easy to create the desired founder effect by beginning something entirely knew when people are most receptive to it." Ainz said, thinking his public school teacher would be very proud of how he recited his lessons.

"So E-Rantel..." She began.

"Yes, but not just E-Rantel. Carne Village. In Carne I created opportunity first by saving their lives, as a small village with relatively little history and only a shell of loyalty to the Re-Estize Kingdom which cared nothing for them, they were open to anything that might improve their bleak existence. When I defeated Re-Estize at the Katze Plains, E-Rantel was broken off from its foundation, and the fear after the massacre was so great that there was nobody who was going to oppose me as I rewrote their laws and founded a new nation atop the piece broken off from the old. Had I seized a center of power such as the capitol of the Empire, I would have, even in terror of total victory, run counter to long established customs and deeply held loyalties to the old system. This way..." he said as he stretched out his arms to encompass the whole city, "was much, much more practical. Moreover, the locations for both areas are such that they sit astride what will become the greatest trade routes in the world, they are at a crossroads between great lands, that will be made greater when they are under my rule, and the changes that begin in Carne and follow in E-Rantel, will become the basis, the test cases, for changes that will radiate throughout the entire world." Ainz said proudly, eagerly, almost childlike in his enthusiasm.

Leinas felt her eyes go wide at the scope of his vision, the concepts he'd just imparted to her were like nothing she'd ever imagined, however when she considered the institutions she knew and had been a part of...it seemed obvious. People accustomed to certain ways, get set in them and tend not to shake the foundations of what they know unless they were ripped away. The world though...the entire world? For a moment she felt as if she could see it, the banner of Ainz Ooal Gown from North to South, with undead pulled carts traveling over well maintained roads, with integrated armies of demihumans, humans, adventurers, undead, and insurmountable magic, everything covering for everything else's weaknesses, balancing each other out in unity and driven by a single minded goal of stability and prosperity. It was dizzying. She wondered if Jircniv had ever heard this kind of thing, and she resolved to write a letter to her former liege to ask him...when time permitted.

It was at that moment that they came to a large and luxurious inn, ornate wood carvings on the outside and a clean entryway, Ainz walked in as if it was the most natural thing in the world for the most powerful ruler in the known world to just stroll casually into different establishments. The man at the front desk...wasn't human, it was an elf missing the tips of his ears, it wasn't hard for Leinas to conclude that he'd been a slave somewhere, probably in the South where that form of mutilation was more common.

The elf saw the Sorcerer King, and immediately rushed out from behind the front desk and knelt in front of him. "Sire, my savior, my god of justice, freedom, and life..." The elf was visibly moved, near to tears. "Welcome to this humble establishment, we of the Notahilt Inn are overjoyed to play host to your august self. And may I say sire...thank you...thank you...thank you for having saved me."

Ainz wondered if he'd ever become comfortable with that kind of constant deference, and with an uncomfortable, voice he said, "Ahem, of course you are welcome and you may rise and attend my needs."

The elf promptly stood and bowed, "I am at your majesty's command, shall I prepare a room for you?"

"Two, for myself and for Leinas here." He gestured to the tall imposing adamantite ranked bodyguard, who looked...next to Ainz...measurably less of both categories.

"As you wish sire!" The elf said and he rushed back behind the desk. Leinas watched the way he moved, smoothly, gracefully. He'd been free awhile, restored to an elf's natural flowing motion and not the stooped trudging of a slave, he was slender as most of their race were. Still, he bore an athletic appearance of lean muscle indicating good health and good food were the norm for him. His clothes were tailored to fit to his body and they were of high quality, it was what one would expect at such a remarkable establishment. The furniture was all polished and hand carved, tables were of either rich mahogany or carved of solid blocks of marble, chairs were plush cushioned and scattered about the main entryway, the floor must have had a wooden base, but the floor had close fitting stone tiles of a blue gray hue that were polished to a shine. Overhead a chandelier held not candles, but glowing stones of a blue shade similar to the stone, it cast the whole room in a peaceful light and Leinas felt quite relaxed. People were absent in this late hour, but an attendant was quick to appear and offer to take any bags they had...of which there were none. So when the keys were taken out they were handed to the attendant and Ainz reached for his coin purse and the elf behind the counter said, "Your majesty, this city is yours, you needn't pay for a room here!"

Ainz shrugged, "To refuse to pay would be to say your labor was not worth the investment, and had no value. Everything and everyone in my domain has value, and I would not diminish any of it or them or myself by withholding payment for services rendered."

"I-I see. Your majesty honors us greatly." The elf said, and he bowed deeply again and gratefully took several coins of gold. The attendant then walked to a set of stairs that wound their way upwards in a spiral, leading to an upper floor, the rail was smooth as ice and carved from a deep dark red shaded wood that Leinas didn't recognize. When they were on an upper floor the attendant, a human that was impeccably dressed much like the elf at the front desk, lead the way down a hall to two different rooms, one next to the other. "Your rooms sire. Please simply pull the rope by the bed if you require anything, it will ring the bell at the front desk and someone will be right up to attend to you."

He bowed deeply, and Ainz took a platinum coin out of his purse and held it out to the young man, his eyes went wide as he stared at months of labor held out in the form of a single coin."

He reached out, hesitant, as if he could scarcely believe what was in front of him, he looked at Ainz in frank disbelief, but Ainz nodded and kept the coin extended, the man slowly took it between his fingers and held it close to his face as if he could not believe what he was seeing. "T-thank you sire." He said, clearly at a loss.

"Goodnight." Ainz said, dismissing him, and the man bowed once more and went back the way he'd come. "Leinas, take that room there, come see me first thing in the morning when the sun rises and we'll be off about our business."

"As your majesty wills it." She said, barely containing a yawn, grateful that the untiring undead would care enough for her body's need for rest to accommodate her.

Ainz entered his room, closed the door, and lay down on the bed, tired as he could be from the mental strain of maintaining his noble bearing and the frequent improvisation.

