This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 271 - 252: Coaching the Child’s Acting Skills

Chapter 271: Chapter 252: Coaching the Child’s Acting Skills

Amberser did not usually make it a habit to chat with his creations.

The little creatures he kept at home were almost entirely left to fend for themselves, after all, undead do not require feeding, and Mercury Avatars absorbed metal scraps on their own, requiring no care from Amberser.

When they were not in use, Amberser let them grow amidst their own clamor and ruckus.

As for those Alien Skeletons used for labor, Amberser cared even less for them; should they break, so be it, since the undead lacked any sort of emotions.

However, Melina seemed a bit different; her emotions were too rich, exceeding what should be expected of the undead.

"Could it be that different materials used resulted in a divergence of the soul?"

Amberser thought this "accident" held significant research value and he would willingly provide this "after-sales service," even if it were not a request from Withered Rose.

After carefully understanding Melina’s ordeal, Amberser said to her, "I have a general understanding of the situation, what do you plan to do now? Do you want to kill all those Drow, or seek revenge in another way?"

With furrowed brows, Melina pondered for a while then said, "I want to find that mastermind behind the scenes! Still, it would be better if I could let him know that I’m not a fool."

This was the task assigned to her by Withered Rose, to find the individual bold enough to provoke the underground kingdom and to thoroughly eliminate this nuisance.

Melina kept this task firmly in mind, placing personal honor and disgrace second to her mission.

However, if possible, could she not exact revenge and complete her mission at the same time?

Melina looked at Amberser with anticipation, though she had only seen her father at the time of her birth, she had heard many of his great deeds in recent days.

This Lich appeared unremarkable, but any of his deeds casually spoken of would shock the world.

Not to mention one example, the Paladins of Laine knelt and bowed to him, and Laine removed his name from the wanted list.

And Laine was her mother’s greatest enemy, a colossal force that the entire Kingdom of the Undead could not shake, the mortal enemy of the undead.

Withered Rose had said more than once that her father was the smartest person in the world, with Elf Tribe, Dwarf Race, Druids, all races at his command.

In Melina’s eyes, her father could solve anything.

Observing Melina looking at him in such a manner, Amberser could only muster up his spirits to help her properly resolve this matter.

"Let me think, merely finding the mastermind isn’t difficult, but if you want to clear your name... I have three plans here, let’s see which one you fancy."

"Three plans?"

Melina’s eyes widened, had he just thought of solutions in a matter of seconds, and three of them at that?!

"The first plan, reputation is always dictated by the victor, I’ll directly divine the whereabouts of the mastermind for you, and all you need to do is catch and kill him. The enemy’s corpse would be the proof of your wisdom, simple and direct."

"The second plan, a bit more troublesome, I’ll set a trap for you to lure the mastermind in and kill him, then tell everyone it was your doing, which would also dispel those pointless rumors."

Before he could finish, Melina said, "But I’m still a fool, aren’t I? These are all your abilities, father, not mine."

"I knew it, well then, let’s opt for the most troublesome one. I will teach you step by step how to deal with your enemies, to defeat them with intellect. However, this will be an extremely difficult and failure-prone challenge; if you fail, you might never be able to vindicate your intellect for life.

"Once you are prepared, come find me."

Having said this, Amberser immediately left Melina’s room.

After parting from Melina, he was led by the Maid to Withered Rose’s side.

The Undead Queen was true to her word; a dozen Fungus Folk of varying heights, weights, colors, and even mushroom shapes knelt before the two.

These were the Fungus Folk tribes that Withered Rose had conquered, or in Fungus Folk terms, should be referred to as the Circle.

Withered Rose said, "These are common Fungus Folk, choose whichever kind you need. If there is anything you wish to say, tell this Death Knight."

Fungus Folk lacked vocal organs and communicated using spores; creatures imbued with their spores could communicate with Fungus Folk through sensing.

Withered Rose, of course, would not allow herself to be seeded with spores, so she had a Death Knight dusted with Fungus Folk Spore Powder as a translator at her side.

Amberser nodded, then said to the Death Knight, "Ask which Fungus Folk has the most population, weakest individual strength, and widest distribution."

Adventurers are a group ready to do anything for money and daring enough to exploit it; tasking them with seeking Fungus Folk Spore Powder, they would surely target the most vulnerable.

Having wide distribution indicates that adventurers entering Gloomyland could encounter them; numerous population implies a stable source; weakest strength further confirms that adventurers would only target the most vulnerable.

