This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 577 - 513: The Hero Passes, The World Remains the Same

Chapter 577: Chapter 513: The Hero Passes, The World Remains the Same

Constant thunder filled the sky, while the earth below was as florid as a brocade.

The Storm Coliseum, once built to please Talos, saw giants from the Giant Race fighting until death, ultimately vanishing from this plane for good.

Now, a massive tombstone stood in the center of the arena, suppressing the enormous silver Giant Dragon beneath it. Flowers bloomed all around, never withering as long as people continued to mourn here.

Great Saint King Arthur · Lane sacrificed himself, his divine power piercing through the body of the Time Dragon, obliterating its soul.

Yet the body of the Time Dragon did not rot; instead, it kept shimmering, leaping through different points in time repeatedly.

This was the power of the Time Dragon; even though its soul was annihilated, its body still retained the powerful Power of Time. Each cell instinctually manipulated time, attempting to heal itself.

Originally, Arthur Lane used the corpse of the Magic Dragon Tyrant to create a divine artifact, largely because he feared the Magic Dragon might resurrect.

Burning these chunks of flesh into ashes wouldn’t be safe either, as these ashes could likely flicker back to life in the next second.

But this time, the Laine People had no right to deal with the corpse of the much more powerful Time Dragon.

The trouble caused by the Magic Dragon Armament ultimately had to be resolved by sacrificing their ancient ancestor, an act that once known, brought immense shame to the Laine People nationwide, leading many to commit suicide in humiliation.

Even if suicide meant going to hell, they spared no effort.

The foolish acts of later generations made Saint King sacrifice himself once more, a guilt that could only be cleansed by the tortures of hell.

After the funeral, Allen hurriedly returned, now the only one who could stabilize the domestic situation for the disgraced Ryan Royalty.

The Orc Army was originally poised to strike, but the death of the Orc King also impacted the Orc Nation. They had to decide whether to elect a new king first or take advantage of the internal turmoil in Laine to invade. Disagreements led to fighting, and they missed their opportunity to attack.

With a food crisis that could no longer support a large military operation, this war between the two nations could only come to an abrupt end.

Eventually, after numerous discussions, other kingdoms decided not to dissect the Magic Dragon’s corpse but instead, spent vast amounts of manpower and resources to build a monument on the corpse, clearly recording the start and end of this dragon-slaying battle for future generations to reflect upon.

Beyond this, the monument also serves as a massive Seal Magic Array.

At its core is another Time Dragon, requiring Naomi to stay here for a long time, using her power to absorb and neutralize the Power of Time lingering on the Magic Dragon’s corpse.

This process might be very lengthy, but it was Naomi who proposed it. The Druids simply saw this young lady as Sylvanas’s most staunch believer, willing to sacrifice her own life for the world’s balance.

Only Katherine understood that Naomi wanted to absorb the Magic Dragon’s power, then try to resurrect her master.

After the battle, it wasn’t that no one tried using the Resurrection Technique.

For some High Priests, a recently deceased intact corpse could be brought back from the underworld through resurrection techniques, as long as the soul hadn’t fallen into the hands of the Hell Lords. Powerful spells like the Perfect Resurrection Spell and Wishing Spell could even snatch a soul back from the Hell Lords.

Unfortunately, neither of the two sacrificed heroes could use these methods.

Arthur Lane was punished by Aeo, his Heroic Spirit’s body completely shattered, with no soul left to resurrect, nor even a corpse. As for the other Lich, he could have been resurrected through the Life Casket, even reverting to a human through time reversal should have made it possible.

However, Amberser’s death was not simply due to aging or a fall from a height; the real reason was the Dragon Blood Curse inflicted by the Magic Dragon just before its death.

The last person to endure the Dragon Blood Curse was the actual Arthur Lane, whose soul eventually completely dissipated.

The same happened to Amberser, whose soul shattered into pieces before even hitting the ground, as the Magic Dragon used the curse to turn centuries of Amberser’s tragic memories into a pack of beasts, ripping and devouring his soul. According to numerous experts, it was concluded that this hero’s soul had completely dissipated.

Perhaps, only Aeo intervening or the reversal of time might make his resurrection possible.

Regardless of how much some once hated him, after the battle, they all bowed their heads before the monument, praising his grand sacrifice.

Yet no sooner had they turned around, they began discussing how to deal with the great wealth left by this great Lich.

The businesses on Gold Coin Island and Silver Coin Island are well-known, beyond mere "profit-making"; they virtually taught gold coins how to breed.

In a short time, the Lich had built a commercial empire, and his death hadn’t done much damage, except perhaps to his cheap and useful Undead Troop.

But with no nations set to wage war soon, that business was struggling anyway.

The real profits were still coming from logistics, shipping, alchemy factories, and various local specialties monopolized by the Lich.

Magical materials like those from elves, spices from the Impure Chant, and high-end equipment were all negotiated while the Lich was still alive.