The nights alone, with no obligations, nobody to bother him, nobody needing anything, those hours were the only real vacation Ainz had, and he lay down on the luxurious bed and let himself drift into empty thoughts, a mindless state of ease and relaxation that would let the still human mind of his recouperate. Morning came all to soon for the undead king, who valued his peace and tranquility, but whether he wanted it or not, here it was, and it was heralded by a firm knock at the door.

Ainz approached and swung it open after casting a brief cleansing spell on his clothing, and he was greeted by the fresh clear face of Leinas Rockbruise, her blonde hair bound behind her so that her whole face was clearly visible, a stark contrast to her precured state. She was, in Ainz's judgement, a beautiful woman, as proud of her skills as she was, the blight on her face must have tortured her.

"Lets go." He said before she could even offer up a good morning, she fell into step behind him and they walked down the hall, steps, and towards the door, drawing some surprised looks as he appeared. The shock of the hotel however was nothing compared to the shock in the street when he stepped out of the door...it wasn't every day that you got to see a King walk the streets after all. Ainz paused and looked back at those who were looking at him.

"Well...I'd planned to do this later...but as they're all gawking at me now, might as well go about it." He said softly, just enough so that Leinas could hear him. "Good morning, people of E-Rantel, residents of one of the great cities of the world!" Ainz said in a booming noble voice.

"There is no need to fear, I have not come to tax or try you, only to see the way my laws have impacted your lives, I wish to know your struggles that I may ease them, see what is great and make it greater, see what is hard and make it easier, come, speak your minds freely, I swear on my name that I do not punish discontent, I alleviate it." He said, holding his arms out wide, releasing his staff and letting it float beside him.

There were blinking eyes and silence, but no words as the bustling crowd stood frozen in continued surprise. It felt to Leinas like a very awkward moment. Ainz however, eased the tension with a laugh and got the ball rolling himself. "You!" He pointed to a child, a young boy roughly the age of seven. His clothes were not clean, and they'd been mended many times, he was holding his mother's hand, a woman who looked to be in her early twenties at most, they both had sandy hair and green eyes, their skin was deeply tanned suggesting they spent much time outdoors. "Come here young one." Ainz said and took a knee putting himself closer to the child's height.

The child tugged on his mother's hand trying to obey the King's summon, but she was clearly fearful and could not move. It was only her surprise that caused her to lose her grip on her child, and he rushed over and stood in front of the skeletal king. That snapped her back to reality and she rushed over to grab and pull him back protectively, but Ainz raised his hand as if to tell her to stop, and she paused, shaking, fearful of angering the mighty sorcerer.

"What is your name boy?" Ainz asked.

"Githred." He said bravely.

"What does your family do Githred?" Ainz asked.

"We farm." He said.

"Sire!" She snapped to the boy.

"Sire!" he corrected himself.

"Its alright, he's just a child." Ainz said, setting the woman at greater ease.

"Do you like farming?" He asked.

The boy shook his head. "Not really. Its hard, its boring!" He said.

"What do you want to do?" Ainz asked.

"I want to be an adventurerer! Like Momon!" The boy shouted enthusiastically, prompting chuckles from the crowd, the tension had begun to dissipate.

Ainz nodded. "That is a noble goal, Momon is a great warrior and worthy of admiration." He said politely praising the people's hero.

"Why is farming hard though, do you not have skeletons to help you?" Ainz asked curiously.

"No." The boy said looking down at the ground. "Since papa died at Katze somethin, we don't got a lotta money, so momma says we can't afford skeletons, so we gotta do it ourselves. Swhy I don't go to the village school the priests made, momma can't work by herself, an she say when the crops'r sold, well everybody else is sellin at the same time so we can't get much for em."

Ainz put his skeletal fingers to his chin and looked up at his mother. "Is this true?" He asked her. She looked terrified at his glowing red eyes, the eyes of the being that bore the guilt of causing her husband's death, and the tension that had begun to dissipate...came back as she nodded slowly but said, "Please...sire...he's just a boy he doesn't know..."

"How to very well lie yet?" Ainz asked somewhat sardonically. "I know, that is why I like children, unvarnished truth is the best basis for decisions. If I did not want true answers, I should not ask questions, should I?" Ainz asked, and then he reached into his coin purse and took out two platinum coins and gave them to the boy. "Give these to your mother." He said, and the boy returned to his mother and held them up, and she dropped to her knees in shock, for her that was two years worth of living clutched in his little fingers.

"That is a weakness in the system then." Ainz said, stood up, and quickly cast a few small spells that created a floating quill and paper. "Note, create preferential purchase program for small farmers supplementing market sales with stipends to ensure living wage, also, ensure tiered pricing from Black Justice temples to provide lower cost undead labor leasing to small family farms, additionally, create stipend system providing income to parents whose children attend school to offset cost of lost field and trade labor."

One by one Ainz went through the problems the boy illustrated and solved them in front of the crowd, when he was done, he reached for the paper and summoned one of the nearby undead that were a central feature of life in E-Rantel, the elder liche approached, and Ainz handed it over. "See that this is delivered to the governmental manor and addressed to Albedo, I expect a functional program to be created and implemented on a trial basis for surrounding villages within one week's time." The undead took it without a word and began to move through the crowd, which parted like the red sea before the obedient monster.

"Now, who else can tell me about the wellbeing of my city?" Ainz asked, and the tension melted away like ice on a hot summer day. People began to approach the Sorcerer King and tell him more, and he took notes, asked questions, and word began to spread that the Sorcerer King himself was in the street and speaking with the people, it was a rare event at best, and people flocked to see him even if they didn't have anything to say or questions to ask. Leinas stood by in awe, keeping close enough to ensure the crowds knew to give the Sorcerer King space, but allowing people to approach individually to pay their respects, present problems, present ideas, and so on. She marveled at the ease with which he'd handled a program to improve the wellbeing of poor farmers and the attention he gave to the education of peasant children. The casual competence he exhibited in his decisions reminded her of the way a swordsman who mastered his art effortlessly dodged the clumsy thrusts of a novice. It was as if he'd seen every problem there was and knew in advance how to solve them. She blinked and shook her head as it confounded her, it didn't seem possible, no matter how old he truly was, as a magic caster of the highest order, his specialty had to have always been magic, and to have attained such godlike power, it all had to be devoted to attaining such ability over eons. No...the only conclusion she could reach was that he was simply a genius, and his automatic competence was just the fruit of an amazing mind in an immortal body. Idly she wondered where humanity would be now if he'd taken an interest in them many centuries ago.