Thus, the target is within this range.

The Death Knight translated briefly, and three Fungus Folk of different colors—red, green, and yellow—stood up.

Amberser walked over, scraped some spore powder off their bodies, and prepared to go back for further testing.

After finishing this, Melina had already appeared in front of Amberser, fully armed to the teeth.

"Father, I’m ready, and I’m going to personally deal with this mastermind behind the scenes!" Melina spoke with great determination and confidence, as Amberser was invincible in her eyes.

Withered Rose couldn’t help but remark, "You really have a way with her. I’ve been talking to Melina for a while now to no avail, almost as if she’s not my own flesh and blood."

Amberser really wanted to say, she indeed isn’t your flesh and blood.

Just because one creates something doesn’t mean it’s birthed. By that measure, Amberser would’ve birthed over a hundred thousand children by now.

But disputing your boss isn’t good business practice, so Amberser shifted the topic, "Melina just hasn’t been around for long enough, she simply lacks experience. Don’t worry, I’ll teach her well and I’ll take care of that trouble for you."

He was confident that after dealing with the mastermind, Withered Rose would provide the spore powder without requiring payment—as generous as the queen truly was.

That meant he had to work even harder.

Amberser approached Melina, surveyed her suit of heavy armor, and then said, "You can’t wear this set, put it away, and change into... no, not rags, put on a maid’s clothes."

Confused, Melina asked, "Why is that?"

"Because we’re dealing with Drow. If we’re not going for a simple and brute approach, we have to employ more circuitous methods; we need to infiltrate their ranks first."

Amberser snapped his fingers, and the Undead’s body immediately took on the appearance of a male Drow Elf.

Without further questions, Melina did as Amberser instructed, changing into a proper set of clothes.

In reality, Amberser could have completely used illusion magic to change Melina’s appearance without her having to change clothes at all.

But when teaching a child, you should aim for the best. Amberser’s illusion magic was godly unique, and there was no other illusion more powerful in the world. Giving Melina this undetectable effect from the start wasn’t wise; instead, she needed to learn how to utilize everything around her based on her own abilities step by step.

Therefore, after Melina had changed clothes, Amberser didn’t transform her but allowed Withered Rose to give her a magical ring imbued with shapeshifting magic.

Under Amberser’s guidance, Melina transformed into a tall, stern-faced female Drow Elf.

"That should do it. From now on, we communicate through our souls."

Amberser’s voice echoed directly in Melina’s mind, accessible only if both souls were laid bare with no reservations—this was a risky move, but Melina was Amberser’s creation, so there were no concerns in this regard.

Soul communication was swift and conveyed meaning more precisely.

With this means of communication, the two could conspire right in front of other Drow.

"All right, everything is set. Let’s get going," said Amberser.

"Yes, let’s go!" Melina said, bubbling with excitement.

But no sooner had she spoken than Amberser’s voice in her mind halted her, "Stop, you are now a Drow Elf, not a princess of this kingdom; don’t put on such a naive face. Remember your character: you were originally a maid in the Royal Palace who made a mistake and is to be punished, hence you’re plotting an escape. You are a fleeing slave; what should that look like?"

Melina pondered deeply and her excitement vanished, replaced by a look of dejection.

It was a bit overdone, the overexertion made it seem somewhat fake.

Amberser sighed, this kid really didn’t have a knack for acting.

"Never mind, I knew you couldn’t act, that’s why I had you take on the appearance of a Drow. As a female Drow, just maintain a stern expression."

In Gloomyland, one well-known characteristic of the Drow was their cruelty and ruthlessness, including the extreme matriarchy. Within the Drow Race, male Drow were inherently slaves, made to submit to any and all female Drow. This was the proclamation of their venerated deity, the Rose Spider Queen, the fundamental policy of the Drow.

Amberser had made Melina assume the identity of a female Drow because if her acting didn’t quite cut it, this persona would minimize complications—just displaying malice, dominance, and hysteria would suffice.

Melina listened carefully to Amberser’s instructions and managed to put on a serious face that finally looked convincing.

Only then did Amberser nod and say, "That will do, let’s move on. Remember to think more, speak less, and ask me directly in your mind if you’re unsure about something."

Melina tilted her head up, mockingly saying, "Hmph, lowly man, do you think you have the right to instruct me?"

Amberser: ...

This kid, surely she wasn’t playing herself now?