This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 322 - 299: This War is Not Normal_2

Chapter 322: Chapter 299: This War is Not Normal_2

The Laine Empire had just fought two major battles, one in the desert and one in the mountains. Although they emerged victorious from both, war does cost money, doesn’t it? Food, equipment, logistics—these are all substantial costs.

Because of Amberser’s intervention, the Desert Dwarves had more time to retreat and were able to do so at a more leisurely pace, taking most of their wealth with them. The cities in the desert seized by the Laine people had mostly been emptied. Although Laine gained a significant number of people, for a long time to come, the desert will be a financial burden to them, not likely to become self-sufficient for another three to five years.

While one side is a bottomless pit of expenses, on the other, they’re on constant guard against the orcs’ counterattacks, which amounts to a state of prolonged warfare. Here they need to continuously pour in troops and supplies, which is also a state of heavy spending.

And now, to send troops to Tiflin?

"Even if the Laine people have money, they wouldn’t possibly play like this, right? Aren’t they afraid of domestic problems?"

Faith alone cannot fill your stomach. For commoners who can barely stand due to hunger, how can they devote everything to the empire?

Amberser wasn’t very familiar with Laine’s economic status, but with the Elf Tribe significantly increasing the export of magical materials, Laine must have been affected. Coupled with the expenses of the two wars, their economy couldn’t be that great.

They had no internal conflicts that needed diverting, so why did they insist on fighting Tiflin at this time?

Katherine also saw this statement and said in surprise, "What reason does Laine have for sending troops against the Kingdom of Impure Hymns? In recent years, Tiflin has only been increasing the number of Gates of Hell at the border and has not had any direct confrontation with Laine. If Laine wants to attack this kingdom, they at least need a reason, right?"

Amberser chuckled and said, "Perhaps, Laine has become so degenerate now that they don’t even bother looking for a reason. With James Watson wavering, it’s clear he’s a rotten figure who cannot steer the big picture."

Amberser could guess James Watson’s dilemma; otherwise, he wouldn’t be writing and erasing like this. As he had said before, this old man lacked the vitality and drive of the youth, unable to break free from his shackles. He couldn’t act against his duties when facing the empire, but regarding the future, he was full of worries and could not stand firmly on the empire’s side anymore.

In summary, he was thinking of reforming, not revolution.

Amberser didn’t expect the old man to play much of a role in Laine’s split. The real leader was still traveling the continent, and by the time Allen returned to Laine, that would probably be the time the empire divided.

But now, Amberser had to get involved in the war between Laine and Impure Chant. This war, unlike the previous ones, was started by Laine under unreasonable circumstances after the revival of the Magic Dragon Armament.

The war was likely initiated by the royal family; they definitely wanted to get something from Tiflin, or to accomplish some goal.

Amberser estimated that it had a 90% chance of being related to the Magic Dragon Armament. Suddenly, this Divine Artifact was functional, and the Laine Royal Family must have paid a substantial price. It was very possible that this attack on Tiflin would be related to the operation of the Magic Dragon Armament.

Amberser could not let the Laine Royal Family get their way; this Divine Artifact was far more terrifying than ten Silvermoon Knights.

"What do you plan to do?" Katherine asked.

Amberser shrugged and said, "With no intelligence, what can I do?"

"Can’t you use prophecy to divine?" Katherine asked.

"Of course, I can, but I can’t just divine without any information. I need at least some intelligence and to find the right direction before divination, otherwise, the result could mislead my judgment,"

As an experienced Diviner Mage, Amberser always followed one principle.

Divination was not used to guide one’s direction, but once a direction was decided, divination could then be used to gather more information.

Newbie Diviner Mages might divine every day, trying to ascertain whether to lie low at home or go on an adventure. But the result is usually an ambiguous prophecy, leading to serious misinterpretations and ultimately bringing disaster upon themselves.

The reason for this is the lack of planning for the future and the scant knowledge of it, hoping fate would help them transition safely.

Amberser had reminded Harvey to not leave everything to fate’s dice. Only with personal goals do the powers of fate become meaningful.

A life without personal goals is void, whether you’re legendary or a deity.

Regarding the war, Amberser knew far too little. Divining at this stage would likely bring a misleading fragment that could tempt Amberser to his doom.

"So how are we going to find information? Are you planning to go to the Kingdom of Impure Hymns?"

Katherine didn’t want Amberser to leave; she was starting to depend on him. Tasking her with handling the Drow Elves, she reckoned it wouldn’t take many days before everything descended into chaos. It was only with Amberser around that she could feel at ease.

Amberser said, "No need, I’ll write to a few old friends. Didn’t I tell you? The longest I’ve ever spent was on Tiflin territory."

When Amberser had crossed over to this world, he had landed in the Kingdom of Impure Hymns within Tiflin territory. However, it was an unnamed small village where humans and Tiflin lived in equal numbers, plus a minority of other races, forming a trouble-ridden little hamlet.

It was also there that Amberser nearly lost his life right after crossing over.

That’s how miserable it was without an external guide; he had to rely solely on himself.

After struggling for a few days, Amberser eventually met his mentor, Old Pete. Amberser had been beaten by the villagers as a suspected thief, while Old Pete had become disabled after an alchemy accident blew up his house, leading to his expulsion from the village.

The two, united by their misfortunes, became master and apprentice.

Later on, Amberser finally became an Alchemist and took Old Pete to a larger town to live. After that, Old Pete swindled Amberser on his deathbed, leaving him with massive debts.

To evade his creditors, Amberser fled to another city, beginning a life of constantly changing his name and drifting from place to place.

Amberser spent most of his life in this kingdom, but he ultimately chose to leave.

It wasn’t that the kingdom was bad, but Amberser had too many unpleasant memories and a list of enemies that could fill a book from the first half of his life there.

It was like playing a no-save game with all the wrong choices; he could only continue until the narrative collapsed and he had to flee to another city to start over, leaving a mess behind.

"But after so many years, most of my enemies should be dead by now," he thought.

With this thought, Amberser returned to his laboratory, took out a piece of parchment, and prepared to write a letter.

The tip of the pen hovered over the paper for a long while before he began to write: "Dear Uradimir, my fellow apprentice, it’s been a long time, and I miss you dearly. How have you been? It’s been nearly two hundred years since our last exchange of Prophecy Magic..."

Amberser spent an entire day writing a very long letter, revising it many times until the final draft reached over two thousand words.

After sealing the envelope, Amberser called Harvey back and handed him the letter, saying, "Harvey, you must deliver this letter personally for me."

Harvey quickly agreed.

"Don’t worry, Teacher, I’ll make sure this letter reaches... Mr. Uradimir."

Amberser reminded him, "When you meet him, don’t call him Mr. Uradimir; any other title is fine, just not that name, or you’ll definitely be in for bad luck."

"Ah? Why is that?" Harvey inquired.

"Years ago, we made a bet, and he lost. He lost his name to me. So, in this world, I’m the only one who can address him by his name."

"Err... Teacher, is this one of your enemies?"

"What enemies? He is my fellow apprentice. Back in the day, we both learned Prophecy Magic on the same stone slab. It’s quite normal for apprentices to exchange knowledge; don’t overthink it. He’s not the vengeful type and won’t take his anger out on you."

"Teacher, you’re still saying he’s not an enemy?"

Harvey was speechless. Why was it that every task his teacher gave him was so bizarre? If he wasn’t fleeing with the Life Casket, he was making false advertisements for a store. Now, he was tasked with delivering a letter to an enemy. No matter how you looked at it, this seemed like a setup.