This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 730 - 612 Harvey’s Malevolent Thoughts

Chapter 730: Chapter 612 Harvey’s Malevolent Thoughts

Harvey looked at the pale Elf before him and realized his faint perception had vanished.

The Elf’s destined path seemed elusive, or perhaps a special existence beyond his ability to sense.

What was this situation?

Unlike Amberser, who could deduce so much from such tiny clues, Harvey vaguely felt something was amiss but couldn’t immediately connect it to anything else. But he had learned one thing from Amberser: if you couldn’t figure something out, it was important not to let others realize you were confused.

So, with a bewildered face, Harvey asked the pale Elf, "Excuse me, Mr. Elf, who are you? How did you come to be inside my mentor’s castle?"

Hircine replied with a smile, "I should be the one asking you, mortal, why are you inside my castle?"

Harvey frowned, wondering if the Dwarves had repossessed the castle after his mentor had fled and then flipped it—in a very Goblin-like fashion.

Harvey hadn’t realized that he had started to rationalize and find logic in what the Elf had said after just one sentence.

This was the Power of the Prince of Lies; his lies always made people unconsciously believe.

Most mortals couldn’t resist this power; it was rare for someone like Amberser, who could detect the fallacies in lies, mainly because his world view didn’t align with this world’s. The Prince of Lies’ power generated lies based on the world’s logic, which instinctively felt off to Amberser.

It was as if everyone knew of the Deities’ existence, but after Amberser crossed into this world, he had to spend a considerable amount of time transitioning from an atheist to a theist. Many preconceived notions meant Amberser had to take a detour to understand much of this world’s logic, so no matter how perfect Hircine’s lies were, Amberser could more easily detect issues.

It was like adding a translation process in the middle, causing the originally perfect lie to lose its authenticity.

Yet Harvey, as a native of this land, didn’t have the ability to translate and filter, so he started to rationalize Hircine’s casually constructed lies.

And now Harvey found himself in an awkward situation; if the castle had truly been sold to this Elf, did that mean he was trespassing in someone else’s home?

What should he do in such a situation?

Harvey struggled to recall Amberser’s teachings; if his mentor faced this problem, he would shamelessly smile, call it a misunderstanding, and buddy up with the Elf to settle scores with the Goblins, pinning the blame on them and ultimately reclaiming the castle. Depending on this Elf’s intelligence, there would be several outcomes.

The first: simply laboring for free and losing a castle. The second: coughing up a compensation for emotional distress. The third: after making compensation, still feeling that Amberser would be a worthwhile friend to make.

But when Harvey played it out in his head, he realized he couldn’t get past the first step—he didn’t have thick enough skin.

He had no choice but to use another method taught by his mentor.

Sincerity, the eternal trump card.

"I’m terribly sorry, this castle was originally my mentor’s. We were just out on a trip and didn’t expect to return to a new owner. May I inquire who sold the castle to you?"

Amberser knew well that Harvey was an honest man, so he gave him a warning: if you can’t exploit loopholes, then become a guardian of the rules, stand firm on the side of reason, and the problems you face will be significantly reduced.

Ordinary people should avoid wavering, as those who can neither be ruthless nor kind often die the fastest.

Harvey, once tricked by Big Black and Husky, thought about getting even using their methods, only to find they wouldn’t reason with him but resorted to a good beating instead. Since then, Harvey realized that he shouldn’t play games of advantage; a straightforward approach to reason was much easier.

Unfortunately, Harvey was not facing a competitor for territory.

Hircine’s target was Harvey himself.

Hircine said, "I see, so that’s what happened. I wondered why those Goblins sold it so cheaply. Turns out they aren’t even the owners. This could be problematic; I heard there were issues at the Goblin Bank, and now it’s difficult even to seek compensation with you."

"What happened?" Harvey curiously asked.

The castle was dozens of kilometers from the Dwarf Capital; even using a Flight Spell, it would take half an hour to reach. The chaos in the Royal Capital had just broken out, and Harvey truly had no clue.

Despite his verbal doubts, Harvey didn’t hesitate with his hands, pulling out his Magic Mirror and starting to swipe.

Asking his mentor about such an event was certainly the right move, as his mentor was likely involved in this major incident.

Hircine, upon seeing Harvey take out the Magic Mirror, subtly placed his right hand behind his back, his fingers generating a slight ripple. Unbeknownst to Harvey, the content displayed on the Magic Mirror changed, showing a message from Amberser about a coup in the Dwarf Kingdom, with the Dwarf King’s children attempting to usurp the throne.

Harvey watched, surprised, but didn’t sense anything amiss.

He wasn’t well-versed in the politics of All Nations, but stories of princes usurping their fathers’ thrones were too common to be strange. The timing was just very inconvenient, with the conference of All Nations around the corner, and the repercussions of the revolt being significant.

However, Harvey didn’t take it to heart; such international affairs were naturally for his mentor to worry about. As a pure, research-focused scholar, he just needed to diligently continue his studies.