Thoughts like that swirled around her mind as people came to the King and talked about the city, nor was it just people who did so, elves, dwarves, even demihumans like a rabbitman and lizardman approached, and Ainz spoke with all of them, listened attentively, and it killed several hours before at last he said. "My people, though I would love to give you countless more hours, there are many tasks yet laid before me that I must accomplish, know that I have heard you, and in the days ahead you can expect to see many new features designed to improve the city yet again above where it stands even now!"

"Long live the Sorcerer King!" Someone shouted.

"Long may he reign! Long may he reign!" The cheers went up with raised fists.

"Now, we go to the adventurer's guild." Ainz said, and he began to walk, the crowd allowing him through, though he waved to those he passed by, basking in their positive emotional state, she recognized what he was doing, anyone in the higher levels of society did, it was how crowds were worked, yet he did it differently, he didn't do it while riding from a palanquin, he didn't do it riding on a high warhorse, he didn't do it with the spectacle or display, he did it on foot as he had in the Empire, allowing his presence to be felt by being on the same ground as the public. It was a decidedly effective approach that seemed to have endeared the population to him.

Leinas kept careful pace with him, until they reached the adventurer's hall, and Ainz approached the desk where a worker with head down was gazing at a piece of paper, until that is, Ainz put his skeletal hand in her view. She jumped back like a snake had just come into view, and when she saw she'd been ignoring the Sorcerer King, she might well have preferred that to have been the case.

"I'm here to see Pluton." Ainz said politely.

"He-he's in sire!" She said with her eyes darting left and right as if to find an escape, "I will fetch him!" She almost shrieked, before Ainz said, "Pay no mind, I'll go to his office. I know the way." He said, seemingly indifferent to her having overlooked him in her focused state.

She swallowed. "As your majesty wishes." She said and she inched back to the desk to resume her paperwork, hoping against hope that the Sorcerer King didn't lay criticism at her feet for not having noticed him.

The other adventurers who saw the exchange shook their heads, figuring there'd be a new receptionist soon.

A few moments later Ainz found himself at the door to Pluton's door and knocking politely. A moment later a voice invited him in, and in he walked.

When he saw who entered, the head of the Adventurer's Guild immediately dropped to one knee. "Your majesty! I had no idea you were coming! Had I known I would have prepared a reception..."

"Which is why I didn't inform anyone I was coming." Ainz said with a hint of humor in his voice, "When in my position, people who know I'm coming...tend to put on a show, I don't see what I really want to see, I see what they want to present, so...here I am, unnanounced." He said with that humor maintained, but also a firm truthful tone, he moved to sit at the table where he had many times before as Momon, and he gestured for Pluton to sit as well. Leinas took her place at the entrance, blocking the door and waiting quietly as she observed the parlay.

"How have you liked the reforms of the last few years, Pluton?" Ainz asked, leaning forward and folding one hand over the other, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Majesty it is a dream come true, your dungeon and your training grounds and the rewards of excellent equipment have sparked unprecedented growth in the strength of our adventurers, and I'm no longer seeing talent just die due to bad luck early on in their careers, I can see talent bloom at last, and it is a garden of talent out there, truly I could not be more overjoyed." He said with a contented sigh.

Ainz nodded in approval, "I'm glad to hear it. But now I must come to you with news, news that will become public soon enough." His noble voice became firm and solemn, and Pluton's expression changed to one much more serious as he listened.

"War is coming, and it is coming fast. My agents report that the Slane Theocracy has been gathering allies, they have mercenaries, workers, their own armies, zealots and paladins in the Southern Holy Kingdom, and they'll have vengeful nobles out of Re-Estize as well if I'm any judge of politics. I doubt very much they'll get the Argland City Council to join them...I can't rule it out, but as we both host demihumans freely in our kingdoms, it seems improbable that they'd side with an alliance dedicated to their extermination." Ainz said coldly, logically, seeming in Pluton's eyes, more an undead than he ever had before.

"And your majesty...you'll use your magic to crush them?" He asked, where Ainz voice was cold and logical, Pluton's carried a nervous edge to it, distinct discomfort as he imagined the same magic from the Katze Plains being turned on entire cities.

Ainz shook his head, "Not if I can avoid it. I will have this war fought in more conventional terms, bringing armies to bear, and I will 'trade away' handicaps on my magic use in exchange for their alliance abiding by certain terms and conditions in the treatment of prisoners, wounded, and so on. You are familiar with my temple requirements on healing and my policy on acceptance of surrenders from defeated foes?"

"I am, and if I may add sire, it has had a profoundly positive impact on the way the adventurers have seen your rule." Pluton added, relief flooding over him as the noble bearing of the Sorcerer King seemed restored again.

"Good. That pleases me. Now on to my reason for coming to you today. I wish to ask for volunteers from the adventurers guild to serve under one of my generals as part of the army." Ainz said bluntly.

Pluton paused, the Sorcerer King had not completely promised that he would never use the adventurers for this kind of promise, and he hadn't said he would either, promising only that he hadn't planned it at the time. He heaved a heavy sigh and leaned forward to mimic the posture of the undead King. "Sire...please forgive me for my question, but when you say 'volunteers' do you 'mean' volunteers...or are these to be voluntold?" He said, doing his damnedest to keep the displeasure from his voice.

