This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 340 - 317: Deepening Cooperation

Chapter 340: Chapter 317: Deepening Cooperation

Amberser actually didn’t quite understand why those deities were so concerned about the realms of mortals.

They were already eternal and immortal. Wouldn’t it be better to do something they liked? Instead, they insisted on competing with mortals, who were as insignificant as ants. It was understandable for Zariel, considering her grudge against those Hell Knights, so her desire for revenge was somewhat justified.

But what was the deal with the Evil Dragon Goddess Tiamat?

In Amberser’s mind, nine out of ten cults in history were created by Tiamat.

What kind of grudge or resentment was so great?

But precisely because of Tiamat’s abnormal malevolence towards the mortal world, Amberser was sure this goddess was up to something, and it was very likely that it had nothing to do with Zariel’s plans.

With Mr. Misfortune dealing with Laine’s invasion, Amberser would have to seriously confront the deities.

Consulting Shael should reveal some information, after all, Tiamat had once allied with Shael. And Amberser remembered that when he had stabbed her with a dagger, a piece of the dragon scales on that Drow Elf’s body had automatically disappeared – it was clear that Tiamat had intentionally helped Shael fulfill her plan.

That meant Tiamat had known all along about Shael’s betrayal and perhaps even benefited from it.

Since the relationship between the two goddesses was good, then Shael was very likely to know what Tiamat was planning.

As for whether Shael was willing to betray a friend, that would depend on the price.

Shael was a deity known for her lack of credibility; otherwise, she wouldn’t have turned around and betrayed the Rose Spider Queen.

As long as the price was right, Shael would betray anyone.

However, summoning Shael was no easy task. Amberser didn’t have a second Divine Artifact to desecrate, nor did he have as many slaves as Withered Rose to sacrifice several hundred people without a second thought.

Amberser stroked his chin and then decided to seek help from Withered Rose.

Time was of the essence, and he needed to clarify everything as soon as possible, or the upcoming war might encounter unexpected outcomes.

Amberser’s goal was to ensure that Impure Chant could hold steady. By any means necessary, he had to drag Laine into the quagmire of war. If Laine easily overthrew Impure Chant, the morale of the other kingdoms would inevitably plummet, and they would subsequently be defeated one by one.

At that point, with Laine reigning supreme, there would be no point in fighting. They might as well dig a hole and bury themselves.

Amberser took out the Necromancy Codex and sent a message to Withered Rose: [Lady Rose, might I ask for a favor? I need to summon Goddess Shael, as I have some business to discuss with her.]

Withered Rose replied quickly: [That shouldn’t be a problem. However, I have some rather troubling news to share with you.]

Amberser’s fingertips paused. Troubling news? What had gone wrong? Could it be they were finally asking for child support for Melina?

[Withered Rose: I sent someone to collect that Ironblood General’s hair, but it seems the red hair they brought back isn’t from the same person. I suspect other people with red hair in the city have been contributing to the mix after their hair fell out and got swept into the garbage piles.]

Amberser exhaled in relief—it wasn’t about money, then it was fine. All was well.

[Diga Ultraman: Does different hair have any effect?]

[Withered Rose: There’s a time issue. Using my Legendary Grace from afar will take effect very slowly, at least a day, and it cannot affect multiple people at the same time. I can’t determine which strand of hair belongs to our target. If we have to try each one and then send people to gather and report information, the time wasted will be considerable if we guess wrong repeatedly.]

Amberser had originally hoped Withered Rose would help delay Laine’s deployment, but if they had to try each hair one by one, it likely wouldn’t have the desired delaying effect.

After thinking for a moment, Amberser replied to Withered Rose: [Wait for me to come over. I can use the Teleportation Circle now.]

[Withered Rose: Alright, I’ll wait for you.]

In the Mercury City of Gloomyland, Withered Rose quickly put down the Necromancy Codex and hurried to her wardrobe room.

As the queen of Gloomyland, Withered Rose didn’t have many clothes. Undead had very little need for such things. In the past, Withered Rose hadn’t seen anything wrong with that; having a few dresses for formal occasions seemed sufficient.

But now, she felt she had too few attractive dresses. That man was particularly lustful, and if she wore her old clothes, it would be difficult to make a lasting impression on him.

Withered Rose had never thought that one day she would be picking out clothes to please a man—not even when she was alive. Back then, her mind was filled with the duties of the Ryan Royal Family; thoughts of love and romance were non-existent.

It wasn’t until the last time, in her most desperate moment, that Amberser brought her a glimmer of hope.

It wasn’t that the undead truly had no heart; it’s that only one obsession remained deep within their soul, and only things related to that obsession could move the undead’s emotions.

And once someone became closely linked with that obsession, they became part of it, became the indispensable one.

Withered Rose dared not spend too much time, as she understood Amberser’s habits. The Lich was known for his swift decisiveness and would be teleporting over soon.

