This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 525 - 478: A New Era, Old Grudges

Chapter 525: Chapter 478: A New Era, Old Grudges

In the deep bowels of the earth, hundreds of ferocious ghouls continued to madly dig through sand and stone.

Their sharp fangs and claws kept shattering due to their excessive force, but under the enveloping grandeur of dark magic power, they kept regenerating.

With such groups of frenzied and tireless miners, the broken rocks and mud were quickly cleared away, revealing a huge passage.

An elegant ghoul, dressed in formal attire, made his way past his servants to the depths of the passage.

A gigantic archway appeared at the end of the tunnel, a gate of blood and flesh more sturdy than steel itself.

Ghoul Yugas reached out and knocked, the minute action producing a tremendous noise that reverberated through the underground, shaking countless rocks and sands from above to fall.

Only when the tunnel was almost buried again did Yugas sigh and say, "Still not awake? How good is your sleep quality, old friend!"

There was still no response from behind the great door, and Yugas sighed with resignation, "I really don’t want people to see me like this."

The next second, Yugas’s body inflated like a balloon, his gentleman’s suit completely torn apart as his gargantuan muscles turned into tumor-like masses, each pulsating wildly with its own heart.

In this form, Yugas swung his lethal claws.

A crimson glow attached itself to the claws; the members of the Elegy Poetry Society had been powerless against the corpse of the Rose Spider Queen, struggling even to inflict damage, but Yugas was tearing the corpse apart, preventing the Rose Spider Queen’s automatic regeneration.

Now facing the blood and flesh tougher than steel, Yugas was able to tear off large chunks and stuff them into his own mouth.

"Ugh, this tastes awful!"

Yugas complained.

This specially processed flesh was extremely tough and chewy, a perfect meal for a ghoul, providing energy but the taste was rather unpalatable—like chewing flavorless cured meat, greasy and nauseating upon entering the mouth.

But ghouls aren’t picky eaters, and in his current state, which was quite energy-consuming, Yugas had to eat something to replenish himself.

In no time, Yugas made a large hole in the gate.

The legendary ghoul reined in his power, returning to his gaunt appearance. His suit was in tatters, but he tidied up what was left before entering the gate.

Inside, Yugas loudly addressed the darkness, "Old man! How long will you sleep? Arthur Lane has been resurrected, don’t you want to meet your old comrade-in-arms?!"

Within the darkness, two red lights glowed, and a ground-shaking rumble ensued.

Yugas narrowed his eyes, once again transforming into the tumor-like form of a ghoul, positioning his claws in front of him.

He had just taken up his stance when a gigantic fist hammered down in front of him, a single fist already larger than Yugas himself.

The tremendous force sent Yugas flying back several meters, gouging several tracks into the solid ground.

Yugas blocked the punch and then laughingly said, "Old man, we haven’t seen each other for years, and you still wake up so grumpy?"

The giant fist retracted, the two red lights in the darkness becoming even more conspicuous, and a deep voice came forth, "Arthur Lane? He’s already dead!"

Yugas once again returned to human form, dusting off the dirt that clung to him.

"Old man, you’ve slept for far too long. Arthur Lane has indeed returned. Shall I tell you about the latest events?"

The red lights in the darkness dimmed significantly, and the deep voice asked, "Recently? Which year are you referring to?"

Yugas replied, "Let’s start with the past thousand years."

...

In the darkness, two ancient beings who had lived for untold years discussed the major events of the past millennium—one speaking, the other listening. Time passed unknowably, until finally, the conversation turned to recent times.

"This Lich is quite interesting. Arthur Lane was dug out by him. I’m not clear on the details, but I’m certain he’s the real deal."

The shadowy figure in the darkness remained silent for a long while before slowly saying, "I will make him die again! I’ll kill him with my own hands!"

"I thought you were comrades-in-arms?"

"Correct, that’s why I have to kill him."

"The reason?"

"You don’t need to know."

"Then that’s perfect, as I just happen to need your help. Old man, you must still remember why the Elegy Poetry Society was established, right?"

"Hmm... but it’s none of my concern."

Yugas let out a sharp laugh.

"I know, and that’s why we can be friends. Aige has taken another path; she won’t be my competitor. Gareth has been bound; he has forfeited his eligibility. In the Elegy Poetry Society, I had no more rivals, but this Lich... the Guild Leader seems quite fond of him."

"I’m not interested. Why are you telling me all this? Members of the Elegy Poetry Society are not allowed to kill each other. Even if you want to eliminate your competition, what can you do? Would you dare to violate the rules of the Elegy Poetry Society?!"

Yugas gently tapped his knee with his fingernail, calmly yet firmly saying, "If necessary, I certainly dare. But the final decision of victory and defeat lies with our Guild Leader. To break his rules means to lose. So, I’ll use other methods to resolve this."

After a moment of silence, the Giant in the darkness spoke, "Yugas, have you ever thought about it—you were the first to join the Elegy Poetry Society after the Guild Leader and the deputy Guild Leader, yet all these years the Guild Leader has been continuously recruiting new members instead of directly handing the final reward to you. Perhaps, it’s because you were never qualified in the first place."