This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 581 - 517 The Devil Did Not Respond

Chapter 581: Chapter 517 The Devil Did Not Respond

Yugas slowly walked out of the tavern, maintaining a calm exterior, but his steps involuntarily quickened once he left the tavern.

Although he kept reminding himself that he had waited for thousands of years, a few more days wouldn’t make a difference, and he shouldn’t falter at the last hurdle. After all, he was the only candidate now, and victory seemed assured; there was no need to rush.

But this self-comfort was like the hunger in his belly, the more he endured, the more he minded, and the more he could feel that burning sensation searing his heart.

The city was not large, yet it was filled with the breath of the living.

The scent of fresh flesh continually drifted into Yugas’s nose, intensifying his already unbearable hunger.

Just as Yugas was about to hastily leave this tempting place, a strange voice suddenly rang in his ear.

"Why resist? Over the years, it’s not like you haven’t broken the rules before, you’ve secretly had a bite or two, haven’t you?"

Yugas was startled and his body shot up, leaping tens of meters into the air, landing on the rooftop of a nearby building.

Despite his efforts to locate it, he couldn’t find the source of the voice.

"Stop trying to find me, I am your inner heart, the resonance of your soul. Yeg has deceived you for thousands of years, isn’t it time you woke up? Now you are the only candidate at the Elegy Poetry Society, but what about in a few years? The lich only joined recently; how do you know Yeg won’t bring in a new person in a few years? Do you still want to wait for the newcomer to take his own life and fall into Hell?"

Although Yugas did not respond, his hands trembled slightly.

These words struck at his heart. He indeed had this worry, but he had just forced himself not to think about it.

Because Yugas knew that the initiative was not in his hands, whether Yeg would bring in someone new entirely depended on his mood.

"Face the reality, Yeg never really intended for you to inherit the position of the Grim Reaper. So why do you continue to endure for this empty thing? Look at all the living people around the city, you’ve been hungry for a long time, haven’t you?"

The grip of Yugas’s claws tightened, making a cracking noise from the friction.

And to add fuel to the fire, a group of paladins hurriedly approached.

It seems that the gathering of the Elegy Poetry Society had finally alarmed these slow-reacting paladins, or perhaps it was Yugas’s ten-meter-high leap that had caught their attention.

When they saw the true form of Yugas the ghoul, they all radiated bright Holy Light.

The dazzling light struck Yugas’s eyes, forcing him to squint his blood-red eyes, and as the paladins unsheathed their swords, Yugas could no longer resist his instincts and pounced towards them sweeps of his claws.

Even though Holy Light restrained the undead, the vast difference in strength made their armors tear like paper, and limbs and body parts quickly scattered around.

As the Holy Light receded, Yugas, clutching a half-bloodied head, felt a nearly irresistible urge to shove it into his mouth. If he ate all these corpses, would that sate his hunger for a mere half-minute?

He had been hungry for too long. Ever since he became a ghoul, the hunger was never truly appeased. No matter how much flesh and blood he devoured, the feeling of satiety lasted only briefly, and he would soon plunge back into the endless torture of voracious hunger.

That tempting voice echoed in his ears once more, "Eat it, what are you waiting for? You’ve eaten them before. You’ve rarely broken your rules over the years, but that doesn’t mean you haven’t ever. Haven’t you set a rule for yourself that taking a few bites in battle doesn’t count as breaking your own rules?"

Yugas opened his mouth wide, about to stuff the half head inside it.

But at the last moment, he angrily threw the bloody thing away.

The splattered blood landed in a corner shadow, revealing a pale Elf.

Yugas roared, "Who are you?!"

The pale Elf shrugged, not expecting his disguise to be revealed. Indeed, Elegy Poetry Society members had some skills; even if not deific, they had nearly reached that threshold—it was just difficult to completely deceive another with just an avatar.

Facing the furious Yugas, the pale Elf mocked, "Who I am doesn’t matter. The important thing is you know the answer to what I said... Ouch!"

Bloody scratches flashed by, nearly slicing off the head of the pale Elf.

After dodging and retreating backward, the pale Elf took to the air.