"I mean volunteers." Ainz said, and not just from the adventurers, from all the citizens of E-Rantel. "I will not compel anyone to join the ranks. Know however, that those who do will be well rewarded when the war ends, whether adventurer or common citizen."

Pluton's expression did not clear up right away, Ainz could see in the man's eyes that he was deep in thought. "I expect you will have a number of volunteers sire, but may I ask, under whose command will they be placed?"

"Under the command of Zaryusu Sasha, he is being given a commission as a general." Ainz said, and Pluton's eyes cleared up.

"That will help. He's well remembered from his time among the guild members." Pluton replied.

"He will also have dwarves, elves, lizardmen, quoga, and other races under his command. It will be a fully integrated army, and if possible, I would like to ask that you serve as one of his aides-de-camp." Ainz added, prompting Pluton's jaw to drop.

"I'm a little old for fighting..." Pluton said, though clearly tempted.

Ainz shook his head, "The role of an aide-de-camp is to help with the administration of the army, rather like a king's council, but for a general. Your presence will inspire confidence in both adventurers and common citizens who have still not grown entirely accustomed to the presence of demihumans and the like living among them."

Pluton looked uncertain, so Ainz continued his attempt to sell the guild leader on it.

"Tell me Pluton, do you like what the city has become, what the guild has become, since the founding of the Sorcerous Kingdom?" Ainz asked.

"I-I do sire. Its like some blissful fever dream, like watching the foundation of a golden age, I feel like one day this might be a time of legend that people will speak of with disbelief, because I'm living it...and I find I have to pinch myself to see if I'm awake or dreaming." He said passionately.

Ainz chuckled and said, "Well the Slane Theocracy is hell bent on its destruction, if given their way, they will break everything we have built, there will be no stone standing on a stone of our walls, no two of our people will be together at once, if any survive at all, you know their reputation, you know their ways, they will show no mercy to anyone who they deem to have been 'contaminated' by the ideals that you and I have come to share, this is their one chance to stop us, before more of my reforms and innovations take root, before it seems normal to have elves and dwarves for neighbors and undead guards protecting city walls, before a generation has grown up into adulthood thinking of this glorious state as the way of the world. If they don't burn it down soon, the roots of our work will have grown too deep and our already prodigious strength will be far beyond any hope they have of overturning it. With my religion growing in the South, the Synod to take place in the North, and its advocates spreading here and there as fast as seeds blown on the wind take root and grow...the Slane Theocracy is becoming ever more isolated and they will grow weaker and weaker with every passing season. Were they fools...well...bigger fools, I could simply let time run its course and wait for them to collapse in on themselves, but they're wise enough to recognize my work and my nation for the threat to their beliefs that it is, and so they will strike. They will strike hard, and they will leave nothing remaining unless they're stopped. I am asking your help to prevent that by building this integrated military force, to show them that we will defend our ideals and our collective future. Now, what do you say?" Ainz asked, his voice had carried with it the weight of his passionate belief and the sharpness of his high level of charisma, and Pluton impulsively knelt in front of the Sorcerer King.

"It will be done." Pluton said. "I am your man until I am a dead one...hell, maybe after!" Pluton added with a wry sense of humor.

Ainz clapped him on the shoulder, taking care to restrain himself from his full strength. "Good man." Ainz said.

Leinas felt goosebumps on her skin as the Sorcerer King spoke, his voice carried such power and passion and he seemed to know exactly what to say to secure his audience's support. Briefly she wondered if anyone from the Slane Theocracy had ever really even bothered to speak with him, she couldn't help but think that they can't have, else it would not be acting as it did.

"Sire, may I suggest the head of the mage's guild as well? He and I know each other very well, and his presence will add credibility among the magic casters just as I do among the adventurers." Pluton said tactfully.

"Summon him, and let us see what he has to say." Ainz responded. Pluton got up and rang a bell, a few moments later a messenger was at the door, Pluton spoke for a few moments, and the young fellow ran off.

"It will be but a few minutes I'm sure sire." Pluton said, and the small talk began to fill the time, until at last another knock at the door saw Rakesheer enter and bow deeply to the Sorcerer King before he was prompted to recover, take a chair, and seat himself beside Pluton. Ainz and Pluton filled him in on the pending events, what Ainz foresaw and why, and he paled first when the notion of Ainz using his magic came up, then then he paled further when Ainz informed him it was going to be taken off the table if it could be. Ainz explained his motivations for waging a more conventional war, and Rakesheer asked...

"Sire, after you win this war...what then? I assume with your far thinking nature you have goal beyond simply standing in the heart of Kami Miyako and accepting surrender." Rakesheer asked.

Ainz could not smile, but they could feel his grin. "I do. Several, depending on how the war progresses." He said, while in forefront of his mind he thought, 'Shit...what do I do then? What the fuck do I do THEN?!' To cover the silence, he let out a noble laugh as his mind raced, and he jumped to the first thing to come to mind, "I suppose I can tell you one of them at least..." He said, and both Rakesheer & Pluton leaned in with great interest. "I intend to divide up the Slane Theocracy into various city states, and over the course of time, gradually integrating one after another as they grow more and more accustomed to our ways, and more and more dependent on our nation for their prosperity."

"But that could take generations...centuries..." Rakesheer said, only to blush immediately as he realized how stupid what he just said really was.

Ainz looked at him, and Rakesheer felt the sarcasm as Ainz said, "Do you think that will really be a problem for me? What does it matter if they all submit to me in two years, or twenty, or two hundred? This way is perhaps the most bloodless of a postwar period. If I have to swallow the nation whole, I have plans for doing so, but that will only be necessary if they continue to fight far beyond the time when they are evidently defeated." The pair looked at one another, and Ainz's mind raced through what he remembered of history, he drifted off from the subject as he tried to remember how many years it had taken for the English & the French to end their fighting with one another.

"Just...how many different plans do you have for this conflict sire?" Rakesheer asked curiously, and Ainz, having not really heard him, and having drifted off subject in his own mind, absently said...

"Oh, one hundred & twelve."

