This Lich Requests More Remuneration

Chapter 36: Chapter 36 Practical Test Chapter 36: Chapter 36 Practical Test Amberser had always been a rather singular Undead.

Whether it was sheltering refugees, aiding Druids, making enemies of Paladins or waging war against nearby Lords,
the ultimate goal was always purely about making money.

Now was no different, as a Legendary Lich possessing Pseudo-Soul technology, his demand for human souls was very low, and this war was nearly a complete loss for him. After all, operating the ancient castle’s magic defense system was burning through Gold Coins every second.

Killing just a few people offered no cost-effectiveness whatsoever.

So Amberser had to collect some interest.

The three people before him were perfect to serve as free test subjects to assess the combat capability of his newly created Spirit Puppets.

————
Harvey felt it was time to give up the path of a Mage, damn that School of Prophecy, it was all a trap. He clearly thought that charging forward was the right move, yet he walked right into a trap.

He had seen pitfalls before, but who would dig a pit tens of meters deep right by their front door? Such an enormous undertaking, and what was the point of a depth of tens of meters? A few spears at the bottom would kill an enemy at just a few meters, so what was the use of it being so high?

This question was soon answered when during their fall, the deep pit narrowed like a funnel, eventually turning into a slide.

The three slid in one after another, feeling like some kind of excrement being flushed away. Just when Harvey thought he was going to land in some unspeakable place, he felt something hook onto his back, and then he slid into another passage.

By the time his behind was abraded, Harvey found himself within a metal cage, which then locked automatically with a clang.

Harvey had no time to lament over his sore rear because standing outside the cage was the terrible Lich—Diga Ultraman.

Looking into those eyes lit with Soul Fire, Harvey could only muster a grin and say, “Master Ultraman… what if I said I was forced into this, would you believe me?”

Amberser chuckled and said to Harvey, “Whether you were forced or not, does it matter to me?”

Harvey fell silent; the Lich’s frankness left no room for negotiation.

However, Harvey was a Mage who had invested all his points in intelligence and quickly thought of something, “Since I didn’t fall directly into a blade trap and get run through, that must mean my life still has some value, right? Master Ultraman, rather than keeping it a mystery, maybe I could help you achieve your goal if you tell me why you need me alive.”

Amberser did not hide the truth and said straightforwardly, “Simple, to keep you alive for ransom.”

Harvey’s mouth fell open in surprise; he had never expected such a reason. Thinking back to how he had used human refugees as bargaining chips to ask the Porcupine Knights and other Lords for money, Harvey suddenly felt strange, as if the Lich seemed to be in dire need of cash?

“So… Master Ultraman, how much are you asking for?”

“It should be at least ten thousand Gold Coins, you are a Mage after all,” Amberser said.

Harvey chuckled bitterly, “Then I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you, my employer cannot come up with that amount.”

“Really? An army of over a thousand men, can’t afford ten thousand Gold Coins?”

Amberser was somewhat incredulous; they might not have the cash on hand, but they definitely had something worth ten thousand Gold Coins, being Lords and all.

Harvey explained somewhat helplessly to Amberser, “Master Ultraman, are you unaware of the current situation in Alchemy City? If they weren’t utterly desperate, they wouldn’t have banded together to attack your castle.”

“Is it that serious?”

Amberser was going to ask more questions, but then another clang sounded as the Light Priest fell into another cage. Amberser threw a hold spell at him, following which a horde of Skeletons swarmed him, stripping the Priest bare.

By the time the hold spell wore off, the Light Priest had been forced to drink several bottles of sleeping potions and lost consciousness.

“Alright, we can talk about your issue later,”
Amberser left Harvey with these words and then floated away from the cell.

Watching the Alien Skeletons moving around outside the cage, Harvey tucked the small wire back into his sleeve. Even if he could unlock the cage, as a Mage Apprentice he couldn’t fight off so many Skeletons; escaping now would be suicide.

“Alas.”

Harvey sighed deeply, thinking that everyone in the Laine Empire only knew how to boast. The claims that Paladins could restrain the Undead were utterly false; they were simply playthings in the palm of this Lich.

————
Amberser arrived at another sealed cell, where the Paladin had already ended up, now frantically searching the room for a way out.

But this was futile, as the chamber was enclosed on all sides by thick rock, with only a chute at the top and a heavy iron door as exits.

Perhaps traumatized by the trap at the castle’s main gate, the Paladin didn’t even dare to use Holy Slash on the iron door.

Amberser, armed with the Living Mercury, approached the cell and, without needing to open the door, ordered, “There’s a Paladin inside. Teach him a profound lesson.”

After giving the command, Amberser placed the Living Mercury before the iron door.

The newborn creature comprehended Amberser’s instructions, its body twitching as it rapidly seeped through the gaps in the door.

The Paladin inside the cell was extremely sensitive and detected the intrusion of the Living Mercury almost immediately.

However, he had never seen Living Mercury before and thought Amberser was using some other vile method to torment him.

He gripped his longsword tightly, warily keeping his eyes on the iron door.

But what happened next was far beyond the Paladin’s expectations.

The mercury began to move as if alive, crawling toward him.

“A Slime? No, what is this thing?!”

The Paladin, a seasoned Adventurer, had never encountered a creature like Living Mercury.

Could it be another peculiar Undead creation conjured by that weird Lich?

But no matter, for any kind of Undead could be vanquished with a Holy Slash, and if one wasn’t enough, he’d strike another.

Holy Light began to coalesce on the Paladin’s longsword, the blade infused with radiant power as it swept down toward the writhing mercury.

The path of the swordlight seemed to cleave through the very air, causing ripples in its wake.

Amberser, watching through a monitoring crystal, felt his bones tremble at the sight. If that sword had struck him, it would have likely cleaved the majority of his bones.

The Paladin’s Holy Slash was that domineering, and the Laine Empire had several legions of such Paladins.

The Holy Slash was about to hit the Living Mercury when suddenly, the previously dull and slow-moving mercury swelled up as if boiling over.

Clang, the sound of metal clashing rang out.

The Paladin’s Holy Slash did not strike the Living Mercury but instead met another longsword.

To say it met another longsword might have been imprecise, for it was just a section of a silvery blade that had grown out from the Living Mercury, bracing itself firmly against the Paladin’s formidable strike.

Though the longsword conjured by the Living Mercury sustained a deep notch, the Holy Light from the Holy Slash dissipated with it, inflicting scant damage.

“How is this possible? This creature isn’t Undead, and it has Magic Resistance?!”

The Paladin, knowledgeable in such matters, realized the strength of Living Mercury from just one strike.

But before he could recover his composure, the silvery blade continued to extend. From the tip of the blade to the hilt, and then a hand grasping the hilt… a full armored knight made entirely of mercury materialized before the Paladin, and upon closer inspection, they even bore a resemblance to one another.

The Living Mercury, using Shapeshifting, transformed into the Paladin, imitating his earlier stance and swung its sword at him—a torrent of silver light cascading down, even more ferocious than the previous Holy Slash.