This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 295 - 273: The Lich Who Most Hopes for Laine’s Growth

Chapter 295: Chapter 273: The Lich Who Most Hopes for Laine’s Growth

The truth was out, and James Watson felt a major turning point in his life.

Everything he had once held sacred seemed to be sin disguised under a veil of Holy Light.

Amberser’s last words had plunged James Watson into deep thought; what he once believed was an artefact protecting Laine had turned out to be an item needed for the resurrection of the Magic Dragon Tyrant.

If possible, James Watson wouldn’t mind sending away the Magic Dragon Armament, that dangerous thing.

"Unfortunately, the Magic Dragon Armament belongs to the Imperial Family, and even I, with Supreme Decree, have no right to dispose of it. This Divine Artifact has always been hidden deep within the Royal Palace, untouched by anyone other than the Imperial Family."

"Can’t you steal it out and give it to me?"

"Then why wouldn’t I just start a rebellion instead?"

"That works too, let’s coordinate a time for an inside-outside collaboration."

"Just shut your mouth, Lich!"

...

Even with Amberser delivering a shocking truth to James Watson, it seemed the Lord of the Dawn was still unwilling to betray Laine.

In his own words, as corrupt as the Imperial Family may be, the tens of millions of Laine People were innocent.

Once James Watson raised the banner of rebellion, Laine would undoubtedly fall into division, and other kingdoms would take advantage of the chaos, leading to too many deaths.

Even Arthur Laine’s Heroic Spirit disagreed with such drastic measures and said that if Amberser intended to use him to split Laine, he would hide inside this hourglass forever.

Amberser believed that Arthur Laine’s words were true; the hero was never one to break his promises.

Amberser sighed and explained, "Why do you all treat me as the villain? I am the one who least wants to see the destruction of Laine."

James Watson said with disdain, "You think we would believe that when you say it?"

Amberser replied with even more disdain, "You, a little youngster fooled round and round by the descendants of the Magic Dragon, can’t comprehend my grand scheme. It’s normal, I don’t blame you."

"Little youngster?!"

James Watson wanted to retort, but when he thought about Amberser being a Lich who had lived for hundreds of years and himself being a human not yet a hundred years old... he could only hold his tongue.

Amberser continued, "You all saw just now, I can turn ordinary materials into Souls; that’s how those Life Caskets of mine are crafted. Have you found the key issue here?"

Everyone looked at Amberser curiously, how was this related to anything key?

Seeing that none of these dignitaries got it, Amberser could only continue, "What makes the Undead so evil? Isn’t it because they crave flesh and Souls?

"Let’s not talk about flesh for now; humans also eat the meat of livestock, there’s no problem with that, and the Undead don’t necessarily have to eat human flesh. If they switched to eating the meat of livestock, and let’s say it’s not consumed raw, you Paladins wouldn’t have a say anymore, right?"

His words made James Watson stunned. He could have dismissed it without hesitation, but it sounded like there was a bit of truth to it, and after recently going through a paradigm shift, he wasn’t quite as eager to express his opinions carelessly.

He couldn’t help but look towards the Heroic Spirit of Arthur Laine, better to let the Holy King make the judgment.

Arthur Laine, however, said without hesitation, "Of course, the Holy Light can’t forbid people from eating meat, no matter how loving it is."

Amberser gave Arthur Laine a thumbs up and praised, "A Holy King is a Holy King, truly selfless. Unlike some, who bring prejudice to discriminate against the Undead."

James Watson couldn’t even be bothered to argue against such a statement. He just wanted to know what Amberser meant by "key."

James Watson said, "Get to the point already, I don’t have much time left here, I need to hurry back to Laine."

"The key has already been said, if the Undead changed to eating the meat of livestock, then there would be no conflicts with humans. Because if they need Souls, they could just buy them from me. No need to slaughter humans to obtain Souls and flesh, what conflict would the Undead have with you then?"

But James Watson countered, "They can buy Souls from you now, why don’t they? Because their nature is cruel and evil, they must kill living beings to feel satisfaction..."

"Wrong, it’s because living human slaves are cheaper."

This time, James Watson was truly stunned; this was a conclusion he had never expected.

Amberser looked at James Watson with disdain and continued, "Undead, of course, have an innate cruelty and evil, but that was never the key issue. A very simple example is that humans need laws to restrict their behavior. It’s by punishment and consequences that humans are forced to choose to be orderly."

"Even if every citizen of Laine believed in the Lord of the Dawn, when has their crime ever disappeared? A friend of mine was betrayed and killed by the Laine people many years ago, eventually becoming undead. You should remember the name Gareth, right?"

James Watson closed his mouth.

That name was an eternal stain on the honor of Laine, and the process was just as Amberser had described: a greedy officer had framed a comrade, claimed the credit for himself, and had Gareth killed.

