This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 380 - 353: The Transformation of the Drow Elf

Chapter 380: Chapter 353: The Transformation of the Drow Elf

Amberser didn’t necessarily want to save the world; instead, the return of the Dragon Race seriously conflicted with his interests.

Currently, Amberser’s most profitable enterprises were sunscreen and the Fountain of Youth: sunscreen, a daily necessity for the low-income populace, and the Fountain of Youth, a high-end luxury item that didn’t exploit the poor.

Both these products were exclusively used by humanoid creatures, especially humans.

It was different for the Dragon Race. Generally, the older a dragon became, the more powerful it was, making the Fountain of Youth practically poison to them. As for sunscreen, which dragon ever needed protection from the sun?

If the Dragon Race were to return en masse and enslave all intelligent species, to whom could Amberser sell his products?

Moreover, the Dragon Race was inherently plunderous; they never produced anything themselves but only pilfered from others.

If such a species were to rule the world, commerce would cease to exist. How then would Amberser conduct business, make money—by looting himself?

Even the most formidable bandit couldn’t make money as quickly as through conducting business, an indisputable fact.

Therefore, everything Amberser had previously stated was true: he truly hoped for the real Laine to govern the continent, where everyone would live in peace and prosperity, allowing Amberser to amass vast wealth.

The ideal scenario, of course, would be for the Dragon Race to continue their barely alive existence overseas, unable to return and solely dependent on Amberser to bring them food and drink while he profited as a middleman.

Unfortunately, even Gareth didn’t know by what means the Astral Red Dragons were managing to negate the effects of their contract, only that it was a lengthy process, measured in years.

Those living Giant Dragons, once so closely bonded with the Bone Dragons, now spurned their old kin at the opportunity to return to the mainland. This betrayed just how deplorable the nature of the Dragon Race was, absolutely incapable of cooperating on equal terms.

After receiving this news, Amberser decided not to head immediately to Dragon Island overseas. The atmosphere there was tense, and Amberser, as an outsider, could easily attract direct attacks from the Dragon Race.

Yet he couldn’t just leave matters unattended, so Amberser asked Gareth to gather intelligence on these Giant Dragons, ensuring no clue related to the breaking of the contract was overlooked.

In reality, Miss Bone Dragon would have been the better choice for gathering this information. Gareth was too blunt for such delicate work, while Miss Bone Dragon possessed potent stealth abilities, making her the most suitable candidate for intelligence gathering.

But for some unknown reason, Miss Bone Dragon remained silent and did not heed Amberser’s suggestion, not even responding to Gareth’s attempts to engage his own wife. Left with no alternative, Amberser could only ask Withered Rose to persuade her good friend.

Although the plan to visit the Dragon Race was on hold, Amberser was far from idle. Taking advantage of the absence of a world war, he intended to secure whatever money he could and repay any debts owed.

Should a world-wide calamity erupt, Amberser could still find a place to bury himself and wait for the dust to settle before emerging again.

Currently, Amberser only owed a debt to the Elven Gods, as the Drow Elves were in need of taming for Katherine to ascend as the new Drow Elf Goddess.

In retrospect, the Elven Gods may have been plotting against the Rose Spider Queen from the very beginning.

Only someone as purely good as Katherine would remain untainted by the Drow Elves’ malice and cruelty. As the Drow Elf Goddess, she could guide these subterranean elves back to the large family of the Elf Tribe.

The reason why Katherine continually received the Elven Gods’ favor and was still blessed by them despite committing outrageous mistakes, all became clear now.

Amberser left his laboratory and moved to another part of the Underground City.

After continuous development, much of this underground metropolis had already been renovated.

The Giant-built structures, originally ill-fitted for the average person’s proportions, had undergone several modifications and were now appropriate for human usage.

The southern district of the city was allocated for Katherine and the Drow Elves. When Amberser arrived, he observed the area transformed into a sea of flowers, with countless glowing blossoms turning it into a veritable galaxy.

It must be acknowledged that while the Elf Tribe has its flaws, their aesthetic sensibility is truly superior to most intelligent beings. These subtle lights, scattered in perfect order, do not compete for attention but serve to enhance the original beauty of the architecture. With this, the house could now sell for a sky-high price.

