This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 348 - 325: The Senior with the Most Experience in Rebellion

Chapter 348: Chapter 325: The Senior with the Most Experience in Rebellion

When Allen saw Amberser, he was completely dumbfounded.

How did he end up here and encounter that Lich, wasn’t he off causing trouble for the elves of Silvermoon Tribunal?

Could it be that the Elf Tribe had already been tricked into bankruptcy by him, and so he turned his sights on Laine’s treasury? Is he no longer playing scams and now resorting to theft instead?

Amberser was equally shocked. How did this kid break in from the outside? The Defense Magic Array of the city wasn’t just targeting Liches, after all, Laine’s enemies weren’t just Undead; sometimes even certain humans were their foes.

The two fell into a shared silence for a moment before Amberser opened up his own private space, telling Allen, "Someone will patrol here soon, let’s talk inside!"

Allen hesitated for a moment, then followed Amberser into that spatial rift.

As he entered Amberser’s private space, Allen couldn’t help but find it a bit funny. Why did he trust this Lich so much, while feeling the need to sneak around in the city of Laine, for fear of being discovered?

The world really had changed too fast.

Amberser didn’t bother with pleasantries with Allen or offer him a cup of tea, instead got straight to the point, "What are you doing sneaking into Flow Flame City? You’re no different from a wanted criminal in Laine, aren’t you afraid of being caught and proving your treason?"

Allen answered helplessly, "I heard that Laine is going to send troops against Impure Chant. Once those Gates of Hell are detonated, it won’t just be Laine People getting hurt, the entire continent will be polluted by the breath of Hell, I can’t just sit idly by. So I wanted to come and prevent Laine from sending troops."

"All by yourself?"

Amberser wasn’t looking down on Allen. Laine was such a formidable entity, and even Amberser himself wouldn’t dare say he could settle this matter. Maybe only if Elegy Poetry Society were to regroup could they decimate Flow Flame City, and though this kid Allen seemed to have made great progress, he didn’t have the power to turn the tide.

Allen, however, didn’t care about Amberser’s sarcasm, simply stating calmly, "I know I’m not much use alone, but that doesn’t mean I should do nothing because I’m useless."

"And what is your plan?" Amberser asked curiously.

"Burn their granaries, sabotage their equipment; at least that would buy some time," Allen said.

"That’s quite a straightforward and rough method, not ineffective, but you know Laine’s logistic capabilities. Any shortfalls can be replenished in just a few days."

Laine had been reaping the benefits of faith for over a thousand years, regardless of whether they were becoming more extreme. Because Arthur Laine had set a good precedent, whether it was nobles or commoners, all took pride in sacrifice. It was rare to hear of a Laine noble committing crimes out of greed, whereas it was common to hear of them being excessively harsh on their descendants, forcing inherently frail children into military service, resulting in various familial tragedies.

As the saying goes, "as above, so below." Laine was extremely fervent in military aspects, which resulted in their invincibility in wars over the years, and their preparations for war materials were exceedingly ample.

Not to mention the loss of a single storehouse, even burning ten wouldn’t matter much because the supplies would keep coming through the Teleportation Circle from the rear, at no regard for cost.

Moreover, Amberser had already seen the scenarios of Laine’s offensive, so

This was also why Amberser couldn’t be bothered to start a fire himself; it would be fundamentally a waste of effort.

Allen was well aware of this too, but beyond arson, he couldn’t think of any other way to stop the war.

"So, you’ve decided you want to stop this war? Not afraid of any sacrifice?" Amberser inquired.

Allen nodded firmly and said, "It’s an unjust war; we have no reason to invade Impure Chant. When I was still within the confines of Laine Country, I realized there was a fog before my eyes that obscured my vision. Having traveled this long, I can finally stand on a truly just position to see the issues.

"Without a doubt, the wars Laine has waged for nearly five hundred years have been unjust. My teacher had seen the truth a long time ago, but he didn’t understand why, and he didn’t resist until his death."

Amberser knew Allen was referring to Silvermoon Knight, the most renowned Paladin after Arthur Laine.

"That’s because the Silvermoon Knight, like your father, did not know how to change the Empire; they were people of high position and power. Once they had intense conflicts with the Empire, it could lead to the country’s fracturing. No one knows how many would die then, they dared not or, rather, couldn’t bear to make that decision. Hence, they could only play the role of a repairman, wherever the Empire showed a crack, they would fill it with their lives.

"Allen, you are different, the responsibilities you originally bore were lighter than theirs, so your leaving Laine wouldn’t cause too much turmoil. But for the same reason, your reputation cannot compare with the Silvermoon Knight or Supreme Decree. If you want to change Laine, you’ll face much greater resistance."

It was for this reason that Amberser had always believed the key to reform lay in Allen, not his father. The older generation was already integrated with the rigid Empire, unable to move at all.

Allen had the ability to leave Laine and explore the real world, which was precisely the key to his potential to change Laine in the future.

Only now, he was still too young.

After listening to Amberser, Allen was contemplative. He hadn’t expected the Lich to speak so reasonably. Before, he had only seen him as a terrifying con artist, but now he realized that the Lich had quite some insight. These truths had only been obscure feelings to him before, but he couldn’t summarize them as precisely as this.

