This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 424 - 396: As Chaotic as Palace Intrigue

Chapter 424: Chapter 396: As Chaotic as Palace Intrigue

Actually, Hake Stone didn’t need to shout; Amberser had already noticed the towering giant wave.

Just as Aeolus rode the wave about to crash onto the shore, Amberser had already reached midair.

From between his fingers, magic power burst forth, bringing a surging tide of cold, and countless hailstones descended from the sky, freezing the giant wave in midair.

Even the naked man upon the wave was frozen in place, only then did Amberser land and said to Hake Stone, "What’s going on?"

Hake Stone glanced at his newly acquired underling, then said to Amberser, "How should I know what’s going on? I was here watching the stars when this guy suddenly rode the wave over. He must be one of your enemies, right?"

Amberser looked doubtfully at the orc beside him and said questioningly, "Who is this?"

Kalgore Cruman did not recognize Amberser and was now working for someone else, so he honestly looked towards his boss.

Hake Stone explained, "This is the orc I was telling you about. I’ve taken him on as my underling; now he’s a vampire too."

Amberser took another look at the orc, then noticed something off. The orc’s appearance was a bit strange; his nose was too coarse, and his entire face seemed bloated, not quite in proportion with his body.

The ratio of his legs was also odd, with thighs too thick, exceeding the normal range for orcs.

"Which tribe do you belong to? You look like you’re mixed with ogres?"

Kalgore Cruman said surprisingly, "How did you figure it out?"

"So, I guessed right, huh? Many years ago, I saw an ogre-and-orc hybrid from a clan called the Kluman Family; they left quite an impression on me," Amberser said.

"The Kluman Family? You’ve met them?" Kalgore Cruman narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the lich before him.

Amberser sensed his murderous intent and exclaimed in surprise, "Don’t tell me, a descendant of the Kluman Family? You haven’t been wiped out yet?!"

With a roar, Kalgore Cruman raised his twin blades and pounced towards Amberser.

But before he could do much, his body stiffened and collapsed.

It wasn’t Amberser who had acted, but Hake Stone who had taken control of Kalgore Cruman’s body.

The dwarf vampire said angrily, "Idiot! Who told you to move? Did I give an order?!"

After the scolding, Hake Stone then apologetically said to Amberser, "Sorry about that, a little misunderstanding. This orc did indeed come for revenge; I heard there was some bad blood between you two."

Although Hake Stone was quite annoyed with Amberser for constantly tricking him, Kalgore Cruman was merely his slave, whereas Amberser was a comrade from the Elegy Poetry Society; he could still tell friend from foe. Hake Stone would be delighted to find an excuse to trick Amberser once, but actually making a move was another matter entirely.

And he was 90 percent sure he wouldn’t win, leading to his own misfortune.

Of course, Amberser wouldn’t care about such a triviality; he just stared at Kalgore Cruman and said with an astonished tone, "Your family hasn’t died out? I remember not sparing a single one back in the day, aside from the children who hadn’t yet grown up. You’ve managed to survive? The ogre bloodline must be strong."

Hearing this, Kalgore Cruman angrily said, "You’re proud of massacring my family’s ancestors!"

Amberser let out a laugh and said, "Proud, of course. I haven’t done many good deeds in my life, but wiping out your Kluman Family definitely counts as one worth remembering. Don’t you know what kind of business your family was involved in?"

Kalgore Cruman was taken aback; he truly didn’t know.

From his earliest memories, he had been a lowly slave. It was his father who told him verbally of his family’s once glorious past and the despicable nature of their enemies. Barely literate, he still firmly remembered this hatred.

He’d only wanted to gather some information, never expecting to meet his enemy face-to-face.

Now, facing Amberser’s question, Kalgore Cruman looked completely clueless.

Amberser walked over to Kalgore Cruman, grabbed the orc’s neck, and said in an ominously low voice, "Your Kluman Family was in the slave trade. You delighted in cruelly killing people and eating them until nothing but bones remained. I personally witnessed Kluman orcs skinning and eating children alive. You beast, you eat people too, don’t you?!"

That experience was one of the most unforgettable failures of Amberser’s life. At that time, he was still an adventurer, a seasoned mage, and his adventure team was rather famous.

The Kluman Family had deceptively invited them to help with a task, and Amberser happened to be away from the team dealing with other matters. By the time he returned, the task had already been accepted.

Unfortunately, by then, Amberser had begun to reject the powers of divination, so he had no inkling of the impending danger.

In the end, all members of the adventure team fell into a trap, Amberser included.

Amberser’s arm was torn off by that group of lunatics, and he watched his own flesh being devoured. His companions suffered similar fates, their limbs torn, tormented terribly.

However, Amberser was clever enough to pretend he knew of a buried treasure to fool the orcs. In reality, it was an ancient castle occupied by the undead.

