Five days later, at the border of the Slane Theocracy, the flag of the Sorcerer Kingdom flew high.
"Goodbye."
Antilene boarded a carriage—it was the Black Scripture's secret carriage. She was heading to a city in the west, where the Six Scriptures' hidden forces lay.
EeDechi, Barrett, and Franco waved, watching the carriage depart. A sudden bad feeling stirred in EeDechi's heart; Antilene gave off the vibe that she was leaving for good, never to return.
The Slane Theocracy had now completely fallen into being a puppet vassal state of the Sorcerer Kingdom. Word was that the capital of the Slane Theocracy was under control, with the pope just a young child—a marionette pulled by Ainz Ooal Gown's strings, obeying every command from the Sorcerer Kingdom.
Even this southern border town now flew the Sorcerer Kingdom's flag, though there were no Sorcerer Kingdom troops stationed here. The Slane Theocracy's territory was too vast; the Sorcerer Kingdom was powerful, but it couldn't garrison troops everywhere.
Nevertheless, they all underwent a certain degree of disguise and makeup to avoid having their true identities discovered.
A dusty and road-weary group arrived at the small border city in the Slane Theocracy. They trudged along the main street for a bit, reached the town center, and picked the tavern with the fanciest decorations.
After months of desert adventures, the three had tattered clothes and pants, their faces etched with exhaustion. They desperately needed a good rest.
The three adventurers stepped into the tavern, found a spot in the corner to sit down, and waited and waited—but no server came to take their order for what felt like forever.
Growing impatient, Barrett slammed the table. "Boss, you not open for business anymore? Hurry up and bring us a mug of malt beer!"
A man with a toothpick dangling from his mouth and puffy bags under his eyes sauntered out from behind the counter, gave EeDechi and the others a quick once-over, and drawled lazily:
"Can you even afford malt beer? I've seen tons of folks like you. How many actually strike it rich in the Eight Greed Kings desert? Looking at your broke-ass vibe, you didn't snag much gold out there, did you? Were you scampering away like scared rats from Sandstorm Stalkers?"
Smack!
Barrett slammed something down hard on the table. The boss's eyebrow shot up, his once bleary eyes locking in sharp focus, his mouth dropping open in shock, the toothpick tumbling to the floor.
On the tabletop, a gleaming gold bar shone with dazzling light.
The boss instantly switched gears, a bright smile curling on his lips. "Ahem, my apologies, esteemed guests—I was rude earlier. I'll serve up our most precious Lake Brew beer right away."
He snatched the gold bar and bolted back to the counter, whispered a few words to a server, then shoved the bar into his pocket and raced out of the tavern like the wind. He was off to the town's jewelry workshop to have the craftsmen check if it was real gold.
The server fumbled around, yanking open the liquor cabinet, pulling out a bottle of Lake Brew beer, grabbing three glass mugs, and hustling over with a grin plastered on his face to pour for EeDechi and the other two.
This Lake Brew beer was worth its weight in gold, a step above regular malt beer, hauled all the way from the beer city up north in the Slane Theocracy—one cup cost a whole silver coin.
Then the server brought out white bread, pickled fish slices, and jam, serving them with utmost respect.
Bang!
The tavern's swing door burst open as the boss charged back in. Spotting the server handing white bread to EeDechi, Barrett, and Franco, he smacked the server across the face on the spot, roaring in fury. "Still serving them bread? You're dumb as a post!"
Barrett stared at the boss in confusion. Could the gold bar be fake? No way—he'd already appraised it himself. The boss double-checking was just pointless busywork.
The server stood at attention, looking all wronged, about to clear the food from the table, when the boss grabbed his hand. "You're serving these esteemed guests this cheap junk? Hurry up and bring out the whole roasted goose from the oven! And the whiskey, red wine—bring it all!"
He turned back to EeDechi, Barrett, and Franco with an apologetic grin. "New server here, doesn't know the first thing about proper service—sorry for the lousy treatment."
Under the boss's orders, the whole tavern kitchen burst into a frenzy, dish after dish of gourmet food coming out one after another, so much it was hard to keep up.
...
Ever since Barrett slammed down that gold bar, the three started living it up with the kind of top-shelf treatment only the mega-rich get.
They'd hit the jackpot in the Eight Greed Kings desert; if they didn't splurge and treat themselves, how could they make up for all the sweat they'd poured out in those sands?
Several days later, EeDechi's group and Cheeko had made their way to a big city on the southern edge of the Slane Theocracy.
Inside the fancy hot spring inn, the first-floor lobby. Massive, gorgeous oil paintings hung on all four walls, the marble floor shiny and wide open, reflecting the dazzling lights from the crystal chandeliers.
A magic piano in the corner played soothing tunes, the fragrant incense smoke easing right into the soul, giving off waves of pure luxury. This was the ritziest hotel in the city; normally, Barrett and the others wouldn't even spare it a glance as they walked by, since they couldn't afford a thing there.
"What can I get for you three guests? Our rooms start at three gold coins a night, you know."
The receptionist lady with her perfect makeup stood behind the counter, her pale face sporting lips as red as fire. It was late at night, so her eyes had that lazy look, which just made her even more captivating in a thousand ways.
"Top-of-the-line rooms—book three. Wait, make it four. Give Cheeko a room to himself." EeDechi, stone-faced, pulled out four gold ingots and smacked them down on the counter.
The receptionist lady's eyes bugged out, any trace of sleep gone—she was flat-out stunned by the bold move. It took her a good while to snap back, then she fumbled around grabbing room keys and ringing the silver bell to call a bellhop downstairs.
Franco leaned against the counter, sliding a gold bar forward, his violet eyes mesmerizing, "Got any special services? You know the kind. Bring me the prettiest one—no, bring me a whole squad! I'll pick the hottest one myself!"
"Of course, no problem!" The receptionist lady tucked away the gold bar and jingled a copper bell under the desk.
"Oh, and tonight, you join in too." Franco flashed a devilish grin, lightly brushing her tender palm and dropping a hefty chunk of gold flakes into it.
The receptionist lady's cheeks turned beet red as she softly hummed in agreement, nodding quickly.
"Tonight, nobody's getting any shut-eye. And me? I'll unleash my full glory! Hahahahaha!" Franco burst into a downright filthy laugh, hooking his arm through a nearby lady's delicate hand and sauntering up the stairs with a sway in his hips. Turned out he'd already sweet-talked some gorgeous beauty without anyone noticing.
The receptionist lady watched Franco go, then turned to Barrett at the counter with a sweet smile: "Need any special services, sir?"
"Ahem." Barrett shot a glance at EeDechi beside him. "Nah, I'll pass."
"Such a shame." The receptionist lady pivoted to EeDechi, winking playfully. "If you've got any requests, just whisper them to me. We've got plenty of sweet, ripped young studs—they're pros in that area."
"How much gold did that mage slip you to keep him company?" EeDechi meant Franco.
"A big hunk of gold flakes—worth six months of my pay." The receptionist lady fidgeted, unsure what EeDechi was getting at.
Bang!
EeDechi smacked a gold bar as thick as her forearm onto the table. "My offer's gotta top his, right?"
The receptionist lady's face flushed crimson in an instant, she let out a soft gasp, thrilled beyond words. "You want me? Tonight, please be gentle... it's my first time..."
"No!" EeDechi was speechless for a moment. "Tonight I want you to give Franco a good prank, teach him a lesson! If he hits you, just say I told you to do it."
With that, EeDechi squeezed the gold bar in her hand, snapping it in two. "Half's your deposit, the other half when the job's done."