This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 338 - 315: Betraying a Kingdom

Chapter 338: Chapter 315: Betraying a Kingdom

When Zariel turned her head, both Amberser and Mr. Misfortune felt a bone-chilling coldness.

Being targeted by a Hell Lord was truly not a good sign.

At that moment, the advantages of being a Lich became clear, as Amberser regained his composure faster than Mr. Misfortune and reacted immediately.

"Laila, save me! Zariel is alive!"

Without a doubt, this was the most effective response.

And Lady of Mist did not disappoint Amberser; the Zariel that had been staring at them moments ago became blurred, turning into a rough humanoid as if crafted from plaster.

The Lady of Mist appeared before the two of them and said to Amberser, "That was too dangerous. You almost allowed Zariel to descend into this dream."

Upon seeing Lady of Mist, Mr. Misfortune realized that she was indeed a true Deity.

Did this damned Lich just directly call out to a Deity’s name? Wasn’t he afraid of being punished for blasphemy?

Before Mr. Misfortune could figure out how to pay respects to the Goddess, Amberser was the first to speak: "The image of Zariel was too realistic, like a Divine Idol painstakingly carved to perfection, which caused Zariel to sense it."

A Deity’s descent requires ceremony, like when the Rose Spider Queen wished to descend; she had to choose her own Divine Idol, not just appear anywhere she liked.

Devout followers, Divine Idols, Divine Artifacts, and special summoning rituals—all these could allow a Deity to descend.

The Zariel that appeared in the dream was just like a true god, there was no "Divine Idol" more lifelike than this, so Zariel, who resides in Hell, sensed it and could use this phantom to descend.

Amberser had also heard a more outrageous story. A brazen madman once wrote an apocryphal history of a Deity, and it was so vividly written and widely spread that eventually, the Deity descended upon his book, and since then, the author stopped updating. It was unknown whether the Deity took him to the Divine Realm or sent him to Hell.

Mr. Misfortune glanced at Amberser, wondering if this youngster was blaming the Deity?

Laila said somewhat embarrassingly, "I’ve slept for too long and have forgotten many things. But no matter, this is still a dream after all. Even if Zariel has locked onto this place, just changing to another dream will suffice. We must hurry; delaying too long will also cause problems."

After saying this, Laila disappeared, and the dream started moving again.

However, Mr. Misfortune now had no interest in any old lover’s dream but was surprised as he asked Amberser, "That just now, was a Deity, right?"

"Yes."

"Then how could you dare to be so impolite?"

Mr. Misfortune felt the world had changed; even the weakest Deity should be respected by mortals, unless one’s faith conflicted, like followers of the Lord of the Dawn could charge shouting "Holy Light" upon seeing a Deity of the Evil Camp, but in general, necessary respect should be maintained.

Blasphemy against a Deity is a grave sin, a crime more severe than treason.

"I told you, I know many Deities, and I understand how to deal with Them better than you do. Don’t make such a fuss; you’re centuries old. Pay attention to the story; the key information is about to arrive."

The ethereal Zariel continued playing her part, grabbing Domino Lauri by the neck and threatening, "Traitor, I can give you a chance for pardon. Find the other traitors, hand them over to me, and I will consider lessening your punishment."

Without a second thought, Domino Lauri agreed: "I’m willing, I’m willing to do anything."

Clearly, Domino Lauri no longer wanted to endure the torment of Hellfire and didn’t care about betraying others anymore.

"Very well, as an insignificant worm, you are clever enough. That gives you a reason to stay alive. Go now, find those traitors, and I will temporarily halt your punishment. Remember, my mercy has its limits, do what you must!"

Zariel turned into flames and dissipated, leaving Domino Lauri gasping for breath.

A moment later, the environment of the dream changed from a fiery boudoir to a dark dungeon.

Domino Lauri, now in heavy armor, mercilessly whipped a bloodied Tiflin with a whip.

Domino Lauri angrily demanded, "Give them up, and you’ll suffer a bit less!"

The dying Tiflin weakly responded, "Domino... do you think... you can escape... Zariel won’t... spare any of us..."

Domino Lauri’s face twisted, and her whip, now ablaze with fierce flames, viciously struck the Tiflin.

The Tiflin howled in the Hellfire until it was completely reduced to ashes.

Domino Lauri stood silently over the ashes, finally whispering softly, "Go to Hell; this is what we deserve!"

Watching this scene, Mr. Misfortune couldn’t help but say, "She too was forced; she didn’t want to do this."

Amberser watched him, expressionless, this old fellow was quite sentimental.

However, the dream quickly changed again. This time, Domino Lauri was kneeling before Zariel once more, her skin scorched black by the flames of Hell.

Domino Lauri, seemingly lacking even the energy to move, struggled to say, "Please give me one more chance, I beg you... I will bring them to Hell... I beseech you..."

But Zariel was not a forgiving Deity; kicking her flying ten meters away with a foot, she taunted, "What can you do? All the traitors know you are betraying them; they will not trust you again."

With her last bit of strength, Domino Lauri said, "I can... offer the entire kingdom... as a sacrifice to you..."

Seeing this, Mr. Misfortune couldn’t help but widen his eyes. He originally thought it was Domino Lauri being compelled by Zariel that led to the collaboration with Hell; it never crossed his mind that she would actively propose to exchange the entire kingdom.