After leading the orcs escorting him to their deaths, Amberser quietly returned to the Kluman Family’s slave camp and freed his companions and all the slaves.

That was not enough for Amberser. After healing his arm and assuming a new identity, he infiltrated the orc court, taking on the role of a modest chef.

After spending a lot of time to figure out the situation with the orcs, he set up a trap and lured into it the Count of the Kluman Family, who blundered into the Orc King’s harem.

Then, the entire Kluman Family was hanged, only children no taller than a cartwheel were spared, but they were demoted to slavery.

Amberser had thought that the people of this family had long been dead, or if not, they should have become complete slaves by now.

He really didn’t expect Kalgore Cruman to come looking for him.

This ogre-blood really was formidable, at least tough enough to not be wiped out after being tormented for so many years.

Kalgore Cruman never imagined that his family was like this... involved in the slave trade? In other words, many people like himself were captured as slaves by their ancestors?

In that instant, Kalgore Cruman’s mind became utterly chaotic, as if he had completely lost the ability to think.

Hake Stone said with heartache, "Don’t kill him, I still need him."

Amberser disdainfully threw the orc onto the beach; after all, Hake Stone was a companion of the Elegy Poetry Society and he had to give him that much face.

Amberser turned to Hake Stone and said, "For your sake, I won’t hold it against him. By the way, the Second Creation’s name is left to me, as a favor to me."

"No, hold on, I..."

Hake Stone was stunned. He had wanted to use the orc’s family grudge to scam the Lich for money, so how had it suddenly turned into owing him a favor? Hake Stone could not understand why this Lich always managed to claim the moral high ground every time. He was a Lich, not a Paladin!

Amberser suggested in a negotiating tone, "You think it’s not worth it? Fine, I’ll turn him into a zombie then. This ogre-blood is quite interesting."

"Damn it, take it! Is giving you the Second Creation not enough?!"

This time he really lost until he was spitting blood. If he dared say no, the Lich would indeed turn this orc into a zombie, and then he would truly suffer a big loss. The blood of a vampire’s true body was very precious; once used, it must not go to waste.

The more Hake Stone thought about it, the angrier he became. In a fit of rage, he kicked Kalgore Cruman, causing his nose to bleed profusely. But it seemed the orc was still immersed in the wickedness of his own birthright and showed no response to the pain.

After getting what he wanted, Amberser consoled Hake Stone, "Don’t take it out on him. I have a grudge against him and I don’t mind; you at least are his boss. By the way, what’s with this naked surfer?"

Amberser pointed at the ugly man frozen in a block of ice, only to be startled to find the person atop the waves had disappeared.

In his confusion, an Ice Ray shot from the sea, forcing Amberser to quickly dodge.

The Ice Ray left a patch of white frost on the sand, its power was considerable, having exceeded the Spell’s original potency.

Amberser looked over to see that ugly naked man standing on the surface of the sea, hands conjuring ice.

"He’s not dead?"

Naked and yet surviving a full blast of an ice storm, a normal person would have frozen stiff, but how come he was lively and completely unharmed?

Aeolus didn’t care whether Amberser was surprised or not and pointing at Kalgore Cruman lying on the ground, said, "What exactly is your relationship with this vile and shameless creature?"

Aeolus had come in pursuit of Kalgore Cruman, but the orc’s ability to vanish into shadows was indeed impressive. He searched for a long time in the sea without finding him and had come to this nearest island to try his luck.

Seeing Hake Stone joking around with this orc, he assumed they were in cahoots and immediately came charging over with a huge wave.

After being frozen, he then saw this Skeleton disciplining the orc, and that Vampire kicking the orc’s face until it was bloody.

Although he had been born not long ago, he could still understand that the enemy of one’s enemy could be a friend. Until he figured out everyone’s relationship, Aeolus did not want to make a hasty move. After all, he was here to marry Airel, and what if these people before him were related to Airel?

Even though he had yet to meet his betrothed, Aeolus believed that she must be a renowned beauty of this great sea, otherwise his father Talos would not have personally ordered him to marry this young lady.

Anyway, getting married was now the primary goal, everything else could be put aside for now.

Amberser said with a puzzlment, "You have a grudge against this orc?"

Aeolus said angrily, "All I did was ask for directions, and he cut off my head!"

Listening to Aeolus’s story, Amberser thought to himself that everything was as messed up as a palace drama.

"You can live after losing your head?" Amberser said, surprised.

This naked man was a bit unusual. The frost effect he just suffered was so strong, that even if he didn’t die, he should have physically shed a layer of skin, yet he seemed perfectly fine? Plus, he said his head had been cut off, how did he survive that?

Aeolus proudly said, "That’s a power beyond your mortal comprehension. As long as the waves of this sea persist, I will never die."

Amberser: ...

Did this person just accidentally reveal an incredible secret?