"A hundred and twelve different campaign plans?!" The two said at once in shock, with such surprise that Ainz snapped back to reality cursing his absent mindedness.

'Shit...what did they actually ask?! Oh fuck...they asked how many plans I had for the theocracy, that must be what they meant...goddamnit.' He thought furiously. 'Well, I guess I'll just have to go with it.' he thought with annoyance at himself.

"No, one hundred and twelve campaign plans, and one hundred and twelve post war plans apart from it." Ainz said, figuring he might as well ham it up a bit rather than damage his reputation.

They swallowed. "It is the duty of the King to ensure he is prepared for every eventuality that his kingdom may face, this one has roughly one hundred and twelve different possible outcomes depending on a range of conditions including harvest, population motivation, number of volunteers, enemy support and cooperation, intelligence opportunities, and so on, so I must prepare for all of them." Ainz said casually, privately acknowledging that he did not even have one.

"We are fortunate to be secured by a King who takes his job seriously enough to do such a...thorough job." Pluton said in a soft awe filled voice.

Leinas felt her eyes all but bug out of her head...two hundred and twenty four plans altogether, she'd been in council meetings and knew that even Jircniv could barely find the means to create three even with a full council to support him, and she'd thought him a genius. She swallowed hard, being reminded again how wise he had been to avoid conflict with Ainz Ooal Gown.

"Well now that you're on board gentlemen," Ainz said as he stood, prompting them to stand as well, "I must resume my tour of the city, come along Leinas, we're going to visit the demihuman district."

"As you wish sire." Leinas said, and moved aside to open the door. The guild leaders bowed deeply after standing aside, and when the door had closed behind the sorcerer king, they breathed a deeply held sigh in unison as if it were shared between them.

"He's as awe inspiring as ever..." Rakesheer said, "I could feel the magic crackling off his body, its no wonder so many of the mages are worshipers of his now."

"Is it growing that quickly?" Pluton asked curiously.

Rakesheer nodded, "Yes, they see him as the god of magic, and there are now so many magic students who attend services at his temple that we've had to change our school's schedule to allow them to attend services. I don't blame them, and after this...hell I may join them." He added.

"Its growing among the young adventurers here too. Not so much among the older ones, but the younger ones ask what the difference between him and a god is...and honestly neither the older ones nor myself have an answer to that question." Pluton said, "I'm not much for worship, but he's changing the world for the better, and that's enough for me to follow him."

"I can't believe those fools in the Theocracy." Rakesheer said in a voice that was aghast and frustrated. "How can they be so blind?!" He asked, bringing his hands up to his forehead and leaning back in exasperation.

"I know." Pluton said as he got up, went behind his desk, and drew out a bottle of wine and two glasses. He opened the bottle and filled both, then took it up in hand and held one out to Rakesheer, who took it gratefully. Pluton lifted his own in turn and said, "To short wars, great kings, and a bright future."

Rakesheer raised his glass and said, "I will drink to that." they clinked their glasses together, and drank, sharing not just wine, but a mix of fear and hope and absolute confidence about the tomorrows that lay ahead.

The walk to the demihuman district took longer than Leinas thought it would, and as a result she had the great embarrassment of her stomach growling next to the Sorcerer King. "Are you hungry?" He asked.

She blushed deeply. "Sire, please do not concern yourself with me, you have work to do and it is my job to see you are properly serviced, I will not starve if I skip a single meal."

He shook his head, "My apologies, as I do not require food, it left me without thought for your own needs, it has been ages since I've eaten anything...truth be told I rather miss it, whenever it comes to mind."

Leinas stepped back and waved her hands and shook her head, "Please, sire, you needn't...! It was a very curious thing to hear someone, something, in his position open up even a little about his past, she wondered curiously how old he was, thousands of years certainly, given his intimate knowledge of kingdoms and technologies that were not even myths or dreamt of concepts anymore.

"Nonsense, I would be a terrible boss if I left you hungry, come, we'll stop at a shop, eat quickly if you feel you must, but I cannot neglect the wellbeing of my followers, or I would be unworthy of both them and my dear lost friends." Ainz said, and he gestured to a nearby stand where a counter held a number of bins that had obviously been heated from below to cook food on site in front of the customer.

Ainz walked in the direction of one, drawing shocked looks from the human behind it, and taking a seat. "Sit Leinas, and order, don't keep the man waiting. To long and he'll end up looking like me" Ainz said with a bit of humor, snapping the attendant out of his stare with a laugh.

Leinas sat and ordered a thick rabbit stew, and when it came to her she ate it greedily, the King held out a gold coin to the man in payment, and the attendant said, "Sire that is to much!"

"She'll have seconds...and...use the remainder to provide some free meals to your next round of customers until the coin is spent, tell them their meal was paid for by the Sorcerer King." Ainz said.

"As your majesty commands, the next seventy five customers will eat free of charge." The man said, awed at the generosity of his king.

Leinas finished her stew just as another was placed in front of her, and she swiftly began to devour it as well.

"I was joking about the rush." Ainz said softly. She blushed, the Sorcerer King was terrible at telling jokes.

"Still sire, I should not take up more of your time than I must." She answered, and when the meal was done she sighed heartily. "That was very good." She said, "It really hit the spot."

"Thank you." The young man said proudly, "My mother's recipe, she'd be glad to know it pleased you."

"Is she here?" Ainz asked.

"She passed away." The man said sadly, "But she did live to see me open this shop, so...she did know her legacy of good food lived on and was feeding her city."

"Everyone should be so fortunate as to hae a noble legacy." Ainz said confidently, and as he stood, Leinas rose with him. "Here, take this one also." Ainz said and held out an additional pair of gold coins. "Use it to buy enough material to expand your restaurant, and also, an idle suggestion...have your recipes written down, if Leinas approves, after having eaten in the palace of Arwintar, it must be good. Put your recipes into a book and publish it, and your mother's legacy will feed whole nations."

The man blinked in surprise, "Would people really pay for a book on how to cook?"

