This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 498 - 459: Can I Trust You?

Chapter 498: Chapter 459: Can I Trust You?

How the Laine people managed to escape from there, Amberser did not know, all he knew was that it wasn’t going to be easy to get through from the seabed.

Even if he dove deep into the ocean, avoiding the terrifying thunder from above, the seabed still had countless whirlpools, and these strange currents had shattered the seabed into pieces, much like a labyrinth.

He either had to navigate through the rocky layers of the seabed labyrinth or charge directly against the whirlpools above, to see whether the force of the water was stronger or if his own body was tougher.

This was definitely not a natural environment, it was either the masterpiece of a Deity or the creation of a Legendary Mage with a twisted sense of humor, using the World Weaving Technique.

Amberser had already witnessed the desert that shone like gold, so he was no stranger to odd sights. In that era of flourishing magic, the wanton use of magic was widespread, with Floating Cities overlooking the world and mages believing they had nearly reached the domain of the Deity, before ultimately going boom and the entire magical civilization turned to ashes.

Amberser looked around, then turned his head to look behind him.

And beside Amberser, Airel was floating in the sea, curiously observing everything in front of her.

After being blessed with an Underwater Breathing Spell, Airel too could stay underwater for a long time.

She had already changed into a form-fitting Underwater Light Armor, even more beautiful than a mermaid.

This was water combat armor specially crafted by the Fury Tide Kingdom, made from the skin of special Sea Beasts, and only high-ranking officers were privileged to own it.

"Actually, you didn’t need to come with me," Amberser said to Airel, waving his finger.

Communicating underwater was not easy; non-aquatic races couldn’t stablely produce sound in the water, so Amberser had no choice but to use some auxiliary spells to achieve this effect.

Unfortunately, Airel was not Undead, she couldn’t use Soul connection to communicate, so they had to resort to this method of sign language combined with sound transmission.

Amberser had risked coming down to the ocean, and even Hake Stone was unwilling to follow, yet Airel insisted on coming along. Amberser didn’t understand her thoughts; wouldn’t it have been fine to just wait on the ship?

Airel opened her mouth, releasing bubbles, realizing she was unable to produce stable sounds like Amberser and could only respond in sign language, "Actually, I have always been very curious about what’s inside this sea area."

This was a lie, and Amberser didn’t even need to use his divination powers to feel it.

Amberser had no choice but to say to Airel, "Her Royal Highness the Princess, if you can’t be a bit more honest, then I would still advise you to go back."

Seeing her lie exposed, Airel could only say, "I can’t let you take the risk alone, this concerns the future of the Fury Tide Kingdom."

If possible, Airel truly wished she could pull Amberser back.

Even though she knew Amberser was a Lich, Airel still feared that he would encounter danger in this strange sea area.

If that were to happen, then the future of the Fury Tide Kingdom would be finished.

Now, the Fury Tide Kingdom could do without her as a princess, but they absolutely could not give up on the Alchemy Factory project.

Even if Amberser was a Lich, in theory able to resurrect after death, Airel dared not gamble. What if this was a secret realm left by some Deity, containing something that could directly kill a Lich?

Even though she knew it was irrational, Airel still decided to follow along.

Airel wasn’t completely joking with her own life; she possessed a Divine Artifact given by Talos, which should be able to protect her life when it mattered.

Because she was sure of this, Airel insisted on taking the risk with Amberser.

Amberser really didn’t know what to do and just let her follow.

"I’m preparing to navigate through this Undersea Labyrinth, the whirlpools above are too terrifying, there’s no easy way through them," he said.

Airel agreed with Amberser’s plan; entering the whirlpools would quickly lead to being tossed around by the currents until dizzy, losing control of direction, let alone getting inside.

But the Undersea Labyrinth was probably not easy to breach either, who knows how many dangerous sea creatures have hidden inside over the years.

Airel picked up the Hammer from her waist, saying to Amberser, "I’ll go first, you follow me!"

"Ah?"

Amberser had rarely enjoyed the privilege of others clearing the way for him in his life.

When he was an Adventurer, Amberser was a Diviner Mage, often at the forefront using his premonitions to sense dangers. After he stopped being an Adventurer, without teammates Amberser had to rely on himself.

For Airel to volunteer to lead the way for him was a treatment that truly touched Amberser.

But such a thing wasn’t necessary.

With a grand wave of his hand, dozens of "Miscellaneous Fish Type One" the size of fingers flew out from his personal space, arranging themselves in front of the two.

"Your Royal Highness, have you forgotten that I am a Lich? And why would a Lich ever lack expendable scouts?"

Airel’s face turned red; she had indeed forgotten this, focused solely on protecting Amberser’s safety, completely overlooking his identity. She had no choice but to obediently move beside Amberser.

Amberser commanded the undead to clear the way, beginning their descent into the eerie undersea labyrinth.

