This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 247 - 228 Message for the Elf

Chapter 247: Chapter 228 Message for the Elf

The Laine People retreated, and they did so in a rather disheveled manner.

When Amberser launched a Starburst, they still maintained their original formation, and their morale wasn’t much affected. But after the Silvermoon Knight collapsed spewing blood, the entire army panicked and there was a sense of frantic escape in their retreat.

If Amberser were the commander, he would have definitely ordered a pursuit, for not taking this opportunity to teach Laine a profound lesson would be a huge loss.

However, after the Laine People retreated, Hoffman merely let out a deep sigh of relief, showing no interest in chasing after them.

In reality, throughout the entire battle, Hoffman had not appeared at the front lines, and only began to direct the cleanup of the battlefield after confirming that the Laine People had retreated.

A bit of bereavement money was handed out idly, and then Hoffman busied himself with cleaning up whatever the Laine People had left behind.

This was perhaps the only instance of a Laine defeat since the war began, so they not only left behind a small number of corpses but also a great deal of damaged equipment, which seemed like worthless junk at a glance.

But these items were indeed bona fide contributions to victory.

Where could one find junk here—it was clearly Hoffman’s road to glory. He already had in mind how to use this great victory as a pretext, with which he might be able to

Hoffman had already envisioned his road to glory; perhaps he wouldn’t need to be present at the front lines in the future.

His thought was written all over his face, so when Amberser noticed this, he decisively said to him, "Lord Hoffman, you wouldn’t want people to know that the credit for this victory belongs to a Dragon Knight just passing through, would you?"

The two of them discussed for a long time in a secret room, and chests of gold were brought into this chamber.

Several hours later, Amberser left very happily, while Hoffman wore a look of pain on his visage.

To ensure that Amberser wouldn’t compete with him for credit, Hoffman gave up his entire fortune and all the gold reserves of Dew City.

Having finished what needed to be done, by the time the Laine People retreated, Amberser felt his power of prophecy returning, indicating that the trial given by the Goddess of Fate was complete, and Amberser had successfully guided the fate of the world to follow its original course.

To save Harvey by exploiting a bug in fate, one must enact an outrageous historical event.

Like the Battle of Dew City—if Amberser had not intervened, the Dwarf Kingdom’s scum wouldn’t have been able to hold the city. Dew City was the most crucial defensive line beyond the Line of Death; once breached, the Dwarf Kingdom would be unable to rely on the Line of Death to resist Laine, nor could they continue to hold onto their half of the territory.

Amberser had also considered, should he fail, whether the Silvermoon Knight would just collapse and start bleeding, thereby continuing this predestined historical event.

The Goddess of Fate would never answer such a question, so Amberser didn’t bother worrying about the many twists of fate and destiny. In any case, this difficult journey of time reversal was nearing its end.

Before leaving Dew City, Amberser went to take a look at Harvey.

The lad seemed not yet free from the Orcs’ control, but he wasn’t thinking about escape. Instead, he had gathered a large pile of parchment and notebooks and was feverishly writing with dark circles under his eyes.

Amberser remembered Harvey’s previous words, that if he were to die the next day, he wouldn’t struggle; the only thing he wanted to do was to record his life. It seems the boy had accepted his fate and wanted to leave as much of a mark on the world as possible before dying.

"Heh, if this kid knew he was going to work for me for the rest of his life, I wonder how he would feel."

Amberser didn’t rescue Harvey from his plight because, by the time he saw him again, he had already resolved these troubles himself; Amberser didn’t need to worry about him being held by the Orcs for life.

It was time to go back.

Amberser flew into the depths of the desert, to a place desolate and uninhabited, and summoned Naomi.

Although her wings were clipped when she transformed into a Time Dragon, the Druid’s shapeshifting was so miraculous that even if she were skinned and beheaded as a dragon, Naomi would emerge unscathed once she reverted, merely wasting some natural energy.

Naomi had long since returned to her human form and was prepared to transform into a Time Dragon once again.

But Katherine was a bit reluctant to leave; she had not yet fully enjoyed the past before being stashed in Amberser’s private space or being used as his shield. This time travel adventure had left her with no fond memories.

"After we return, you should go back to the Silvermoon Tribunal," Amberser told Katherine.

Katherine looked puzzled as she asked, "Why are you rushing me away? You don’t want to give me those fifty thousand Gold Coins?"

Amberser quickly retorted, "Do I look like that sort of person?"

Katherine didn’t say a word, just stared at Amberser with big eyes. She had learned her lesson; not to argue with Amberser about the obvious, giving him no chance for sophistry.

Amberser was a bit embarrassed by Katherine’s intense gaze. He had indeed considered deceiving this young girl into forgetting the fifty thousand Gold, but that wasn’t the main reason for wanting Katherine to leave.

"You’ve been traveling with me for so long, it’s about time you spent some time to really settle your thoughts. Adventure can only add to your memories, whether it turns into wisdom depends on whether you have time to reflect and summarize. Many Adventurers spend a lifetime struggling at the bottom, with no progress in ability or wisdom. It’s not because they’re stupid, but often because they don’t summarize their experiences, stepping into the same pit over and over."

