This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 410 - 382: Grudge of Ten Lifetimes

Chapter 410: Chapter 382: Grudge of Ten Lifetimes

Where Holy Light shrouds, darkness also lies.

In a small border town of Laine, an emaciated beastman in tattered clothes was bound within the dungeon.

Normally, the Laine people do not permit harsh interrogations, but this was an orc, and in the Laine Empire, orcs were not considered human; all the laws were established on the premise of human supremacy.

Furthermore, Laine had fought numerous battles with the orcs, making this orc’s sudden appearance in the desert highly suspicious.

Even though he was skin and bones, nearly a mummified corpse under the sun by the time he was found, he was still sent into the depths of the dungeon.

It was essential to find out where this orc came from and what he intended to do in the desert.

If valuable intelligence could be wrung from him, it would be a significant achievement.

The newly-subdued Laine people in the desert all had an urgent desire to distinguish themselves.

Most of the population in these cities that had just joined Laine were locals of the desert. In accordance with Laine’s traditions, they should have been subject to intensified education to assimilate them into Laine society posthaste.

But recent problems in Laine were aplenty, and the Supreme Decree responsible for the indoctrination of the masses had just changed hands.

The newly appointed Supreme Decree abandoned the previous lenient approach and started using extreme methods to propagate the teachings of the Lord of the Dawn, resulting in the desert people becoming quite familiar with the prayers; however, they could only recite them by rote, with little heartfelt conviction.

But the authorities were in a rush for results. Simple rote learning wouldn’t suffice; hence, another wave of minor "surveillance" operations was instigated. Anyone who doubted another’s piety could report them to the Court of Judgment, and naturally, a Light Priest would come to investigate whether one was a heretic or harbored rebellious thoughts.

And the outcomes were often genuine; the time had been too short. Many simply paid lip service without possibly transforming into fanatics overnight.

After a few such incidents, the cities were thrown into disarray, showing signs of instability.

Moreover, following Laine’s significant defeat, many desert people even entertained thoughts of reverting to Dwarven rule.

Uprisings erupted but were swiftly suppressed by Laine.

The Paladin Legion might not be able to fight the Githyanki, but could they not handle you rebels?

As a result, the rebels were purged, thoroughly suppressed. This ushered in an era of heightened mutual distrust; now everyone was eager to prove their loyalty, to clear any suspicions about themselves first.

The orc made for an excellent target. Just torture him a bit, make him confess to being a planted spy, and then present him to claim a reward.

From these minor soldiers to the higher-ups, everyone could partake of the credit. They didn’t dare hope for a reward, but at least they could sleep in peace for a few days without fearing a report to the Court of Judgment.

After capturing the orc and whipping him a few times, they hesitated to continue. The orc looked so frail that they feared accidentally killing him, which would halve their reward.

One of the jailers said to his companion, "This orc is nearly out of breath. Should we give him some water first?"

"Fine, I’ll get him some water. You search his belongings to see if there’s any intelligence."

A jailer went over, poured two mouthfuls of water into the dried-out orc, and what had seemed a breathless beastman finally recovered a bit, uttering weakly, "Meat, I want meat."

But just as he finished speaking, his face was met with a slap, and the jailer shouted, "You want meat? Even I can’t afford to eat meat every day! You’re a prisoner and you want meat? You won’t even get moldy bread!"

Slap after slap reddened half of the orc’s face, but he did not cry out in pain. Instead, he simply lowered his eyes, as if he dared not meet the jailer’s gaze.

The jailer, his hand throbbing with pain, went over to his companion and asked, "How’s it going? Find anything good?"

"Nothing at all, just an empty water skin and not a copper coin to be found, only this."

A book meticulously wrapped in oiled paper was unearthed, a thick tome that looked to be an ancient volume.

"This book title... ’Diviner Mage for Beginners’? I seem to have heard of a Diviner Mage, is it a book about magic?"

The two jailers opened the tome only to discover they could recognize half of the characters when separated but could make no sense of them combined; not to mention the complex symbols on the pages that made their heads spin just glancing at them.

The usually silent orc suddenly spoke upon seeing the book, "Put down that book; it is a treasured heirloom of my family."

"A family heirloom? Can your orcish brains understand the contents of this book? You’re as dumb as pigs."

"I’ve got it; it must be stolen. You thought you’d escape after stealing something and then collapsed in the desert from dehydration, that’s definitely it."

With each echoing the other, the two jailers sentenced the orc as an assured contribution to their record. Due to their carelessness, they did not notice that the ropes on the orc’s body had loosened.

The orc’s body seemed to shrink suddenly, allowing him to easily slip off the nooses on his hands and feet; it was all a charade of restraint.

Ignoring warnings, the two jailers continued to browse the ancient book.

Rip—a faint sound. A yellowed page of the book tore, quickly spanning half the page.

The two jailers felt embarrassed; they had carelessly damaged the evidence, which could result in a scolding. But they could pin it on the orc... While this thought was brewing, the jailers suddenly perceived the light dimming.

