This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 355 - 331: The Chaos of Flow Flame City

Chapter 355: Chapter 331: The Chaos of Flow Flame City

The great fire in Flow Flame City took a full three days to completely extinguish. The alchemical bombs Amberser had used were specially crafted, with very strong accelerants added, creating flames that continued to burn persistently, hardly quenchable even with water.

Rachel Angelo did not close her eyes for the entire three days, not solely due to the indomitable fire, but also because several soldiers in Flow Flame City had successively become undead.

Each transformation into the undead was a heavy hammer, striking ruthlessly upon the hearts of the people in Flow Flame City.

For every person who believed in the Holy Light, such spontaneous undeath was a severe blow.

In the hearts of all Laine People, the undead were considered the most hideous and evil of all races, and Laine People, even before reaching adulthood, deemed them as lifelong enemies.

Gareth’s rampage through Laine, the siege on the Imperial Capital by Withered Rose’s undead army—these were familiar "pillars of shame" to every Laine Person.

As children, ninety percent of Laine People fantasized about slaying these undead, erasing Laine’s stain of disgrace and becoming heroes of the Empire.

Yet most of these young people, unable to pass the demanding Paladin training, ended up as mere foot soldiers or entering other professions.

But even after losing their dreams, they never forgot that the undead are Laine’s foes.

And now, they might transform into the undead without any warning.

Many soldiers couldn’t come to terms with this; upon turning undead, they’d trigger Flow Flame City’s defense mechanisms, and they’d be purified by the falling Holy Light.

After several such incidents, Rachel Angelo had no choice but to partially deactivate the Defense Magic Array.

Because there was still hope for those who had turned into the undead.

The first to be cursed, Frodo, had been sent to the Imperial Capital where the power of the Magic Dragon Armament rewound time, and he had already been restored to his human form.

"The Lich spoke the truth. What a pity, I should have been more patient, to at least coax out the full truth of this curse."

Now Rachel Angelo somewhat regretted not having restrained herself when she discovered Amberser fleeing, attacking him with Holy Light. Instead of purifying the Lich’s body, it contributed to Flow Flame City losing half of its ground.

To this day, Rachel Angelo had yet to understand how Amberser could fly so fast or what was used to penetrate the Magic Shield of Flow Flame City.

In fact, Rachel Angelo had suspected the curse was related to her previous use of the Fountain of Youth, as the initially undead-affected soldiers had also ingested the Fountain of Youth, just like Rachel Angelo, and had started to lose their hair.

When Rachel Angelo noticed bald spots appearing on her head, she angrily killed the young noble in her cell, thinking he had deliberately plotted against her.

The Fountain of Youth might have been a carrier of the curse, and anyone who had partaken could become an undead.

This suspicion kept Rachel Angelo up all night, terrified she might suddenly turn into an undead.

However, over the next two days, some of the soldiers who became undead were lowly foot soldiers who had not partaken in the Fountain of Youth. Rachel Angelo didn’t know whether to feel relieved, as this meant she was not more susceptible to the curse than others, but it also meant her guess was wrong; she had not found the source of the curse, nor the pattern of its occurrence.

In the end, Rachel Angelo had only one order to give; as long as they maintained their sanity, any soldier who became an undead would be locked in a specially made cell. When the Emperor of Laine arrived at the frontline, he would be asked to use the power of the Magic Dragon Armament to rescue them.

Knowing there was a chance of salvation, the hearts of the people in Flow Flame City finally settled a bit.

After the fire was put out, Rachel Angelo commanded her people to take inventory of the supplies, only to discover that most of the storerooms had been completely destroyed. The alchemical bombs burned with a terrifying heat, melting even armors into scrap metal, and most other items were heavily damaged or destroyed.

Rachel Angelo felt a pang of distress—these were war supplies prepared in advance, and now they could only request resupply from other cities.

Without even entering battle, Flow Flame City lay in ruins, and Rachel Angelo had an ominous feeling that this war was not as secure as it seemed.

But the arrow was on the string, and they had no choice but to shoot.

It was the Young Emperor who had personally commanded the campaign to annihilate Impure Chant once and for all, transforming the kingdom into Laine’s garden in the rear.

Rachel Angelo understood this command, though it might not be the wisest strategic decision since the Orcs had already broken through the gate, where battle would evidently be easier.

The reason for choosing Impure Chant was that it had not been fought over before, so any victory in this war would be credited to the reigning Emperor of Laine.

The Young Emperor needed a resounding victory to boost his prestige.

Fighting the Orcs was out of the question, for the previous wars were not commanded by him, and any promising results would be seen as reaping where he had not sown.

The Young Emperor sought reforms, aiming to consolidate more power in the Emperor’s hands, rather than in entities such as the Supreme Decree or the Minister of Military Affairs.

In the past, such aspirations were delusions, for how could the Young Emperor, a mere breeding tool barely able to hold a sword, possibly garner prestige?

