As he watched the man leave, Momonga let the [Remote Viewing] continue down the road,

He encountered over ten more undead beings on the road, and they were all the same -- yuriniggers.

Still, there sure are a lot of them.

Some of them were walking around in circles inside their houses, and others roamed up and down the streets.

It looked like the entire city was under the rule of the undead.

That said, this was hardly strange in YGGDRASIL. In truth, there were quite a few underground cities there which were ruled by the undead. Among them included locations which could be converted into bases after defeating the boss monsters within. While Momonga had not been to such places before, the videos of it which had been uploaded portrayed a a beautiful paradise city.

Before long, Momonga finished his exploration of his surroundings.

All he had learned was that there were no other undead creatures here other than yuriniggers, and that the entire area was in ruins, with no survivors.

Momonga exhaled with a “whew” -- although he had no idea how his bony, lungless body could have done it -- and dispelled his [Remote Viewing] and [Perfect Unknowable] spells.

He had been worrying about what he would do if there were players -- especially PKs -- around, but it would seem he had been wasting his efforts. Plus, depending on the situation, it might not be impossible that he could raise his arms in surrender when making contact with other parties to gain information about them.

After a period of rumination, Momonga checked that he could still teleport normally, then left the house and took to the streets.

While he did not dare to place too much faith in his strength, there should not be any problems if he could use the same spells as he normally could. No, even if things went bad, he should still be able to escape.

If possible, he would have liked to gauge his strength by killing a yurinigger, but that would be too dangerous.

While this was based on his knowledge of YGGDRASIL, low-intelligence undead like yuriniggers would view Momonga as one of them and thus not initiate attacks against him. However, things would be different if he launched an attack instead. It might even elicit a hostile response from all the surrounding yuriniggers in a chain reaction, until all the undead in the entire city considered him a valid target for attacks.

Something like that which would only sap his strength and increase the number of his enemies would be a last resort. Currently, he ought to prioritize gathering information.

Momonga left the ruined house.

Taking his first step out required a great deal of courage and made his heart race -- although he had no heart to speak of -- but the first yurinigger he met did not react to him with hostility, and walked away from Momonga as though nothing had happened. With that, the tremendous weight crushing down on Momonga lifted off him.

He investigated the surrounding streets, and reached a conclusion.

For starters, technology here was not particularly advanced. There were no signs at all of electrical appliances, and modern construction techniques would not feature cement and unevenly-shaped bricks It was possible that there were power lines buried in the ground, but in that case it would be entirely impossible to go on with daily life. This was also the first time he had seen stoves outside of YGGDRASIL. Also--

Is this YGGDRASIL? No, it’s way too different. But could it really be?

Gradually, Momonga came to realize that this could not possibly be inside a game.

But then, what about himself?

For starters, how did a body that was wholly composed of bones move around?

He had no muscles or nerves.

He was moving as though this was the kind of creature he had always been, and such a thing could only appear in games. No, when he thought about it, what about the power -- the principle called “magic”?

Momonga walked down a main street. The knowledge base he had been building for himself to this day had been broken, but he still had not been able to reconstruct it.

“In any case, all I can do is continue gathering information.”

Perhaps it was because this was a main street, but the number of wandering yuriniggers suddenly increased.

In order to avoid bumping into any yuriniggers, Momonga once again cast [Fly] and continued moving at a slightly higher altitude.

It would seem this was a main road for this city, because when he looked straight ahead he could see the city gates, which were wide open.

In the other direction lay a fancy-looking castle. Perhaps it was because it was constructed differently, but it did not seem as badly damaged as the ruined house from before.

I’d probably spot some damage from weathering if I took a closer look. If there’s weathering, then would it be better to assume this city’s been abandoned for a long time… don’t tell me the people of this otherworld (I guess I have to think of it as another world) can’t even defeat yuriniggers? Or is it like one of those commonly-seen zombie movie tropes where all the living have died off?

Could it be that they could not even defeat yuriniggers, the weakest of all undead in YGGDRASIL? Or was this place different from YGGDRASIL in that the yuriniggers here were extremely powerful?

He had to answer these two questions as soon as possible.

Just as Momonga was pondering the yurinigger apocalypse which had taken in this city and how it might have come about, Momonga picked up a reaction.

“What?”

Among the massed undead reactions around him, one of them was gradually drawing away from him.

...What’s this?

Momonga narrowed his eyes.

He could sense a certain degree of intelligence from that action, a quality that yuriniggers did not possess.

“Is that a player? I won’t let you get away, you source of information!”

He floated lightly into the air. Given the other party’s complete lack of hesitation as they moved, they ought to be quite familiar with the layout of the city. However, terrain was meaningless to someone who could cast [Fly].

As Momonga flew in a straight line through the air, he caught sight of someone’s form.

