This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 342 - 319: If You Don’t Go to Hell, Who Will?

Chapter 342: Chapter 319: If You Don’t Go to Hell, Who Will?

Amberser always considered himself a scholar.

Even when he was an adventurer, he would never confront powerful enemies head-on.

One must have self-awareness; after faring so poorly for so long, it was clear he wasn’t meant for a protagonist’s life—no point in charging in recklessly.

Although Amberser now had the support of the Golden Throne and his personal combat strength could be considered at the peak of legend, given the chance, he still preferred to let others do the fighting.

When Melina charged, she knocked the stone giant off balance, causing it to topple to the ground, but that hardly did any damage.

The Knight Lance in Melina’s hands wasn’t ordinary either, but it only managed to scrape a bit of skin off the giant, with the chipped-off stone pieces not even as big as a fist.

The stone giant wasn’t stupid either; instead of getting up, it just rolled over.

This altar area wasn’t very large to begin with, and the stone giant’s roll covered most of it.

Amberser had wisely cleared the battlefield and promptly stood next to Zariel, expecting the stone giant probably wouldn’t attack its own master. Now, as expected, the stone giant ignored Amberser and rolled toward Melina.

Zariel glanced at Amberser and said mockingly, "It seems I was wrong; you are no warrior."

Amberser replied indifferently, "How would a lich have anything to do with a warrior? You must be mistaken."

While they were chatting, the stone giant was about to crush Melina.

Amberser assumed she would use her superb horsemanship to dodge this crushing blow through the gaps.

But Melina chose a head-on confrontation.

Vast dark magic power surged from her body, turning into a tangible wave that collided with the stone giant.

The massive shockwave made the entire subterranean sacrificial site tremble, and the rolling momentum of the several hundred-ton stone giant was halted by Melina’s magic power.

"So dramatic?" Amberser was a bit shocked.

Although Melina’s soul was crafted by him, the most important thing for a Death Knight was still the body. He had no idea how Withered Rose had managed to grant Melina such absurd dark magic power. Maybe Melina could even arm-wrestle with Gareth now.

Having stopped the stone giant’s roll, Melina charged again. The magic power condensed at the tip of her lance formed a pitch-black drill that she thrust viciously into the giant’s body.

This thrust went deep into the giant’s body, completely piercing through its right arm.

The stone giant let out a deep roar and swung its other arm at Melina. This time, Melina didn’t stand her ground. Instead, she deftly rode her Whispering Warhorse, hopping about the giant’s body, her lance tip repeatedly stabbing and leaving the giant pockmarked.

Zariel praised, "She truly is an excellent warrior. Does her eye see weaknesses?"

Amberser nodded. Melina’s Golden Right Eye could see through all concealment effects, effectively meaning it could see through all magic structures. The stone giant was clearly a creature composed of magic power, so targeting its weak spots would naturally be much more effective.

Zariel, watching Melina with excitement, asked, "Is she your creation? What if you give her to me? I can offer you enough in return!"

Amberser responded, "She’s my daughter."

"Daughter?" Zariel finally shifted her gaze back, looking surprised at Amberser, "How do the undead have children?"

Amberser smiled slightly and said, "Sorry, proprietary recipe."

Zariel stared at Amberser for a while, finding the lich more and more incomprehensible.

Still not giving up, Zariel said, "So what if she’s your daughter? Liches have no morals. What can’t you sell? Name your price."

Amberser shook his head and said, "Respected Duke Avernus, you fail to understand what I mean. Indeed, I can deal in just about anything— I’ve even considered selling all the gods in a package deal, but I don’t have the right. Melina is my daughter, not my commodity. How can I sell what doesn’t belong to me?"

Zariel stared at Amberser again for a long while, then showed him an appreciative smile.

"Not bad, lich, not bad at all. It’s a pity that you insist on being my enemy. For the words you just shared, when you fall into Hell, my legion will keep a spot open for you."

Amberser said awkwardly, "Uh... I don’t necessarily have to go to Hell, right?"

Zariel asked in confusion, "You just said you wanted to sell off the gods. If someone like you doesn’t go to Hell, then who does?"

Amberser: ...

During their conversation, Melina had thoroughly pummeled the stone giant.

The stone giant was powerful, but far too clumsy; it couldn’t even touch Melina’s cloak. Several times it hammered down with force only to hit itself instead.

And Melina, specifically targeting the giant’s weak spots, quickly immobilized it.

Before long, the stone giant was completely disassembled into piles of rubble by her, but Melina was also very exhausted. The magic power she consumed was substantial, nearly draining her body completely.

