This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 454 - 426: Beginning Preparations for Battle

Chapter 454: Chapter 426: Beginning Preparations for Battle

"What, you want me to go to war?"

Katherine, within the Magic Mirror, had just listened to Amberser’s request and immediately shook her head in refusal.

This Lich had actually asked her to fight in a naval battle. Katherine hadn’t even seen the sea enough times to count on one hand, and after being baptized by the previous wars, she knew she had no talent for leading troops. Her teachers had indulged her, making Katherine believe she was a competent commander.

In reality, she was just a beginner, her hands would get busy and feet in a jumble once she commanded more than a thousand soldiers.

"No choice, although you’re a rookie, I haven’t even stepped through the threshold."

Amberser was also helpless, he wouldn’t have asked Katherine to take the lead if there had been any other choice.

Inside the Elegy Poetry Society, really no one was suited for the task. Even Gareth, this tough guy, had never learned about leading troops; in his lifetime, he had been a simple soldier who charged forward at command, which was why he had been tricked and beheaded.

Now that he was headless, it was even more impossible for him to lead troops.

The remaining powerhouses, including Aige, not one of them had systematically learned how to lead troops.

To say nothing of commanding an army, they probably couldn’t even understand the terminology in a battle plan.

The only one who had some knowledge was Withered Rose. In her education while alive, there was a basic component about this, but Withered Rose couldn’t possibly make commanders from the three countries listen to her, she couldn’t command these proud and fierce soldiers.

Then Katherine suddenly said to Amberser, "No, that’s not right, you have Arthur Laine at your disposal. Who is better suited to be a commander than this Holy King? Arthur Laine was the most outstanding commander during the war to overthrow the tyrant; not only is he powerful in his own right, he’s also quite the tactician, and with his prestige..."

Amberser shook his head and said, "No use thinking about it, Arthur won’t help with this. You tell him to overthrow tyranny, and he’ll charge to the front without a frown, but this war is a struggle for survival among various races, and Arthur is not interested in this kind of war. Even if I forced him into it, the outcome wouldn’t be good.

"Moreover, I don’t wish for him to fully expose his identity right now. If he were to disguise himself, it would take a very long time for Arthur to get those commanders to obey."

The card of Arthur Laine was indeed powerful, but its limitations were also significant. Amberser didn’t want to waste it unless it was a critical moment.

Seeing no way out, Katherine reluctantly agreed to take on the task.

Amberser threw out the issue with the Drow Elf sailing route which left Katherine no choice but to accept.

"I need to start making up for missed lessons now." Katherine left these words behind and then rushed off to read books, closing the communication.

Amberser wasn’t worried either, Katherine didn’t need much ability. Her main use was to sit there during meetings, and when people argued to the point of being unbearable, Katherine could calm everyone down with a smile.

This move was invincible, as Amberser had a profound experience. Except for chaotic evil demons, no one could resist, even the Undead would be moved after looking for too long.

Having dealt with this issue, Amberser then discussed with Aige, "Now, it’s time to address the issue of troops. How many members does the Silent Night Pirate Group have? How many are Legendary?"

Though Amberser had acted with the Silent Night Pirates before, he truly didn’t know the specifics of their numbers or their force composition.

Aige trusted Amberser completely and wouldn’t hide anything, confessing frankly, "I’m not sure of the exact numbers, but we have a total of twelve Ghost Ships, most of which are recent conversions and comparatively weak in strength. The truly powerful Ghost Ships are only three, aside from my physical body, there’s only Phil’s Iron Spear and Andil’s Parrot. Both of these are Legendary, you’ve seen Phil already, and Andil is a Specter."

"Besides the Ghost Ships, the total number of Undead on all ships doesn’t exceed three thousand. However, this number is fluctuating, with members vanishing and new ones joining all the time. Mainly composed of Specters, Zombies, and Skeletons..."

Aige carefully narrated the details of the Pirate Gang to Amberser, and the more Amberser heard, the more troublesome he felt it was.

Aige was a Demigod on the threshold of divinity, her strength need not be worried about. Amberser had seen Phil, a good fighter, but Legends who liked to charge into battles often died the quickest.

He had already met Andil once, who seemed to be a silent and reticent Specter, quite the opposite of Phil.

The top-tier firepower wasn’t the issue, the real problem was the number of rank-and-file soldiers being too few.

Three thousand Undead in this tens of thousands of square kilometers of ocean, what good would they be?

This wasn’t a pirate game, they couldn’t employ guerrilla tactics. They needed to capture a vast amount of territory and hold it firmly.

