This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 400 - 372: The Concept God Known as Death

Chapter 400: Chapter 372: The Concept God Known as Death

Sevres did not understand Amberser; his impression of the Lich was limited to a few titles: Diviner Mage, Lich, member of the Elegy Poetry Society, and it seemed he was an Alchemist as well.

In his outdated mind, Amberser was just a minor character who dabbled in a little bit of everything.

As for the banishment from the Kingdom of Impure Hymns, what Sevres had heard was that the principal had sacrificed themselves and Amberser was just a middleman spouting clever words in front of the Grand Duke of Hell.

The Lich had been so short on money that he took in his own son-in-law, charging him rent to get by.

With such a state of affairs, Sevres wondered if the society’s president had been confused in their sleep, allowing such a Lich to join the Elegy Poetry Society.

If it weren’t for the name of the Elegy Poetry Society, Sevres really wouldn’t have thought much of this Lich.

Therefore, when he heard Amberser saying he would find a perfect solution, Sevres’s first reaction was, "You, of all people?"

But sadly, the Dragon Race was no longer what it used to be; they couldn’t afford to offend powerful organizations like the Elegy Poetry Society. Moreover, since they were there to avenge his daughter, it made sense both emotionally and logically not to turn friends into enemies.

Sevres sighed deeply, his massive body transforming into an old man in a white robe, and he said to Amberser, "Then please follow me, and I will tell you everything."

At that moment, Sevres did not yet realize whom he was bringing into the Dragon Tomb.

Gareth, carrying his father-in-law, secretly gave Amberser a thumbs up.

This brother was truly formidable, able to fabricate such a lie as taking revenge for Auntie Pale Bone, creating an irrefutable excuse that even that stubborn old Sevres had to accept.

Amberser gave Gareth a smile and followed the swiftly walking old man along with Aige and Melina.

From the shore to the true Dragon Tomb, they walked a full twenty kilometers.

No wonder Sevres walked so fast; otherwise, they would have been walking until dark.

It wasn’t because the island was particularly vast, but rather the Isle of Slumber was layered with intricate space mazes. One step forward required three steps back, sometimes flying up only to dive down again. They had to follow Sevres inward, or else they would get lost in this spatial labyrinth.

After a long walk, Melina couldn’t help but use their soul connection to ask Amberser, "Father, do the Dragon Race have this much trouble getting home too?"

"Silly child, it’s this old dragon showing off to us. This journey is not just a space maze; there are also many powerful Magic Traps. This is to tell us that the Dragon Race is not to be trifled with, hoping to dissuade us from causing trouble."

Melina, puzzled, said, "With such a hassle, why not just tell us plainly? Considering the respect we have for Uncle Gareth and Auntie Pale Bone, we wouldn’t dream of fighting him."

"Because he’s not just trying to protect himself; this old fellow is still thinking about other members of the Dragon Race. He wants to tell us not to lightly provoke other Dragons. It’s quite interesting, aren’t Dragons mostly selfish by nature? Why does this old man care so much about other Giant Dragons, even to the extent of protecting them after death?"

Giant Dragons are solitary creatures; during their rule, there was one dragon per city, with little affection between them unless they were blood relatives. What could have happened for Sevres to display such behavior? Could it be related to the contracts of old?

Amberser grew more curious.

However, it was good that he cared for his kin; the worst-case scenario would be for this old dragon to lock up the Dragon Tomb and sleep, disregarding everything else. As long as he wanted to be involved, that meant he exposed his vulnerability.

Amberser was contemplating his thoughts when he casually picked a Dragonbone Vine he saw along the way—it was Alchemical material worth thousands of Gold Coins a piece, a steal not to take. This was already the fifteenth piece of valuable magical material Amberser found on the way, including mushrooms that looked like Dragon Eggs, broken Dragon Teeth, and so on.

Suddenly, Sevres stopped, turned around and said to Amberser, "Don’t you have any sense of decorum as a guest? Taking one or two Dragonbone Vines is one thing, but stuffing everything you see into your pockets, aren’t you going a bit too far?!"

Amberser looked surprised and said to Sevres, "Ah? This is the Dragon Tomb already? My apologies, Lord Sevres, we’ve been walking for half a day, and I thought we were still on the road. Sorry, sorry, I thought these were just random things growing on the roadside, so I just casually picked up what you didn’t want—the trash. I didn’t realize these were from your home."

While he was apologizing, Amberser did not show the slightest intention of returning the items.

Sevres’s face turned black with anger from Amberser’s audacity; he had intended to lead them around a few more circles to show them the vast Magic Array of the Dragon Tomb, but he didn’t expect Amberser to protest in this manner.

Although these items were nothing compared to the entire Dragon Tomb, Sevres knew he couldn’t detour any longer, as this fellow really might "collect" his way through incessantly.

This Lich was truly cunning!

Sevres waved his hand, opening a passage; the twisted, illusionary space instantly became clear and straightforward.

This time, Amberser finally got a clear view of the Dragon Tomb.

This was simply... simply a chaotic graveyard!

Countless bones of Giant Dragons covered the visible ground, immense Dark Magic Power floated in the air, and without anyone’s control, this place had naturally become a terrifying burial ground where the living are warned not to tread.

