Tingyun stood behind Higashino Makoto, her Kohaku eyes fixed on the fragments, her fox ears standing straight up, and her tail swaying gently behind her.
"Sir... those things..."
"It seems like it fell from another world."
Higashino Makoto crouched down, picked up the emerald green leaf, and examined it closely in his palm.
The veins on the leaves are very clear, as if drawn with a brush, each line precise and beautiful. There is a flowing silvery luster on the surface, as if it were alive.
"This world... no, this space... is connected to another world."
Ainz stood beside him, his crimson eyes also fixed on the leaf.
Another world? What kind of world?
"I don't know. But it's probably not YGGDRASIL's world, nor is it our original world."
Higashino Makoto stood up, handed the can to Ainz, and pointed to the production date on it.
He then put the leaf into his backpack.
"We need more information."
He turned around and looked at Tingyun.
"Tingyun."
"Exist."
"Send the mercenaries down to collect everything they can: stone tablets, books, anything with writing on it. Be careful of those spatial rifts; don't go near them."
Tingyun bowed slightly.
"Yes, sir."
She turned around and began directing the mercenaries.
Higashino Makoto and Ainz stood at the edge of the cave, watching the mercenaries carefully descend the slope and enter the darkness.
"Higashino."
Ainz's voice rang in my ears.
"Higashino, how do you think that cavity formed?"
Higashino Makoto was silent for a moment.
"I don't know. But it should be related to those dragons, or maybe the players."
"A dragon? A player?"
"Yes. In this world, the only known beings capable of creating something like this are either True Dragon Lords or players who possess World Item."
Ainz's crimson eyes flickered.
"That makes sense, but what if there are other powerful beings?"
"Who knows? At least we haven't received any relevant information yet. Even if we did, it would be the kind of information that's extremely discreet."
Higashino Makoto's tone was flat.
"In short, it should be pretty close to the truth."
It took the mercenaries a whole day to collect enough items from the cave.
Stone slabs, books, scrolls, pottery shards, metal fragments.
The makeshift tent was filled with items of various materials, shapes, and writings.
Some of them are intact, some are incomplete, some are so weathered that they would break at the slightest touch, while others remain as bright and new as ever.
Higashino Makoto sat in the tent, with a stone slab spread out in front of him.
The stone slab is grayish-white, and its surface is covered with densely packed characters.
It is not the script of this world, nor is it the script of YGGDRASIL.
Since we can't understand it, let's use magic items.
He put on his translation glasses.
The glasses are a product of the game YGGDRASIL, a god-tier item capable of translating any known language.
It's a similar tool to the one Sebas used in the original work.
Higashino Makoto began reading.
The inscriptions on the stone slab record a piece of history.
The history of the Di Gövors Baharuth Empire.
"The first emperor discovered the Heart of the Desert in the ruins. He used it. He used it to build his Baharuth Empire."
Heart of the Desert? That's probably the Sand Scepter.
Higashino Makoto had a guess in his mind.
"The Baharuth Empire prospered for a century. During that century, no enemy could breach Baharuth Empire walls. For the desert itself was the Baharuth Empire's army."
Then, the dragon came.
"Not one, but five. They are fighting above the Baharuth Empire capital. Not for the Baharuth Empire, not for the scepter, but for their own personal grudges."
"The battle lasted for three days and three nights. The capital was reduced to ruins, countless civilians were killed or wounded, and the army was unable to resist."
Then, a dragon died, its carcass falling onto the ruins of the capital. Its enemies attacked the spot where its body lay.
"Not long after, a void appeared."
"From where the body fell, space was torn apart, revealing a hole. On the other side of the hole was another world."
The first emperor sent people to investigate the cave. They discovered that on the other side of the cave was an endless forest. The forest was home to all sorts of creatures—some beautiful, some terrifying, and some indescribable.
"However, the void is unstable. Each passage results in the loss of more than half of the population and resources. In the end, the Baharuth Empire realized that obtaining resources from New World was simply not worth the effort."
"The first emperor ordered the void to be sealed. He built a massive magic circle to seal the void. But he did not destroy the void, because he felt that it might hold the hope for the Baharuth Empire's future."
This void simply cannot be resolved, okay?
That sounds nice.
Higashino Makoto continued translating while making sarcastic remarks.
"Then, the first emperor died."
