This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 599 - 532: A Demand That Isn’t Considered a Demand

Chapter 599: Chapter 532: A Demand That Isn’t Considered a Demand

The palace lay in ruins, blood mingling with lava to form a black and foul-smelling smoke.

Mammon’s body, as large as a small hill, lay sprawled on the ground, swords protruding all over, with poisonous blood oozing out, almost forming a lake beneath him.

The Fallen Angel, with broken wings and missing an arm, leaned against a crumbling wall, her blood like molten lava flowing from her fragmented body.

The two Archdukes of the Devils fought until the sky darkened and the earth dimmed, both ending up severely injured and lying in the rubble for days.

However, it all just seemed tragic; in reality, it was merely superficial damage.

Mammon groaned deeply as swords were expelled from his wounds, his enormous body slowly shrinking until it returned to the rotund humanoid figure, appearing unscathed except for a somewhat disheveled hairstyle.

Zariel was the same; when she stood up again, her shattered body also returned to its original state.

In Hell, the Archduke of the Devils is like being in their own Divine Realm.

Had Zariel used the powers of the first layer of hell, Mammon would never have been able to injure her so. Nor would Mammon truly fight to the death with Zariel on the first layer of hell; they would fight in the third level of hell, which he controlled.

The two Grand Dukes of Hell were only venting their frustration and grief, not really forcing the slumbering Lord of Hell to wake up and slap them twice.

With a wave of her hand, Zariel started to restore the broken palace, repairing everything that had been smashed during their temper tantrum.

Zariel and Mammon looked at each other silently, like two gamblers who had lost everything, both deeply wounded in spirit.

At that moment, Amberser’s voice arose from a corner: "The both of you have finally calmed down, haven’t you? I’m rather curious, why are you so angry? I never said I was going to renege on our deal."

Zariel and Mammon looked towards the corner from where the voice originated, and Amberser’s figure appeared in another Magic Mirror.

There was only one difference from before; his face now bore a white Clown Mask. Even without a clear view of his face, that voice alone was enough for Zariel to recognize the detestable Lich!

"The liar who belongs in hell!"

Zariel cursed but eventually didn’t take action; her rage was nearly spent, and smashing the Magic Mirror now would not change anything.

Mammon, more resolute than Zariel, approached the Magic Mirror and said to Amberser, "Speak, you Devil who deserves eternal torment by Hellfire, what are your terms?!"

Amberser showed no concern for the threat, simply smiling as he spoke to both: "What conditions could I possibly have? I simply wish to continue our banking business. Just like before, we keep working, and I’ll replace the missing Soul Currency."

Zariel and Mammon were taken aback at his words.

What kind of conditions were these?

Zariel asked excitedly, "What did you say? You’re prepared to continue our previous arrangement?"

"Of course. Why would I have a reason to go back on my word?"

Mammon also pressed, "Everything remains the same, including the investment and profit-sharing ratio?"

Amberser kept smiling, "Of course, the agreed price remains the same; I always deal fairly and never break contracts."

Zariel and Mammon looked at each other. If that was the case, what was the point of their fight? Everything could go on as before, couldn’t it?!

Thinking this way, hadn’t their intense battle been as foolish as two idiots?

Mammon still spoke with a face full of suspicion, "No, this isn’t right; why don’t you tell us the truth? I don’t believe you want nothing in return!"

Amberser continued calmly, "To be honest, I never planned to do much initially; it was Duke Zariel who was so keen on tormenting me. Did I ever say anything about discontinuing our cooperation?"

Zariel said agitatedly, "You talked about renegotiating terms! How is that different from reneging? You think I don’t know what you’re up to?"

"You misunderstand." Amberser spread his hands and continued, "Esteemed Dukes, I never intended to modify the contract regarding investment and profit sharing. When I mentioned renegotiating terms, I meant that we need to adjust the direction of the bank’s business. But you wouldn’t listen and attacked me outright."

Duke Zariel clenched his fists, if not for knowing that he couldn’t touch Amberser, he most certainly would have dragged this Lich out and given him a thorough thrashing.