Amberser’s words were earnest, though he didn’t have lungs to speak from the heart, he was truly sincere.

Katherine had been following him for so long and her progress was clearly evident. The Katherine from before was a true simpleton, but now she had become a passable Adventurer. This was a pivotal time. If she continued following him, she would always be in a "learning" state, without time to think about what she had actually learned.

After hearing Amberser’s explanation, Katherine didn’t relax at all, instead, she said with suspicion, "This doesn’t seem like your style. Would you do something that doesn’t benefit you?"

"You’re really misunderstanding me," Amberser sighed, then said, "After you go back to the Silvermoon Tribunal, by the way, mention to the Elven King that Arthur Laine’s Heroic Spirit is in my possession."

Katherine suddenly said loudly, "Don’t think our Elf Tribe will pay to buy this Heroic Spirit, it’s impossible!"

How much is Arthur Laine’s Heroic Spirit worth?

That was hard to estimate, but Katherine knew Amberser would dare to ask for an outrageous price, one that even selling off the entire Silvermoon Tribunal wouldn’t cover.

Amberser chuckled and said, "You’re not the Elf Queen anymore, whether the Elf Tribe buys it or not is not up to you to decide."

However, Katherine smiled even more radiantly and retorted, "If I go back to the Silvermoon Tribunal and say ’Do not buy,’ guess whether they will oppose me?"

When she was confined to the Silvermoon Tribunal, Katherine hadn’t fully realized her own charm. Though she was cautioned from childhood not to casually show herself in public—the trouble her beauty could attract—she had heard the warnings without truly experiencing it.

It wasn’t until adventuring with Amberser that Katherine understood how terrifying her charm could be. If she actively used her charm, absolutely no one within the Elf Tribe would dare to contradict her.

Amberser was stunned by Katherine’s words, and it took a moment before he said, "You’ve really gotten smarter, huh? The tuition fee was too meager."

This girl had learned to use her advantages and focus on the key points. She had only been out and about for a few days, and her progress was so substantial.

"But don’t worry, I’m not trying to scam... I don’t intend to do business with the Elf Tribe. Your Silvermoon Tribunal probably can’t afford it right now. This Heroic Spirit of Arthur Laine, if I were to sell it, I’d sell it to the Laine People, guess how much they would pay?" Amberser said with pride.

"Why are you selling it to the Laine People but involving our Elf Tribe?" Katherine asked curiously.

Amberser explained, "You don’t understand, do you? This thing is an antique, but whether it’s authentic is not for a Lich like me to say. If I claim to have Arthur Laine, wouldn’t the Laine People want to destroy me on the grounds of desecrating the name of their Founding Emperor? But if the previous Elven King of the Elf Tribe, who was Arthur Laine’s comrade, attests that this is Arthur Laine’s Heroic Spirit, then it’s a different story, right?"

Traditional scams worked that way. If you came out selling an item alone, nobody would pay attention. But with a shill nearby singing its praises to the skies, there would surely be someone fooled.

Besides, Amberser didn’t even need to exaggerate; simply spreading the truth would suffice.

As for whether the Laine People would resort to force... ha, it wasn’t that Amberser was overconfident, but after the Silvermoon Knight had perished, the Laine People couldn’t possibly eliminate him without a trace.

As a Diviner Mage, if Amberser really wanted to escape, only a Deity could stop him.

If the Laine People dared to use force, Amberser would dare to deliver the hourglass to the Dragon Race, believing that what the Dragon Race offered would not be much less than what the Laine People would.

This time, if he didn’t extort a few hundred billion, he would be doing a disservice to the name of Arthur Laine.

Katherine hesitated before saying, "I’ll pass on the message, but I can’t guarantee anything."

If it were before, Katherine would not have agreed to this request. If Amberser intended to scam the Laine People, what does it have to do with the Elf Tribe? As allies of the Laine People, she should have stopped him.

But after witnessing the tyranny of the Laine People, Katherine’s thoughts on this alliance had changed.

The Laine People were becoming more extreme and warlike. Initially, they targeted only the Undead and demons—what they considered evil—but gradually even Dwarves and Orcs became the so-called "foreign races." At this rate, Elves might one day be treated the same as the Undead.

If Amberser wanted to use Arthur Laine’s Heroic Spirit to swindle money, the Elf Tribe would merely corroborate the truth. This sort of maneuver should pose no problems. It would be best to discuss it with the higher-ups of the Elf Tribe upon her return and see what everyone thinks.

"Okay, then it’s time for you to go back. Katherine, after you return to the Silvermoon Tribunal, help me convey one more message."

"To the Silvermoon Tribunal?"

"To the Elven Gods," Amberser said with a very serious tone. "I know a divine war involving the Deities will soon come to pass, but I would like a hint from the Elven Gods about the exact form it will take. In exchange, I promise I won’t stand against the Elf Tribe in this coming war."