This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 349 - 326: Man Can Die, But Ideas Live On

Chapter 349: Chapter 326: Man Can Die, But Ideas Live On

Is Laine still worthy of my loyalty?

Allen had never pondered this question, even though he had made the decision to burn down the arsenal and prevent war, he still felt he was correcting Laine’s mistakes.

But is correcting mistakes enough?

Allen couldn’t help but remember the young Orc’s outcry to him.

"My parents died in this city long ago! Laine’s white-furred dogs, if you have the guts, kill me too, I will return to the Deity’s embrace, waiting for you invaders to go to Hell!"

This voice seemed to still echo in his ears.

Allen remembered the young man who wanted to retire after the war, but his family decided to execute him on the spot.

When Allen left Laine and came to the newly occupied land of the Dwarf Kingdom, the original inhabitants were displaced to make room for the incoming Dwarves, homeless and lost. No matter how the Dwarf Kingdom controlled it, this displacement of living space was inevitable.

Living there for a while, the most frequent talk Allen heard was not cursing the Dwarves, but cursing Laine, who had started the war.

Everything was fine, why invade the desert? Could the Laine People not survive without the Gold of the desert?

Allen could not answer this question.

While still living in Laine, Allen heard that it was because Laine’s traders were oppressed by the Dwarves, the fuse was lit, and small-scale frictions began, followed by casualties on both sides.

Then, it was Laine’s years of continuous invasion.

At the time, Allen believed this was the right thing to do, that the Laine People were far more noble than the Desert Dwarves, one life should be compensated with the lives of ten thousand Dwarves.

But now, he realized this was no different from the rule of the Magic Dragon Tyrant.

The annals of history recorded that during the rule of the Dragon Race, uprisings never ceased, but every time a Dragon lost a scale, they massacred a nearby village.

The value of a Dragon Scale, in the eyes of the Dragon Race, was more important than tens of thousands of lives.

The practices of the Dragon Race back then were exactly the same as Laine’s now; their faith was distorted in the frenzy.

The Lord of the Dawn taught them to act justly, to always maintain hope, he never taught them to bring despair to others.

Thinking of this, Allen clenched his fist and said to Arthur Laine, "Your Majesty, your descendants have turned the Laine Empire into something else, becoming more and more like the Tyrant you once rebelled against. If Laine truly cannot turn back, I will use all my strength to overthrow this corrupt Empire."

By the end, Allen had knelt on the ground, not daring to lift his head to look at the Heroic Spirit Arthur.

Speaking to Arthur Laine about overthrowing the Laine Empire could be the craziest thing Allen had done in his life. This was Arthur Laine, the hero he had admired since childhood, the greatest Saint. By speaking so, was he desecrating the hero?

However, the reprimand Allen anticipated did not come; instead, Arthur Laine patted his shoulder and said, "If you can persist in your stance, then there might still be a chance to save Laine. Allen, how do you plan to overthrow this Empire?"

Allen looked up in surprise, not expecting the Holy King who had created the Laine Empire to approve of his stance, which was to overthrow Laine.

Beyond his shock, Allen plunged into confusion, as he did not know how to answer Arthur Laine’s question.

How to overthrow the Laine Empire? It was the strongest Empire on the continent, and Allen was just a Paladin who had just stepped into the Legendary Rank.

Allen replied with shame, "I, I don’t know."

Arthur Laine did not blame Allen, but comforted him with, "Don’t feel guilty; there’s no school in the world that teaches how to overthrow a country. When I was your age, I was still scuffling in the streets, far from reaching the Legendary Rank. Your starting point is already higher than mine, I believe you won’t be worse than me.

"If you don’t know where to start, then tell me, why did you burn down the arsenal and granaries?"

Allen could only tell Arthur Laine about the situation with Laine’s imminent invasion of Impure Chant, that this was the only way he could do it.

Arthur Laine shook his head and said, "Although I am not very familiar with the current Laine Empire, I guess such actions will not have much effect, why didn’t you choose an upright and proper way?"

"Upright and proper?" Allen frowned, puzzled, "Your Majesty, what do you mean by that?"

Then, Amberser took over, "He’s telling you to go directly outside of Flow Flame City, declare the wrongs of this war aloud, and urge the Ironblood General against committing heinous wartime atrocities."

Allen glared at Amberser, "Can you stop interrupting and blabbering nonsense?"

To go shout outside the city? Then the Ironblood General would simply have someone blast him with a Magic Conduction Cannon. That would even be more useless than burning down the warehouse, right?

What shocked Allen was that Arthur Laine didn’t refute, but agreed, saying, "This Lich understands better than you. You should do as he says and tell everyone your thoughts, your stand, without reservation. Of course, I’m not asking you to give a speech at the risk of your life, now is not yet the time for sacrifice. But a Paladin of Legendary Rank wouldn’t be so easily killed, right? Once I reached Legendary Rank, the common Giant Dragons posed little threat to me."

Allen fell silent, unsure of how to respond to that.