Thus, it only took a few minutes for Withered Rose to change into a stunning white gown.

She hadn’t worn white in many years, having become accustomed to black since turning into an Undead.

Before long, the Royal Palace’s Teleportation Circle glowed and Amberser returned to Gloomyland. When he saw Withered Rose in a white dress, he also paused, having never seen the queen in white before. Now, upon seeing her, he found her rather striking.

Noting Amberser’s hesitation, Withered Rose revealed a sweet smile as it seemed her choice of dress was the right one.

However, before Withered Rose could solicit his opinion, the Lich, unconcerned with sentimentality, said, "Lady Rose, give me that hair. I can scry which strand belongs to Ironblood General Rachel Angelo."

Withered Rose glanced at Amberser, realizing that the dress wasn’t pretty enough.

The slightly discontented queen led Amberser to another grand palace, where the collected strands of hair were separately laid out.

Not keeping any secrets, Amberser shook the Dice of Destiny and quickly identified the hair belonging to Ironblood General Rachel Angelo. He was in luck; out of the dozen or so strands, three belonged to him, which were perfect for casting spells.

But after some thought, Amberser said to Withered Rose, "Perhaps, we could change the plan. We don’t have to go after Rachel Angelo right from the start."

Amberser picked out five strands of hair and said, "These hairs come from the subordinates of Rachel Angelo. What do you think will happen if we start with them?"

After contemplating, Withered Rose understood Amberser’s intent, "You want to instill fear in that Ironblood General?"

Amberser nodded and said, "Exactly. Based on what I know about Laine, if this general turned into an Undead, Laine would only announce that someone assassinated the Ironblood General and then appoint another to lead their troops. The outcome wouldn’t differ much, and it might even compel Laine’s soldiers to seek revenge for their general, potentially strengthening their fighting spirit.

"However, if we start with those close to Rachel Angelo, and do it one by one, without needing to eliminate them all at once, it will sow panic without them understanding what’s happening, and this could actually buy us more time."

Withered Rose agreed with Amberser’s suggestion, and although her hatred for Laine was deep as the sea, she never underestimated that Empire.

Withered Rose said, "Alright, I’ll manage the extent carefully. But the delay in transmitting information might not yield the best effect."

Remote communication had always been a major issue; otherwise, the group chat of the Necromancy Codex wouldn’t be regarded as a Divine Artifact.

The most popular method of information transfer was still using Teleportation Circles to send messages, a means not readily accessible to the average person. Withered Rose wasn’t short on money, but her spies finding entry into Laine was already challenging, and frequent trips back and forth would only alert Laine to something amiss.

Amberser laughed and said, "I’ve come to help you with this problem."

Amberser opened his personal space, snapped his fingers, and several Undead little ones emerged, carrying a huge mechanical mirror in front of them.

Withered Rose curiously examined the mirror and asked, "What is this? An alchemical artifact?"

Amberser pressed the switch to activate the Magic Mirror and chanted, "Magic mirror on the wall, connect me to the Lady of Mist."

Suddenly, the image of Lady of Mist Laila appeared on the mirror.

Laila smiled at Amberser, saying "We weren’t apart for long. Do you miss me already?"

Withered Rose’s eyes narrowed; she didn’t recognize this Goddess and felt that something was off with the tone of their conversation.

Withered Rose could give Amberser a bunch of slaves, but those were just slaves; the lady before her clearly wasn’t in a servile relationship, causing an unsettling feeling within her.

Amberser quickly said, "Allow me to introduce, Lady Rose, this is the Lady of Mist Laila, a Deity who is temporarily residing in the Emerald Dream Forest."

Withered Rose was surprised, "A Deity?"

"I’ll explain the details to you later," Amberser assured Withered Rose, then turned to Laila and said, "Goddess, this is my closest ally. I’ve made this call so you could get acquainted. Lady Rose rules an entire Underground Kingdom; I believe this faith will be greatly beneficial to you."

Laila glanced at Withered Rose and could tell that her feelings for Amberser were special, but as a Goddess, she harbored no thoughts of jealousy.

A Deity’s values were vastly different from mortals. It wasn’t a matter of simple possession. As long as it didn’t affect her and Amberser’s connection, Laila didn’t mind how many companions Amberser had in the Mortal Realm.

However, no other Deity should dare to lie with Amberser; that would start a whole new godly war.

When she heard that Withered Rose ruled an entire kingdom, Laila also showed some interest and asked, "Are you willing to offer your faith to me?"

Caught off guard by the sudden shift in the conversation, Withered Rose wasn’t sure how to respond.

Amberser promptly interjected, "Lady Rose, I understand you do not worship any Deity, and the Lady of Mist requires our aid. She will fully reciprocate our support. Please trust me."

With a subtle smile, Withered Rose said, "Alright, I’ll follow your lead. From today on, I’ll have all beings in Gloomyland become disciples of the Lady of Mist."