Chapter 298: 298 Reiger’s Inducement
How could one learn the magic they desire from the original protagonist?
This was a question Reiger had been contemplating since before he arrived here.
Unlike previous protagonists, this one was not only an undead of a different form but also a full-level player in the game "YGGDRASIL," and as someone who was transported to a strange world with family in tow, he could be said to trust no one in this world.
In the original work, this protagonist was almost positioned as an adversary to this world, perceived as a character from an evil faction.
He did not consider matters from a human perspective; instead, he strove solely for the sake of Nasalik Underground Tomb, for the sake of everything left behind by "Ainz Ooal Gown," the guild, and his former comrades.
For the Nasalik Underground Tomb, he could issue many ruthless commands and decisions, including but not limited to torturing innocent humans to death.
As long as it was for the Nasalik Underground Tomb, he could even treat human children as experimental subjects. His cruelty could be said to rival that of Kibutsuji Muzan.
No, to some extent, Kibutsuji Muzan might be more merciful than Momonga.
At least, Kibutsuji Muzan wouldn’t entertain the idea of torturing humans, whereas Momonga might, as long as it benefited the Nasalik Underground Tomb.
Therefore, Reiger was certain that he could not get along well with this person to the point of death, nor could there possibly be a scenario where he approached him to ask for magical instruction and the other would readily agree to teach him.
Momonga was definitively not such a kindly character.
So, how to learn magic from this cautious and solely Nasalik-focused undead was a tricky problem that needed careful thought.
The simplest method would no doubt be to start a fight with him outright.
As long as they fought, the opponent would inevitably use magic, allowing Reiger to steal a trick or two at that time.
But in a single battle, Momonga would use at most around a dozen kinds of magic, and it was impossible for him to use all of the over seven hundred types he knew in one go. Plus, among these seven hundred plus spells, only a small portion had been introduced with detailed effects in the original work, which for Reiger, who needed to know the detailed effects of the spell to cast it, was quite a bit of a hassle.
The returns were too low, and such an action would make enemies of the other party, turning the prospect of learning more magic from them in the future into an extremely difficult affair. As a result, Reiger suppressed the impulse to confront him directly and reverted to other ideas.
That was to trade.
Exchange something the other party needed for magic.
And according to the original work, what Momonga wanted most at this time was intelligence about the world.
With this knowledge, Reiger wanted to meet with him before he began getting in touch with this world and was seriously lacking information, so that his intelligence would be most valuable.
The so-called side business of an intelligence dealer was just a ruse concocted to introduce this topic.
As a result, when Momonga heard that Reiger was an intelligence dealer, he took the bait as expected.
No, considering his character, perhaps he was still testing the waters?
Considering this...
"You say you are travelers, so if it’s convenient, could you tell me where you have come from?"
Reiger didn’t agree immediately. Instead, he asked this somewhat sensitive question very bluntly.
"... Are you implying that your intelligence trade has national boundaries? Must you know the origin of your customers before you are willing to sell?"
Momonga stared intently at Reiger, seeming to try to discern something while also increasing his vigilance.
"That’s not the case," Reiger said with an unfazed expression: "But judging by the way we met, whether it’s the occasion or the circumstances, things are very peculiar right now, and you just made a request to buy information from me. I’m afraid I can’t agree to that immediately."
"Does that mean you cannot trust us?" Seeing Reiger bring up this point, Momonga’s wariness slightly dropped, and he continued to probe: "If that’s the case, the conditions should be the same. Just like how you suddenly appeared before us, claiming to be an intelligence dealer. Such a coincidence makes one have to doubt whether all this is deliberate."
"So, we can’t trust each other," Reiger said bluntly: "Under these circumstances, you wouldn’t believe the information I provide, would you?"
Indeed that was the case.
Under these circumstances, whether the information provided by this so-called intelligence dealer was true or false would be questionable in Momonga’s eyes.
He did need intelligence, but he wasn’t about to blindly trust an intelligence dealer who happened to appear.
Reiger raised this point and then smiled calmly.
"In this situation, the best course of action might be to pretend this encounter never happened. What do you think?"
What he implied was that the two should part ways right then and there, as if they had never seen each other.
Reiger then made this suggestion that somewhat stunned Momonga.
"Then, I’ll take my leave first. I wish you a pleasant journey," Reiger said.
Without giving Momonga time to think, Reiger turned around and left the place.
His steps showed no confusion or hesitation, but there was a sense of composure, so much so that anyone watching this scene would subconsciously understand one thing.
That was, this man truly intended to leave, and he had no ulterior motive to stay here.
