This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 604 - 537: Merit Exchange

Chapter 604: Chapter 537: Merit Exchange

The Spider-transformed Drow Lord had not at all expected Melina to take the initiative to provoke him.

Surprised, the Spider-transformed Drow said, "Are you really an idiot? Meeting someone as exceptional as you in Hell isn’t easy."

This kind of mockery was just another normal way of greeting for the devil, right?

And they were going straight to a duel?

Now the nearby devils were watching the excitement, eagerly shouting and egging them on to fight.

"Start fighting!"

"Fight, fight!"

"I want to see blood flow like a river!"

...

No matter who lost or won afterward, scavenging the corpses could be quite profitable.

Even the fortress staff responsible for collecting the bodies prudently stepped aside for the time being.

Melina had given him the choice to kneel or die, and if he didn’t act, that would be utterly shameful.

In fact, it wasn’t fair to blame the Spider-transformed Drow for his sharp tongue; in Hell, such mockery was quite common, similar to cursing at someone upon meeting.

But he didn’t know Melina was highly sensitive to pejorative terms related to intelligence.

You could say that she, the Undead Princess from somewhere else, wouldn’t mind being called a smelly beggar, but call her an idiot and Melina would not rest until she had her vengeance.

The Spider-transformed Drow snorted coldly, the deep red Hell Magic Pattern on his body began to glow as he readied for battle.

But all he saw was Melina’s body flashing and disappearing in an instant.

That was Teleportation Magic, it’s just that Melina was so fast that the Spider-transformed Drow never saw her casting. Was it the effect of Magic Equipment or a scroll? Was it Traceless Step or a space jump?

Though unclear about the details, the Spider-transformed Drow immediately spouted a large web. The web contained a toxic poison capable of corroding the Soul, which would spread into the air along with the threads, something even the Undead could not be immune to.

Such a potent poison should at least thwart a surprise attack, right?

But unfortunately, his thoughts were too naive.

By the time Melina’s spear pierced through the fat spider belly of the Drow, he was still unable to react.

With black blood frothing at the mouth, the Spider-transformed Drow struggled to turn its head towards Melina, stammering, "How is this possible?!"

No wonder he was shocked; the lower half of the Spider-transformed Drow was a spider form, making it particularly plump like a live target with many vital organs. Such a part certainly needed strong protection.

Therefore, most of the magic patterns on the Spider-transformed Drow were on its spider body. These patterns provided not only a boost in magical power but also substantial defense. To put it bluntly, even the magic cannon on the Blood River Fortress wouldn’t faze him after a few hits.

But now, Melina penetrated his body with a seemingly unremarkable spear, and those defensive magic patterns were as good as paper mache. Even if the magic patterns failed, he still had a magic necklace and rings on his body, with several protective magical effects, so why didn’t they work at all?

Melina showed no intention of explaining as she thrust her spear, transformed from the Whispering Tree, rapidly and relentlessly, turning the massive Spider-transformed Drow into a mush of flesh.

The whole process took merely ten seconds. The formidable Spider-transformed Drow was utterly dead, his Soul shattered into countless specks of light, which then gradually dissipated, perhaps taking several years before emerging again from different parts of Hell.

The biggest problem with this Spider-transformed Drow was his overreliance on magic equipment and magical power. Melina was simply a Mage killer; to her, anyone was a quick kill. Unless you had the strength of Gareth to fight hand-to-hand as a Legendary Warrior even without any magic power, facing Melina most likely meant instant death.

In just a few seconds, the battle was over, a result that shocked the devils who were watching to the point that when the spider-transformed Drow fell, even those prepared to scavenge the corpse froze for a moment.

It was this moment of hesitation that allowed Cambion to quickly reach Melina’s side, stripping all the seemingly valuable items from the spider-transformed Drow and casually asking while pointing at the mangled corpse, "Can this count as a merit?"

The cunning Minor Coward Demon, who had just heard what Cambion had said, immediately snapped back to his senses, saying seriously, "We don’t accept this kind of thing."