Ainz nodded, "In the long ago past, great chefs, the masters of their craft, published many texts on how to prepare their meals, they were celebrated heroes to those who loved the art, and were known everywhere they went, given a choice between a world that admires great music, great food, or great wars and victories, I should choose the former two over the latter, but for the moment I see no reason why the world cannot have both. As my literacy programs take root and reading and writing spread, your book will offer practical application for the new skill set, and practical application is a powerful motivation." Ainz reached into his robe and took out a seal, he quickly cast a spell and dictated a note to his floating quill. "I assume you are not yet literate?" Ainz asked.

The man shook his head. "I can do some counting, but I can't read or write."

Ainz took the paper out of the air, placed it on the counter, and affixed his personal seal to it. He then slid it over the counter to the cook.

"Here, this guarantees you a spot in the adult literacy course here in E-Rantel. On your next day off, go, sign up, and the spot is yours that very day. I look forward to see what you do with the opportunity." The Sorcerer King said, "Come along Leinas, lets get back to it.

Leinas was impressed by the casual way in which the Sorcerer King altered people's lives, he was clearly accustomed to holding power, and saw himself as the one best fit to use it. The arrogance of nobles, confident in that they held the right to power and the ability to use it best...that was quite familiar to the powerful knight. However most of the time she'd seen such power used, it had been for petty reasons, or self agrandizing ones with little benefit for any but the person who held the power in the first place. Jircniv was not above using power for personal comforts, but having spent so much time with him, she knew quite well that the vast majority of his 'casual' uses of power had been beneficial to the population, though until the Sorcerer King took him out and essentially gave him a tour of his own capitol, she'd never seen it become something 'personal' to the common people.

These kinds of thoughts were the ones occupying her mind as the human population dwindled in number and more nonhumans moved through the streets, she'd seen demihumans, she'd seen heteromorphs, she'd seen elves and dwarves, but never had she seen so many different kinds all together at once in a single place. She thought back to the reports on the demihuman invasion of Jaldabaoth, all available reports suggested he'd united them by fear and force...but this did not seem to be the case in E-Rantel. Demihumans were well dressed, she saw an ogre walk past a human without the former striking or the latter screaming. The ogre appeared to have its on business...of all things, carrying an enormous box somewhere.

"Sire, what exactly am I seeing?" Leinas asked without thinking.

"The fruits of peace." Ainz said in a contented voice. "Take that ogre, what do you know of those creatures?" He asked.

"They eat humans, they're a constant threat to villagers and are dangerous to human adventurers of gold rank or below." She replied as if from memory.

"Sort of." Ainz said. "They're meat eaters, carnivores, not specifically humans, if they're provided with food, they won't hurt anyone." He said.

"So that one carrying the box...?" She began to say.

"Has a job, yes." Ainz replied. "He's protected by law, they're not especially intelligent creatures, but they understand the simple concept of 'If I do this, I will get food, if I give this, they will give me food.' so they are capable of understanding a trade of labor for food or coin, and coin for food. Some of them are hired as laborers in the city, but most of them seem to gravitate to farms and outlying villages and to construction work where they work beside golems." Ainz said as he explained the inner workings of his kingdom.

"Amazing." She said.

"Is it?" He asked curiously. "Oh look, I didn't realize they'd built the Black Justice temple so close to us, looks like it is in the middle ground between human and demihuman districts, we'll visit there first before meeting the district representatives." He said, as he pointed to a tall black spire jutting up above the district's buildings like a lightning rod. He then continued, "It seems strange to me that it should be counted amazing." He added.

"How so sire?" She asked.

"Did anyone ever try just 'talking' to the ogres?" He asked flatly.

She blinked. "Not-not that I know of..." She said cautiously.

"I did. And evidently, General Enri also did." He said, "That was all it took to draw the ogres to support the villages, that was all it took to get them to work for us, show them that they could eat and live in safety without having to risk their lives or fear being killed just trying to live, and they were more than happy to support our efforts." He said as if he were explaining things to a child.

"Oh." She said, as she quietly tallied how many adventurers had evidently died needlessly hunting and killing ogres, how many villagers had been pointlessly killed and how many villages had been overrun by the attacks of desperate ogres, the scale of the loss was simply incalculable, there was no knowing for sure how many had perished over the last six hundred years...and none of them, or nearly none of them, ever had to. If someone had just said a 'hello' and offered a trade first. She wondered how much stronger the empire would have been if that had happened, how much stronger all human nations would have been. Such a terrible waste.

"Yes." He answered her further, no doubt having run the numbers himself. "Perhaps I should have intervened again with mankind thousands of years ago, but even I could not foresee the degree to which humans would act against their own interests." He shook his head, as if disappointed, "So much potential wasted because people drew swords first, had Jircniv's workers not awakened me to the world again, I wonder if humans would ever have restored themselves." He said, speaking more to himself than to her, quietly applauding his own casual planting of the idea that he was ancient beyond words, and he had the good luck to pass a stall dealing in glass goods and see the effect of his words on Leinas, and her expresion was awed beyond her ability to express it, or so he judged by her silence and her contemplative look reflected in the glass he used to sneak a look at her face.

After a short time they found themselves at the base of a series of onyx steps that lead up to a large white marble door contrasting against an onyx building. "So this is my temple." Ainz said in a voice that didn't have half the arrogance that Leinas expected, and then he ascended the steps, she hung back for a moment and watch silently as the Sorcerer King made the first steps towards the doorway of a new temple.

Unbeknownst to many, Leinas, daughter of a noble as she was, had not only had an education in combat...she had an education in the arts. She was even fairly good as an amateur, and as she saw the back of the Sorcerer King ascending to the heaven white door, a vision of an artistic rendering came to her mind that she knew she'd one day paint, it wouldn't be today, it wouldn't be tomorrow, it might not be until the very end of the war, but when she had peace and rest and her concerns were diminished, then...then she resolved to immortalize this moment.