If someone could take control of these product channels, it would be like owning a goose that lays golden eggs.

Some people were still concerned about the recent sacrifice of the Lich for the world, while others began to openly seize control.

On Gold Coin Island, which had become an Alchemy Factory, Harvey’s face had turned ashen. Standing before him was the president of the new Alchemist Association, Gustavo Flint, and what he had brought was not the distribution profits due recently but a new profit-sharing contract instead.

Harvey casually flipped through it and immediately noticed that the profit-sharing ratio had completely changed; it previously favored their teacher substantially, but now all profits were to go to the Alchemist Association.

Grasping the new contract, Harvey spoke in a stern tone, "Master Flint, is this the Alchemist Association’s latest decision?"

Gustavo Flint looked at Harvey with an expressionless face, his stern black visage imparting significant pressure on the young man. It was said that more than one alchemist had died from Gustavo Flint’s daunting stare back in the day.

Harvey was slightly panicked, but with his teacher absent, Harvey, who had formerly been just an accountant, had become the primary person responsible for many businesses, and he had no choice but to brazenly negotiate with this greedy alchemist.

"Master Flint, you should be well aware of what this contract implies. It means you want to swallow my teacher’s business."

"While your teacher was still alive, he too had swallowed countless other businesses, incited wars, trafficked in arms, and forged counterfeit potions, among other things. The world is this cruel and doesn’t change just because your teacher became a hero. Harvey, having followed that Lich for so long, haven’t you realized the rules by which the world operates?"

Harvey scoffed and said, "Talking to a Diviner Mage about the world’s rules, Master Flint, you’re merely seeing the underlying rules of business."

Gustavo Flint remained po-faced and said, "What we’re discussing here is business, plain and simple. If you had your teacher’s capabilities, I wouldn’t be here. Harvey, it’s time you understood the nature of this dog-eat-dog world. Out of respect for your teacher, I’m willing to leave you a little profit, but only if you recognize your place."

Harvey stood up agitatedly and said angrily, "The alchemy business of the Dragon Race is a channel controlled by my teacher. Without the raw materials, you can achieve nothing. What makes you think you can change the contract?"

"Do you think the world stopped turning after your teacher died? We’ve already dispatched people overseas to liaise with the Dragon Race. You had promised the dragons would enjoy food and luxury goods from the mainland. But your teacher is gone, and with your abilities, can you satisfy those greedy dragons?"

Harvey hadn’t expected the Alchemist Association to act so swiftly, sending people overseas to liaise with the Dragon Race? How had he received no news of this?

"You can refuse this new contract, but do you have the means to preserve your teacher’s business? Do you intend to confront our Alchemist Association? Do you think you’re that Lich who could make even the gods fall with just his words?"

Gustavo Flint did not underestimate Harvey, who was a talented youth and rumored to be among the most likely to enter the Legendary Realm after the Lich.

However, many things depended on whom they were compared with.

During the time his teacher stirred storms, he had trampled almost all of the world’s geniuses underfoot. Compared to that, Harvey truly fell short, and it was hard to restrain those with ambitious motivations.

Gustavo Flint really wished Harvey could see the reality. If possible, he even hoped Harvey would serve him, which would make taking over Amberser’s legacy much simpler.

Gustavo Flint could tell that Harvey was wavering; this young man’s heart was not strong enough, nor was he qualified to inherit the Lich’s legacy.

Gustavo Flint was also glad that the guy was a Lich and not a human noble with a vast family, as it would have been much harder to seize his possessions.

Just when Gustavo Flint thought he could make Harvey capitulate, the young man suddenly controlled all his emotions and forcefully tore up the sheepskin paper containing the new contract.

Pieces scattered on the floor, and Harvey calmly said to Gustavo Flint, "You are right, I am far from my teacher, and I can’t protect his business, but that doesn’t mean you can take it either. Master Flint, I’m not good at doing business, but I am good at something else.

"If you insist on doing such dishonorable things, then I assure you, every member of your Alchemist Association for the next ten, a hundred years will be cursed with bad luck, you will achieve nothing, you will face frequent accidents, and you will be despised by the world. This is what I can do. I am prepared to sacrifice everything I have to destiny to ensure the destruction of your Alchemist Association."

Gustavo Flint frowned, but he did not take the threat seriously.

Diviner Mages are troublesome, but Harvey was still just a youngster who had recently graduated from an apprenticeship, and such threats were essentially bluster without any real substance.

However, just as Gustavo Flint was about to put more pressure on him, he felt his body stiffen.

The air around them seemed to grow colder, and Gustavo Flint could even see his breath turning into mist.

A regal, alluring figure in deep red appeared before them, bringing an elegance that made Gustavo Flint’s soul tremble.

How could she be here?!

Harvey, however, exclaimed in surprise!

"Lady Rose, what brings you here?!"