Yugas watched him, but did not continue the chase. He could feel the Elf was very powerful and was not sure he could surely win, only puzzled over who this person was that specifically came to tempt him to break his vows.

"Undead really are stubborn, aren’t they? Well, keep waiting then. Since you can live a very long time, I wonder when you’ll give up hope."

This mysterious Elf vanished into the sky, and Yugas completely lost his scent.

More Holy Light arose, converging from every direction toward the city.

Yugas glanced at the sky, and eventually could only run towards the outside of the city. If it wasn’t time to dine, then there was no need to tempt himself with blood all over.

The city was under martial law, but in the end, it hardly mattered. The deaths of a few paladins only made the already tense city even tenser.

However, these minor issues were just one of Laine’s chaotic occurrences and wouldn’t even reach the desk of the Supreme Decree in the Imperial Capital.

After leaving the tavern, Withered Rose and Aige directly used the Teleportation Circle to return to Gloomyland. Mercury City had not changed at all; it was still silent, like a graveyard.

Walking into Mercury City, all the undead hid in corners, daring not to show themselves in front of Withered Rose.

Everyone knew that the Undead Queen’s mood had been poor lately, and any slight mishap could lead to the punishment of soul annihilation.

Withered Rose remarked, "You have already been able to depart from your original body, it seems you are not far from becoming a true deity."

The original body of Aige was the Ghost Ship, yet now that her body was still on the high seas, she could assemble an avatar to travel to Gloomyland, which showed significant growth in her power.

Aige had no schemes and candidly admitted, "Yes, his plan has always been smooth. My divine realm will soon fully form, and in at most two years, I will become a new deity."

Hearing Amberser mentioned by Aige, Withered Rose felt a twinge of sourness, but she quickly forgot this minor emotion.

The cost of recalling that person’s soul from Hell would be enormous, and Withered Rose feared she could not afford it. If Aige was willing to help, things would be much easier.

The two of them walked on and soon arrived at the deepest part of the castle.

Protected by numerous magic barriers, Amberser’s skeleton was sealed inside a crystal coffin, the black-haired, black-eyed youthful appearance making him seem as if he were merely asleep.

Merlina leaned on her longsword, vigilantly guarding beside the coffin.

The current Merlina had less innocence on her face and appeared somewhat reserved.

The departure of Amberser had not only affected the world greatly but also those around him.

But this time, Withered Rose brought good news.

"Merlina, I have found out the whereabouts of your father," she said.

Upon hearing this, Merlina’s eyes lit up. Surprised, she spoke, "Really? Then can we bring back father?"

Withered Rose intended to say it would not be that easy, but seeing the expression on Merlina’s face, she nodded and said, "Yes, your father’s soul is in Hell, probably in the hands of Zariel. We can redeem him, we certainly can."

"That’s great!" Merlina said excitedly, "Let me summon Zariel quickly!"

When Amberser was still alive, Merlina had been used as a reusable sacrifice to lure Zariel to descend.

Withered Rose shook her head; she didn’t possess Amberser’s ability to simply place Merlina in a Magic Array, utter a few words, and have Zariel summoned.

That wasn’t a summoning, that was fishing.

In this world, only Amberser could fish for a Lord of Hell as if they were mere fish.

To summon Zariel, one must do so according to the rules of the Grand Duke of Hell. Extensive blood sacrifices, a vast Magic Array, and meticulous incantations were indispensable.

Fortunately, Gloomyland was not lacking in these materials.

After several hours, the sinister and bloody Magic Array was ready. Withered Rose and Aige recited the incantations needed to summon Zariel together, and it was now just a matter of waiting for a response.

However, after a long time, the stench of the blood sacrifice almost turned to rot, and there was still no response from the Magic Array.

"Zariel hasn’t responded?" Withered Rose felt something was amiss. Regardless of Amberser’s situation, the Grand Duke of Hell would not pass up an opportunity to bargain, which was a blatant chance to make a hefty profit. How could Zariel remain indifferent?

At the very least, he would come up to hear the offer, right?

Could it be that Zariel held onto Amberser’s soul so tightly, he wasn’t even willing to hear an offer?

That would be troublesome.