When he had almost reached the top, she came back to the present and rushed up behind him, reaching him in time for his massive physical power to become evident when he grabbed the doors and swung them wide open with ease and swiftness, they parted before him like the sea of history before his will, and inward she looked, not only to herself, but within the temple, it was beautiful, with stained glass of various shades portraying different scenes high above where people would sit, and light passing through each, cast a column of that shade of light on the floor, which itself was of white stone to let the colors stand out, down the center between the long rows of pews the stone was...she blinked, it wasn't stone. She came close, going ahead of the King who kept his eyes scanning the room, she knelt and touched the space and couldn't believe it. It was grass, beautiful and well watered grass, she looked up, the ceiling was painted blue like the sky, and a skylight overhead allowed a view of the sun, she guessed based on its shape it was designed to go along the path of the sun as it traversed the sky, at the back of the large open room there stood a podium, presumably for the priest to speak from, and to the left and right beside it, stood rows of seating.

"Sire, what is that for?" She asked, pointing to the two opposing positions near the back.

"Singing." Ainz said, "It is a poor way of seeing the world, that inspires no music."

"I-I see." She said, and he seemed to be satisfied with what he saw, started to walk to the back. "They did a good job." He said, leveling a king's praise at the structure.

"They did." She said, agreeing emphatically.

Ainz continued to walk to the back, and when he was half way there a slender built man came out from the back, he was dressed in a black suit with red trim running down the front, and a red band crossed around his neck under the collar of his shirt, creating a red trapezoid shape about the size of a larger coin just at the base of the neck. It was quite a...snappy outfit, but what really drew her attention was the blood red eyes. She immediately went on high alert, and the vampire priest stopped dead in his tracks, first seeing her, then seeing the object of his worship.

Ainz placed his skeletal hand on Leinas's shoulders. "Be at peace, heteromorphs who live according to the law here are as welcome as any ordinary human." He said as he leaned in, and she began to visibly relax as the vampire priest dropped to his knees and fell forward to prostrate himself before the Sorcerer King.

"My lord!" he said in awe, "I wasn't sure I would see you in person again!" He said with breathless admiration.

"You know each other?" Leinas said with surprise, as she looked back at the Sorcerer King and saw a hint of recognition pass through the red orbs in his eye sockets.

"From the Draconic Kingdom." Ainz said. "I found Igoni here when I was...resolving the border dispute, along with a handful of other vampires living like animals, trapped in a cave living off bats and rats and hiding from the beastman armies. After the conflict was over I offered his clan amnesty for any past misdeeds if they would serve as my attendants during my work, abide by the social contract, and relocated to my kingdom after everything was said and done."

"Best decision we ever made." Igoni said, "After learning under the Sorcerer King for a few weeks, I chose to live covertly here in the city except for the knowledge of a handful of human volunteer donors, and when Black Justice began seeing to the education of priests, I volunteered. Now I live openly, as does all my clan."

"How...big is your clan?" Leinas asked curiously.

"Five of us altogether, and before you ask, two serve in the city guard, one is a judge, one owns a small bed and breakfast, and of course I work here." He said politely.

"And you all...live openly?" She asked with surprise.

"Yes. Though I confess the bed and breakfast keeper had a hard time finding customers at first, they feared that staying for dinner would have another meaning entirely." The vampire priest said and bared his fangs when he laughed at the joke. "He has however, built up a good reputation and now it is routine for newlyweds to stay with him or for couples who are having a second honeymoon to enjoy an evening or two at his home. He is doing very well now. Makes rather more than I do actually." He chuckled a little sardonically at that, a laugh the Sorcerer King shared in.

"I see you've done well keeping my temple." Ainz said, "I had hoped to attend a service today..."

"If your majesty wills it, I can have people gathered within the hour!" The priest said, eager to please.

Ainz shook his head, "Not necessary, though I may return to see one in person soon. When do you host them?"

"We do four services per week, two in the day time at the beginning and middle of the week in the morning, and two in the evening after the Sun has fully set, in the end and middle of the week." Igoni said with the swiftness and precision of someone reciting from memory.

"I'll be sure to stop by. Tell me, how goes the governance of the demihuman district? You have many members from among them do you not?" Ainz asked.

"I do sire, and things are going well, there was a lot of resentment against humans at first, but our cooperative efforts and the leadership of your officers from Nazarick have navigated that tumultuous sea. There is still the problem of the underclass due to the lower property values and the limitations on access to capital and investment..."

"Ah yes, I thought about that just recently." Ainz said, "I was going to go directly to the district to discuss this...but since I am here, send for the district leaders, I will speak with them here and now and explain how I plan to resolve it."

"As you wish sire!" The priest said and rushed out with the speed of his kind.

"Your majesty has solved the problem?" Leinas said, more than a little impressed as she could barely understand what the problem was in the first place.

"You sound confused. Are you?" Ainz asked.

She blushed a little. "I am." She reluctantly admitted.

I'll explain. See property values are tied to access to money, suppose you own a home worth five gold, and you have paid three gold in value for it so far, that means you can borrow three gold of what is paid for, bringing your total owed up to five gold again. You could do this to pay for repairs, start a business, anything. But suppose your home drops in value to one gold, now your property is worth less than what you owe on it, you now have no access to any money to be borrowed for anything, and even if you tried to sell it, well you'd get far less what you owe. With me so far?" He asked.

She nodded numbly. "Since there is a high cost to maintaining areas, the precedent in maintenance usually comes from the highest value areas that pay the most in taxes, this further drives down the value of the already devalued areas, because they fall into disrepair. And so only people with lower access to resources and wealth tend to live there, and because they have little to spend, few businesses open, and few people there can work, which drives poverty rates even higher, and even those who manage to maintain ownership, are constantly at risk of losing it by missing payments, and even if they hold it, they can't use their property to leverage any loans to improve things around them. The problem here was that this district was heading in that direction, the demihumans and heteromorphs couldn't afford the better established areas of the city, so they were being shut out of the economic life of the kingdom by virtue of where they lived, when that happens over a long period of time, you can accidentally create a permanent underclass that will become culturally considered to be of an 'inferior station' and that will make it even harder for them to rise out of their current conditions, even if they had not fault in creating them." Ainz explained.