Allen’s view of Amberser changed slightly, and he couldn’t help but ask, "So why are you here?"

Amberser said, "I’m just like you, trying to prevent Laine from invading Impure Chant, but it seems there’s no way to stop it."

"Ah?"

Allen had never expected this answer from Amberser, a Lich trying to stop a war. This didn’t seem right at all; it went completely against a Lich’s nature.

"Ah, what? Haven’t I done such things before? Laine has even sent me commendations."

Allen then remembered that Amberser had indeed stopped the war between the elves and the dwarves, although outsiders still didn’t know exactly how he had managed it.

Unable to help himself, Allen asked, "Master Ultraman, if I may be so bold, the greed and everything, that’s all an act, right? World peace is actually your undead obsession, isn’t it?"

Amberser: ...

This misunderstanding was really quite absurd.

However, since Allen had brought it up, Amberser simply decided to consult another senior who loved saving the world.

"Allen, come with me, I’ll show you something exciting."

Allen frowned, feeling that this statement sounded very odd, and he couldn’t help recalling the first time he met Amberser, who tricked him out of five thousand Gold Coins within three sentences. Was he preparing to trick him out of money again?

But Allen quickly relaxed, he didn’t have a penny to his name now, what was there to fear about being tricked out of money?

Assured of this, Allen boldly followed behind Amberser.

Before long, Amberser brought Allen to a sand timer that was emanating Holy Light.

"This is... a Divine Artifact?"

Allen could sense the powerful Holy Light radiating from the sand timer, just like the Divine Artifacts he had seen in the Laine Imperial Capital.

Amberser chuckled, speaking very seriously to Allen, "You’d better be mentally prepared, don’t get scared."

Allen confidently said, "I’m no longer the naive young man I used to be. I’ve traveled the continent and seen all sorts of things; a Divine Artifact won’t scare me."

"Alright, I like your confidence." Amberser rubbed his fingers together, his soul essence crushed between his fingertips, turning into threads that entered the sand timer. "Holy King Your Majesty, this young man is lost in confusion and needs your guidance."

A silver-white Heroic Spirit slowly emerged on the sand timer.

Allen was already stunned when Amberser uttered the words "Holy King Your Majesty," and by the time he saw Arthur Laine’s Heroic Spirit, he was completely dumbstruck.

After a few seconds, Allen let out a piercing scream like a child, "Aaaaah! Holy King Your Majesty! I... you... he... Father..."

Every person from Laine held one idol in their heart, Arthur Laine; Allen was so excited he was incoherent and didn’t even know where to put his hands.

Allen never doubted that the Heroic Spirit before him was fake, because the Holy Light he controlled was so pure. Allen recognized it at a glance, it was a Holy Light as formidable as that of his teacher, the Silvermoon Knight—impossible to fake.

Arthur Laine, as ever, had no airs about him and greeted Allen amiably, comforting the frightened child.

"Don’t be nervous, I’m not really Arthur Laine but a Heroic Spirit who has inherited his fragmented memories. You don’t need to see me as that great emperor."

Amberser hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, this is Allen Watson, a young man who has just fled Laine. Disillusioned with the Empire, he now wishes to rebel, so I asked for your advice."

Amberser had always forgotten about this great god—when it came to rebellion, no one understood it better than Arthur Laine. Although the Heroic Spirit only had early memories, by then, Arthur Laine was already a hero who had raised the banner of rebellion against the Tyrant, lacking perhaps in ruling experience but certainly not in the experience of rebellion.

Upon hearing this, Allen was so scared he almost drew his sword to hack at Amberser, and he hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, it’s not like that. Don’t listen to this Lich’s nonsense. I never thought of rebelling, never!"

Allen cared not to ask about the origin of the Heroic Spirit, he just wanted to clear things up.

Arthur Laine smiled and said, "Allen, I told you not to be nervous, I’m not here to blame you. Your surname is Watson, is James Watson your father?"

Allen quickly said, "Yes, he is Laine’s Supreme Decree. Raised by my father’s teachings, I could never commit such an act of betrayal against the Empire."

Yet Amberser lightly added, "Just now you were considering burning the Laine people’s armory and food stores."

"This... I... well..." Angered, Allen said to Amberser, "You vile Lich, I challenge you to a duel!"

Allen couldn’t accept being slandered in front of his idol, but he was at a loss for words to defend himself.

Arthur Laine said to Amberser, "Alright, you’re hundreds of years older than him, do you feel proud of constantly bullying a child?"

Amberser chuckled, "I’m just testing him. If he can’t even admit his own inner thoughts, then what can you teach him? The Magic Dragon Tyrant used to be legitimate, the ruler of the world, and you rose against the legitimate to rebel. That’s why you gathered everyone’s power. Now, Laine is legitimate. If Allen loses his stance upon seeing you, then he doesn’t deserve to inherit your legacy."

Arthur Laine couldn’t argue—though Amberser’s words were somewhat harsh, they were indeed true.

A warrior fighting against a tyrant should not waver in his stance simply because he meets a predecessor.

Arthur Laine said to Allen, "Young man, tell me earnestly, do you think that Laine still deserves your loyalty?"