He couldn’t even change a Supreme Decree because no one was willing to serve at his behest.

But now, things were different, not only because a traitor had emerged from within the Supreme Decree, but also because the emperor could now control the Magic Dragon Armament.

The Young Emperor had previously only heard that the Magic Dragon Armament was a National Guardian Artifact, not to be used lightly, and that only one who could resonate with the Magic Dragon Armament could inherit the throne.

But that thing had always been locked in the basement, its purpose wholly unknown.

It was not until he finally donned the Divine Artifact that the Young Emperor understood why it could be called the National Guardian Artifact.

The power to reverse time, oh, it was akin to that of a Deity.

There was no need to learn any martial arts or swordsmanship, nor to exercise the body.

As long as he wore the Divine Artifact, he possessed the strength of a giant dragon, and invincible defense, and with just a slight flick of his finger, time would progress or reverse at his will.

The Young Emperor believed this was an invincible power, that no one in the world could resist the Magic Dragon Armament. It was time for him to step out from being a mere figurehead and become the true Emperor of Laine.

As long as he could gain enough prestige, he could reclaim all the power of the Empire.

All members of the Laine Royal Family agreed with the Young Emperor’s plan, even if using the Magic Dragon Armament required a cruel price, they were willing to pay it.

Because those royals hidden in the shadows all knew that Laine was starting to falter, the fervent ideology and teachings were drifting further apart, and many within the country were beginning to feel lost. Even the Supreme Decree seemed ambivalent, which certainly had led the Court of Judgment astray.

If this continued, Laine would suffer severe internal consumption, and the Royal Family believed it was time to remind the Laine People of the emperor’s majesty. With the power of the Magic Dragon Armament to unify the continent, all voices of doubt would vanish.

The Impure Chant, a kingdom that had never been bested by Laine, was best suited as the first battle for the Magic Dragon Armament. Winning it would be an undeniable victory, beyond question by anyone.

Rachel Angelo was well aware of the affairs within the Imperial Capital and also disliked the Supreme Decree; that old man was rigid to an extreme, critiquing his methods of massacre more than once. Fortunately, Rachel Angelo was always meticulous, with ample "evidence" to prove the justification of the massacres; otherwise, that old man would have dared to throw him into prison.

Now that the emperor wanted to replace the Supreme Decree, Rachel Angelo was absolutely in favor, and he would rather have the position abolished altogether.

Therefore, Rachel Angelo also hoped that this war would proceed smoothly.

But to encounter so much trouble from the start, Rachel Angelo began to worry. This was a war they could not afford to lose; the consequences of failure were unbearable for anyone.

Rachel Angelo was pondering over how to arrange the reconstruction of Flow Flame City when suddenly, someone reported to him, "General, we have discovered some deserters."

Rachel Angelo frowned and asked, "Deserters? Are they soldiers scared out of their wits by the Undead?"

The subordinate shook his head and said, "No, they are members of the Iron Blood Lion Legion."

Rachel Angelo stood up abruptly, his formidable body radiating a sense of oppression as he angrily demanded, "How could my personal guard have deserters?!"

The Iron Blood Lion Legion was personally raised by Rachel Angelo, composed entirely of Paladins, and was the most elite troop under his command. Several of the squad captains were Paladins of Legendary Rank, his most loyal subordinates.

Rachel Angelo never doubted the loyalty of this unit, nor worried about their morale—these were the veterans who had survived with him through many brutal battles.

After the outbreak of the undead transformation, it was the Iron Blood Lion Legion that calmed down the quickest, maintaining their morale while fighting fires and rescuing people.

How could such a unit have deserters?

The subordinate, with head bowed and full of fear, replied, "It’s Frodo Ors, Lorencos Ors. They left Flow Flame City with a few Paladins, without applying for leave or leaving any record."

"Frodo and Lorencos?"

Rachel Angelo was utterly stunned. Frodo was the child he had sent to the Imperial Capital, saved by the emperor, wasn’t he? And Lorencos, that was Frodo’s father, one of Rachel Angelo’s most capable subordinates, a Legendary Holy Warrior.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

No matter what, Rachel Angelo refused to believe that these two would be deserters; there was no reason at all for this.

There must have been some accident, perhaps related to that curse, or maybe Frodo was undergoing undead transformation again, or even Lorencos had become undead. Discovering they could not control themselves, they chose to leave on their own accord.

It had to be so; they would never desert without just cause!

"Go find them, chase after them immediately, and bring them back! If they have turned into Undead... regardless, bring them back first!"

As Rachel Angelo’s orders were issued, Flow Flame City, already short on manpower, sent out yet another elite team led by a Legendary Paladin, pursuing those "deserters" in the direction they had left.

Rachel Angelo sat in his general’s chair, rubbing his head in agony.

Unbeknownst to him, several of his red hairs fell out, making his head look even more unsightly, just like the current state of Flow Flame City.