The underwater rocks that constituted the labyrinth had been honed smooth by countless years of ocean currents, leaving them exceptionally polished and equally hard.

Amberser tested them and found that ordinary spells could only leave marks, incapable of causing any direct damage.

As they delved deeper into the labyrinth, they had anticipated numerous dangers, but to their surprise, the miscellaneous undead forging ahead were not subject to any attacks.

The labyrinth was not devoid of life, rather, it seemed to fear Amberser and Airel.

The underwater creatures all kept their distance, occasionally having their life force detected by the Miscellaneous Fish Type One, but they fled so swiftly that pursuit was impossible.

Amberser asked Airel with a hint of confusion, "That’s odd, didn’t you say this place was extremely dangerous?"

Airel shook her head, responding helplessly, "I’m not quite sure myself, this is my first time entering the Thunderous Sea Area. Perhaps, they can sense our power?"

After all, as two Legendary characters, it wasn’t weird that they could scare off the underwater creatures.

Yet Amberser still felt something was amiss, knowing that the intelligence of marine life was usually not very high. The more hostile the environment, the stronger and more aggressive the creatures living there should be; such was the law of nature.

These creatures, facing invaders they had never seen before, would definitely try a bite to taste, rather than turn tail and flee.

"Your Royal Highness the Princess, I think something is not right, we should wait here for a while."

Amberser halted, controlling those expendable undead to continue deeper into the undersea labyrinth, pressing forward.

As the distance between them grew, the expendables finally came under attack.

From the darkness, two thick tentacles shot out, instantly ensnaring and then swiftly retracting into the darkness with two of the expendable undead.

A deep roar emanated from the darkness, suggesting the sea creature that acted had swallowed the two undead, only to be poisoned as a result.

The continuous thunderous booms indicated that the creature was likely enormous in size, and the poison caused it mere discomfort rather than fatality.

From a considerable distance, Amberser carefully sensed the creature’s movements until calm returned to the seabed, then he said to Airel, "It seems the problem lies with the two of us."

Airel responded with confusion, "What problem?"

"My undead troops are attacked by sea beasts, but we are not. So, there must be something on us that makes these sea beasts wary, and it’s definitely not because they can sense our might."

Though both were part of the Legendary rank, Amberser had been careful to conceal his Dark Magic Power, and Airel was cautious not to reveal any sort of aura; the sea creatures couldn’t possibly know to avoid them from such a distance.

Therefore, it must be something the two carried that instilled fear in the sea creatures.

"While I don’t know what you are referring to, shouldn’t that be a good thing? Why do you consider it a problem?"

Airel felt she was struggling to keep up with Amberser’s line of thought, and a peculiar sense of déjà vu nagged her — had she encountered this situation somewhere before?

Amberser explained, "We have never been to this place, and these sea creatures have never seen us, so what exactly are they afraid of? If we could find this key, we might better understand this sea area. I have a premonition that this adventure will yield extraordinary findings."

Amberser’s confidence intensified Airel’s sense of déjà vu, but she knew this wasn’t the time to dwell on that. She asked humbly, "Then how do we find it? Should we throw out our belongings one by one to test?"

Amberser shook his head, "There’s no need for that. Anything with the power to influence these formidable monsters isn’t going to be ordinary. Your Royal Highness, isn’t the hammer you carry a Divine Artifact given by Talos? I suspect that might be what’s affecting the sea creatures. To confirm it’s simple — we’ll separate, and if I alone venture deeper into the labyrinth, whether the sea creatures attack me will reveal the truth."

"No way!" Airel flatly refused.

"We already have an amulet, even though we don’t know what it is, so why take the risk?"

Airel didn’t understand; she just wanted to ensure Amberser’s safety.

Yet Amberser persisted, "Your Royal Highness, as someone who has been on the battlefield, would you go against an enemy with a weapon you have no understanding of? Even if you knew it was potent. We might be able to repel these sea creatures for now, but what if we encounter stronger monsters as we go deeper? They may not be so easily frightened.

"If they choose to attack, we can’t go on not knowing what the sea creature fears, can we? To possess a counter but fail to wield it at the crucial moment would be far too dangerous, wouldn’t it?"

His words seemed to make sense, and as much as Airel thought about it, she couldn’t find a counterargument, yet she insisted, "You absolutely cannot take the risk. How about you leave the labyrinth and let me test it instead?"

Amberser was at a loss for words, having previously thought that Airel had matured, only to find she was still as stubborn as ever.

Amberser had no choice but to say to Airel, "This is the first time I’ve seen someone offer to take risks for a lich. If you don’t trust me, then take this."

He handed a silver-white small casket to Airel.

Upon receiving it, Airel asked with curiosity, "What’s this?"

Amberser spoke with utter seriousness, "This is the Lich’s Life Casket. Should my form perish, I will be reborn from here. I am entrusting you with my very life. Your Royal Highness, can I trust you?"