If their numbers were too few, even if the enemies fled, Aige would not be able to cover much ground.

Aige said helplessly, "I used to think we had too many hands, the Pirate Gang didn’t need that many members. I never thought that one day I’d need to occupy such a vast ocean region, now I’m short by several tens of times."

Amberser consoled, "Don’t worry, we have enough time. Besides, we’re Undead, aren’t we? Afraid of lacking cannon fodder?"

"Are you planning to produce Undead Troops on a large scale? The consumption might be very huge," Aige asked.

Summoning skeletons, such a necromancy spell, is something all high-order undead are familiar with. It seems quite common, but it’s not so easy to cast.

To summon three or five skeletons, a snap of the fingers will do. Thirty to fifty, that takes a bit more effort. Three to five hundred, that often requires the assistance of a magic array.

But five thousand, fifty thousand?

Such numbers can usually only be accumulated over time and are almost impossible to achieve in a short span, after all, magic power is finite.

And now, they needed at least a hundred thousand ordinary undead just to barely qualify for waging war. And if they truly wanted to conquer the Volcanic Ocean Region, they wouldn’t consider it without millions of undead.

This isn’t land, there are no formidable mountains or impasses to say "this way is blocked".

The omnipresent seawater is the passageway; it’s impossible to draw a defensive line in the sea like on land to block the enemy. The ocean has its own unique environment, requiring corresponding tactics. Therefore, the number of undead is far from sufficient.

Yet Amberser said confidently, "Of course I’m aware of the various limitations of mass summoning undead, but we don’t have to summon so many skeletons. Senior Aige, I’ve published a paper before on various forms of alien skeletons, and the biggest feature of these alien skeletons is that they are economical."

Amberser’s tone carried a bit more pride; this was his painstaking masterpiece, and no other undead knew better than he how to conserve materials and mana.

Aige had not yet seen Amberser’s various "creations", having only seen his silver-white mecha. He mistook them for alchemical golems and could not help but feel pained for him; that would cost a fortune.

Aige had already decided that if he truly became a deity, he must find a way to repay him.

"Alright, everyone get to work, Senior Aige, your Silent Night Pirate Group is our most critical trump card. I suggest you properly integrate this pirate group, at least ascertain the full strength of everyone before the war starts. As for me, I shall be excused for a while, to deal with those expendable undead."

After delivering these words, Amberser dove headlong into his private space.

Adjusting the flow of time, a day on the outside equated to a year inside, Amberser then began his busy work.

Before mass-producing undead, he first needed to create design drafts.

Fortunately, Amberser had already pondered over this problem before setting sail and had several plans then.

Amberser piled a bunch of parchment on the table and began to scrutinize each design carefully.

The drawings on these parchments all depicted "undead" in various marine life forms made up of assorted bones, some resembling fish, others like mechanical monsters.

Having the means to create pseudo-souls, Amberser could freely modify the undead’s shape, crafting the adapted soul with his bare hands.

Others couldn’t do that; why are most skeletons bipedal and humanoid? Because living souls are suited to such bodies, and though modification wasn’t impossible, it required a significant investment of time.

Stroking his chin, Amberser mused to himself, "Not only must the cost be low, but also the time it takes... That means specialization rather than being all-around."

Amberser picked out three parchments from the pile of documents and buried himself in them, tweaking the designs continuously with a feather pen.

Time always flies when one is deeply engrossed in work.

Amberser spent nearly three months in his private space to finalize the designs for the three undead troop types.

"It’s time to test."

Amberser summoned more than a dozen mage hands that kept passing various materials to him. In just a minute, a roughly carved wooden fish appeared before him.

It looked like a crudely made child’s toy, but the swaying tail conveyed the piece’s unique "life force".

Amberser tossed this crafted wooden fish into a pool then added a live fish.

At first, the live fish and the wooden fish coexisted peacefully in the pool. At a glance, one might just think the wooden fish was uglier, nothing more.

But after Amberser snapped his fingers, the wooden fish turned its head and swam towards the position of the live fish.

Initially, it moved slowly, but as Amberser commanded again, two torrents of air surged from the body of the wooden fish, propelling it forward at high speed.

After a thud, the wooden fish directly pierced through the body of the live fish, creating large cracks in the edge of the pool.

Amberser hurriedly froze time, then picked up the wooden fish to inspect it closely.

Clearly, the wood couldn’t withstand such a powerful impact; it was mostly shattered, exposing the intricate magic array structures within.