This Lich Requests More Remuneration

Chapter 56: Chapter 56 Familiar Sounds Chapter 56: Chapter 56 Familiar Sounds People at both corners of the tavern stood up, cautious as they approached Masstar with the air of old enemies.

The orcish bartender introduced them enthusiastically, “This is Hasting, a senior thief who is especially good at disarming traps, and the other is Hales, a ranger. His crow has been specially trained to excel at finding hidden chambers and secret passages.”

Masstar began to size up the two adventurers.

The ranger named Hales wasn’t anything special, save for his half-elf lineage that drew some attention.

As for the thief Hasting, he seemed too tall, more like a warrior than a thief. But he had an air of asceticism about him that Masstar found all too familiar.

Hasting seemed as if he’d seen through life’s sorrows and had reached a state of desirelessness; even his gaze had become indifferent and deep. One had to wonder what he’d been through to reach such a state at his age.

“I need someone to infiltrate a mage’s tower…” Masstar stated his request succinctly without detailing which mage’s tower, then he asked several questions to confirm the professional level of the two men.

Both performed well; the thief could easily pick the magic locks presented by Masstar, and the ranger’s summoned crow easily found the magic ring Masstar had concealed, their skills were undoubtedly exquisite.

However, their asking prices were somewhat outrageous.

The thief Hasting demanded a flat rate of three thousand Gold Coins and was only responsible for infiltration; he was willing only to carve out a safe passage into the mage’s tower, reluctant to venture further.

“No matter what type of mage’s tower it is, the dangers are too great. I can’t possibly disable all the magic traps and make it out unscathed. I’ll be upfront—I’ll run at the first sign of danger.”

His words were far too irresponsible, and the asking price of three thousand Gold Coins was also excessively steep. It wasn’t that Masstar couldn’t afford it; he simply didn’t want to be taken for a fool.

The other half-elf ranger seemed much more upright, though his asking price was even higher, a full five thousand Gold Coins. He could guarantee finding a safe path into the mage’s tower and ensured that he would explore the tower from top to bottom. He might not be able to disarm all magic traps, but he would mark all suspicious locations and provide Masstar with a detailed map.

Expensive as it was, the conditions were reasonable.

If he could truly understand the layout of that lich’s castle, five thousand Gold Coins would definitely be worth it.

Just as Masstar hesitated on whether to bargain further, Hasting suddenly said, “Don’t you paladins always perform Evil Detection before you collaborate with someone?”

Masstar looked at the thief curiously, commenting, “Some paladins’ vows are quite strict, so they perform Evil Detection when choosing collaborators. However, my own vows are not so stringent.”

From an angle invisible to Masstar, the half-elf ranger Hales wore an expression of regret.

He had hoped to milk a “moral compensation” from the lich’s tactics, but this paladin seemed to have flexible moral standards.

But it was not a big problem, as neither had any intention of actually venturing into a mage’s tower.

All they wanted was to knock some money out of this paladin, even if it was just 10% of the advance payment. That would be enough for the two brothers to leave Alchemy City.

The only reason they were still in this god-forsaken place was due to a prior encounter with Amberser, where the evil lich had cleaned them out. Without enough money to buy a horse, they were forced to stay in Alchemy City and try their luck.

If Masstar paid now, the two brothers would leave the city overnight and never return.

After all, the Nine Great Kingdoms were vast, and the Laine Empire wouldn’t possibly pursue them to the ends of the earth over a few hundred Gold Coins.

Their calculations were sound, but they had underestimated Masstar’s caution.

After negotiating the price with the two men for a long time, Masstar finally hired both for four thousand Gold Coins to infiltrate Amberser’s castle.

The tenth of the deposit was paid on the spot, but after paying, Masstar took out two bottles of Alchemical Potion and placed them in front of the brothers.

“This is a magic potion I ordered from the Alchemist Council. After you drink it, it will imbue you with several defensive spells to ensure your safety while infiltrating the Mage’s Tower. The potion’s effects will lie dormant within you, automatically activating when you encounter danger.

“It will cast Aegis Armor, Stone Skin, and Mage Shield on you simultaneously, such protection is strong enough to withstand even my full-powered Holy Slash, enough to save your lives.”

The brothers exchanged a glance, surprised by their good fortune; the value of these two potions was even higher than their asking price.

Aegis Armor would temporarily strengthen their vitality and cover them with a layer of frost, injuring any enemy that got too close. Stone Skin, as the name implies, could truly make their skin as hard as rock. And Mage Shield was capable of completely immunizing against Magic Missile, providing excellent magical defense.

With these three defensive spells layered together, they would be impervious to blades and spears.

The brothers hastily pocketed the potions, planning to sell them for a nice profit later.

“There’s no time to delay,” Masstar said to them. “Drink it now. The potion takes a while to take effect; drinking it now is perfect as we head to the Mage’s Tower immediately.”

“We need to get ready. I need to prepare some cookies for my pet.”

“Right, my lockpicks are a bit dull; I need to sharpen them.”

…

Masstar watched the brothers’ performance with a smile, yet his hand was already resting on the hilt of his sword.

“Whatever you need can be taken care of right in front of me. Prepare here, in my sight. If you were to leave my line of vision, I might get a little nervous. You know, people can become irritable when they’re too edgy.”

A faint Holy Light coursed through Masstar’s palm, Holy Slash ready to strike with thunderous might at any moment.

The brothers suddenly realized that this Paladin had never trusted them from the start—he planned to deliver them directly into the Mage’s Tower.

Were they to resist on the spot and then flee?

There were two of them, after all. They couldn’t win in a fight, but escaping through some trickery shouldn’t be too hard, right? Hasting was already reaching for his smoke bomb, and Hales was prepared to summon his animal companion to cover their escape.

But just then, the tavern door swung open again, and four more heavily armored knights of the Laine Empire strode in.

Hasting & Hales:…

No point in running now. If they dared any funny business, these Paladins would definitely mince them up finely with Holy Slash.

The brothers could only muster a smile and say, “You’re right, time waits for no one. Let’s set out now.”

Masstar said with a smile, “What about the cookies and lockpicks? Not preparing them anymore?”

“Pets are most obedient when hungry.”

“Right, lockpicks are easily replaceable—just grab a new set.”

Masstar was pleased with their reaction and told his companions, “Let’s go, we’re now off to the territory of the Lich Diga Ultraman.”

Hasting & Hales: ???!!!

Why did the name this Paladin just mentioned sound so eerily familiar?!