Amberser, without any hesitation, added insult to injury, "Arthur, the Paladins of today can’t compare to those of the past. During the Magic Dragon wars, they were simply crushed by those out of their league. A friend of mine cut a path through the Laine Empire and they had no way to stop him."

Allen glared fiercely at Amberser, but he could not refute.

The Headless Knight was indeed the shame of the Empire.

After being granted a sword at the Silvermoon Tribunal by Amberser, Allen had many bouts with Gareth, but in the end, he was not able to make him exert his full strength, constantly suppressed by the Headless Knight. However, Allen also made progress—during his last fight with Gareth, he finally used his weapon.

It was a four-meter-long saber burning with purple magic flame. Gareth sent Allen flying with a single strike and he lay on the ground unable to get up for a long time.

Allen still remembered Gareth’s parting words, "Give it another thirty years, and you might be able to have a proper fight with me. Stay alive, kid."

Seeing Allen’s embarrassment, Arthur Laine didn’t join Amberser in trampling on the young man’s pride and changed the subject, "It doesn’t matter, individual martial might is actually not that important. Allen, remember, the power of one is not enough to overthrow the Empire. You need comrades, and by that, I don’t mean friends, but those who share your ideals.

"If you don’t tell everyone your aspirations, who can share your ideals? Allen, the first thing I taught you was to tell everyone your beliefs, to seek out your comrades. If things are as you say, I believe there must be many within the Empire who feel the same as you; perhaps they just lack the catalyst to push them to rebel, and you should become that catalyst.

"The power of thought is stronger than pure martial force. Originally, our plan was to unite the power of the world to defeat the Dragon Race and completely overthrow their reign. My companions and I were merely responsible for delaying the Magic Dragon Tyrant, preventing him from influencing other battlefields. Although I didn’t see the outcome, it seems now that the strategy must have been successful."

Upon hearing this, Amberser said in surprise, "No wonder I felt something off when reading the history books; why would the Magic Dragon Tyrant accept a one-on-one battle with you? Even if he lost the Divine Artifact, he could just fly away and no one on the continent could catch up. It turns out that was the last battle to try to turn the tables."

Arthur Laine shook his head, "If our plan finally succeeded, then the Tyrant wouldn’t have been able to turn the tables. Even if he had killed me, the outcome would have remained the same, because there were more powerful fighters waiting for him. Without the support of the entire Dragon Race and having lost the Divine Artifact to reverse time, there was only defeat waiting for him."

After finishing this tale of the past, Arthur Laine said to Allen, "Allen, remember, your goal is simply to make more people understand your point of view, to have them work with you, but don’t think that you’re the only one who can accomplish all tasks. You’re just one of those working towards a better world. Perhaps your capabilities are stronger, but never underestimate the role of your comrades, and certainly don’t think of yourself as the absolute center.

"The true source of power isn’t you as an individual; it’s your beliefs. People die, but convictions carry on. Only by achieving this can you possibly overthrow the current Laine. Reflect on it, get clear about your beliefs, then pass them on!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I..." Allen felt as if something was stuck in his chest, leaving him unable to speak, his eyes brimming with tears as he nodded vehemently.

Indeed he was worthy of being the Holy King. Before, Allen only thought of changing the world but didn’t know where to start, yet Arthur Laine pointed him in the right direction with just a few words. What mattered wasn’t the individual, but finding more people with the same convictions as his.

Amberser too felt a bit emotional. Indeed, this was the master of rebellion talking; it hit the nail on the head.

Laine was too powerful to be broken from the outside; external pressure would only cause them to set aside all differences and become more united—dissolution had to come from the inside.

Amberser then said to Allen, "Well, since you’ve learned your lesson, go on and get to work. I won’t keep you here."

A spatial rift opened, and Amberser was ready to usher the visitor out.

Yet Allen didn’t leave immediately; instead, he earnestly said to Amberser, "Could you please, set the Holy King free? I beg you."

Amberser chuckled, "Sure, I once offered your father a price of one trillion Gold Coins, or the Magic Dragon Armament. If you can come up with the payment, I’m willing to trade at any time."

Allen clenched the hilt of his sword at his waist, seriously restraining the urge to duel with Amberser there and then.

Other matters might be negotiable, but Arthur Laine’s Heroic Spirit was too important—how could the Heroic Spirit of His Majesty be imprisoned by a Lich.

Seeing the tension between the two, Arthur Laine quickly interjected, "Allen, don’t be rash. I don’t feel that this Lich sir is imprisoning me. On the contrary, he rescued me from an endless prison and even allowed me to see my old friends. I am grateful to him. I understand how you feel, but there’s no need. What you need to do now is to save your world, not concern yourself with an old world’s departed soul."

Allen remained silent for a long time, eventually turning and leaving Amberser’s private space.

Once Allen had left, Amberser couldn’t help but say to Arthur Laine, "I didn’t expect you to speak in my defense. I really have been treating you as an object; you do know that, right?"

Arthur Laine indifferently replied, "I do, but I don’t care much about your motives. All I know is that you are helping others save this world. Master Ultraman, no matter how greedy you seem, all your actions can be considered just and kind. By the way, are you interested in embracing the Holy Light?"

Amberser: ...