This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 367 - 340 Doing Business with the Unholy

Chapter 367: Chapter 340 Doing Business with the Unholy

The situation between Laine and the Kingdom of Impure Hymns was becoming tenser.

The death of Ironblood General Rachel Angelo had not quelled the war; instead, it had led Laine to deploy even more troops to the border.

Not only that, there were reports that the Emperor himself would take to the field and come to the front lines to bolster the morale of the soldiers.

Without a doubt, Laine had put forth its entire strength, causing considerable anxiety for the Tiflins of the Kingdom of Impure Hymns.

However, the concerns of the upper and lower ranks of Tiflins were different.

The commoners were anxious about whether or not the Gates of Hell could withstand Laine’s invasion, while the nobility were worried about the news brought back by Domino Lauri.

Mr. Misfortune intended to thwart their plans, sending these nobles to Hell.

It sounded like a wild fantasy, but they all knew the contract they had signed. If the Gates of Hell were successfully opened and they managed to hold off Laine’s forces, then the entire kingdom would fall into Hell, and the nobles’ privilege would be not to suffer torment, but to become Devils under the command of the Grand Duke of Hell.

The plan had been exposed, rumors were spreading, and Mr. Misfortune was working against them.

The Diviner Mage was elusive, as Domino Lauri had experienced firsthand, not even having a chance to call for help.

Two whole days had passed, and every time she closed her eyes, she could see that terrifying scene: she felt like an insect trapped in a web, the more she struggled, the more tightly bound she became. She had tried everything, but in the end, even how she fainted remained a mystery.

But evading was no use, time kept passing, and the invasion of the Laine People would not stop.

To make everything proceed according to plan, these Tiflins had to deal with Mr. Misfortune.

Yet, this person was incredibly elusive, impossible to find by any means.

After two days of thinking, Domino Lauri couldn’t come up with any solutions, but then, two days later, a bizarre alchemical artifact was brought before her.

It was a massive Full Body Mirror with a very complex mechanical structure at the back. Domino Lauri too was a recognized Alchemist by Alchemy City, but even after long examination, she couldn’t fully understand the working principle of this mirror.

Now, all eyes in the meeting were on Domino Lauri, as it was she who had informed everyone about Mr. Misfortune’s intel.

Seeing the concerned and clueless eyes of those impure ones, Domino Lauri sighed and had the mirror brought out.

"Ladies and gentlemen, someone delivered this mirror to me yesterday. I do not know who sent it, but the person left a note saying that if we want to resolve our current troubles, we should use this mirror to find him,"

Domino Lauri passed the note to the other impure ones, and after reading it, everyone’s expression turned very ugly.

It was clearly a threat, and they had no means to counter it.

Domino Lauri also knew that they had no choice now but to follow the instruction on the note, activating the mirror.

A moment later, a young man with black hair and black eyes appeared in the mirror.

"Yo, you impure ones, I thought you might take a few more days to consider, but it seems you all are wise and act swiftly,"

Domino Lauri furrowed her brow, feeling somewhat familiar with that face, but couldn’t immediately recall where she had seen it.

With such distinctive features and eye color, she should not have mistaken it, but where had she seen it?

As Domino Lauri pondered, the other impure ones couldn’t hold back any longer.

"Kid, just who are you? Are you in cahoots with that traitor?"

The impure one who spoke was named Sadyo Lus, one of the wealthiest nobles in the Kingdom of Impure Hymns, whose family enjoyed doing business and controlled many of the nation’s key industries, bringing in mountains of Gold Coins daily.

The person in the mirror was naturally Amberser, except now he had taken human form.

Confronted with the Tiflin’s questioning, Amberser replied with a smile, "Asking who I am? My name isn’t important, is it? Just as I have no desire to ask yours because what we’re about to discuss has nothing to do with names. Distinguished guests, do you wish to fall into Hell and be charred by Hellfire?"

As Domino Lauri listened to Amberser’s voice, a sudden realization flashed through her mind, and she addressed Amberser, "Master Tiga Ultraman, is that you? I saw your portrait in Alchemy City once and have read your works."

Amberser chuckled and said, "It is my honor, Master Lauri, and I also sincerely admire your achievements in alchemy. Precisely because of this, at this critical time, I am making a deal with all of you to help you through your difficulties."

Domino Lauri frowned, sensing Amberser’s insincere politeness.

Her so-called reputation was utterly meaningless; this man was simply making up an excuse. This negotiation was likely to be extremely difficult.

"Master Ultraman, first I need to confirm something, are you collaborating with the traitors from the Kingdom of Impure Hymns?" Domino Lauri asked.

Without concealing anything, Amberser replied, "Yes, he is an old friend of mine, and to a certain extent, we were students of the same teacher. So, at the invitation of Mr. Misfortune, I am providing help for his actions."