And it wasn’t because he was afraid of Momonga, afraid of Demiurge, or even fearful of the strange forms lurking all around the area that he wanted to leave.
He genuinely felt that the trade could not be made, which was why he left without any hesitation.
This thought occurred to everyone, including Momonga.
"Shh..."
At that moment, Demiurge, standing behind Momonga as if he intended to stop Reiger, shifted slightly.
Of course, they would not let Reiger just walk away like that.
No matter what the intelligence dealer was up to, when someone suddenly appeared around them during the period when the Nasalik Underground Tomb was collectively transported to this other world, they had no choice but to capture him and bring him back.
Even if the other party had no purpose and just happened to appear in this area, it was imperative not to let him take away the information about the suspicious characters spotted here and thereby attract others who could pose a threat to the Nasalik Underground Tomb.
Not only did Demiurge think so, the hidden aberrations also shared this view.
The evil aura and killing intent once again began to stir, unsettling the atmosphere over the grasslands.
"Wait."
At that moment, Momonga spoke up again.
This interjection was addressed both to his own subordinates and to Reiger.
Seeing Reiger preparing to leave without any hesitation, Momonga finally believed that he had not appeared here with an ulterior motive.
Consequently, his trust in Reiger as an information broker increased somewhat.
"Although the occasion and circumstances do not permit, we are indeed in great need of information," Momonga said, trying to keep Reiger back, and softened his tone, "How about this? We will only purchase some basic information that does not involve personal interests or affect the nation, something that, even if disclosed to suspicious individuals, would not have serious consequences. How does that sound?"
Hearing this, Reiger paused, the corners of his mouth subtly curling into a faint smile.
Then he stood in place for a moment, seemingly weighing whether this business deal was worth pursuing, before finally turning around.
"In what manner do you wish to purchase the information?"
Reiger asked this question.
"Is there a distinction in how information is purchased?"
Momonga immediately inquired.
"Of course," Reiger replied expressionlessly, "Information is the commodity of an information broker. Since it is a commodity, it is natural that some can be sold to anyone while others cannot."
"Regarding information, it can be sold to many people, many times over. However, some clients do not wish to see this happen."
"Therefore, if the buyer requests that the information not be sold to others, the charge will be much higher. Furthermore, some buyers will request secrecy of their act of purchasing the information, treating it not as a commodity to be sold to anyone else, which also requires an additional fee."
"What about you? Do you have any special requirements?"
Momonga’s red glow flickered slightly upon hearing this.
Such detailed business practices, huh?
It seemed that this man truly was an information broker.
Momonga’s suspicions toward Reiger were significantly diminished.
"What I need is just some basic information, likely nothing more than what’s common knowledge to the people around here, so there’s no special need to restrict its sale to others."
"But... indeed, if the act of us purchasing information from you, or the fact that we’ve encountered you here, were to be sold by you as a commodity, that would certainly cause us trouble," he added.
"To avoid enemies coming after us, it seems I must request one thing from you: not to disclose any information regarding us. Can you do that?"
Momonga did not want any information about his group to be leaked, not in the slightest.
Thereby, he concocted the notion of a so-called "enemy" which, although not explicitly stated, created the impression that they had ended up here frantically seeking refuge, which had led them astray.
This added plausibility to his origins and his reasons for being in this place.
Clearly, he and Reiger shared the same intention, both aiming to reduce their level of suspicion in each other’s eyes.
"In that case, my fee will have to be raised," Reiger said with a smile, addressing Momonga, "What price can you offer?"
"I don’t know how information brokers normally charge. Could you explain it in detail?"
"I don’t know about other information brokers, but as for myself, I accept gold coins, weaponry, or magic items, even if they are from distant nations. I am confident I can utilize them effectively."
"...That’s quite remarkable."
At this point, Momonga became more cautious again.
Reiger’s statement had revealed quite a bit.
If he could effectively use gold coins, weaponry, or magic items from any nation, didn’t that suggest he could recognize them regardless of their country of origin?
If Momonga were to use money or items that did not exist in this world, wouldn’t Reiger immediately suspect his origins, or even the possibility that he was not from this world?
If that were the case, then ’YGGDRASIL’ money or items could not be used for trade.
But then, what could he use to make payment?
Momonga felt troubled.
It was at this moment that Reiger spoke up.
"Apart from valuable items, I also need valuable information."
"Such as clues to some secret treasure, hidden loot, or ruins."
"Or perhaps... information on unknown magic."
With that, Reiger’s true aim finally became clear.
"Unknown magic?"
Momonga felt a stir of interest.