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What did he just say? It was just a sentence: "Long working hours may cause mental damage due to excessive stress."

This is clearly a very common conclusion, isn't it? Anyone with a modicum of common sense would think so. Why does Demiurge have that "Lord Ainz is indeed far-sighted" look on his face?

Ainz, of course, had no idea about Demiurge's complete internal thought process.

From his own perspective, he was merely casually mentioning a basic common sense about balancing work and rest.

But Demiurge had already interpreted that statement as a complex strategic directive.

Ainz opened his mouth, wanting to say something to clarify, but he swallowed the words back.

Demiurge must have imagined something profound again. If he were to explain his meaning in such a simplistic way, it would be too unbecoming of a supreme being.

He could only maintain his "everything is under control" posture, nodding slightly to accept Demiurge's praise.

Ainz refocused his thoughts on the initial question: 'So, how do we solve the food problem?'

The food shortage in Ribloom Rashur is a stark reality, and if no solution is found, the citizens will starve to death sooner or later.

Although Ainz doesn't have a particular obsession with the lives of humans, since Demiurge said these people could "mass produce items and resources" for Nazarick, they should at least be kept alive.

He needed to come up with a solution while Demiurge was still praising him. Otherwise, he might expose himself if the conversation continued.

Ainz unconsciously tapped his jaw with his knuckles, his mind racing through various possibilities. Transferring grain from Nazarick's reserves?

Putting aside whether Nazarick's food is suitable, even if it were, Ainz wouldn't want to use Nazarick's food.

Purchased through Sebastian in the capital? But such a large-scale purchase would inevitably raise suspicions.

Or perhaps we could buy from neighboring countries?

When Ainz's thoughts were struggling to move forward along this line...

"Lord Ainz!" Aou's voice came from the ranks, tinged with a hint of eagerness, "If you don't have enough food, why don't you just rob some?"

Those heterochromatic eyes gleamed with an air of self-righteousness, as if this wasn't even a question worth considering.

A surge of approval welled up in Ainz's heart, almost making him blurt it out.

Well done, Yau!

Although the suggestion was so crude that Demiurge would certainly not adopt it, it served as a springboard for his next words.

He could follow up on what Aou said and let Demiurge analyze it.

This thought made Ainz secretly give himself a thumbs up.

So he adjusted his posture, made his voice sound like that of an elder instructing a younger generation, and then slowly began to speak.

"It's not as simple as you think, Yau."

After Ainz finished speaking, he turned to Demiurge. "Demiurge, explain yourself to Aou."

Demiurge cleared his throat and began to explain, "Yau, your idea is indeed good. If we don't know that the Argland Council has dragons, then directly seizing their food is of course no big deal, since the Demon Kingdom is just a pawn to be discarded anyway."

He paused for a moment, the corners of his mouth curving slightly deeper.

"But now, our main purpose is to test the dragon. If the Demon Kingdom creates conflict for no reason, it will only alert the enemy and be counterproductive."

Yawu blinked, a look of realization flashing in his heterochromatic eyes.

She subconsciously scratched the back of her head.

“…I see.” Yawu’s voice carried a hint of embarrassment. “That’s why you can’t just steal things.”

“Exactly.” Demiurge nodded slightly and looked away.

Ainz sat on his throne, observing everything.

As he expected, Demiurge's plan was never so crude.

If he were to answer Yau's question, he would probably just say "no" or "it's unnecessary," and then Yau would press him for why, eventually leaving him in an awkward situation of stammering.

Demiurge was able to explain the logic so clearly that even he could understand it.

Ainz silently encouraged himself.

Now that Demiurge has explained the first half, it's his turn to appear.

"Demiurge, since you've thought of this, you should already be able to guess what I'm thinking."

For Ainz, getting Demiurge to reveal his plans was already quite difficult.

Upon hearing this, Demiurge's smile deepened even further.

"Of course, Lord Ainz. Your thoughts are always so profound, please correct my shortcomings, Lord Ainz."

Chapter 145 Albedo's Messenger

The magic lamps in the throne room emitted a constant glow, and a subtle tension floated in the air.

Ainz sat upright on his throne, nodded slightly, and replied to Demiurge in a calm yet dignified tone.

"Of course, I will help you make up for any shortcomings."

Ainz was actually a little nervous, but his repeated training had taught him how to remain calm in front of the Guardians.

"Thank you, Lord Ainz." Demiurge bowed slightly, his posture respectful.

He turned to the remaining guardians, cleared his throat, and began to explain further.

"Then I'll get straight to the point. According to Lord Ainz's plan, the food problem in Ribloom Rashull will be solved through purchase."

A tiny gap appeared in Ainz's jawbone.

'!?' He let out a silent exclamation in his mind.

'But wouldn't this be too conspicuous? I originally thought Demiurge would consider other options... how could he come up with this idea that even I had already given up on?'

A sense of unease was rising deep within him.

