This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 334 - 311: Reunion

Chapter 334: Chapter 311: Reunion

Amberser truly hadn’t expected the scrutiny in Tiflin to be so stringent now, and he was struck by how he didn’t even recognize the appearance of his hometown after centuries away.

Amberser explained to this Tiflin, "I haven’t returned to Red River Town for many years; it has probably changed a lot. But I won’t make it difficult for you, just tell me how the inspection should be conducted."

The Tiflin Mage heaved a sigh of relief and explained to Amberser, "It’s really not a hassle. There is a contract here, listing all the prohibited actions. All you need to do is sign the contract."

Amberser received the Magic Contract and carefully checked it over.

The stipulations weren’t excessive—just prohibiting violation of the Kingdom’s laws and any actions that could harm the security of the Kingdom. The penalty wasn’t serious if breached—it was just a red light pillar that would appear above one’s head, visible from a great distance.

This was actually a protective measure, allowing criminals to be immediately spotted and apprehended, thereby reducing losses.

It all seemed reasonable, if not for the peculiar patterns.

Amberser pointed at the strange patterns on the contract and asked, "What are these?"

This Tiflin explained, "They’re anti-counterfeiting labels, to prevent someone from forging our contract and causing us trouble."

"Is that so?"

Amberser chuckled and cast a thought detection spell on this Tiflin.

The result was that the Tiflin’s thoughts were consistent with his words; he indeed believed that these patterns were anti-counterfeiting labels, probably as he had been told by his superior.

Amberser sighed. It truly was problematic; the lower-ranked soldiers had no idea these patterns were the script of Hell Demons.

The originally reasonable contract took on a completely different nature with the addition of these devil’s scripts.

The content of the contract now stipulated that, for every day spent in the Kingdom of Impure Hymns, one must prevent a crime from happening at least once; otherwise, it would constitute a breach of contract, and one’s soul would be taken by the devil.

This rule was preposterous; as a visitor, one also had to maintain public order, and what if one did not encounter any crime?

The Demons’ contracts didn’t care about such nuances; their enforcement was exceptionally strong. If Amberser had signed his name, he would at most have a chance to struggle when the contract took effect, but an ordinary person would definitely be doomed to Hell.

"How long has this contract been in effect?" Amberser inquired.

The Tiflin answered, "Just a few months. But the inspections have become stricter recently, and fewer outsiders are coming. It’s rarely needed."

"So if I don’t sign, I cannot enter, correct?"

"I’m sorry, but that’s the rule."

"Alright, I’ll sign then."

Amberser picked up the pen and left an elegant signature on the contract.

The Tiflin glanced at it, then respectfully said, "Thank you for your cooperation, Master Arthas."

Amberser nodded and smoothly left the Teleportation Circle.

Signing a false name on a Devil’s contract was of little significance, because the contract only required the act of willingly signing, not one’s actual name. Hell Demons only cared about their own real or fake names and paid no mind to the names of their victims.

So, Amberser didn’t sign with a false name; he used Illusion Technique to make others believe he had signed, when in fact, he hadn’t moved the pen at all.

He wondered if it was an illusion, but after Lady of Mist’s ascension to divinity, Laila’s True Illusion technique seemed to have strengthened. With minimal Magic Power, Amberser managed to envelop all the Tiflin present in the illusion.

"They say that after sleeping with the Magic Goddess, all the spells one commands grow stronger. By the same logic, if one were to sleep with the Lady of Mist... Tsk, making a sacrifice when necessary isn’t entirely out of the question."

Setting aside the thought of self-sacrifice for the moment, Amberser walked into this border city, Blackgate City.

The streets were sparsely populated and seemed somewhat desolate. Amberser headed straight into a tavern, only to find that there were very few Adventurers inside.

Recalling the Devil’s contract from earlier, Amberser chuckled.

"It seems quite a few people have fallen prey to it; Hell must be making a fortune this time."

Amberser approached the bar and told the bartender, "Give me a Midnight Flame."

The bartender asked with confusion, "Sir, I’ve never heard of such a drink; is it a speciality from somewhere else?"

Having worked here for nearly ten years, he had never heard of any drink with that name.

The Tiflin bartender looked skeptically at Amberser, wondering if this young customer was one of those who came to a bar for the first time and made up a random drink name to show off.

As Amberser was about to explain, an old man beside him spoke up, "Mix one part Blackthorn liquor and one part malt beer, and add ground Devil’s pepper. That’s the Midnight Flame. That drink’s something only the old fogeys from a few hundred years back would fancy."

The bartender paused, then, considering the old man was a regular in the tavern and unlikely to be in cahoots with the young man, started to prepare the "Midnight Flame" following the elderly man’s instructions.

Amberser discreetly activated a soundproof barrier and then turned to the old man, "Uradimir?"

The old man was Mr. Misfortune himself, apparently having waited for Amberser for quite some time.

Mr. Misfortune spoke with a detached expression, "It’s been years since anyone called me by that name."

Amberser consoled, "It’s okay, I can call more often these days. If you want to hear it, just come find me. It’s just a name, and I won’t charge you."

Mr. Misfortune glared at Amberser, finding the Lich’s words perpetually annoying!

