---
The game Yggdrasil was based on the geography of the Norse World Tree. **Nazarick's** original location in the game was within **Helheim**, the realm of the dead. During the game's active period, the Great Tomb had been a dungeon instance, conquered through the combined efforts of the **Ainz Ooal Gown** members to become their guild base.
The Great Tomb spanned ten floors: Graveyard, Underground Lake, Glacier, Jungle, Magma, Wilderness, Royal Suite, and the Throne Room. Floors one to three were guarded by **Shalltear Bloodfallen**. Floors nine and ten were inaccessible except to specific NPCs. The remaining floors each had their own **Floor Guardian**.
As Orion arrived on the sixth floor of the Great Tomb, the gathered Floor Guardians knelt upon the ground. Momonga stood upon the Colosseum's VIP platform, radiating an aura of "imposing majesty" as he looked down upon the assembled heteromorphic monsters.
Of course, this "imposing majesty" was likely only perceived by the newly ensouled NPCs. Orion, intimately familiar with Momonga, knew the truth: Momonga was utterly flustered and awkward, frozen stiff in place.
His majesty was pure awkwardness!
"Zarathustra, you're here!"
Seeing Orion arrive, Momonga felt like he'd found his anchor. He breathed a sigh of relief as the awkward atmosphere dissipated.
"Hmm. Status report, Momonga?" Orion's demonic gaze swept over the kneeling Floor Guardians. Feeling his scrutiny, they pressed their bodies even lower against the ground, striving to express their utmost humility.
"I had **Sebastian** conduct a preliminary survey outside the Great Tomb. He will now report his findings," Momonga declared, striving to mimic the authoritative tone Orion had used with Albedo.
Simultaneously, in Orion's mind, Momonga's frantic private message arrived via the still-functional 'whisper' system:
"Zarathustra! I followed your suggestion and tested the NPCs' loyalty. So far, it seems solid."
"...But as you said, who knows if other members added 'traitorous' settings or traits to their NPCs? You know them, I know them – they absolutely *would* do that!"
Momonga felt a headache coming on. Back when Yggdrasil was just a game, everyone loved to mess around. It was harmless fun. But now the game was reality, and those playful settings could become serious liabilities.
"The Guild Weapon used to allow us to view and modify NPC settings. But that function vanished after the change."
"...However, our in-game spells and items still work. And *you* are still the World's Strongest. That's the one reassuring piece of good news."
Momonga typed with the speed honed by years of single life. Orion almost pointed out the voice chat function existed, but figured Momonga was just used to typing.
Momonga deeply regretted not familiarizing himself with every NPC beforehand. Back when they were just programmed automatons, no one had paid them much attention. If not for this gathering, Momonga wouldn't even recognize most of these Guardians, let alone pronounce their names correctly.
Orion gave an imperceptible nod. He was a man who pursued detail and exercised extreme caution. Climbing from the bottom of that cyberpunk, rigidly stratified society required not just talent, but caution as his greatest virtue.
He'd only seen the first season of *Overlord*. The world beyond remained a blank slate. While the anime felt like pure power fantasy, facing its reality demanded caution.
Logically, this swords-and-sorcery world likely contained entities rivaling or surpassing **Nazarick**. A crucial question loomed: *why* did **Nazarick** transmigrate? Unraveling this mystery was paramount for survival. Basic deduction pointed towards a cause within *this* world, not the cyberpunk one.
Furthermore, **Ainz Ooal Gown** had ranked outside the top 20 before shutdown. Higher-ranked guilds might have transmigrated too. The players themselves weren't the main threat; it was their **World-Class Items**. That was point one.
Point two stemmed from Orion's origin: the **Little Garden (箱庭)**, a realm teeming with Asura, gods, and Buddhas. Orion's current power, barely qualifying him as one of the Six Great Demons, would place him among countless peers, if not superiors, there. If an unstoppable monster emerged *here* and he died due to carelessness, it would be utterly farcical.
Therefore, Orion didn't find Momonga's "fighting air" cautiousness amusing; he wholeheartedly approved. From a god's-eye view, Momonga might seem foolish. In reality, people like Momonga were the ones who lived the longest! Not only should he not discourage this paranoia, he needed to support it. He even needed to set his *own* imaginary threat: this world harbors monsters!
The Sixth Floor Colosseum, site of past battles, featured forty-two VIP seats. Orion sat in his assigned one, listening to Sebastian's report while pondering his own concerns.
"Lord Zarathustra, Lord Momonga," the impeccably dressed, silver-haired butler began, kneeling with a hand over his chest, his tone grave and steady. "...I have led the **Pleiades Six Stars** on a reconnaissance mission around **Nazarick**."
"...Our findings confirm the Great Tomb is no longer in **Helheim** of the Nine Worlds, but has appeared upon an unknown plain."
"This plain does not exist on any known map. It is evident, as you suspected, that the Great Tomb has undergone an unforeseen translocation."
"...We have detected a human settlement on this plain. Our next course of action awaits your command, my Lords!"
**Sebastian**, the butler of Nazarick, wore the standard uniform. Created by **Touch Me**, he embodied his creator's values: protecting the weak and upholding justice. Amidst Nazarick's overwhelmingly negative Karma values, his was the highest positive, firmly in the 'Extremely Good' alignment – a bizarre anomaly in a den of evil. If there was a prime candidate for a 'traitor', Sebastian topped Orion's list. However, knowing Touch Me's character, Orion doubted he'd add traitorous settings. Loyalty *was* part of Touch Me's justice. Realistically, Sebastian would be the last to betray.
When Sebastian requested instructions, both Momonga and the Guardians instinctively looked to Orion. During the guild's active days, Orion had always been the strategist. The Guardians, retaining their memories, naturally deferred to him first. Momonga, a mere employee in reality with no leadership experience, would have shown weakness in panic if not for his 'Emotion Nullification' skill keeping him unnaturally calm.
"Sebastian..." Orion spoke, the act of command second nature to him.
"Your servant awaits, Lord Zarathustra!" Sebastian bowed his head lower, ready to receive the Supreme Being's decree.
"You..." Orion began, then paused. The black flames beneath his hood flickered. A surge of elation washed over him.
He felt it. A response echoed from the nurturing darkness. Someone had accepted his **Invitation**!
---