This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 636 - 560: The Curtain Falls on Satire

Chapter 636: Chapter 560: The Curtain Falls on Satire

Salvador’s talent was undoubted; the fervor in Laine was intense, yet its upper echelons were all elites whose judgment in character was impeccable.

Over the years, Salvador had leveraged his influence to involve himself in various aspects of the city, and many of the new policies had been "suggested" by him.

The governor of the city also tacitly paved the way for Salvador, the future Supreme Decree, happily allowing flowers and applause to lay the groundwork for his path ahead.

Salvador was truly the master of this city, and he did not disappoint.

This Border City changed yearly; the evil entities around it were cleaned up, the faith within the city was devout, people’s hearts were at peace, and the economy was continuously developing. Salvador didn’t have to do anything; he could just live peacefully and, after a few more years, return to the Imperial Capital and then rise rapidly through the ranks.

But he was a clever man and he saw the effects of fanaticism earlier than other fervent believers.

Reports of battles, data sets, along with numerous related complaints and conflicts were laid before him; Salvador felt the impact of fanatical faith and human supremacy.

Knowing he was to become the Supreme Decree, Salvador was acutely aware of the responsibilities he would bear.

If he did nothing, then once he returned to the Imperial Capital, he would be thousands of miles from the frontier, making it hard to see what the true lower layers were like.

Salvador was an ambitious man who wanted to seize this opportunity to change the current situation.

The friend of Amberser, that unfairly treated Dwarven merchant, was the breakthrough.

"Father, he wants to exonerate your friend; isn’t that a good thing?" Melina asked, puzzled.

Amberser sighed and said, "Indeed it is good, but just that isn’t enough. He needs a more shocking breakthrough, or he cannot display the terrible consequences of fanatical faith before everyone."

"What do you mean?"

Melina felt that she was losing track, utterly unable to imagine how a good thing could turn into a bad one.

And Amberser’s explanation was straightforward: "Simply exonerating an ordinary case won’t have much impact, unless it’s extremely cruel and causes severe effects. My friend was imprisoned, bankrupt but still alive. Such consequences are not enough, insufficient to serve as a breakthrough. And that friend also has family tirelessly endeavoring to reduce his sentence.

"But you bunch of Dwarves crying injustice in front of the Laine people every day would be very annoying. In such conditions, the Laine people already view them unfavorably, and just a slight provocation could make the fanatics act irrationally."

This time, Melina understood and said in surprise, "All those Dwarves died?"

Amberser nodded and continued, "Not just killed, but after enduring torture, they were burned alive, a truly ghastly death."

"Did Salvador do this? So malicious, yet a priest of the Lord of the Dawn?"

Melina expressed shock, wondering if he was not afraid of divine punishment.

Amberser chuckled, "Salvador is a smart man; he suspected early on that there was something wrong with the Lord of the Dawn, and his actions were also to test the Deity with drastic measures. He isn’t afraid of blaspheming the Deity, because in his heart, as long as the Lord of the Dawn appears, everything will be alright again, even if he gets punished.

"Moreover, this young man is clever; he leaves no flaws and no evidence behind; no matter how others investigate, they can’t trace it back to him."

Melina curiously asked, "Then how did you find the evidence, Father?"

"I didn’t find any evidence." Amberser said matter-of-factly, "I don’t need evidence; the intuition of a Diviner Mage is evidence."

When Amberser said this, he didn’t feel pride or arrogance, but rather, from that moment, he began to question the power bestowed upon him by fate.

Why did he only realize Salvador was lying when he stood before the bodies of those Dwarves, delivering a ’grieving’ speech?

If only he had realized it earlier, perhaps the tragedy could have been avoided.

But intuition, you can’t really explain it.

Amberser trusted this belated intuition and resumed investigating the matter in secret. But Salvador did an impeccable job, leaving him absolutely no evidence, and ultimately Amberser chose the most direct approach—assassination.

He tried many times, but most of them failed. Salvador was cleverer and more cautious than Amberser, who he regarded as the most unstable factor.

Salvador always felt it was a pity, thinking that Amberser could understand his dilemmas.

"I remember the last thing was that he received a transfer order, ending his external assignment early and returning to the Laine Imperial Capital to report on his duties. Then, on the road, I attempted my final assassination, and this time, I succeeded."

Amberser’s tone had no sense of achievement, only a sigh.