从空中一直线追去的飞鼠捕捉到了一个身影。

The small figure in a hooded cloak turned back several times -- back at the place where Momonga had been -- as it sprinted down the narrow alleys.

穿着戴帽披风的小个人影数次回头——向着刚才飞鼠所在的方向——在狭窄的道路上狂奔着。

I’ll use undead domination -- no, that’s a last resort. And besides, I might not be able to dominate it.

（用支配不死者——不对、那是最后手段。而且说到底、也不一定支配得了）

Undead domination was considered an offensive act. If the figurebefore him was connected to those yuriniggers, it was very likely that he would wind up aggroing all the yuriniggers in the city. While he would not need to worry about that if that figure was a player, he would probably wind up making a more dangerous enemy instead.

由于支配不死者被划分为攻击性行动。如果眼前的人影和僵尸是联系在一起的话，很有可能会与整座都市的僵尸为敌。虽然如果是玩家的话就没有必要担心了，但那样的话反而会与更危险的对手为敌吧。

Momonga landed in front of the figure. Said figure just so happened to be looking back at that moment and collided with Momonga. It was a light impact, and it meant nothing to Momonga. But the tiny person could not withstand the collision and fell flat on their ass.

飞鼠在那个人影的前面降下。而此时又恰逢人影回头、那个身影撞在了飞鼠的身上。轻轻的冲击，对于飞鼠来说根本算不上什么。但小小的人影似乎没办法抵销碰撞的冲击，咚的一屁股摔在了地上。

He could vaguely make out blonde hair underneath the hood.

能够隐约地看到兜帽下的金发。

“...Good evening. It really is a starry night tonight..”

「……晚安、今夜真是一个星光绚丽的良宵呢」

“Eeee…”

「噫」

The figure did not answer Momonga’s greeting. All he could hear was a sudden intake of breath.

对飞鼠的问候没有回答，只能听到倒吸一口气的声音。

Were they unable to speak, or did they not understand Japanese? Without enough information to draw a conclusion, Momonga continued speaking.

是不具备理解言语的能力呢，还是说听不懂日语呢。判断情报尚且不足的飞鼠继续说道。

“I apologize for this, but I am quite confused right now. There are several things I’d like to ask you about. Do you mind?”

「虽然非常抱歉，但我现在很困扰呢。为此有几件事想要向你打听，没有关系吧？」

The other party might be a player like Momonga, which would mean that their apparent and actual age might not match up. With that point in mind, Momonga made his inquiry in a polite fashion. Of course, he did not forget to dip his head to indicate that he was making a greeting.

对方有可能和飞鼠一样是玩家，为此内在与外表的年龄并不一定相符。考虑到这点，飞鼠客气地问道。当然、也没有忘记轻轻地点下头以示问候。

Momonga locked eyes with the crimson pupils beneath the hood.

飞鼠与兜帽下深红的眼眸对上了视线。

Are they dressed as a child? Is this a resident of this world? Doesn’t look like an NPC either… hm?

（小孩子的外装吗？又或者是这个世界的居民？看起来也不像NPC……嗯？）

Momonga unconsciously recalled the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick and the NPCs who had knelt before him. What had happened to them? For all he knew, he might have lost a wonderful place, one which he had built with his friends.

不经意间、飞鼠回想起了纳萨力克地下大坟墓，在自己面前跪拜着的NPC。他们现在又怎么样了呢。自己弄不好失去了和同伴们一起打造的最棒的场所。

However -- Momonga shook his head.

但是——飞鼠摇了摇头。

Right now, he did not have the leisure of contemplating such things.

现在没有去考虑那些事的空闲。

Momonga studied the person before him, taking care not to look at them in a rude way.

飞鼠以不至于失礼的视线，仔细地打量着眼前的人物。

She was a pretty young girl, probably older than 10. Her eyes, widened by shock, were the crimson of fresh blood.

那是个五官端正的少女，年龄应该超过十岁了吧。那因为惊讶而瞪得老大的眼瞳有如鲜血般深红。

What he had thought was a hooded cloak was, on closer inspection, merely a piece of cloth secured with a rope. Surely only the undead would tie something so carelessly to their necks.

本以为是带兜帽的斗篷，仔细一看只是在布上系了根绳子而已。那毫无顾忌绑在脖上的系法，也只有不死者会用了吧。

The clothes below the cloak were tattered from wear and discolored from where dirt and sand had gotten on it. It looked like women’s clothing, but the loose sleeves were tied up by rope, and what had once been a skirt was tied up into what seemed like a pair of pants. It was an utterly utilitarian garment.