Later, Gareth became a Headless Knight, returning to Laine to kill all descendants of that officer.

This incident caused an uproar in Laine. The Paladin Legion they sent to hunt the Headless Knight suffered heavy casualties, and in the end, the Headless Knight escaped.

After that, the Headless Knight appeared in Alchemy City, adding new shame to Laine.

However, no matter what crimes the undead committed, it could not change the fact that he had been trapped, and indeed the person who had framed him had received rewards in Laine and had established his own family.

James Watson could find many excuses, such as that the legion had just surrendered and had not completely converted to the Holy Light, or that the mistake at the time had been corrected, that Laine did not hide the error, but chose to help Gareth to reveal the truth... But after so much talk, none of it meant anything to Gareth.

Whether justice delayed is justice at all is for the victims to judge, and clearly, Gareth did not acknowledge such justice."

James Watson felt increasingly confused. How could it be that a Light Priest debating with a Lich was on the moral low ground?

Seizing the moment, Amberser continued, "Now you should understand that rules are the key to restraining evil deeds. Everyone has the nature to do evil; it’s only because of rules that they behave. Undead are the same. Even though we possess an inherent evil, if their behaviors can be restrained, they are not much different from humans.

"Laine was doing well; your strength greatly restricted the actions of the undead, making it difficult for them to slaughter at will. Unfortunately, the effort was still not enough. In Alchemy City, a human slave is worth just a few copper coins, hardly more than the cost of a meal at a tavern. With these prices, who would come to me to buy a Pseudo-Soul almost worth a silver coin?

"When the force of the rules is insufficient and the costs are even lower, the undead naturally choose to slaughter humans. It’s like when you humans do business and choose materials that are cheaper. We’re no different.

"So now you understand. I am the one who hopes most that Laine’s laws cover the entire continent so they would have to come to me to buy souls. In this way, you get a group of orderly undead, and I get the market. So isn’t this a win-win?"

After Amberser finished speaking, the three people present all showed the same surprised expressions. A Lich saying he hopes Laine becomes more powerful, something so illogical, yet it made perfect sense coming from Amberser. But the Lich’s notorious greed was well-known, so what he said had "real merit."

The Old Elf King couldn’t help but say, "Don’t come to the Silvermoon Tribunal again."

Coming twice more might bankrupt the entire kingdom.

Amberser ignored this little digression and continued, "So, you all need to understand my position now. I hope for Laine to grow strong; I do not wish for your internal division and total collapse, which would lead to a frenzy of the undead and make my products even harder to sell. But because of this, James, how long can you maintain the unity of Laine? In your opinion, how far away is Laine from internal division?"

After some thought, James Watson said, "If everything goes smoothly, Laine should be able to maintain itself for at least a hundred years. But with the slightest mishap, collapse might be imminent."

James Watson was naturally referring to military success.

If Laine could assimilate half of the desert from the Dwarves and maintain a steady defense against the Orcs, and if no other kingdoms attacked them, then Laine might indeed be able to continue on.

Even if the Imperial Family of Laine was corrupt, the system established by Arthur Laine during his lifetime was still having an effect.

The Imperial Family couldn’t extend their lives; power was to be shared with the Supreme Decree and other important ministers; it seemed the family had only the right to pleasure, not to act wantonly.

Given that the Laine’s leadership was qualified as "righteous people" in the eyes of the Holy Light, the strength of the kingdom was not without reason.

However, once there was a military setback, many problems would appear,

As seen in the death of a Silvermoon Knight, signs of corruption had already appeared in Laine’s military. The passing of a hero didn’t inspire the younger generation but instead caused their morale to wane. More defeats could bring this defeatist attitude back home. Once the spirit of the people scattered, collapse would follow quickly.

"So, I have a suggestion," Amberser stood up, as if this was the most important thing he’d ever said, "James, go back and prepare. Regardless of how much you and I don’t want Laine to be destroyed, the division of Laine is inevitable. The sooner you prepare, the less Laine will lose."

A Lich speaking with such gravity about the future of Laine, James Watson felt the world had gone mad. But still, he acknowledged what Amberser had said, responding, "I will certainly be ready."

"Alas, Laine no longer has the right to expect your return to the throne. I will return to my nation and do what I must. I believe that Laine’s future will prove worthy of making you proud."

James Watson felt he could no longer stay, and quickly bid farewell to the Old Elf King.

Amberser didn’t detain him; this man couldn’t offer the Magic Dragon Armament, so there was nothing more to discuss. He certainly couldn’t really measure the value of Arthur Laine’s Heroic Spirit in gold coins.

The meeting dispersed, everyone with their thoughts.

When Amberser was alone, he took out the Necromancy Codex and wrote: [Friends, I’ve just turned Laine’s Supreme Decree to our side!]