This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 460 - 432: An Even Greater Empire

Chapter 460: Chapter 432: An Even Greater Empire

Ange Watson opened his eyes and climbed out of bed.

He rubbed his temples, feeling somewhat fatigued. Although connected dream realms also counted as sleep and thinking required much less energy than when awake, the continuous high-intensity military exercises took their toll.

It was like a prolonged dream that significantly affected Ange Watson’s normal rest.

However, as a Paladin, he could hold on, he just needed to extend his afternoon nap a bit.

Just after he got up from the bed, a concerned voice came from beside him, "Ange, are you alright?"

Ange Watson quickly got up from the bed and knelt before the person, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am just a little tired."

The one who had been waiting by Ange Watson’s side was none other than the current Emperor of Laine, Price Lein.

Now, not by his brothers’ sides, Ange Watson could enter the connected dream realm regardless of distance; however, he was not in the Imperial Capital but in the small frontier town he originally belonged to.

Previously, Ange Watson’s communication with his brothers was through the Magic Mirror given to him by Allen, with whom he had a heartfelt talk initiated by the elder brother, who was then "persuaded" by Allen.

Ange Watson expressed his mental support for their actions and was willing to provide help at critical moments.

Allen happily gave him a Magic Mirror to facilitate communication at any time.

But after receiving the Magic Mirror, Ange Watson secretly reported to the Imperial Capital, becoming a confidant of the Emperor.

The subsequent connected dream realm military exercises and all of Amberser’s movements were crystal clear to the Emperor, yet it was the first time he secretly came to Ange Watson’s side from afar.

Unfortunately, the Emperor arrived just when Ange Watson was about to enter the dream.

The Young Emperor politely allowed Ange Watson to complete the scheduled military exercise first, not to alert the Lich, and patiently waited by the side of Ange Watson’s bed for him to wake up.

Price Lein looked at Ange Watson kneeling on the ground and slowly said, "There’s no need for these tiresome formalities. I didn’t come here to display the might of an Emperor but to discuss certain matters face to face."

Ange Watson slowly stood up, still very respectful.

"I am ready to listen to Your Majesty’s orders at any time."

Price Lein gestured for him to sit down and then kindly said, "There really is no need for that, Ange. You told me about the Magic Mirror, and I knew of your loyalty to the Empire. Although the Empire is in great peril, what we need are not these complicated and useless formalities but loyal and capable individuals like you.

"Today, I am here to confirm a few things with you. Is that Lich truly planning to take control of this sea domain to help his undead friends ascend to deity?"

Ange Watson nodded and said, "Your Majesty, that Lich did indeed say so, and he has never hidden his goal from the start."

Price Lein pondered and asked, "But this doesn’t fit the Lich’s usual way of doing things. For such a significant matter, isn’t he afraid of the news leaking out?"

By now, everyone had heard the name of the Lich, and many started delving deeply into Amberser’s past due to the shock of his audacious acts.

The Laine Empire was no exception, as Amberser was at the top of their wanted list of the Undead.

As the investigation began, many details of Amberser’s past were uncovered, even though he had used many aliases, but traces were still found.

The Young Emperor had now confirmed several aliases Amberser had used in the past, with each of these names carrying a notorious reputation. This Lich had a habit of not changing his alias until he had used it to the fullest.

From these past events, one could see that this Lich had always been cautious and possessed a strong sense of impending danger.

Would someone with such a character tell everyone about such a significant plan?

It was one thing for the Impure Chant to be exiled, but why would the Laine People and Elves help him keep a secret?

Meaning, the Lich had no intention of hiding the plan after revealing it and did not even care if others spread the word.

Price Laine pondered and said, "If he’s just overly confident, believing that the plan will definitely succeed, that’s one thing, but if he’s deliberately spreading this information, then I’m afraid there might be a problem."

Ange Watson nodded and said, "Feigning weakness to the enemy, or estimating that the Central Army has been exposed, to attract the enemy’s attack, this tactic is also commonly used in warfare. However, based on the military exercises of these past few days, I have not discovered what his real plan is. I apologize, Your Majesty, for my incompetence and for being unable to relieve you of your worries."

Price Laine waved his hand and said, "What does that matter? If it weren’t for you informing me about the Magic Mirror, I wouldn’t have known the extent of that Lich’s abilities. On the contrary, I am quite concerned about you, as both your brother and father are intelligent men, and it might not be long before they uncover your actions. If they discover you’ve been reporting to us, Ange, have you considered the consequences? Are you prepared to face their wrath?"

But Ange Watson said confidently, "Rest assured, Your Majesty, I have been prepared for this for a long time, and the information I’ve been reporting has been with their consent."

Price Laine was momentarily stunned, but he quickly understood and said to Ange Watson, "Are you acting as a double agent?"

