This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 318 - 296: As Long as He Likes It

Chapter 318: Chapter 296: As Long as He Likes It

Blame a Lich for this?

Is there no humanity left, no sense to speak of anymore?

Amberser would absolutely not shoulder this blame.

Shael, however, said smugly, "Heh, you are indeed adept at sophistry, but it’s pointless. Not every deity likes to reason. Believe me, I can spread this news to all deities in no time, and as long as one or two unreasonable ones decide to make trouble for you... when that happens, come to me, I won’t mind offering you a little help, provided you pay the appropriate price."

"Thank you for the Goddess’s generosity, but let’s talk business, shall we? Are you sure you won’t offer up anything nicer in exchange? If not, I’m sorry to say, these two divine positions cannot be offered to you."

Shael did not expect Amberser to remain so calm and said mockingly, "You still want to do business, you truly are a money-grubbing Lich."

Amberser replied calmly, "As you have said, what difference does it make for a mortal to struggle or not when faced with a deity? It is better to focus on what one can control."

Amberser didn’t take this threat to heart; he had offended many deities—if he were meant to die, it would have happened long ago.

As long as deities don’t take action personally, what is there for Amberser the Lich to fear?

If things really went south, he could seek the senior Ghoul, choose a coffin in its crypt, bury himself within, and emerge after five hundred years when the divine wars had long concluded.

As long as Liches don’t act recklessly, they live longer than many deities.

Seeing she hadn’t intimidated Amberser at all, Shael realized she could never take advantage of this mortal and changed her approach, "I can elevate her Legendary Grace to a Divine Art, just like the Illusion Realm you learned."

This time it was Amberser’s turn to be surprised. How could Shael know about the Illusion Realm spell he had received from the Lady of Mist? Weren’t deities supposed to be less than omniscient and omnipotent?

Shael was pleased to see Amberser’s expression and smugly said, "Last time, you managed to deceive three other Goddesses by staying invisible on the sideline, using Laila’s True Illusion Realm. I am quite old, and I know far more than those younger deities."

"I can help her elevate the power of her Legendary Grace, and you can rest assured, this Divine Art will not be under my control—it will fully belong to her, and when she becomes a deity in the future, it may even become her divine authority."

This condition was much stronger.

Laila’s True Illusion Realm could deceive the perception of deities, which speaks volumes about the power of such exclusive Divine Arts.

Withered Rose’s original Legendary Grace was terrifying, with the Gaze of Death effect turning all living things within its perception into Undead. It ignores resistance, armor, and various magic shields, with the only weakness being the need for continuous casting. Once Withered Rose’s attention is diverted, the spell could be broken.

Last time, James Watson used the Vapor Form spell to evade it, turning himself into a gaseous form, which no longer classified as a living being. But this was of little consequence—after turning into Vapor Form, James Watson couldn’t cast spells and could only drift slowly in the air, to be dispersed by any stray wind.

It was only because the battlefield was in chaos that Withered Rose missed her chance to finish him off.

If she could further enhance this ability, then Withered Rose would truly be the nemesis of all living creatures, the very incarnation of the ’death stare.’

The divine authorities of corruption and darkness were quite weak; it was a fair trade to exchange them for this effect.

After discussing with Withered Rose, she also felt the deal was acceptable. She wanted to destroy Laine, and the enhancement of Legendary Grace would greatly help her achieve her goal.

If she could hasten the transformation speed, then Magic Dragon Armament wouldn’t have time to take effect, and Withered Rose could turn the Young Emperor inside into an Undead puppet of her own.

Since Withered Rose had made up her mind, Amberser stopped haggling and spoke very seriously to Shael, "You’re not deceiving me, are you?"

"What do you think?"

"How about you swear by Aeo?!"

"Lich, you are too much!"

...

After much argument, Shael, compelled by the situation, ultimately swore in the name of Aeo that she would not tamper with Withered Rose or set any traps.

With that, Amberser was relieved. As long as Shael didn’t want to end up like the Rose Spider Queen, she dared not mess around. Aeo might not care about the strictness of the vow, but Shael had to consider the intentions of this God above Gods even if she wanted to play word games.

In the end, Shael chose the divine authority of corruption, indicating that the dark clergy really was of little use to her.