With a crack of his whip, the trapdoor beneath was flung open, and a thick tentacle stretched out, dragging down the several ton-heavy spider-transformed Drow’s corpse.

Though he said they didn’t accept it, the Minor Coward Demon still felt rather pleased. To prevent the devils from rioting due to excessive skimming, the Minor Coward Demons had quotas to meet, and with such a big spider-transformed Drow gone, half of today’s quota was filled, and now they could skim even more.

But the Minor Coward Demon glanced at the indifferent Melina and decided it would be better to skim a little less from today’s haul, prioritizing his own safety.

Although Blood River Fortress had rules against harming its staff, who knew whether this undead girl might go berserk, and he certainly didn’t want his tombstone to read "Entirely the other party’s fault," did he?

Life was more important after all, money could come gradually.

Cambion was the smartest under Melina’s command, immediately realizing that the Minor Coward Demon had been intimidated, he pulled Monica over and chose this one to start submitting the demon corpses.

Monica also understood the situation. While she didn’t dare to completely beguile the Minor Coward Demon, casting a flirtatious glance and whispering a few sweet nothings could lead to a few extra marks in the merit book.

After emptying several Spatial Pouches full of corpses and counting them, the Minor Coward Demon finally did not mistake the Balor Flame Demon for a Hell Worm.

In the end, they could only exchange their haul for a mere twenty-two thousand Soul Currency.

This was the least a Minor Coward Demon had ever skimmed in his life.

Monica and Cambion both sighed. This was exactly why they were reluctant to come to Blood River Fortress. The whole trip was a net loss; they could’ve made more profit by setting up a stall by the Blood River.

The pair couldn’t help but look towards Melina; they hadn’t come to Blood River Fortress just to lose money, after all. Melina had mentioned she wanted to purchase the lordship authority.

The smallest domain authority cost fifty thousand Soul Currency, which was pretty much just a status symbol without many actual benefits. However, it meant you could build a fortress on the territory you seized instead of watching it deteriorate.

Many of Blood River Battlefield’s outlying, smaller domains were like this, where the lords, having finally gained a foothold, could construct fortresses and hunt down stray demons as part of the outer line of defense for the Battlefield.

But Melina had a different idea in mind. Before heading to Blood River Fortress, Melina had conquered six territories. However, only three Hell Lords truly submitted to her, and that count included Monica.

The lords of the remaining three territories had died, their fortresses were collapsing, and the lands were progressively becoming barren.

Melina intended to merge these six territories into one continuous domain that belonged to her. To rule over such a vast territory, the necessary lordship authority would be incredibly high, requiring at least three million Soul Currency.

Monica had been commanded by Melina to come along, and now she was curious to see how her mistress planned to solve this problem.

Cambion, however, was unconcerned. He was well acquainted with Melina’s disposition by now—strong and direct, with no inclination for beating around the bush. If she said she came to buy the lordship authority, she must have been prepared.

Cambion was not disappointed. When Melina heard the price of twenty-two thousand, she merely furrowed her brows, then took out a Magic Mirror and whispered, "Father, Blood River Fortress is too corrupt!"

Amberser’s image appeared on the mirror’s surface, chuckling and saying, "Silly child, this is Hell after all."

From her vantage point, Monica could clearly see the Magic Mirror in Melina’s hand. She had long suspected Melina’s identity; to be called "father" by her... But wait, wasn’t he supposed to be dead, his Soul supposedly shattered completely?

Even if that were not the case, wouldn’t he be in the hands of Duke Zariel, not chatting with Melina?

Could this truly be the Deceiver she had long admired? A wave of warmth surged within Monica, her body softening slightly at the thought.

Melina, however, did not notice this. She simply aimed the Magic Mirror at an empty space, and soon after, countless chunks of flesh surged out of the mirror’s Teleportation Circle, overwhelming the scheming Minor Coward Demon.