"Do you realize that by doing this, you are making an enemy of the Kingdom of Impure Hymns?!" Domino Lauri threatened, "We can send out an army of a hundred thousand to hunt you down, no matter where you hide, we will find you!"

Amberser listened calmly to the threat, then said, "I thought your time was precious and there was no need to waste it on such pointless probing. But it seems now that you all are quite relaxed about going to Hell, not in a hurry at all."

Just as Domino Lauri was about to retort, Amberser suddenly spoke loudly, "Your time may be worthless, but that does not mean mine can be wasted. Domino Lauri, let us dispense with these tedious formalities and negotiation processes. I’ll get straight to the point: Mr. Misfortune knows about the contract you signed with the Hell Lords, and he is aware of its entire content.

"Now, he has made a new contract with the Hell Lords: the Kingdom of Impure Hymns will not fall into Hell, but you impure ones will endure thousands of years of severe torture in Hell. The situation now is that you can do nothing but wait to go to Hell and wail in the hellfire for hundreds and thousands of years. And I, I am your only hope."

Domino Lauri countered, "A mere Diviner Mage, in exchange for an entire kingdom? Do Hell Lords not know how to do the math?"

Amberser didn’t bother explaining; he just took out several Memory Crystals and played their content.

Everyone saw the scene of Mr. Misfortune signing the contract; both Zariel and Goddess Tiamat were present, and it did not seem as if one party dominated the other but rather like a truly equal contract.

Amberser displayed part of the contract and pointed to the infernal script saying, "This section here is quite clear: only you impure ones and some of your relatives will fall into Hell, about a hundred thousand in total. Also, Master Lauri, you may not be fully aware of how precious Diviner Mages are. The whole continent might not even have five. As for their usefulness, you’ll know in time, and I assure you it will be unforgettable."

When Amberser brought out these images, all the impure ones were dumbstruck.

They dared not question the authenticity of the images, for they bore the likenesses of the two Hell Lords.

The liveliness of the Divine Idol could attract the attention of a Deity; if the images were forged, the Hell Lords would surely have immediately punished this mortal for his blasphemy.

As for the content of the contract, they did not understand the language of devils and could not judge its truthfulness.

But if Zariel and Goddess Tiamat were the real deal, could the contract be fake? They could summon Zariel to verify it; it seemed unlikely that someone would falsify such a matter without reason.

If all this was true... then weren’t they doomed? Serving the Hell Lords in Hell and suffering punishment in Hell were entirely different matters.

The group of impure ones began to argue fiercely, and Amberser just watched them quarrel in silence.

Some wanted to threaten, some wanted to cooperate, some wanted to negotiate terms, and some remained utterly silent... Not every leader of a nation could remain calm when their very life and death was at stake.

In the end, it was Domino Lauri, the oldest among the impure ones, who forced everyone to calm down before she, representing the entire Council of Injustice, said to Amberser, "Since you’re talking about a deal, you tell me first, what can you offer us? I don’t believe you can make the Hell Lords amend their contract, I also don’t believe you would betray your friend."

Amberser nodded and said, "That’s right, I am but a mere mortal, why would the Hell Lords care about me? Changing the contract is impossible, so it’s certain that you’re going to Hell to be punished."

"Then what deal are you talking about?" Domino Lauri said angrily.

Amberser didn’t explain but instead took out an oddly shaped coin.

With a simple operation on the Magic Mirror, the coin was transported into the conference room through a small Teleportation Circle beside the mirror.

"Take a look at this, I trust those who know their stuff will recognize what it is," he said.

The previously most agitated Sadyo Lus quickly grabbed the coin, then said in surprise, "Soul Currency! This is Soul Currency, the universal currency in Hell!"

Amberser nodded and said, "Correct, it is Soul Currency. Everything in the Mortal World is of little use to devils, but souls are hard currency in Hell. Consider, if each of you could offer a great amount of Soul Currency to the Hell Lords after you descend into Hell, isn’t there a chance you might avoid punishment?"

Sadyo Lus excitedly pounced in front of the Magic Mirror and said energetically to Amberser, "How much do you have? What’s the price?"

Amberser, looking at that face blocking most of the mirror, contorted with craziness, knew he had already made half the profit from this deal.

He said into the Magic Mirror, "I’ve got a million and a half Soul Currency, each coin sealed with the soul of an elite warrior. Calculate how much it costs to train a competent warrior. Even for those with exceptional talent, it takes hundreds to thousands of Gold Coins, doesn’t it? Let’s not bother with the small change. One thousand Gold Coins for each Soul Currency. Oh, and the first two transactions can get a ten percent discount."