Based on his understanding of Demiurge, the most intelligent guardian of Nazarick would never choose such an obvious option.

Unless... there's a deeper meaning he hasn't figured out yet.

Ainz's thoughts were still racing when Cocytus's voice rang out.

The insect's head turned slightly, exhaling a breath of cold air, and its body tilted slightly towards Demiurge.

“But, Demiurge,” Cocytus said, clearly hesitant.

"Isn't it a bit too much for Sebastian to buy such a large amount of food in the capital? It might expose Sebastian's true identity. If that happens, our intelligence channels in the capital might be affected, especially since the adventurer Feifei has already left."

Upon hearing this, Demiurge turned his head to the side, the corners of his mouth curving upwards even more.

"Cocytus, when did I say that Sebastian was to go and buy food?"

Cocytus' compound eyes flickered slightly, as if he was quickly processing the meaning of those words.

A moment later, he exhaled an even stronger breath of cold air, and his voice became a few decibels lower.

"Lord Ainz's plan wouldn't be..."

“That’s right.” Demiurge confirmed Cocytus’s guess. “The Demon Kingdom will directly purchase the food.”

The throne room fell silent for a moment.

The insect Cocytus lowered its head slightly, as if weighing the feasibility of the proposal.

“But…” Cocytus’s tone was somewhat conflicted, a tension arising between his trust in Lord Ainz and his own perception. “The surrounding countries probably wouldn’t be willing to sell their grain to the Demon Kingdom.”

Demiurge gently pushed up his glasses, his eyes filled with a knowing and composed demeanor.

“That’s true. Even the Blood Emperor of the Empire wouldn’t agree. He might be happy to see the Demon Kingdom weaken the Kingdom, but openly trading with the Demon Kingdom would undoubtedly offend all human nations. The Empire itself doesn’t want the Demon Kingdom to become too powerful either, as it is a threat to them as well.”

"If we want to make a deal with the Empire, I'm afraid the only way is to use force to coerce us."

“However,” he paused, revealing a sinister smile, “there is still one country that would be willing to trade with the Demon Kingdom.”

Yawu's ears perked up, and his youthful face was filled with curiosity.

"Demiurge, which country is that?"

Demiurge looked at her, his gaze behind his glasses becoming somewhat meaningful.

“That country… is the kingdom itself.”

Yawu blinked, clearly not immediately understanding the meaning of the sentence. She tilted her head slightly, her heterochromatic eyes filled with confusion.

“But…” she made no attempt to hide her confusion, “We just plundered the kingdom’s land, how could the kingdom possibly be willing to sell food to the Demon Kingdom? Shouldn’t they hate us?”

Demiurge slowly spread his hands, adopting the posture of a mentor answering a student's questions.

"Yawu, don't forget the instructions that the adventurer Feifei left for the kingdom before he left. Before Feifei returns, try not to have any conflict with the Demon Kingdom."

Yau frowned slightly as she tried to keep up with Demiurge's train of thought.

Demiurges continued, “The kingdom has just suffered a crushing defeat, with its 150,000-strong army scattered and suffering heavy losses. Their national strength is no longer sufficient to support another war. Meanwhile, the Demon Kingdom has just established its regime and has occupied the rich land of Ribrumrushur.”

He paused for a moment, giving everyone time to process what he had to say.

"In this situation, what would the kingdom be worried about? Their biggest fear is that the Demon Kingdom will launch another war due to food shortages before the adventurer Feifei returns. After all, this time they don't even have Feifei. If the Demon Kingdom is forced to expand outwards due to food shortages, the kingdom's losses will far exceed the cost of trading food."

“Therefore,” Demiurge concluded with certainty, “the kingdom will compromise in exchange for peace. They will be willing to sell grain to the Demon Kingdom, even if it seems like funding the enemy, it is much better than facing another war immediately.”

He paused, then the corners of his mouth curved upwards even further: "In this way, the food problem can be solved smoothly. Moreover, it will also make the kingdom appear even weaker and more incompetent in the eyes of the people. When Feifei returns, this contrast will make him appear even more wise and powerful."

Yawu's eyes lit up, a hint of realization flashing in his heterochromatic eyes.

She nodded vigorously, her tone full of genuine emotion.

"So that's how it is! Lord Ainz even considered the kingdom's mindset..."

Ma Lei stood beside his sister, his head, which had been bowed, slightly raised, and a look of sincere admiration appeared on his handsome face.

He whispered, "...Lord Ainz's plan is amazing...every step is so well thought out."

As Ainz sat on the throne, listening to Mare's praise, he felt a little uneasy.

'No, I didn't consider any of that at all...' he silently denied to himself.

But on the surface, he maintained his calm demeanor, as if all of this was indeed within his expectations.

Just then, Demiurge spoke again, this time in a lower voice, carrying a more solemn tone.

"Moreover, Lord Ainz's plan is far more complex than that."