Although Momonga appeared to be a burly warrior on the outside at this moment, there was no doubt he was a pure and bona fide magic caster without any job class or skills related to being a warrior.
In this world, the term 'Magic Caster' had a broad meaning.
Whether it was a priest, a druid, a mystic, a sorcerer, a magician, a bard, a shrine maiden, or a talisman master, as long as it involved magic, they were referred to as magic casters.
As an undead, Momonga's race was set as an 'Overlord', a high-tier undead magic caster who pursued ultimate magic.
Naturally, this made him a pure magic caster specializing in necromancy.
In total, he could use 718 different magic spells, which was an astonishing number even in YGGDRASIL.
To put it into perspective, a typical max-level player in YGGDRASIL could only use about 300 magic spells, yet Momonga could use more than double that amount, showcasing just how vast his magic capability really was.
Not only in this world but even in the ones Riezel had been to, where magic existed, it was almost unheard of for someone to possess that many magic spells.
Thanks to this, when Riezel mentioned trading magic knowledge for information, Momonga couldn't help but feel a bit excited.
"Does magic knowledge really have that much value?"
Momonga couldn't help but ask Riezel with suspicion.
In YGGDRASIL, all the effects and information of magic were clear and open, so everyone knew what each magic could do, which resulted in them not holding much value.
Sure, if it was information about a specific opponent's magic characteristics, that might be useful in PvP or guild wars, but aside from that, magic knowledge shouldn't hold much worth.
'Is this guy trying to learn my magic to gauge my strength based on the types and forms of magic I have mastered?'
Momonga grew suspicious once more.
In response to Momonga's question, Riezel had only one explanation.
"What do you mean by 'have that much value'? Whether it's unknown or known magic, the knowledge of both is valuable to many magic casters."
Riezel explained calmly, raising his eyebrows.
"As long as you know how someone uses magic and understand their interpretation of it, you can improve your own ability to use magic. You might even borrow part of that understanding to create new magic when needed."
"That's why both unknown and known magic hold value. It's just that the former is far more valuable than the latter. Many of my clients are magic casters as well, so when they're researching, developing, or experimenting with magic, they need a lot of information for reference. Sometimes, it even sparks inspiration."
Riezel's explanation helped put Momonga's mind at ease.
'So, you can create new magic in this world?' Momonga thought to himself, feeling a bit impressed.
Ultimately, reality was still reality, and it was different from the game.
In the game, all magic and skills were pre-set, but here, in reality, original creations and new ways of using magic could emerge.
Such a fact involuntarily piqued Momonga's interest in the magic of this world.
However, that would be for later.
For now, he needed to settle the matter of gathering information first.
"So, if I exchange known magic knowledge with you, don't you think you might be at a bit of a disadvantage?"
Asking such a question, Momonga was clearly testing the waters.
"If what I'm selling isn't ordinary info, maybe. But what you need is just the basics, right?" Riezel responded with a faint smile. "Who's really losing anything by exchanging known magic for basic information?"
Either way, Momonga didn't feel like he was losing out, and naturally, Riezel was making a huge profit from this.
At this point, Momonga still didn't know the value of the magic he possessed in this world.
From his perspective, he was simply handing over information that all players knew, and if that could give him a basic understanding of this world, then it was more than worth it.
Moreover, it was all he had to offer since he couldn't use things like money or items from YGGDRASIL.
No choice.
He wanted to avoid using them to prevent his origins from being exposed, so he planned to steer clear of them as much as possible.
Magic, on the other hand, was fine since the information dealer in front of him had said this world had many magic casters creating new magic.
Given that, even if he shared magic knowledge the information dealer didn't know, the information dealer would probably assume it was just magic he had come up with himself, with no way of figuring out where it really came from.
Momonga thought it over carefully and finally made his decision.
"In that case, I'll choose to exchange magic knowledge with you... By the way, how should I address you?"
"Riezel Brynhart... and you?" Riezel gave his name calmly before asking back.
"Me?" Momonga paused for a moment before replying in a steady tone. "You can call me Dark Warrior."
Upon hearing this name, Riezel's mouth twitched slightly.
'Dark Warrior? A fake name, huh?' Riezel thought to himself, feeling a bit cringed. 'Still, does it have to be that... edgy?'