Ange Watson hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, the Holy Light can attest to my loyalty—I am certainly not a double agent. I only lied to Allen, telling him that I intended to infiltrate the Imperial Capital as an undercover operative. Therefore, Allen is aware of the information that I have reported, but neither he nor my father know the details of what I’ve said or left out."

"How much have you withheld from me then?" asked Price Laine.

The Young Emperor gazed into Ange Watson’s eyes, as if trying to peer into his true heart.

Ange Watson firmly stated, "I’ve held nothing back, Your Majesty. My loyalty to the Empire is free from any blemish."

Price Laine smiled and said, "Don’t worry, I believe in you. This is the tradition of our Laine heritage, we never question others with malice. Just like Arthur Laine of old, who always had companions around him he could entrust his life to, whether they were Orcs or Tiflin, humans or Undead. And that is what I need to learn from."

Ange Watson looked at the Young Emperor with a hint of puzzlement. It was one thing to speak these words, but to address the Holy King by his name like that? It seemed a bit disrespectful.

Nonetheless, that was a matter for the Imperial Family itself, and Ange Watson quickly forgot the detail, asking the Emperor, "Your Majesty, the Lich’s offensive will begin soon. If my estimate is not mistaken, he has a very high chance of victory in this sea warfare. Are we just going to watch as he achieves his goals?"

Price Laine inquired, "Oh, it seems you hold him in very high esteem indeed. With so many races in the deep sea, on what basis do you judge that he can win?"

"The reason is simple: the power he controls is too strong. Not to mention the powerful Undead from the Elegy Poetry Society, the Undead Troops he has created are the bane of all Sea Tribes. I’ve never seen such peculiarly specialized Undead, seemingly born for war. I can say that he doesn’t even need other Undead Troops; the sheer number of the Miscellaneous Fish Type One alone is enough to sweep through this stretch of sea."

During exercises, Ange Watson had tried using various sea races to fend off the advancing Undead, but no matter how hard he tried, he more often than not ended in defeat, with victories being few and far between.

There was only one reason: the Miscellaneous Fish Type One Undead were simply too terrifying.

A tiny torpedo the size of a fingertip, usually undetectable when swimming, but during a charge, comes with targeting and powerful impact force. Even if it doesn’t hit, it can release a deadly toxin that poisons a wide area of living beings to death.

What’s more frightening is their number. In the exercises, Amberser set the number of Miscellaneous Fish Type One to over ten thousand each time, claiming it was to acclimate them to warfare as if these Undead were no more valuable than arrows.

If Amberser could mass-produce these Undead like arrows, were there any Sea Tribes that could withstand him?

Let’s not even mention the other two new types of Undead Troops that at first glance looked extremely troublesome. Ange Watson had thought for days and had not come up with any countermeasures; without a doubt, the other Sea Tribes were doomed to lose.

Price Laine further inquired, "If these new Undead are so powerful, then if the Lich wants to attack Laine, do you have a way to deal with them?"

Upon hearing this, Ange Watson blurted out, "Then he is sure to lose, Your Majesty. In the sea, individuals capable of wielding Holy Light are too rare, thus they can hardly contain the power of the Undead. But on land, it is different. Such weak Undead can be wiped out by any Holy Light Spell, and even their potent toxins would be purified by the power of Holy Light, making a surprise attack unlikely to cause much damage."

This was a countermeasure. Even if Amberser prepared tens of millions of Miscellaneous Fish Type One and threw them at the Laine cities, maybe they would kill a number of people, but the impact of the deadly Undead toxin would not be great.

The effect of Holy Light in purifying Dark Magic Power is excellent; any Light Priest could complete this work.

Not to mention, every city of Laine has accumulated a vast amount of faith, which if released, would form a Holy Light Barrier enveloping the whole city, and Amberser’s weak Undead would evaporate as soon as they approached.

When Withered Rose exploited the passageway from Gloomyland in a surprise attack on the Laine Imperial Capital, even though they drew away most of Laine’s forces, they couldn’t conquer the vulnerable Imperial Capital. This was because Holy Light is just too effective against the Undead.

Price Laine breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That is good news. Our great endeavor must not be thwarted by a Lich. Ange, continue monitoring your brother. Allen is also an outstanding talent of our Laine. I truly wouldn’t want to encounter him on a battlefield. We should join forces, to create an Empire even more perfect than that of Saint King Arthur.

"When the Saint King supported other Races in establishing kingdoms, it seemed like a gesture to make other Races grateful, but in reality, the independence of nations marks the beginning of hostility. Human greed never fades, and relations between nations are eroded by time, leaving nothing but pure conflicts of interest in the end."

Price Laine stood up, his fist clenched as he said, "I will create a more perfect Empire, where all Races, all living beings, will be united under one rule. From then on, there will be no more conflict, no wars where you die or I die. I shall accomplish the great work that Arthur Laine failed to complete, and embark on a Holy Light path even longer than his!"

Ange Watson replied with fervor, "Your Majesty, I swear to follow you to the death!"