This Lich Requests More Remuneration

Chapter 31: Chapter 31 Deity and Prophecy Chapter 31: Chapter 31 Deity and Prophecy In the dim and filthy sewers, an evil Lich interrogated a hideous, twisted Witch about information related to ascending to godhood.

No matter how one looked at it, this scene seemed like a prelude to the acts of a major villain.

But in reality, Amberser didn’t obtain any useful information from the Witch’s mouth.

The Witch had heard the prophecy from other Witches.

“The experiment to blaspheme the Deity finally succeeded, but it was hidden in the sewers of Alchemy City. It’s a treasure that can manifest the power of Deities, and anyone who obtains it could become a true Deity,” she said with grave seriousness.

After listening, Amberser only felt that people were incredibly foolish.

If Alchemy City truly produced a treasure capable of apotheosis, would it still be hidden until now? Moreover, within the sewers?

They would have simply given it to the Honorable Chairman, that mysterious and unpredictable figure, and Alchemy City could have solved its economic crisis right away. Why the difficulty they currently face?

Besides, the role of a Deity is not so easily taken on; it’s purely the delusion of mortals.

If one were to say who on this continent was closest to the Deities, it would certainly be the Legendary ones.

The so-called Legendary beings have already transcended the mundane, yet have not become Deities. Therefore, they are also known as Demigods; they have grasped Weak Divine Power and can ignore the rules of mortals to a certain extent.

The Legendary Grace that Amberser possessed was the ability to break the rules, to directly create a blank Soul. This is the power of rule that only a Deity could wield.

But even for Legendary beings, there’s still a vast distance from being a true Deity.

This thing, it’s a bit like a civil servant’s job title, one carrot for one hole; it’s not something you can obtain just by being capable.

Generally speaking, there are only two possibilities for a mortal to become a Deity.

The first is if you have good luck and gain the favor of the original Creator God, the God above Gods, who can designate any being to become a Deity—even inanimate objects can be granted Divine Nature. There are no prerequisite conditions, no side effects, just his nod of approval and you ascend to the heavens in one step.

Only Amberser had never heard of anyone being that fortunate.

The second path, naturally, is to first become a Legendary being. This is equivalent to passing the first round of written exams for godhood, and then just waiting patiently. With some luck, a Deity might be willing to help you become the new Deity, for instance by sacrificing themselves and passing on their Divine Nature to you.

Yes, typically, these are the only two ways to become a Deity.

Without the older generation stepping down, there’s no room for new Deities to rise.

Otherwise, why would there be several hundred Legendary beings on the continent without all ascending to godhood long ago?

Of course, there’s also the most far-fetched possibility mentioned in legends, which is to forge your own new path and add an additional seat among the number of Deities, where there was originally one seat per Deity.

It is rumored that the God of Alchemy is truly a new Deity, who carved out a new Divine Nature and then received endorsement from the Creator God, allowing him to become a new Deity.

Do you see? Even if you are incredible enough to forge a new path, in the end, it still requires the Creator God’s nod for you to become a Deity.

If he doesn’t give his blessing, no matter how powerful you are, you would only be a Legendary figure.

Mortals have many unrealistic dreams about Deities, which is why they believe in rumors about becoming a Deity by acquiring certain treasures.

But upon further thought, Amberser felt something was amiss.

It’d be understandable if the small tribes’ Druids and Witches didn’t get it. But the Laine Empire has many Legendary powerhouses; they shouldn’t believe in such rumors. Yet, the Laine Empire’s Paladins do indeed appear in Alchemy City, and they are preparing to explore the sewers. There must be something in this wretched place.

The witch thought Amberser’s silence meant he was also considering this prophecy, and hurriedly said, “There are many details to the prophecy, such as time, place, and many signs. I swear by the name of the deities, if you let me go, I can tell you all these details.”

Amberser listened and said coldly, “Prophecy? Prophecy is just dog shit.”

The witch looked at Amberser in surprise, unable to understand how he could say such a thing—he was a mage from the School of Prophecy! If Amberser himself didn’t believe in the power of prophecy, how was that different from desecrating the deities he worshipped?

Indeed, Amberser did not believe in prophecy; more accurately, he had abandoned the path of the School of Prophecy.

The reason was simple: his soul wasn’t that noble, and he couldn’t make his actions conform to his knowledge.

When you grasp the power of prophecy, you’re supposed to believe in everything that it reveals, not just cry ‘It’s divine will’ when it’s favorable to you and claim ‘My fate is in my hands, not in the heavens’ when it’s not.

The world laws don’t coddle those with double standards.

If you can’t fully accept fate’s arrangements and become anxious and paranoid about impending misfortune, trying everything to avoid an unfortunate future, you may end up dying even sooner because of your folly.

The fear of death pales in comparison to the fear of waiting for it to arrive; such torment can drive a person insane.

Amberser was never one to calmly accept his fate; otherwise, he wouldn’t have stubbornly sought immortality. Perhaps it was this inner hypocrisy that, when he ascended to legendary status, granted him a Legendary Grace that had nothing to do with the School of Prophecy.

Because of this, Amberser accepted his weakness and resolved to take a different path.

Becoming a reincarnated lich brought economic pressure, among other reasons. These efforts of hundreds of years didn’t simply vanish; the power of the School of Prophecy didn’t completely disappear but remained stagnant at the moment just before ascending to legendary, unable to progress further.

This was the main reason why Amberser became a ‘substandard’ legendary; casting aside what he excelled at, he needed a great deal of time to catch up with other legendaries.

But there was no need to explain these details to the witch. Amberser simply slowly lifted his hand, a skinning knife appearing between his fingers, then he said to the witch, “It seems your usefulness has come to an end.”

“No, wait!”

Upon seeing the skinning knife in Amberser’s hand, the witch’s face turned ashen with fright as she hastily pleaded for mercy.

But Amberser didn’t care what the witch said. His hand moved, and the blade fell—he skinned the witch’s scalp, which had only a few hairs on it.

Rancid blood sprayed out as the skin on top of the witch’s head was fully peeled away, revealing her ghastly white skull.

The witch’s scalp in Amberser’s hand twitched as if alive, its dense patterns squirming like countless wriggling insects.

It was a disgusting object, but the most valuable thing on the witch was precisely this.

By flaying the witch’s scalp alive, the majority of the witch’s power would condense upon it. With just a few added ingredients, it could be used to concoct an alchemical potion that permanently increased one’s attributes. It might enhance strength, boost wisdom, or make one more agile—it all depended on the additional ingredients used.

Even though such potions were effective only for those below legendary level, they could still sell for tens of thousands of gold coins. With the soaring prices of various materials in Alchemy City, Amberser was confident he could sell this potion for forty to fifty thousand gold coins.

When the witch had initially offered only twenty thousand gold coins, Amberser had already sentenced her to death in his mind. How could he possibly agree to spare her if she couldn’t offer a higher price than her own scalp?

The witch, stripped of her scalp, slumped to the ground, devoid of all her strength. Now weaker than an ordinary person, she didn’t even need Amberser to lift a finger; the toxic stench in the air quickly invaded her body, causing her to convulse and die.

Without the protection of magical power, the sewer environment turned lethal.

Amberser carefully extracted the witch’s soul and turned her corpse into a skeleton puppet before heading in another direction in the sewer.

Although it was a grand harvest, Amberser hadn’t forgotten his real purpose.

He came to catch a slime, just hoping that the location Naomi had marked was accurate.