As Amberser proceeded, he saw numerous Drow Elves busily attending to various tasks, some tending to the flowers, some mending clothes, and others cleaning. There were also quite a few Drow Elves reading books... This scene hardly resembled the cruel and evil Drow of lore, but rather a group of simple folk living a reclusive life.

There was something to it, regardless of whether these Drow Elves were just putting on a façade, Katherine’s efforts seemed to be paying off somewhat.

Upon seeing the appearance of Amberser, the lord of the Underground City, the Drow Elves all bowed respectfully, behaving most obediently.

Amberser arrived in front of a high tower, which was covered with many vines. However, it did not appear dilapidated, as the vines decorated the exterior walls with delicate patterns. At a glance, one could see the full moon emblem of Shahani Moonbow, the Goddess of Moonlight.

It was this Goddess who bestowed upon Katherine the blessing to remain unharmed under moonlight, which allowed Amberser to block the sword of the Silvermoon Knight. Otherwise, his soul would certainly have dissipated by now.

Shahani Moonbow held a rather special status among the pantheon of Elven Gods; she was the daughter of the Elven God-King Corellon. There were rumors that Corellon created the physical bodies of the Elf Tribe, while the Goddess of Moonlight, with her tears, bestowed life upon the Elves.

Later, due to the Rose Spider Queen’s rebellion, Corellon suffered a serious injury from an assassination attempt. Shahani Moonbow combined her divinity with that of two other Goddesses, giving birth to the triune Goddess Angris, who healed Corellon’s wounds and saved the entirety of the Elven Gods.

In return, Angris, the Goddess, became Corellon’s second wife, known as the successor of Arvandor.

To some extent, Shahani Moonbow was both Corellon’s daughter and his wife. The idea might seem inconceivable, but this exemplifies the unique nature of deities as distinct from mortals.

Shahani Moonbow is an independent entity, yet she is also a part of Angris.

Therefore, Shahani Moonbow did not disappear; mystics, seers, prophets, and weavers of Illusion Techniques all like to pray to the Goddess, though it is difficult for those outside the Elf Tribe to receive her response.

While Amberser was still alive, he too tried to worship this Goddess, but she did not take a liking to him. Amberser, resigned to his fate, had no choice but to rely on himself.

As he reflected on the past, Amberser ascended the tower and met with Katherine.

Having not seen her for a long time, the Elf Queen’s appearance had not changed, but her demeanor had.

The Katherine of the past exuded a transparent, naïve quality, and Amberser could easily deceive her, but now he saw a clear-eyed Katherine whose demeanor had matured significantly.

Katherine, looking at Amberser, smiled and said, "It’s been a long time. Have you finally found time to come and visit?"

Amberser replied apologetically, "I have indeed been quite busy until recently. As soon as I was free, I came to repay my debt. It seems you have trained these Drow Elves quite well."

Katherine shook her head and said, "They only appear to be doing well. In the last three days, I’ve faced five assassination attempts, and in the past month, forty Drow Elves have tried to escape."

Katherine took out a thick notebook and handed it to Amberser.

As Amberser flipped through it, he saw detailed records of the behaviors of the Drow Elves. Katherine had seriously documented every detail in adherence to Amberser’s request.

The results were not bad, as Katherine could now accurately determine whether the food brought to her was poisoned and how many particular Drow Elves intended to stab her while she slept.

Yet the more she recorded, the more disappointed Katherine became, as these Drow Elves seemed to truly lack any intent to reform, superficially obedient but always looking for ways to escape.

Amberser thumbed through the records and then said to Katherine, "It’s not without benefit, look at this Drow named Constance. She should be the fruit of your recent efforts."

"Constance?" Katherine remembered the name well and sighed as she said to Amberser, "She’s the one who’s made the most assassination attempts among all the Drow Elves, using more than fifteen different methods to try and kill me. You’re telling me she’s changed?"

Amberser chuckled and said, "You don’t believe it? Call this Constance over, and I’ll prove it to you."