This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 507 - 466: Divine Arts - Pile of Corpses

Chapter 507: Chapter 466: Divine Arts - Pile of Corpses

Is this all there is in the entire arena, just these three puppets?

Amberser suddenly felt as if the sky had fallen down.

With so few resources, how was he supposed to build his Heroic Spirit Legion, how was he supposed to rent them out as mercenaries? He had hoped to make a fortune by capitalizing on the heated conflict between the Laine People and the Orcs—deploying these elite mercenaries for profit.

But with only three, no matter how strong they were, it was useless; mercenaries who couldn’t tip the scales of battle were at best only good for depleting the enemy spellcasters’ magic power.

It was like trying to do business with Orcs while wielding just one Magic Conduction Cannon—they wouldn’t give you the time of day.

Amberser’s original plan involved an entire battalion of Magic Conduction Cannons, capable of destroying cities—that would’ve meant striking it rich with just one battle.

Now with just three, he couldn’t rent them out for much, and he might even lose money on maintenance costs!

He knew that engaging Arthur Laine at full strength came with exorbitant costs.

Damn it, this was a huge loss.

Even though Amberser’s face was expressionless, Talos could still see through his thoughts and burst into laughter, saying, "I just wanted to see this look on your face, to see you suffering a loss but too proud to admit it!"

Amberser: ...

It wasn’t just Amberser who fell silent; even Arthur Laine standing by his side was surprised. Was the Lord of the Storm, legendary for his brutality and ability to incite terror, actually like this? He seemed more like a childish brat.

As for Airel, although she remained devoutly kneeling, her heart could not help but be shocked.

Was the Deity she worshipped really like this, the Lord of the Storm who often spoke with treasured brevity, whose decrees were straightforward and, apart from his majesty, showed no other emotions?

Yet in front of this Lich, he acted like a child who had just successfully pulled off a prank.

Airel and Arthur didn’t fully understand the status Amberser now held in the hearts of the Gods; Rowetta, Goddess Tiamat, Rose, Shael, Zariel, and a whole host of other goddesses had all been outwitted by him. With these significant accomplishments, the Lich had been recognized by the Gods as a being who deserved ascension to godhood through his words alone.

It’s probable that Aeo simply didn’t want another Trickster God on the Pantheon List, which is why Amberser had not yet been permitted to ascend.

Talos had managed to get the better of this Lich, though—how much face would he gain if this were known?

Not only that, in the near future, this Lich was even going to package and deliver the Koutao Mermaid Goddess to him; if other deities knew about this, Talos would become the first Deity to successfully make this Lich work for him.

Basking in triumph, Amberser sighed and said, "Indeed, I’m at a loss, all within your calculations."

Talos said, somewhat surprised, "Hmm? You concede rather gracefully."

Amberser calmly replied, "Victory and defeat are facts, unaltered by anyone’s denial. As a Lich, I do not possess the extreme emotions to stubbornly cling to pride in the face of death. Moreover, losing to the great Lord of the Storm is perfectly normal, isn’t it? Which mortal could ever triumph over you?"

Talos was greatly pleased by Amberser’s words, feeling a hearty satisfaction from within.

Indeed, isn’t it normal for a great Deity to triumph over mortals? The Lich has conceded both in heart and speech!

"Hahaha, not bad, you’re more interesting than those mortals who stay stubborn till death. True warriors do not shy away from their failures but confront them head-on, and few mortals possess such enlightenment. Since you’ve conceded so readily, I am not a stingy Deity—you’ve passed the trial of destruction and should be rewarded accordingly."

From Talos’ projection, three beams of light flew out, landing before Amberser.

"In the past, my worshippers faced a ten-tiered trial, gradually increasing in difficulty, with only the final victor receiving my reward. But now that the last of the arena’s strength has been defeated by you, make your choice."

Amberser thought to himself that Deities like Talos were easy to understand—as long as you showed enough worth to catch Their eye and then praised Them at the right time, such Deities would reward you with great generosity.

Without doubt, Talos was the most generous Deity Amberser had ever encountered.

Amberser carefully sensed the three beams of light; Talos had nothing to hide, and as soon as Amberser’s perception touched them, he immediately sensed what the rewards were.

A Magic Wand, which could be considered a Divine Artifact, that greatly strengthened Lightning, Frost, and Flame spells, with three no-consume uses of Chain Lightning.

Amberser only glanced at it before moving on.

This wand was of little use to him; with enough Gold, the Golden Throne outclassed all Magic Equipment that assisted with spells.

The second reward was a Heroic Spirit, roughly similar to the three spirits he had just summoned, perhaps a tad stronger, but there was only one.

Amberser hesitated; this was somewhat useful, but changing three to four didn’t seem to make much difference.

However, it was the last reward that truly tempted him—a Divine Art exclusively for the Giant Tribe—Pile of Corpses.

The effect was simple and direct, allowing him to use a multitude of corpses to create an indestructible material.

