This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 491 - 452: Seeing Him Make Money Is Even More Upsetting Than Losing My Own

Chapter 491: Chapter 452: Seeing Him Make Money Is Even More Upsetting Than Losing My Own

Amberser gifted the Magic Mirror without charge and reminded Zariel to be careful in the manner of "negotiating" with Goddess Tiamat.

Zariel, having obtained the God of Alchemy’s Divine Artifact, vanished as if she could hardly wait.

Upon returning to Hell, Zariel immediately set out and found Goddess Tiamat sulking at home.

The Star Realm Gate was gone, the Astral Red Dragons were all dead, the Githyanki reduced to a few thousand barely clinging to life—every plan had failed completely.

"Damn Lich!"

This phrase was what Goddess Tiamat grumbled most frequently of late.

When Zariel appeared with a sly smile, the Five-Headed Dragoness asked suspiciously, "Your smile is brimming with malice and scheming, have you found some mortals to toy with?"

Ordinary people were not worth such an expression from the Grand Duke of Hell, which aroused Goddess Tiamat’s interest.

"Yes, I’ve just struck a deal that should net us tens of millions in Soul Currency," Zariel said proudly.

Shock appeared on Goddess Tiamat’s face—tens of millions was no small amount.

The soul was not worthless like gold; how many souls descend into Hell each year, how many devils fight over them in Hell? Tens of millions were equivalent to the population of a small country, weren’t they?

"You’re the one being tricked, aren’t you?" Goddess Tiamat said without hesitation.

Who could afford tens of millions in Soul Currency, had the Laine People lost faith in the Lord of the Dawn, planning to perform a mass blood sacrifice of their populace? But even that would not kill so many.

Zariel said proudly, "Of course ordinary people couldn’t afford it, but what if we’re talking about that Lich?"

Goddess Tiamat’s golden pupils suddenly gleamed, that was rage made manifest. She could not bear to hear anything related to that Lich unless it was news of the Lich’s death.

Zariel tempted Goddess Tiamat, "I know you don’t get along with him, that’s why I came to you. Don’t you want to take revenge? Just like last time, we could harvest a million sinners in one go, and earn a significant amount of Soul Currency as well."

But Goddess Tiamat retorted, "I’m afraid you’ve been deceived by him too. Do you really think we profited from the last deal?"

The Impure Chant was originally supposed to be pocketed by the two Grand Dukes of Hell, the corruption of an entire kingdom was meant to bring great renown to the First Layer of Hell, with incalculable gains.

But the harvest was greatly diminished due to the Lich’s little tricks.

Goddess Tiamat was the biggest loser because part of the deal involved Amberser’s assistance in opening the Star Realm Gate, for which She had to make concessions to Zariel, so most of the benefits were swallowed by Zariel.

With the Star Realm invasion plan failing, Goddess Tiamat genuinely suffered a blood loss.

"Anyway, I asked for ten million this time, and he agreed. Not only that, I negotiated compensation for your Astral Red Dragons—sixty Red Dragons, six million in high-quality Soul Currency. How about that, I’ve been quite generous to you, right?"

"Six million?!"

Goddess Tiamat said angrily, "Do you know the value of sixty Red Dragons? How many years have I spent cultivating them in the Star Realm?!"

"But they’re worthless dead," Zariel retorted mercilessly. "Now at least you can earn back a little."

Left speechless by these words, Goddess Tiamat was not easily hoodwinked.

"Such fortune, and you think of me?"

Although the two were allies for now, devils had no true camaraderie; with such a golden opportunity, Zariel not only kept it hidden but also came specifically to Her, there had to be a catch.

"If I could handle it alone, I certainly wouldn’t mind keeping it all, but this time, that Lich’s demands are outrageous. Just me is far from enough, and even with you, it probably wouldn’t be sufficient," Zariel explained.

Goddess Tiamat frowned tightly, unable to fathom what sort of demand the Lich could make that would trouble Zariel so.

"He wishes to kidnap Brivodoup and deliver him to Talos."

Goddess Tiamat’s expression froze, as if she heard something unbelievable. After a long wait, she finally choked out, "Has the Lich gone mad? Does he even understand why Deities are Deities?"

Zariel could barely contain her laughter, for she had thought the same, but there was no helping it—Amberser had offered too much.

"I didn’t ask for the specifics, but this is the best deal. He promised he would handle pinpointing Brivodoup’s location and resolving the chaos in Brivodoup’s domain. We just need to capture Brivodoup after he takes care of those issues. Sounds simple, doesn’t it?"

Dealing with a Deity, the biggest problems lay in these two areas.

First was to locate the target and find a way into the Divine Realm’s gates, second was finding a means to neutralize the Divine Realm’s influence.

If both issues could be resolved, capturing Brivodoup for Zariel and Goddess Tiamat might not be too difficult.

Goddess Tiamat inquired, "Even if he fails, would he still pay the commission?"

"Of course," Zariel replied, "otherwise, why would I say it’s a sure profit? But I’ve brought you such a good deal, so from that six million, I want half."

Goddess Tiamat promptly said, "Impossible, and six million is too little! That Lich is capable of creating souls, far cheaper than killing, why did you only ask for ten million? If it were me, I’d demand at least twenty million!"

"Then you can negotiate with him yourself," Zariel said with a look of indifference.

"I just want to play it safe, to avoid any accidents. After all, Brivodoup is also a goddess with intermediate divine power. If you’re not willing, I can go it alone. Of course, you could also negotiate with the Lich yourself, but considering your relationship with him, how much do you think he will offer you?"

