This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 601 - 534: Be Yourself Again

Chapter 601: Chapter 534: Be Yourself Again

In the Divine Realm of the God of Alchemy, today’s sounds were not the clinking of the god’s hammer on components, but rather the slap-slap of cards thrown down on the table.

With Amberser’s loud declaration, "Three threes!"

The other two at the card game helplessly discarded their hands.

Though the game had just begun, the outcome was already decided, Amberser had won this round.

The God of Alchemy, the Goddess of Wealth, and finally Amberser, hidden in a mirror, were playing a game of landlord. Unfortunately, their way of playing was different; as soon as one of them made the first move, the other two would throw in their hands, conceding defeat.

The Goddess of Wealth had unparalleled luck in gambling, Amberser, as a Diviner Mage, could foretell winning and losing, and the God of Alchemy had control over the entire Divine Realm, knowing exactly what cards others held.

So the game always ended like this.

The only variable was when the God of Alchemy was unfamiliar with the rules and played the wrong card at the start, then got soundly defeated by the Goddess of Wealth and Amberser. Later on, it ended up being just Amberser repeatedly losing.

After all, a Diviner Mage could only predict winning or losing; his Dice of Destiny couldn’t change the fate of a deity.

Now, the Magic Mirror was plastered with sticky notes, but Amberser was still excitedly controlling the Mage Hand to shuffle the cards again. He hadn’t played this game in a long time and was finding it hard to stop.

On the other hand, the God of Alchemy and the Goddess of Wealth were bored.

This wasn’t really a game anymore, it had turned into a mere contest of luck.

The Goddess of Wealth couldn’t stand it anymore and couldn’t help but suggest to Amberser, "Why don’t we let you cheat?"

Amberser replied, "Then it wouldn’t be fun."

The God of Alchemy scoffed, "Constantly losing is fun?"

Amberser shot back, "And you’re complaining about always winning? That’s just too much!"

"Then what about you actually lose something? What kind of stake is sticking on paper notes?!"

"I’ve been reborn, not turned dumb. Knowing full well I’m bound to lose, would I still bet on something else with you?!"

...

Watching the argument between this master and apprentice, the Goddess of Wealth couldn’t help feeling a bit envious; she had slept for too long and missed such an interesting mortal. Now it was too late for regrets; she had missed the chance to make Amberser her Chosen.

And so, the Goddess of Wealth chose to appear before Amberser and interact with him on equal footing.

The Goddess of Wealth looked at the Clown Mask on Amberser’s face and said, "The mask Ogma bestowed upon you should have more power than what it displays now. Have you completely merged with it, or is there something holding you back?"

The God of Alchemy also turned his gaze upon Amberser, adding, "You’d better think carefully before you answer. The Lord of Knowledge is omniscient."

Amberser casually set the cards aside and replied nonchalantly, "Right now, I still have the power to take off the mask, but if I were to fully accept Ogma’s gift, then I wouldn’t have a second choice. Since I can live just fine for now, there’s no rush to decide."

The God of Alchemy anxiously said, "I’m just worried that you, young man, have misunderstood Ogma’s intention. Many young people tend to maliciously interpret others’ kindness as exploitation, like blaming gravity for binding their freedom when they are able to stand firmly on the ground."

Amberser replied with indifference, "I may have regained a youthful body, but I have not forgotten the wisdom of hundreds of years. Ogma had no tie to me; I was heading to failure in my own plans when He granted me rebirth. Those three questions weren’t a challenge but a means to help me find my former self. If I were to harbor hatred for that, then I truly deserve to go to Hell."

The absolutely neutral Ogma, just like the Mermaid Goddess Yizhuoluo before, didn’t discriminate against any race of beings. They were even willing to help all exceptionally talented mortals ascend to divinity, as long as it didn’t upset the balance of the world, everything was negotiable.

Ogma hadn’t put any restraints on Amberser, only offering him an opportunity to ascend.

Just like the previous three questions, the Clown Mask would continue to wait until Amberser provided an answer.

Whether to remove the mask, or to integrate it completely.

The Lord of Knowledge wasn’t in a hurry and wouldn’t press the issue.