The offerings were presented, and what followed was Shael’s ritual to elevate Withered Rose.

The giant skull shattered directly, turning into countless black runes that merged into Withered Rose’s body.

Even though she was a Lich, Withered Rose still let out a painful moan, indicating the promotion ritual was far from comfortable.

The process continued for several hours, and finally, the dark runes on Withered Rose’s body disappeared, and she opened her eyes.

Her eyes had turned a deep rose red, and Amberser felt a powerful sense of oppression.

"Did it work?" Amberser asked.

With a smile, Withered Rose nodded and said, "It worked, my Legendary Grace has grown stronger."

"In what way? Did it become faster to take effect?" Amberser asked.

The most significant improvement should have been that. If she could turn someone into an Undead instantly, without giving them any chance to save themselves, then Withered Rose just needed to glance over the Laine People a few times, and the whole city would become a world of the Undead.

However, Withered Rose shook her head, "While the transformation speed has increased slightly, it’s not very noticeable. The real improvement is in the way I lock onto targets. I no longer need to fully sense my target to activate my power; just a drop of blood or a strand of hair is enough to use my ability, and it can take effect over thousands of miles."

Amberser’s jaw dropped in astonishment.

This was even more terrifying than an increase in speed. If she got her hands on just one hair from the Emperor of Laine, couldn’t she just hide underground and turn the emperor into an Undead Puppet?

As if guessing Amberser’s thoughts, Withered Rose said to him, "Exactly, as long as I get one hair from the Emperor of Laine, I don’t need to face the Magic Dragon Armament; I can kill him from the comfort of my home."

"Impressive, truly impressive!"

Amberser was genuinely envious. This was no ordinary curse; this kind of Undead transformation effect couldn’t be saved by Holy Light. It could only delay the inevitable, with no chance of immunity.

While Amberser was still considering the uses for this ability, Withered Rose hugged him tightly.

With gratitude, Withered Rose told Amberser, "Thank you. Without you, I could never have fulfilled my wish."

Amberser hadn’t expected Withered Rose to be so emotional, completely unlike her usual aloof queenly demeanor. Perhaps the situation with the Magic Dragon Armament had greatly affected her.

Believing she would never achieve her wishes, for a Lich, could be news devastating enough to shatter a soul.

If Amberser found out he would never be able to earn money and was doomed to be penniless forever, he imagined his soul too would shatter like glass.

But upon reflection, he realized he and Withered Rose were quite the pair; he could help the queen deal with Laine, while the queen could ensure he’d never be without Gold.

Such cooperation was seamless!

Thinking this, Amberser patted Withered Rose on the back and consoled her, "Don’t worry, Laine will definitely be ruined, trust me. As for the Magic Dragon Armament, I’ll inquire with old James Watson. Wait for my message."

Withered Rose didn’t speak but held on to Amberser for quite a while before letting him go.

"Good, I’ll wait for your message."

Amberser was happy, having sold another clerical title. Though he didn’t benefit directly, his generous client did, which could be considered a long-term investment.

Now, only the Dark Clergy title remained, and Amberser had to ponder what price to ask for it.

Withered Rose watched Amberser leave until the Lich was out of her sensory range, then she quickly reverted to her cool and noble demeanor.

With a wave, she called Melina over and ordered, "Go pick out another twenty of the finest Drow Elf beauties for your father, the most beautiful ones."

Confused, Melina said, "Mother, isn’t that a bit strange? Why do you want to send beauties to father?"

With an offhand reply, Withered Rose said, "Because he likes them. Whatever he likes, I’ll meet his every desire. Oh, and take Gold with you, I remember there being ten or twenty million in cash in the warehouse. Send it all to him."

There was plenty of Gold in Gloomyland, mostly unsmelted ore, and the actual Gold Coins amounted to just that much because there was rarely any use for them. Withered Rose thought it was okay. If only she had known, she would have smelted the ores earlier and made them all into Gold Coins to give to him.

Although Melina didn’t quite understand her parents’ way of interaction, she knew her mother must be right.

After Melina left to carry out her orders, Withered Rose took out the Necromancy Codex and sent a message to her best friend, Miss Bone Dragon: "I’m beginning to understand the feeling you described."