The Dark Magic Power, born from death, seemed to have its own life. Amberser tried to sense and control it, only to find that this Dark Magic Power actively eluded his perception.

It was Dark Magic Power, yet Amberser could not control it, not even draw out a sliver of it.

It wasn’t just Amberser; Aige and Melina also felt this, both acting somewhat unnaturally.

This feeling was too strange, it was like a feast laid out in front of you, but whenever you wanted to eat, your host would take off running with long strides. This bizarre sensation even the Undead could not adapt to.

Amberser remarked, "How interesting, there seems to be something more to the Dark Magic Power within the Dragon Tomb, something outsiders can’t make use of, right?"

Sevres chuckled and said to Amberser, "Of course, our Dragon Race has some tricks of its own. How else could we survive in these cruel seas?"

Amberser asked, "You don’t mind if I have a look around, do you?"

Sevres casually replied, "Go ahead, but if you intend to unravel the secrets of the Dragon Tomb, I’d advise you to save your strength. This is not knowledge that mortals can comprehend."

Upon hearing this, Amberser was slightly taken aback.

Not knowledge that mortals can comprehend?

The Soul Fire trembled, and Amberser once again released his perception, attempting to capture the elusive Dark Magic Power.

This time, Amberser was successful.

His perception smoothly enveloped a strand of Dark Magic Power, and under his control, it merged into the palm of his hand, turning into a layer of glowing green light.

"Dark Erosion Spirit Light?!"

Now it was Sevres’ turn to have his eyes widen in surprise! He could sense the spellcasting process of Amberser. This Lich actually managed to control the Dark Magic Power inside the Dragon Tomb? This was...

"A brilliant design!" exclaimed Amberser. "You extract geothermal energy to maintain the operation of the Magic Array, and the death of the giant dragons is but a catalyst... You’ve gathered the death of countless beings from the sea here, directly drawing power from the concept of death itself? That’s quite daring of you. Aren’t you afraid of upsetting deities associated with death?"

Sevres said to Amberser, stunned, "How did you figure that out? This isn’t knowledge that mortals should be able to master!"

"Heh, I’m quite familiar with a number of deities."

Amberser smiled, which really was a stroke of fortune. If not for Laila sharing knowledge of deities with him, he wouldn’t actually have been able to discern the reality of the Dragon Tomb.

If one had to describe it, this Dragon Tomb was like a very weak "Concept God," probably not even amounting to Weak Divine Power, and it lacked its own consciousness. But a Concept God is still a Concept God, able to draw power from the concept of death.

To be more specific, it’s like the Magic Array in Alchemy City that allowed Garey Woz to transform into a deity-like state, capable of casting the Wishing Spell countless times.

This Dragon Tomb was a successful example, only they had erased any potential "divine will," treating the Dragon Tomb as a tool to continuously provide Dark Magic Power with an added ingredient.

"However, I am curious, what do you plan to do by daringly drawing upon divine power?" asked Amberser.

Plucking at a deity’s faith was enough to incur their wrath, akin to slapping a deity in the face. Drawing power directly from the concept of death? That was akin to defecating on the head of a deity.

The concept of death... Which deity currently holds sway over death?

Suddenly, Amberser realized he could not quite remember - the Master of Bones Mierke? The God of Murder Baal? The Prince of Lies Hircine? Or was it... Several deity names floated in Amberser’s mind, but for the moment he couldn’t recall who held the significant Deity Position of death.

It had been too long since Amberser last reviewed information about deities, so his memory might be a little mixed up.

It didn’t matter. The important question was, what did this group of Bone Dragons want to do?

You slap a deity, at worst they spit back at you since Aeo is watching. But defecate on their head, and Aeo will turn a blind eye, allowing the deity to retaliate freely.

It was like someone trying to seize control over the concept of alchemy—a scenario which would see Amberser’s teacher use Alchemical Bombs without hesitation to turn all participants to ash.

That was precisely why the "deity" created by Alchemy City had nothing to do with the concept of alchemy, or the plan would never have been viable in the first place.

The question now wasn’t how the Dragon Race achieved it, but rather what exactly were they attempting to pull off. Why hadn’t the deity of death punished them already?

Sevres had changed his attitude, no longer underestimating this Lich.

There were no fools among the members of the Elegy Poetry Society. It was simply that he himself, having been dead for so long, had begun to suffer decay in his way of thinking.

In that instant, Sevres even considered silencing him permanently.

But how to silence a Lich, and besides, if he took action against him, his son-in-law might not support him, while if Gareth intervened to stop Sevres, even harnessing the full power of the Dragon Tomb might not be enough to kill Amberser, not to mention the master of the Silent Night Sea and that mysterious Undead girl.

Since silencing him was not an option, the only thing Sevres could do was say to Amberser, "I shouldn’t have brought you here. But now that I think about it, it must be destiny’s plan. We have much to discuss now - the ancient contracts signed by the Dragon Race, the choices brought by the Githyanki, and the secrets of the Dragon Tomb. Which one would you like to talk about first?"

Amberser responded, "Let’s deal with business first. Tell me about the content of that ancient contract."

Sevres replied, "The content of the contract is simple. All living members of the Dragon Race must stay away from the mainland, and they must not return within their lifetimes or they would weaken and die. As for breaking the contract, that too is simple: it requires forgiveness from all kingdoms on the mainland."