The God of Alchemy said with a face full of envy, "Then what are you hesitating for? Isn’t it good to become a lesser god of Ogma? I’ve been thinking about it for so long, and the Lord of Knowledge hasn’t even accepted me."

It seemed that the God of Alchemy had a good relationship with Ogma, but it was still a far cry from really joining Ogma’s deity faction and becoming an ally.

Amberser was different, as long as he fully accepted the power of the Clown Mask, he would be equivalent to accepting the divine power bestowed by Ogma, and he could ascend to godhood on the spot. He might even surpass the God of Alchemy right away.

But Amberser had only accepted the rebirth power from the Clown Mask and still remained a mortal.

So the mask was only worn on his face, ready to be removed at any time.

"What else could the reason be? I’m just greedy, you know. I don’t want to be any deity’s lesser god," Amberser said, mocking himself.

If Amberser had still been a lich, he would’ve accepted with no hesitation if Ogma had so much as batted an eyelash at him. Not to mention Ogma, he would’ve sold himself to the Goddess of Wealth if she just beckoned with her finger. If the Holy Light of Rosanda, the Lord of the Dawn, had not hurt him, Amberser would’ve unhesitatingly mixed with him.

The reason he looked down on those evil goddesses was purely because they were too tricky, not because Amberser had any steadfast will.

As for the invitation from the God of Alchemy, at the beginning Amberser was angry at this guy for having deceived him for hundreds of years; later, he looked down on the weakened God of Alchemy after his injury; and by the time the God of Alchemy had recovered, Amberser was on his way towards his own predetermined fate, with no chance of regret anymore.

The youth who was once full of pride and daring enough to assert "Beneath Aeo, I call the shots" had been worn down by the years into a lich with a weary spirit. That’s about it. Being the protagonist isn’t that easy, is it? Which protagonist has been around for hundreds of years, with friends dead, lovers dead, and most of his followers dead?

But this rebirth had brought back the long-lost youthful ambition to Amberser.

His memories were still there, the pain was still there, but the experience gained had not disappeared.

Although Amberser didn’t know how Ogma managed it, he indeed now had the body of a youth with the experience of the aged, so he still couldn’t help but find his mentor for a game of cards, to feel that vivid life.

Having received this gift, was he supposed to tread the old path of the lich again?

Being a lesser god... What a joke!

Before the rebirth, he thought about becoming a lesser god; after the rebirth, he still becomes a lesser god – wouldn’t that be a complete waste of a rebirth?

So, he might as well try to pick up that old dream.

To become a deity, to become a powerful deity not controlled by anyone.

Oh, except for Aeo, the God above Gods. You can’t ignore his face.

How to become an independent deity was a concept that Amberser, having just crossed over, had no idea about. He could only bump around like a blind fly, hitting walls everywhere.

But now, Amberser possessed all the knowledge of the Dark Web, had mastered the modified Kalsass’s Deification Technique, had helped Laila regain her power, and had assisted Aige to become a deity.

A bunch of deities had a good relationship with Amberser, and even more had partnerships with him. He might even borrow that special Divine Artifact Ring from Aige after she became a deity, to create his own Divine Realm ahead of time.

With such a solid foundation already laid, it would be totally unjust if he didn’t become a deity, right?

So, it’s better to part with Ogma on good terms. The great Lord of Knowledge granted Amberser rebirth, so Amberser would give Him the Renaissance he wanted.

Once he repaid this gift, Amberser would remove the mask from his face to realize his once long-held dream.

"Your greed has indeed never changed," the God of Alchemy said sentimentally, as if he had gone back to when he had first met this youth years ago.

Back then, Amberser had asked a question about when he could become a Legendary Alchemist, in one year or two.

The God of Alchemy was still blind at that time, otherwise, he really wanted to slap this ignorant kid.

"So what do you plan to do?" the God of Alchemy asked.

With a mysterious smile, Amberser replied, "No rush, the groundwork isn’t quite there yet. But moving forward, I’m going to make good use of my current state. Teacher, your Magic Mirror needs an upgrade. I’m going to turn that luxury item into a daily necessity that everyone can use!"