Melina asked again, puzzled, "Father, isn’t success a good thing?"

"It would have been, but not because of my meticulous planning, but due to the internal strife among the Laine People themselves. As I had mentioned before, Salvador was actively working to eradicate those fanatical ideas. Using the tragic ordeal of my friend’s family, he truly managed to awaken many from the Laine People, helping them realize that excessive fanaticism could lead them to commit crimes.

"However, there were always zealots who disagreed, such as those from Laine who, incited by him, had killed the Dwarves. They were all punished by Salvador, some jailed, others executed, but all met a terrible fate. These were not individuals; they all had families, and at that time, fanatic belief was widespread.

"Salvador returned to the Imperial Capital with his accomplishments, and everyone knew he would become the youngest Supreme Decree. How could those staunch supporters of human supremacy accept this? So on his return journey to the Imperial Capital, it was not just me who lay in ambush."

Amberser still remembered the shocked expression on Salvador’s face when he died, which occurred before Amberser even made his move, as Salvador had already been attacked, and by his own escort guards, no less.

And more ironically, this guard unit was temporarily replaced by Salvador himself.

Because Amberser had previously managed to convince one of Salvador’s guards to help assassinate him. This plan was discovered by Salvador in advance, so he changed all his guards before returning to the Imperial Capital.

Who would have thought, Amberser had only bribed one, while the fanatics had bought off most of the members of the new guard.

When Amberser was about to make an all-out effort, the fanatics made their move first, ironically leaving Amberser to take away the severely injured Salvador at the last moment.

Amberser watched Salvador breathe his last, and before dying, he asked for the truth of the matters.

Indeed, it was Salvador who had covertly incited the brutal actions against the Dwarven family. Moreover, among those tortured, abused, and burned Dwarves, there was actually one who had survived.

When Salvador appeared as a Savior, the young son of Amberser’s Dwarven friend was still alive, at least he was still breathing. As a High Priest, it wouldn’t have been difficult for Salvador to save him.

But he did not do so, merely watching indifferently as the young Dwarf breathed his last.

"Only a cruel death can awaken them; I do not regret my decision, as everything was for Laine. But I want to know how you managed to turn my entire guard against me."

This was the only question Salvador had before he died, and Amberser’s answer was simple, "In their eyes, killing you was also for Laine."

When Salvador heard this response, his eyes lost their light, even though the blood had not yet dried on his body, but he had no more will to live.

Amberser did not see the glow of the Divine Realm guiding the soul, so he knew his "friend" had gone to Hell.

Salvador had seen the results of fanaticism, but he failed to realize that he, too, had been infected by it.

Everything for Laine, in the name of faith, trampling over others’ lives, Salvador trampled over the lives of a Dwarven family, and the fanatics trampled over Salvador’s life.

Perhaps it was realizing this point that Salvador did not seek forgiveness from Amberser or the Deity at the end, silently accepting his fate.

"Regardless, Salvador was a smarter man than I, at least at that time, as he easily solved all my plans and was also adept in administration. I rarely admire anyone, even the high and mighty Deities, who in my view, are just lucky to have obtained powerful strength. That Salvador could become a clerk in the Second Layer of Hell is not at all surprising."

Many people always feel that strength is the absolute standard to measure a person, but in Amberser’s view, wisdom, strength, and luck, these three have no specific order of importance, Salvador had just been short of luck, and Amberser just happened to be favored by the Goddess of Fate.

Now, if he could get this old friend to help, his control over Hell would be much easier.

However, this old guy, fully aware that he was being invited to "reminisce," surprisingly had no thoughts about it?

Amberser muttered to himself, "It seems that I should pay a personal visit to this old friend."

Melina found the story fascinating, surprised that the man even her father couldn’t deal with ended up in Hell in such a manner. It was truly ironic.

Having heard the story, Melina grew even more curious about the other two ’enemies’ with a Red Name, and couldn’t help but ask, "What about Brunos and Parurier, are they also people you couldn’t beat?"

"Brunos is different, his intelligence lies in a different area; he might be the most terrifying assassin I have ever encountered. Salvador was strong in his overall strategic mind and had great planning and observational skills, being almost out of my league in every aspect at the time. Brunos, on the other hand, specializes in assassination; his talent for killing is incredibly potent.

"As for Parurier... she is ten times more terrifying than the other two combined. I’ve said before, she’s a true madwoman!"