Ultimately, Riezel decided to just let it go since it was not his business. If Momonga was happy with the name, then so be it.
"Got it, Sir Dark Warrior."
"Umu, let's have a good chat, Sir Riezel."
As the two exchanged glances and called each other by name respectfully, Riezel cracked a smile, a smile full of triumph.
===
As time passed, the sky gradually brightened.
While dawn was about to break, Riezel, with a satisfied expression, left the vast grasslands.
As Momonga watched Riezel leave, with Demiurge by his side, the empty eye sockets beneath his helmet flickered with a red glow.
"Lord Momo—Dark Warrior..."
It was at this moment that Demiurge finally spoke.
"Why didn't we capture that information dealer?"
Demiurge's voice was low, but he couldn't hide the malice within it.
"He would've been incredibly useful to us if we had him."
For the Great Tomb of Nazarick, which currently lacked various kinds of intelligence, a human who knew a lot about this world was indeed extremely valuable.
Such a valuable human, in Demiurge's view, should have been captured and brought back for full utilization, which was undoubtedly the best course of action.
As a high-tier demon, he had plenty of ways to interrogate someone and was confident he could make the information dealer spill everything he knew before he completely broke down.
Surely, a Supreme Being like his lord must have thought of this as well.
However, this was exactly what puzzled him.
Why hadn't his lord kept such a highly valuable human?
"Why? It's simple, Demiurge..."
Momonga responded calmly, still looking in the direction Riezel had gone.
"Are you confident you could capture him?"
At this question, Demiurge didn't respond.
It was simply because someone else answered first.
"If Lord Momonga gives the order, we Guardians will definitely capture that human."
As these words resounded, several figures appeared around Momonga.
Finally, the heteromorphs of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, who had surrounded Riezel throughout the night, revealed themselves at this moment.
Among them, the few leading figures emitted auras no weaker than Demiurge's.
One was an unbelievably stunning beauty with a smile on her face, demon horns on her head, and fallen angel wings at her waist.
Another was a beautiful girl holding a parasol, dressed in a soft black evening dress with a big, heavy skirt, looking like a sleeping beauty from a fairy tale.
Beside the girl were a pair of twin dark elves, a boy and a girl, both with heterochromatic eyes and pointed ears.
All four of them, along with numerous heteromorphic beings behind them, appeared before Momonga and knelt on one knee.
"Albedo, Shalltear, Aura, Mare..."
Momonga called out their names one after another.
Among the four, the beautiful girl holding a parasol and wearing a black evening dress was Shalltear Bloodfallen, the Floor Guardian of the 1st to 3rd Floors.
Meanwhile, the twin dark elves were Aura Bella Fiora and Mare Bello Fiore, the Floor Guardians of the 6th Floor.
Finally, the stunning beauty with a smile, demon horns, and fallen angel wings was Momonga's assistant, the Guardian Overseer, and the highest-ranking NPC in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Albedo.
Just like Demiurge, these four were Level 100 NPCs, the strongest beings in the Great Tomb of Nazarick apart from Momonga himself.
"So it's you four..." Momonga nodded calmly before asking a question. "Where are Cocytus and Sebas?"
"They stayed behind to guard Nazarick." Albedo answered respectfully. "No matter what, we need to leave some of our highest combatants there, so please forgive them for not coming to escort you."
"No problem, you made the right call." Momonga praised instead of being upset. "Even though we still have Gargantua and Victim as Nazarick's final defense, it's best not to mobilize them unless absolutely necessary."
"Yes..." Albedo responded, seeming thrilled by Momonga's praise, almost excited. "So, Lord Momonga, would you like us to capture that human?"
Upon hearing this question, Momonga fell into deep thought.
If he were to be honest, he did want to capture Riezel and interrogate him for all the information he had, but unfortunately, he couldn't.
'If he can travel alone so freely in a place like this, he must have some means of protecting himself. If we fail to capture him and he escapes, it'll be a real headache.'
Momonga recalled the magic Riezel had used to 'greet' him and had to admit that the magic was no joke.
"No, he is no ordinary person. We can't just act rashly." Momonga lightly shook his head. "Let's head back for now and organize the information we just got."
Upon hearing this, all the heteromorphs present immediately bowed their heads.
""YES!""