These three giant puppets managed to only sustain a shallow sword mark even after Arthur Laine’s Holy Slash, and the material used to construct city gates was unbelievably hard. The entire strength of the Dwarf Kingdom had to wait for earthquakes to create cracks before they could enter and explore the city.

The only issue was that this was a Divine Art of the Giant Tribe, which required satisfying two conditions to be cast.

First, one had to belong to the Giant Tribe, and second, one had to be a Storm Priest who worshipped Talos. Missing any one of these conditions made casting impossible.

This meant that Amberser himself couldn’t perform this Divine Art, and even if Airel attempted it, she wouldn’t be able to learn it.

But if he could learn it, Amberser had already envisioned the terrifying effect this Divine Art could achieve. The Giant Tribe had used flesh and Corpse accumulation to create such durable material, and Amberser could turn steel into "corpse," wondering if with the effect of the Divine Art, could he not create armor that was truly indestructible?

As for how to use this Divine Art, there would certainly be a way. At the very least, there was hope, unlike the other two prospects that had visible limits.

"Then I choose this Divine Art as my reward, thank you for the gift from the Lord of the Storm," said Amberser.

Amberser reached for the orb of light, and the knowledge of the "Pile of Corpses" Divine Art was fully known to him.

Unfortunately, this couldn’t really be classified as knowledge, but rather as a "distress signal" sent out to Talos.

This was the fundamental difference between Priest Divine Art and Mage Magic.

Magic was about understanding the essence of Magic Power and using one’s wisdom to perform it. As long as the Magic Goddess does not forbid it, you could cast the corresponding Spell based on personal skill. Divine Art, however, consisted of requests for assistance from Deities. You could only perform if the deity agreed, and without their attention, Divine Art was worthless.

Once the reward was given, Talos left promptly, leaving only Amberser and his two companions in the Arena, as well as the three giant puppets lying on the ground.

Without hesitation, Amberser packed all three bodies into his personal space; their indestructible bodies would definitely come in handy at some point.

After tidying up, Airel asked, "Shall we move on?"

But Amberser shook his head and said, "There’s no need. Didn’t you hear Talos? The last of the Arena’s powers has been exhausted. The Githyanki remaining here will soon realize this. This is their only chance of survival, and they will thoroughly search all places. Plus, our recent battle was draining; we need to rest and prepare."

Only then did Airel realize they had come in search of the Githyanki.

Although it was unclear how many Githyanki had been lost in other trials, for them to have survived this long, they must have passed at least one trial and found a way to live in this Arena.

It was said that the Githyanki reproduced rapidly; it was unknown how much their numbers had increased during this time.

Having just fought a major battle, the three of them indeed needed a good rest.

Amberser replenished Arthur Laine’s Soul Energy, then retreated into his personal space to delve into the newly acquired materials.

The three Heroic Spirits he had disassembled were now reassembled, Amberser’s skill growing increasingly proficient.

"Let’s see, I now possess the Heroic Spirit of the Giant Tribe. Given that these Corpses are comprised of Giant Tribe flesh and blood, in theory, I should be able to create a ’giant’..."

Amberser pondered whether it was possible to mold his own Storm Priest of the Giant Tribe. No one said that Undead can’t be priests, and even Liches could become a lesser deity of Talos if he consented. Compared to other gods, the Lord of the Storm seemed to lack racial prejudices.

Amberser tried altering the souls of these Heroic Spirits to ensure they retained their faith in Talos yet remained somewhat loyal to him.

This was difficult; it was easy to drift into desecration.

Nevertheless, the challenge had to be faced; it was unacceptable to have unusable Divine Art.

Once engrossed in his work, Amberser lost track of time until Airel informed him through the Magic Mirror that the Githyanki had appeared.

Amberser emerged from his personal space, where he had been researching for nearly two months, though progress had been slow.

Faith and loyalty seemed irreconcilable. One could not expect a devout follower to be loyal to both a deity and oneself simultaneously, especially when Amberser, the Lich, held little respect for Talos.

"How did the Laine People accomplish it? They are loyal both to the Imperial Family and to the Lord of the Dawn. Ah, I really want to capture a Paladin to study!" Amberser exclaimed as he stepped out of his personal space to find that a group of Githyanki had surrounded Airel and Arthur.

However, there were numerous Githyanki strewn across the floor, suggesting a battle had taken place and that the Githyanki were at a significant disadvantage.

This was hardly surprising. The group of about thirty to forty Githyanki likely had no Legendary warriors; how could they possibly defeat Arthur and Airel?

Noticing Amberser’s arrival, the group of Githyanki became agitated, uncertain whether to flee or to continue their desperate resistance.

Before coming out, Amberser had already transformed into a human appearance, which generally made for better negotiations.

With a slight smile, Amberser spoke to the Githyanki, "Don’t be nervous, I’ve come to conduct business with the Gith Yankee."