Amberser did not continue his provocation, and calmly said to the two Archdukes of the Devils, "However, a little misunderstanding won’t affect our cooperation, right? The previous terms remain unchanged, and I will still provide the agreed upon Soul Currency. Nevertheless, I’ve encountered a small difficulty and need the help of the two Dukes."

Duke Zariel wanted to say something, but was stopped by Mammon.

Although he knew that what Amberser was about to say was not some "small trouble," Mammon was relieved; as long as there was room for negotiation, it wouldn’t result in a complete loss. Since no method had been found to capture the Lich, patience was the only option for now.

But no matter, Devils also have eternal lives, he could slowly settle accounts with him in a few hundred years.

Therefore, Mammon said to Amberser, "Tell me, what is your little trouble?"

"It’s that, the materials I use to make Soul Currency are not enough. The two of you should also know, my main source of materials comes from purchasing, originally from the Elf Tribe, buying magical materials. But now, my business on the Prime Material Plane is severely affected, so the materials have become a problem..."

Mammon and Duke Zariel listened with furrowed brows—not that they thought the situation was severe, but it was somewhat troublesome.

Even if they were Grand Dukes of Hell and the most exalted beings among Devils, their influence on the Prime Material Plane wasn’t enough, not to mention the Elf Tribe was protected by the Elven Gods, and they didn’t dare to act rashly.

Duke Zariel asked with suspicion, "Someone dares to rob you of your business?"

"Tsk, tsk, is that something the Grand Duke of Hell should say? Duke Zariel, have you not seen enough of greedy folk? I am officially dead, fallen into Hell already, a dead tyrant who can’t make people fear anymore. Although my enemies haven’t succeeded yet, my business has already been severely impacted, and if you don’t believe it, feel free to inquire around."

Amberser spoke with great confidence because those words were true.

The Alchemist Association was targeting the industry Amberser left behind, using covert business tactics that were hard for most people to detect. Even though the Elf Tribe still traded with Withered Rose according to the contract, the business was somewhat affected during this period.

This was a trade war at the national level, requiring tremendous expertise to engage, and it was even hard to calculate whether one was profiting or losing.

Amberser was not afraid of the Devils checking up on him, because only he knew how much the impact was; he could say whatever he liked regarding the losses to outsiders. Those who did not agree could go and inspect the accounts. Unless Mammon himself personally went to the Prime Material Plane to check the books, he couldn’t guess the truth.

"What materials do you need?" Mammon asked.

Mammon did not intend to delve into the truth of the matter; in his mind, he understood that Amberser’s so-called "difficulty" was the advantage he sought to gain. Originally, Amberser was to supply the Soul Currency materials, but now by asking the Devils to do so, he could save on costs.

How much of a difference it would make, Mammon was not very clear, only Amberser himself could calculate the costs of creating a Pseudo-Soul. If the price was not too outrageous, taking a little loss was considered earning.

Amberser said, "Rest assured, I’m truly not trying to trick you out of your money. The materials I need are simple, just some Demon corpses and souls will suffice. The Blood River Battlefield is right there on the first layer of hell, such things should be worthless to you, right?"

Duke Zariel and Mammon frowned once again.

It was not a question of whether these things were valuable or not, but rather that they essentially had no cost.

On the Blood River Battlefield, a vast number of Demons died daily, and the Devils who had earned merits needed to collect Demon remains to exchange for honors at the Blood River Fortress.

These Demon remains could be considered pollutants, for most Demon corpses contained virulent poisons, which were harmful even to Devils.

The enemy that knows you best is the one you fight against; after so many years of conflict, the Demons had come to understand Devil vulnerabilities quite thoroughly. They would even purposefully breed suicide bomber types of Demons to execute kamikaze charges on the Blood River Battlefield.

The bodies of these Demons were the most powerful weapons – pure pollutants.

Only a small portion of Demon remains could be crafted into weapons or fashioned into artificial Devils, but the majority could only be incinerated with Hellfire for detoxification.

Occasionally, some Devils would collect these things and hand them out as "rewards" during heretic summonings, which was actually another form of deception.

Therefore, Demon corpses were not very useful, and if Amberser wanted these things, Duke Zariel wouldn’t feel the slightest regret giving them away.

But was it really that simple?

Would this damned, greedy Lich be satisfied with just this much?