"I...begin to understand." Leinas said softly, feeling like an ignorant child who was being taught how to wipe her own ass, her own education as a noblewoman had, she thought, been thorough, but this was a shock to her.

"So your solution sire?" She asked.

It was then that the vampire returned, behind him was a naga, a bearman, a rabbitman, and an elf female. They dropped to their knees as they followed Igoni in to the temple and saw that the Sorcerer King was indeed present as he promised.

"Sire, these are the district representatives, they represent each of the four quarters of the demihuman area of the city.

"Good, take your places." Ainz said, gesturing for them to take a seat at the pews in the front row. After a brief introduction wherein he explained the problem as he saw it, he sought their opinions, listening for a time as they spoke their minds, awash with relief as he listened to their feedback, wishing his guardians could express themselves this way.

"I believe I have the full scope of the problem understood," he said, "Now here is my solution. I create artificial valuation of undervalued markets by offering a price matching system for lending, sale, and purchase of property throughout the district to allow lenders to expand what they extend to occupants. For example if your home is worth one gold, while an equivalent space in the city's wealthy district is five gold, I will match any sale or lending price up to the value of the wealthy area's equivalent space, giving you an artificially created value four gold higher." He said. "This will apply to any resident of the city who opens up a business, with a specialized economic zone interest that compensates the lender for higher risk by guaranteeing repayment if the business fails, on the condition that the interest rate be half the usual equivalent loan elsewhere in the city. Those who live outside that area of the city may purchase property only on the condition that they personally reside there for at least three years prior to any future sale, and may open businesses within that district under those terms only if they partner with somebody who presently resides there, in order to ensure that those from outside the district who have substantial wealth do not take advantage of those with very little. Further I will provide a specialized bonus for service in the Sorcerous Kingdom's army to any district family whose family member volunteers, or post service benefit to the service member themselves if they should have no immediate family, benefits will include education, trade skill apprenticeship, business lending options, specialized veteran lending support, and a stipend for those who perform with exemplary service or who are injured beyond healing during conflict."

As Ainz spoke, their expressions looked shocked, somehow he had come to a solution that they could not imagine failing, but the part at the end had them somewhat concerned.

"Sire...you mention the army, I assume that means you expect to have a use for it?" The elf woman said.

Ainz nodded. "I do, you will hear from Pluton and Rakesheer in the Adventurer & Mages guilds soon on that subject, suffice it to say for now, that fighting is coming, I will not compel any unwilling figure to fight for me, but those who do so voluntarily, will be well rewarded for the risks they take on our Kingdom's behalf, you will not be used up and thrown away as either Jaldabaoth or the Elf King do those who served them." He said with ironclad firmness that did not invite doubt."

"I...see." The elf woman said, "Well if I can read the expression of my colleagues here, we stand as one mind that your solution to our district's increasing poverty is beyond perfection, this will give us what we need to improve our lot and allow us to elevate our lives considerably, I think even the wealthiest of humans will pay mind to us, but could I offer one suggestion?" She asked.

"Please do." Ainz said, gesturing with his hand for her to proceed.

"I would ask that your majesty send Momon among the humans again when this is announced, perhaps hold a ball for the wealthiest citizens of E-Rantel, give one of your famous speeches, and then have Momon endorse the action and promote it as an opportunity for city unity and draw the humans into eager participation, their trust of the hero is significant, and his endorsement and call for justice and fairness towards us will go a long way to ensuring that your majesty's will is carried out as much in spirit as it is in letter."

This had the rest of the representatives nodding in agreement.

"An excellent suggestion." Ainz said. "Tell me, do you know what the reward is for good work?" He asked the elf woman.

She shook her head and looked confused, "No majesty...what is it?"

"More work." He said jovially, "You will be put in charge of handling the establishment of the ball, I will hold it in three weeks time, you will have whatever budget you require and a royal writ authorizing the use of any facility you require, including the manor for the city itself. I had planned to hold a feast here in the city anyway, but instead of doing so today, I will do so later, and you will plan it."

"As-as your majesty commands." She said with an expression of surprise and an eager and ambitious grin on her face.

"This concludes my business here then. If there is nothing else?" He asked, and when there was nothing forthcoming, Ainz said, "Gate."

"This way Leinas, we've still got work to do." Ainz said, and stepped through, with her following hot on his heels.

When the gate was gone, the nonhuman leaders of the demihuman district spoke among themselves.

"Well shit. Another war." The elf woman said.

"Is it a surprise?" Igoni asked. "You lived among the Slane Theocracy humans and you lived in Wenmark, you know how the humans of those places see the undead, as well as...well...all of us. You can't have thought they'd leave our kingdom in peace, can you?" He asked.

"I don't think any of us thought that." The naga said with a hiss.

"True, but that doesn't make this any better." The rabbitman said.

"But at least between his call to arms for us and his promised benefits, our people will prosper considerably in the days ahead, our new homeland will be much revitalized." The bearman added, "Jaldabaoth gave my people nothing and took everything, assuming the Sorcerer King means what he says he is offering to us, and I believe he does, we will all be better off, plus is there really any reason to think we could lose to anyone foolish enough to fight his majesty?"

"No, definitely not." Igoni said with absolute confidence. "How he could have so adroitly offered a solution to us, to recognize the problem and address its key points while ensuring we are not taken advantage of by the wealthy in the course of solving the problem...it's like he's seen this problem before."

"Maybe he has," the elf council member said, "he may be tens of thousands of years old and has seen every mistake mortals can make, he might know a dozen solutions to every problem we could conceivably have and delays solving it only so that we ourselves might learn from the challenges we're faced with."

"That sounds like him." Igoni said. "Truly we are lucky to serve so wise and generous a King."