The candles that were illuminating the dungeon abruptly extinguished. When one jailer relit the candles, he couldn’t help but let out a shrill scream.

In the glow of the firelight, his comrade had already been decapitated, and the half-dead orc that had just been there was now crouched over his comrade’s neck, gnawing voraciously.

This orc was consuming human flesh.

The jailer, whose legs had turned to jelly, tried to scramble away, only to find himself sinking into the ground as if into quicksand, consistently being drawn downward.

On closer inspection, he was sinking into his own shadow until only his head remained above ground.

And so, he watched as the orc ate away most of his comrade, leaving nothing but a bloody skeleton.

With a satisfied burp, the orc’s previously withered body filled out again, perfect streamlined muscles taking shape. If he had looked like this from the start, they would have shackled him immediately, instead of just using rope.

But now it was too late for regrets as the blood-mouthed orc approached the jailer and asked, "You said just now, you’ve heard this name?"

"Name? What name? Please, don’t kill me, I can take you out of here!" the jailer’s will to survive exploded; he was willing to do anything now.

The orc shook its head and said, "I don’t want to leave, I am looking for the author of this book, the King of Alden, you know this name, right? You said you’ve heard the name of the Diviner Mage."

"If I tell you, can I live?" asked the jailer.

The orc sneered, reached out, tore off his ear, and began to chew on it.

The jailer screamed in pain, hoping to attract attention from outside. But for some reason, the cry seemed trapped within the cell and didn’t carry the slightest bit.

"Talk, or else I’ll eat you, and I promise you’ll be alive to see your own heart!" the orc threatened.

The jailer finally broke down and hastily explained, "The Diviner Mage I was talking about, he banished the entire Kingdom of Impure Hymns, not the one from the book!"

The orc reached out and grabbed his other ear, asking, "What is his name then?"

The jailer quickly said, "Seems like it was something like Ultraman, he’s a Lich, and on our Laine’s most-wanted list, the number one Undead!"

"That’s it? Do you know where he is?"

"I don’t know, but certainly not here. Oh right, out to sea, he must have gone to sea! After he banished the Kingdom of Impure Hymns, it turned into an ocean, he definitely has some purpose. If you’re too late, you won’t find him. I can help you leave with the utmost speed without any trouble, I promise..."

But before the jailer could finish, the orc twisted his neck and casually tore off his other ear and stuffed it into his mouth.

After finishing the ear, the orc carefully wiped his hands clean, then secured the ancient book.

He wasn’t lying; the ancient book was indeed passed down from his ancestors. Only, it was not a treasure but rather a reminder for the descendants to never forget their deep-seated hatred and vengeance.

Many years ago, his family was prominent in the Orc Empire, a well-known noble lineage.

However, they met the author of this book, the man who claimed to be a Diviner Mage. Not only did they get swindled out of all their wealth by him, but they also got ensnared in a trap that sparked a conflict with the Royal Family.

The result was that all the adult males in the family were beheaded, the females were made into military prostitutes, and the children were demoted to slaves.

Years later, their family lineage was almost extinguished, nearly ten generations had passed, and now there was only this young orc remaining.

Originally, he was still a slave until the Laines invaded; he was used as cannon fodder, charging at the front, but somehow managed to decapitate several Laine Paladins. This feat earned him the return to civilian status and restored his original name—Kalgore Cruman.

The name meant a strong and resilient warrior, and Kalgore Cruman never brought shame to it.

On the day the slave brand was cleansed, Kalgore Cruman fled. As a former slave, he had no love for the Orc Kingdom, and once the slave brand was removed, he was no longer constrained in his movements.

Taking the book with him, the last remaining artifact of his family, Kalgore Cruman began his revenge journey without a clue in the world.

After gaining his freedom, Kalgore Cruman was intent on seeking out this "King of Alden." If he couldn’t find him, he would find his descendants and wash away the disgrace of the past with blood.

Not knowing where to find him, Kalgore Cruman chose to wander and investigate as he went.

As a legend that quietly rose, nobody knew what his capability was, and Kalgore Cruman couldn’t define his powers either, knowing only that he could control shadows.

He could turn shadows into his weapon and even part of his body, which allowed him to pass effortlessly through forests and mountains.

It also enabled him to move undetected within the territories of Laine, invisible to the common folk.

But upon reaching the desert, Kalgore Cruman was at a loss.

In his first trip abroad, his first sight of a desert, he never imagined he would trek for days without encountering a water source.

The color of gold dazzled his eyes, his body growing weaker and weaker. If not for his familiarity with hunger and thirst from his days as a slave, he would have likely perished in the desert.

These two Laine people had the misfortune of bringing him back, thinking they had found a bargain, but they had inadvertently picked up a demon.

Kalgore Cruman secured the ancient book and muttered to himself, "The sea, huh? I’ve never seen it; well, time to take a look."

Kalgore Cruman’s body slowly merged into the shadows and then vanished completely.