His son inherited the throne and also the "Heart of the Desert." But he could not wield the scepter because the "Heart of the Desert" chose the first emperor, not him.
"The Baharuth Empire has begun to decline."
Without the protection of the scepter, the Baharuth Empire's territory shrank continuously. Enemies poured in from all directions, and the Baharuth Empire's army suffered defeat after defeat.
"Then, disaster struck."
"From the void, a fragment fell out. It wasn't a plant branch or leaf, nor a living limb, but a living fragment."
"After it landed, it began to grow, or rather, to recover. It was severely injured in the void, but on the land of the Baharuth Empire, it began to regain its strength."
"The first thing it did after regaining its strength was to eat."
"It eats people, it eats animals, it eats anything that has life. Its body is constantly expanding, its strength is constantly increasing. The Baharuth Empire army is like an ant before it, collapsing at the slightest touch."
The last emperor was in despair. He knew he couldn't use the "Heart of the Desert" and couldn't fight the monster. But he couldn't escape, because he was the emperor of the Baharuth Empire.
"He did one last thing."
"He commanded the Baharuth Empire mages to transform the first emperor's body into an immortal."
"The mages objected. For the first emperor was the founder of the Baharuth Empire, a god in the hearts of the people. To turn him into an immortal would be Blasphemy."
"But the last emperor said, 'If the first emperor were still alive, he would have done the same.'"
"The mages compromised."
"They used the Baharuth Empire's secret arts to transform the first emperor's corpse into an immortal. Then, the last emperor entrusted the Heart of the Desert to the first emperor."
"The first emperor, or rather the first immortal emperor, took the scepter and walked into the void."
"The monster awaited him at the edge of the hollow. Its body had swelled to the height of a city wall, its eyes were as large as lanterns, and when its mouth opened, rows of sharp teeth could be seen."
The First Undead raised his scepter.
"Yellow sand surged up."
"It didn't rise from the ground, but surged in from all directions. The sand from the city walls, the dust from the streets, the rubble from the ruins—everything was converging on him."
"The yellow sand swallowed the monster."
"Yellow sand swallowed up the capital."
"The yellow sand swallowed up the entire Baharuth Empire."
"When the yellow sands clear, the monsters are gone, the capital is gone, the Baharuth Empire is gone."
"There's only a desert."
"And a ruin."
"And deep within the ruins, that void that can never be filled."
Higashino Makoto put down the stone slab, his golden eyes gazing at the deep purple sky outside the tent.
Tingyun stood beside him, her Kohaku eyes looking at him, her fox tail gently wrapped around his wrist.
"Grown ups..."
"I'm fine."
Higashino Makoto's voice was calm.
"It just feels a bit ironic."
What's so ironic?
"That last emperor did everything he could, he used every possible method, he sacrificed everything he could. But in the end, the Baharuth Empire still perished."
He paused.
"It's not because he doesn't try hard enough, it's because he's not strong enough."
Tingyun remained silent.
She simply gripped his hand tighter, her fox tail coiling around him even more firmly.
Ainz walked in from outside the tent, his scarlet eyes fixed on Higashino Makoto.
"Finished watching?"
"I've finished watching."
What is that hollow space?
It's a door to another world.
Higashino Makoto stood up, walked outside the tent, and looked at the huge empty space.
"Hundreds of years ago, a dragon died here. Its enemies attacked its corpse with magic, and for some unknown reason, they tore through space and opened this door."
He paused.
"Behind the door lies another world. A completely unfamiliar world, one we know nothing about."
Ainz walked to his side, his crimson eyes also fixed on the empty space.
"You want to go and take a look?"
Higashino Makoto was silent for a moment.
I want to, but not now.
"Why?"
"Because we don't know what's on the other side. Besides, the passage itself is dangerous, although you and I should be able to handle it. But—"
He turned around and looked at Ainz.
"I need to prepare—more, better, and even more foolproof preparation."
Ainz nodded.
"OK."
He turned around and walked out of the tent.
He took a few steps, then stopped without looking back.
"Higashino."
"Um."
"If one day you need to go there, call me."
Higashino Makoto's lips curled up slightly.
"Alright. If the guardians of Nazarick don't object to your adventure."
Ainz stepped out of the tent.
Higashino Makoto stood at the edge of the void, gazing into the unfathomable darkness, his golden eyes reflecting the distorted spatial patterns.
"Another world..."
He said in a low voice.
What will it look like?