Zariel clapped her hands and praised Melina, "You fought beautifully, little girl. Are you interested in joining my legion? I allow you to live freely in the Mortal World, only requiring you to serve me when I summon you, and I can make you even stronger."

Amberser couldn’t sell his daughter, so Zariel directly recruited Melina. Not only did Melina have a rare talent for magic suppression, but more importantly, her performance in battle, that unstoppable momentum, was what Zariel adored. She liked to collect such warriors.

Moreover, the conditions Zariel offered were very favorable, almost without any constraints. The only problem was that the wars Zariel initiated were generally extremely brutal, with most of her warriors suffering heavy casualties and injuries. Additionally, the wars launched by Zariel were either against other deities or invasions of this world of mortals.

Once Melina chose to join, she would certainly receive rewards from the Grand Duke of Hell of the First Layer of Hell, but she might very well become an enemy of all lives in the Mortal World as a result.

As for how to weigh these options, Amberser wasn’t going to intervene.

As he had just said, Melina was his daughter but did not belong to him.

In Amberser’s view, whether she agreed or not, it wasn’t a bad choice for Melina. Amberser chose to help Tiflin only to prevent Laine from becoming too powerful, which was from his own interest, and not because he thought Hell invading the Mortal World was wrong.

It all came down to different positions, different interests.

Just as Gareth had once fought through Laine for revenge, the God of Justice, Tyr, couldn’t blame his actions.

From Zariel’s perspective, it was natural for her to seek vengeance against the Mortal World. Standing on the side of the hell demons, invading this world was their innate duty, the most natural thing to do.

So, the choice was all Melina’s to make.

Melina looked at Amberser with confusion, hoping for a hint from him.

Amberser asked, "Can’t make a decision?"

Melina nodded and said, "I... I don’t know."

"Then don’t rush your decision," Amberser said, turning back to Zariel. "The esteemed Grand Duke of Hell surely wouldn’t mind giving the little girl some time to consider, especially since Melina isn’t even a year old yet. I trust you wouldn’t force a child who is naive to the ways of the world to make a decision, right?"

Zariel snorted coldly, but did not refute Amberser’s words.

"Melina, you are the first mortal I have waited for. But your father is right, a child making a decision now is only going to regret it later. I will give you enough time to think, but there will be no more delays when I ask you the second time," she said.

Flames began to burst from Zariel’s body as her figure started to fade slowly.

Amberser was startled and quickly called out, "Wait, didn’t you say that if I complete your challenge, you would tell me about the Evil Dragon Goddess’s plan?"

Zariel stared at Amberser’s face and asked, "A Lich shouldn’t have any flesh and skin, right? How can yours be so thick? Was that your completed challenge?"

Amberser said, "You mentioned any means was acceptable. Shouldn’t devils value contracts the most?"

Zariel didn’t bother to argue with Amberser. The reason she came to see Amberser on behalf of Goddess Tiamat was actually that Tiamat didn’t want to come. The goddess had said herself that she should not have any communication with this lich, or else she would only be at a disadvantage.

Zariel didn’t believe Tiamat’s words, instead, she was very curious about Amberser, particularly after Zariel glimpsed him in a dream before. Zariel could feel that it was a very special scene, as if another deity was helping the lich.

It was very interesting, so Zariel took the initiative to come and see for herself.

Having seen what she came for, Zariel knew that the lich was even more cunning than the Prince of Lies, and it was a waste of effort to argue with him.

Therefore, Zariel waved her hand to Melina and said, "Come here."

Confused, Melina walked over to Zariel, who then whispered a few words in Melina’s ear.

Amberser tried to eavesdrop on their conversation but was blocked by a force from sensing anything.

In just a few seconds, Zariel finished her whispering and then said to Amberser, "I have told your daughter the secret. That’s reasonable, isn’t it? After all, I never said how I would tell you. Farewell, lich. I hope you can guess all the secrets; I am also looking forward to seeing your expression when you discover the truth."

Zariel finally vanished into flames, leaving a puzzled Melina and Amberser behind.

Amberser stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, "What does this devil mean? Could it be that even if I knew their plan, I can’t change anything?"

Amberser also knew that pondering in ignorance was just a waste of time, so he asked Melina, "What did she tell you just now?"

Melina, looking distressed, said, "I... I don’t know..."

"How can you not know?" Amberser asked, surprised.

"The language she spoke, I didn’t understand it," Melina replied.

Amberser was taken aback, then quickly muttered a phrase in a strange tone and continued to ask, "Was it the language I just spoke?"

Melina quickly nodded and said, "Yes! It was that language; I didn’t understand a single word."

Amberser knew he had a problem, as Zariel had whispered to Melina in the devil’s language, and Melina certainly couldn’t remember it.