斗篷下的衣服也被已经被磨损的破破烂烂的，被沙土弄脏部分都有些变色了。虽然看上去是女性的衣服，但宽松的袖口被绳子扎了起来，原本是裙子的部分也被裁去，弄成了裤子的样式。是完全一面倒的实用性主义。

While he had no idea how his bony body could smell anything, this girl did not have the odor of decay about her, like the other yuriniggers. Perhaps the lack of body odor despite the dishevelled state of her clothing was because the undead lacked metabolic processes.

虽然也不知道自己那骸骨身体是怎么闻到的，但和其他僵尸一样，这个少女身上也没有腐败的味道。明明服装那么破旧但却没有体臭，这也是多亏了不死者没有新陈代谢的缘故吧。

“...I say again, I have several things I would like to know about. I trust that will be alright? Ahhh, I apologize,” Momonga said as he extended a bony hand to her. However, the girl seated on the ground showed no sign of taking it. Was she still wary of him?

“In that case, you don’t mind if I ask, then?”

「……我再问一次，我有几件想要打听的事，没关系吧？喔唷、失礼了」这么说着飞鼠伸出了只剩骸骨的手。而坐倒在地上的少女却没有想要将其握住的打算，是还在警戒吗。「这样啊、那我就这么问了哦？」

The girl nodded.

少女点了点头。

Momonga was mildly surprised when he saw that he could communicate normally with language. Since they could verbally interact, did that mean she was a player?

看到言语可以正常疏通，飞鼠微微吃了一惊。既然言语能够疏通那果然是玩家吗。

“To begin with, yes… I am… Suzuki Satoru. May I ask your name?”

「首先、也是啊……我叫……铃木悟。我能问问你的名字吗？」

The crimson pupils seemed to be shaping themselves into perfect circles.

深红的眼瞳彷佛正画着圆圈。

“...Ah, uu… ah… ah…”

「……啊、呜……啊……啊」

She spoke in a very hoarse voice. He could not make out what she was saying at all.

发出来的是非常嘶哑的声音，根本没有办法听清少女在说什么。

Is that not Japanese? Does that mean she’s a resident from another world? Or no, is she a player who’s way too immersed in her roleplay? I have no idea.

（不是日语？那果然是异界的居民？不不、或许是太带入角色的玩家呢？真是一头雾水）

Momonga -- no, Suzuki Satoru replied to her, taking care to affect a professional, businesslike tone.

露出商业式的周到态度，飞鼠——不、铃木悟回应道。

“I sincerely apologize. It seems your voice is a little soft. Could I trouble you to repeat yourself?”

「非常不好意思。您的声音似乎稍微有那么点轻，能麻烦您再说一次吗？」

“...Ah, uu… ah… ah…”

「……啊、呜……啊……啊」

It was the same as before, after all.

果然还是和刚才一样呢。

“Is your name Ahuuahah, then? What a strange name… hm?”

The girl shook her head. He could be sure of it now -- she was definitely capable of understanding Japanese.

“Is it not? Then, could it be that you cannot speak?”

「是叫阿乌阿阿吗？还真是奇怪的名字呢……嗯？」少女摇摇头。这样一样就能确定了。对方确实能听懂日语「不是吗？那莫非是没有办法说话？」

She shook her head once more.

再度摇了摇头。

The girl was trying her best to vocalize, but Suzuki Satoru could not parse any meaningful from her response.

虽然少女拼命地想发出声音，但铃木悟完全听不出任何有意义的词句。

“Then, let me change topics. Are you a player?”

「那我换一个问题，你是玩家吗？」

A baffled expression appeared on the girl’s face.

少女露出了有些困惑的样子。

“You are not a player, then? I see. Then, your parents…”

「不是玩家吗？原来如此。那你的父母……」

Halfway though, Suzuki Satoru suddenly remembered that she was undead. There was no way she could have had parents. Yet, the girl’s reaction was somewhat strange.

说到一半铃木悟突然想起对方是不死者。根本就不可能会有什么父母。然而少女的反应却有点奇怪。

She lowered her head, and shook it.

低下头、摇了摇。

It was a response that suggested that she had had them once, but not any more.

就好像是曾经有过，但已经不在了的反应。

What should I do?

（……怎么办）

In that case, should he just excuse himself and leave? However, she was a valuable source of information. It would be a terrible waste.

那就这样，该这么说然后转身离去吗。可毕竟是难得的情报源。未免也太浪费了。

Suzuki Satoru looked at the girl making strange noises and fell into contemplation. Just then, he heard a very soft voice.

就在铃木悟看着低头重复着奇妙发音的少女，陷入了思考的时候。他听到非常轻的声音。

“--no --srith Inbe--”

「──诺・──司莉丝・因贝──」

The words she was repeating had finally become distinct enough for Suzuki Satoru to understand.

一直重复着的话语，终于明确到铃木悟也能够明白了。

“My name is Keeno Fasrith Inberun.”

「名字是琪诺・法斯莉丝・茵蓓伦」

That was the girl’s name.