Zariel had a smug look, as if he had Goddess Tiamat right where he wanted her, but then Tiamat said, "Zariel, we’ve known each other for a long time, and I’m very aware of your character. All that just now, was it taught to you by the Lich? Next time you try to deceive someone, think about whether it fits your usual habits."

Zariel’s face stiffened, as if Tiamat had struck a nerve, and he said through gritted teeth, "Fine, since you’ve found out, I won’t hide it from you. That Lich thought my power alone was not enough and insisted on dragging you into this. Maybe he wants to trick you again."

"So what’s the real offer?" Tiamat asked.

Zariel coldly said, "Eight million each. I’ll add your two million to my own share."

"That’s it?" Tiamat was skeptical, "Aren’t Pseudo-Souls easy to make? He should be more generous."

Zariel, feeling helpless, explained, "This is his monopoly business, and he absolutely refuses to budge. He claims he’s worried about the devaluation of soul currency in Hell, that we will end up losing more in the end. I don’t understand all this, so I couldn’t argue with him."

"That damned Lich! He’s nothing but a counterfeiter!" Tiamat exclaimed angrily.

"Yes, a counterfeiter is being far too arrogant, but we don’t have a choice, do we?"

"Can he really resolve the Divine Realm’s influence on us?" Tiamat asked, "If he can’t do that, it’s all meaningless."

"It would be better if he couldn’t; we would just take the money without lifting a finger and even get to see him become the butt of the joke. I am quite looking forward to seeing what punishment the Lich will receive for breaking his promise to Talos - Vishalon’s downfall was a topic of delight among the gods for many years."

"What reason do I have to refuse, then?"

Tiamat looked at Zariel’s waist and saw that his usual sword was no longer there, likely given to the Lich as a token of the contract.

Tiamat stretched out a hand and plucked a dragon scale from her own forehead.

"Give this to him, and tell him I agree to the deal, but not for eight million, it’s ten million soul currency, and not one less," she said.

Zariel took the dragon scale but couldn’t help but ask, "What if he doesn’t agree to this new bargain?"

Tiamat said firmly, "Then we’ll just miss out on this deal. I’d rather we all lose together than let him have his way. Seeing that Lich profit is more unbearable than losing money! This is my price, and I won’t budge."

Zariel nodded and said, "You’re right; I’ll raise it too. Ten million each for us!"

Zariel, holding Tiamat’s dragon scale, left and only after ensuring he was completely out of Tiamat’s territory and safely storing away the dragon scale did he burst out laughing!

"Hahaha! The Lich quoted me twenty million and Tiamat sixty million, now I’m netting seventy million for myself! This is too thrilling; it turns out swindling money is such a pleasant thing! No wonder that Lich loves doing business so much; it’s like an exhilarating battle!"

This might have been Zariel’s first time succeeding so splendidly in business, and he couldn’t help but directly contact Amberser to brag about his accomplishment.

When that dragon scale was delivered to Amberser’s hands, he adopted a heartbroken demeanor and said to Zariel, "You’ve driven a hard bargain there. If Tiamat finds out, she is sure to hate you."

Zariel said dismissively, "We’re all living in Hell, does it matter who hates whom?"

"It still has an impact, right? After all, Tiamat is your neighbor. If she finds out, it’s bound to cause trouble for you," Amberser continued.

Zariel sensed something off in Amberser’s words and asked with suspicion, "What do you mean by that? Are you trying to betray me to Tiamat? Don’t forget, it was you who taught me this trick."

Amberser shook his head and said, "How could I? In business, I never play such pointless double agent games. We are not transacting just this once; there will be plenty of opportunities for cooperation in the future. After all, I’m the one paying, what difference does it make to me whether it’s to you or to Tiamat?"

Zariel furrowed his brows, a vague feeling of unease growing within him. Could this Lich have dug a trap for him to fall into?

Maintaining a polite smile, Amberser spoke with a very serious tone, "Rest assured, the soul currency will be paid in full, but have you considered that once a large amount starts circulating, Tiamat might notice? After all, the difference between seventy million and ten million is no small sum."

"What are you truly getting at?" Zariel asked.

"My point is, don’t spend all that soul currency at once. That would certainly cause severe inflation, devaluing your existing assets, attracting the discontent of the other Grand Dukes of Hell, and directly exposing your deceit of Tiamat."

"What’s the point of having money if I can’t use it?"

Zariel couldn’t accept that; he wasn’t a miser, and there was no way he could hoard so much money. He already had plans on how to spend this fortune, and there was no way he could just hide it and not use it.

"No, no, no, what I mean is, seventy million soul currency is a huge sum that could shake the entire economic foundation of Hell, so why not be a little bolder, Zariel? Have you ever thought about taking control of the soul currency trade in all of Hell? It wouldn’t be difficult to quietly introduce such a large sum into Hell’s economy. The challenge is in amplifying the money’s influence without letting the other Grand Dukes of Hell know."

"What are you really saying?"

Zariel was already feeling dizzy; after all that, could he actually spend the money or not?

"What I’m suggesting is that you Grand Dukes of Hell generally stick to your own territories, so your use of soul currency is in a very primitive state. Of course, the main reason is the scarcity of soul currency which is, additionally, a consumable, not a replaceable commodity. But this situation won’t last much longer; I will keep creating soul currency, and it will surely impact Hell’s economy."

"Zariel, have you ever thought about doing something grand during this upheaval?"

"For instance, establishing Hell’s first soul currency bank?"