"Didn’t I tell you it would be two months? It’s only been half a month and you’re already here?! You bastard, do you ever keep a promise!"

Amberser laughed and said, "Don’t be so agitated. You’re not exactly young anymore, and I wouldn’t want to turn you into a Lich. However, you predicted my arrival here, while I sensed nothing... Senior brother, you’ve finally outdone me."

Mr. Misfortune snorted angrily, "I was always better than you! You cheated that time, otherwise I would have been the winner!"

"Alright, you win. I’m here to help you save the world now, aren’t I? By the looks of it, Tiflin Kingdom is in big trouble."

Amberser related to Mr. Misfortune what had happened at the Teleportation Circle, remarking, "Making deals with Demons, these Tiflins are really courting death, aren’t they afraid of divine retribution from the gods?"

Mr. Misfortune replied with resignation, "Yes, that’s what I’m worried about."

"Such a big decision, it can’t be made by one person alone. Can most of the members of the Council of Injustice really agree with this?"

Amberser remembered the Council of Injustice consisted of thirteen seats; surely more than half couldn’t agree to such a method?

Mr. Misfortune said helplessly, "I don’t know, I’ve been away from the court for a long time. They never trusted me from the start, so it’s difficult for me to get precise information."

When a Diviner Mage says he can’t get precise information, it means that the Goddess of Fate doesn’t allow him to pry into these matters, otherwise a simple divination would yield results.

Amberser naturally understood this principle and immediately felt troubled.

"If fate doesn’t allow us to easily find the answer, then the impact of that answer must be enormous. Senior brother, let me ask one question first, who was the one who brought up this extreme measure?"

"Domino Lauri, she’s the oldest member of the Council of Injustice and a Hell Knight who once returned from Hell. However, over the past few centuries, she’s changed careers and become an Alchemist."

"Domino Lauri? I know that name, she’s a big deal. She was on the list of famous scholars from Alchemy City, and she ranked very high. A Hell Knight became an Impure and then changed professions to an Alchemist? That sounds a bit off."

Mr. Misfortune shook his head, "I don’t know, I can’t sense any relevant information."

Amberser sighed, "Uradimir, you certainly have gone further down the path of fate than I have, but you rely too much on that power. Can’t you use your brain and think for yourself?"

Mr. Misfortune fell into silence, perhaps that was the price a Diviner Mage had to pay.

When you face a difficult problem, if the correct answer simply appears before you, what else can you do besides copying it?

Mr. Misfortune had tried other ways of solving problems, but he often found that his methods were far less straightforward than the ones revealed by fate. Hundreds of years passed, and it became a habit. Once the Goddess of Fate stopped giving him answers, he felt lost.

Amberser didn’t go on mocking his senior brother but continued to ask, "So what are you referring to when you say ’two months later’?"

Mr. Misfortune calmly said, "It’s the day I predicted Laine would attack."

Amberser nodded, his guess was similar; these two months were all the time he could buy. With the confirmation from Mr. Misfortune, it seemed Laine’s invasion was a sure thing, an unchangeable future.

"Alright, let me solve Tiflin’s problem in this month and a half. At least before the war starts, we don’t need to worry about Tiflin Kingdom falling into Hell."

Mr. Misfortune frowned and said, "Just you? The Goddess of Fate won’t let me see the kingdom’s future, do you think you can?"

"There you go again, always thinking about copying the answer. I have my own ways."

Perhaps it’s related to background; Mr. Misfortune, the noble, never needed to worry much and simply used the power of fate he received, which always worked well for him without much stress.

Amberser, who came from poverty, encountered countless troubles. He knew that during adventures, any issue could arise, so it was best to understand a bit of everything and have different solutions to the same problem to be safe.

Mr. Misfortune had no other choice but to let Amberser try, so he asked, "What do you need?"

"Firstly, I need all the information on this Domino Lauri. Secondly, I need you to introduce me to the Council of Injustice."

Mr. Misfortune nodded and said, "Okay, tomorrow is fine. I can get both things done for you."

"That works."

Amberser smiled and picked up his glass, pouring himself a drink of the fiery liquor. Although tasting with his Soul was completely different, he couldn’t help but remember the past.

Mr. Misfortune asked, "Why order Midnight Fire? Didn’t you say this drink was deadly spicy?"

"Because it was the first drink you ever bought me. Wasn’t the whole point of getting me this to mess with me? It’s been many years, but I find myself nostalgic." Amberser finished the drink in his glass, then said to Mr. Misfortune, "Senior brother, thank you."

Mr. Misfortune asked curiously, "Thank what?"

"For saving Harvey. If it weren’t for you waiting for him here, he wouldn’t have made it back within a day, and he’d already be on his way to Hell." Amberser said.

Since every person entering the city had to sign a contract, Harvey must have done the same. The kid likely didn’t understand the devilish script and got tricked. Thanks to Mr. Misfortune, otherwise, if Harvey had lingered for more than a day, he would be bound for Hell.

After hearing this, Mr. Misfortune also remained silent for a long time, then said, "In my whole life, I never found a suitable disciple, and yet you, you bastard, managed to find such a genius student. I couldn’t bear to see such talent die like that."

Mr. Misfortune said with a tinge of sorrow, "It seems no matter how hard I try, the Goddess of Fate always favors you more."