Zariel, continuing with disdain, said to Domino Lauri, "You are not qualified, this kingdom is not yours."

"I can... I can make them all sign the contract... I can..."

Mr. Misfortune clenched his fists, wishing he could kill Domino Lauri right there, but he knew it would be meaningless, and he could only endure and continue watching.

They were already very close to that secret.

Zariel, after listening, made an interested sound, "Oh, can you really do that?"

"I... can..."

Domino Lauri’s voice had become so faint it was almost inaudible.

"Good, then I’ll give you one last chance." A flame flickered in Zariel’s hand, and a magic contract appeared.

Mr. Misfortune strained to see, trying to discern the text on the contract, but found its contents blurred and unclear.

"How can this be, this is the most crucial thing!" Mr. Misfortune said agitatedly.

Amberser leaned in to look as well, then said, "I’m afraid, Domino Lauri herself did not know the content of the contract; she was nearly dying at that time and signed it without seeing clearly. The dream is a reproduction of her memory. If she doesn’t remember, naturally it will be blurred."

However, Mr. Misfortune retorted, "But she said she would have others sign this contract too. If we don’t know now, shouldn’t we find out later?"

Amberser shook his head and said, "Not necessarily, if Zariel set a masking spell on the contract, then only those who sign can see the contents, and moreover... these contents are probably written in the Devil’s script. I don’t think many members of the Council of Injustice can understand it."

The language and script of Devils carry a strong magic power, which is precisely what gives the contract such binding strength. But if a mortal tries to learn this language, they are easily corrupted by the power of Hell, contaminating their soul, and without the Devil lifting a finger, they fall into Hell on their own.

Amberser, a Lich by nature, belonged to the Evil Camp and had strong resistance to these hellish powers, and that’s why he would research them.

"If they cannot understand, why would others sign?" Mr. Misfortune asked, frowning.

Amberser chuckled and replied, "That’s too easy. Drunk, unconscious, enchanted, or caught in a compromising position... Keep in mind this is hundreds of years ago. Domino Lauri had plenty of time to lay traps. They are just twelve Tiflins after all; it’s not that hard to trap them if you’re determined."

Mr. Misfortune gritted his teeth and said, "Then don’t we have no way at all? All our efforts, completely wasted!"

The future of the Impure Chant was undivinable; fate did not allow them to peek at this secret. Now even Domino Lauri did not know the content of the contract; where else could they find answers, they surely couldn’t run to Hell to ask Zariel.

But Amberser said, "Don’t rush, there’s still a chance. I have some research on Devil’s contracts, these patterns... I can probably guess a bit."

Mr. Misfortune said in surprise, "You understand the Devil’s script?"

"No choice, I don’t have any noble heritage. To get ahead, I had to read more, same as you, isn’t it?" Amberser asked.

Mr. Misfortune said helplessly, "I’ve read many books, but I can’t really compare to you."

Tiflins, with Devil blood in their veins, are more susceptible to corruption by Hell’s power than other races. Hence, studying the Devil’s script was something Mr. Misfortune dared not do, for fear that a moment’s carelessness could lead to his downfall.

Amberser looked up beyond the dream, saying, "Alright, that’s enough. What follows is probably all sorts of schemes and coercion forcing the others to sign the contract. The dream can end now; don’t let Zariel truly find us."

The dream quickly shattered, and Domino Lauri disappeared. The Lady of Mist, Laila, reappeared before the two.

Laila said to Amberser, "Zariel is not easy to deal with, don’t be impulsive. If you encounter trouble, come back to me, I can protect you now."

Amberser expressed his gratitude, "Thank you, but it’s not a big problem. Just a Hell Lord looking for trouble; they’ll have to get in line."

Laila smiled and said, "I’ve never seen a mortal like you. Take good care of yourself, I’ll be here waiting for you anytime."

Laila vanished into starlight, while Amberser and Mr. Misfortune woke from the dream.

Mr. Misfortune opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say first; should he ask how to resolve the problem of the Impure Chant, or ask about his relationship with that Goddess? Or maybe, inquire about what Amberser meant by that statement about Hell Lords having to queue up to trouble him?

Having not seen him for hundreds of years, what exactly had this bastard been through?

Amberser, however, didn’t think too much and directly said to Mr. Misfortune, "Brother, help me with a divination."

Mr. Misfortune said in surprise, "Didn’t you hear me? We can’t divine the future of this kingdom; all related details are hazy, and forcibly divining will only lead to us being abandoned by fate."

"That’s because I wasn’t there. Brother, what in this world is worth the joint divination of two Legendary Rank Diviner Mages? Combine your powers with mine, and even Deities would be trapped by the web of fate we weave," Amberser replied.

Amberser summoned his Golden Throne, with countless Dice of Destiny appearing before him, and said to Mr. Misfortune, "Didn’t you say I was the favorite of the Goddess of Fate? I believe the Goddess will give me this face."

"Alright, let this old bag of bones go crazy with you once more."

Mr. Misfortune chuckled, as countless threads of fate emerged before him.

Points and lines intertwined in the air, and a series of bizarre images began to materialize before the two of them.