This Lich Requests More Remuneration

Chapter 60: Chapter 60 Intimidation Chapter 60: Chapter 60 Intimidation Masstar did not wait outside Amberser’s Castle for the return of the two brothers.

In his view, as long as they survived their entry into the castle and came back alive, they would definitely return to claim the final payment. Therefore, it was only necessary to confirm that both had entered Amberser’s Castle; there was no need to wait outside foolishly.

Masstar had more important matters to attend to.

Masstar, along with his teammates, came to the domain of the Porcupine Knight Aldrich Gaius.

The Paladins, clad in silver-white armor and astride Celestial Warhorses, stood in stark contrast to the ragged serfs they passed along the way.

These impoverished peasants couldn’t help but kneel on the ground, paying homage to these noble lords they did not recognize.

Masstar raised his hands high, and a golden-white aura spread out, enveloping the nearby serfs in the sacred radiance.

The serfs immediately felt their strength double, and the pain and hunger afflicting them rapidly dissipated.

Under the dazzling light, Masstar appeared like a deity descending to earth, ingraining his name deeply in the minds of the serfs.

This was also a common method of proselytizing used by the Laine Empire, as a single Vigor Aura could allow the lower-class citizens to experience the power of Holy Light firsthand. If preaching were to follow suit now, it would likely be easy to convert them into general believers of the Lord of the Dawn, reducing resistance by a significant margin when the Empire’s troops reclaimed the land.

However, Masstar was not there to preach today.

“Praise the Lord of the Dawn, and may the Holy Light dispel your suffering. I am Paladin Masstar from the Laine Empire, and today I have come to visit your Lord. Who can show me the way?”

At Masstar’s inquiry, a middle-aged man dressed neatly came out, bowing respectfully and said to Masstar, “Honorable Paladin, sir, I am the Sheriff of this area, and I can guide you.”

Masstar took one look at the man’s plump figure and the whip in his hand and immediately understood that this was a person called a Sheriff but in reality was a slave owner and criminal.

Despite the people of the Laine Empire being detested by other races and being extreme human supremacists, they treated their own kind extremely well. With a population of hundreds of millions, apart from newly recovered territories, no other completely subdued city within the Empire still had human slaves.

Well, slaves of other races do not count.

Masstar suppressed the urge to severely discipline this slave owner and said gravely, “Then please lead the way.”

The Sheriff hastily mounted his short-legged horse, smiling obsequiously as he led the way for Masstar and his companions.

The domain of the Porcupine Knight was not large, and after passing through vast fields, they soon saw the manor belonging to the Lord.

Compared to Amberser’s Castle, the Porcupine Knight’s manor seemed a bit small and shabby.

This was the reality of a minor lord’s life, without so much opulence and debauchery, and under certain circumstances, they even had to worry about going hungry.

However, after the last war, the food crisis was temporarily suspended, mainly because there were quite many deaths, which saved a lot of food.

Moreover, after the war, the Porcupine Knight promptly initiated a righteous pursuit of responsibility against those neighbors who had lost their lords. The reason was that the deceased lords had been reckless, leading to the utter defeat in battle, for which they had to bear the primary responsibility.

All the other living lords recognized this charge, so they banded together to plunder those three territories, which conveniently made up for the losses of the war. As for the people of those three territories, how they would survive… they could flee, couldn’t they? The nearby lords were all very eager to recruit outsiders.

Although this tactic slightly delayed the economic crisis of his territory, the Porcupine Knight had completely abandoned the idea of waging war against Amberser.

At that time, he was too arrogant, thinking that so-called undead were just those shaky skeletal frames that his horse could shatter into dozens with a charge.

But Amberser taught him what magic was, not the kind of magic that takes half a day to chant just to light a cigarette, but the kind that envelops the sky and terrifies like a meteor shower the moment it’s unleashed.

Countless soldiers turned to skeletons directly, with absolutely no power to resist.

Peasant troops, with no rigorous training, facing such a gruesome death, would collapse in morale instantly. After returning, many of them went mad from fear and had to be hanged to death.

The Porcupine Knight now only hoped that Amberser wouldn’t hold him accountable and dared not provoke him further.

Therefore, when Masstar and his group of Paladins appeared, the Porcupine Knight was quite troubled; he did not wish to be involved in any conflict between Paladins and the undead again.

However, to the Porcupine Knight’s surprise, the first thing the Paladin said was, “May the Holy Light protect you, Knight Gaius, I’m very sorry, I am Paladin Masstar from the Laine Empire, come to Alchemy City to rescue our fellow Paladin Allen Watson. I heard that he was once employed by you to attack a Lich’s domain, is that correct?”

“This… there’s been a misunderstanding…”
The Porcupine Knight didn’t know whether he should respond or not; Allen Watson was nominally hired by him to attack the Lich’s domain, and it seemed that this Paladin had been captured by the Lich. The appearance of this group of Laine people probably meant they were here to cause trouble.

The Porcupine Knight didn’t owe Allen Watson a hiring fee; failure in battle and capture of the mercenary couldn’t be blamed on him as the employer. But the Laine Empire had a reputation for being unreasonable; if these Paladins really came looking for trouble, any excuse could lead to the ruin of the Porcupine Knight.

They were not from Alchemy City; after making a scene, they could simply flee, and Alchemy City might not do anything to a group of Paladins on behalf of the Porcupine Knight, a minor lord.

It was a case of his worst fears materializing—Masstar didn’t even wait for the Porcupine Knight to make an excuse, interrupting him directly, “Knight Gaius, I heard that you hired Allen Watson at a very low price. Such a price does not match the status of a Paladin and Light Priest, does it?”

“The price was agreed upon from the start…”
The Porcupine Knight felt somewhat wronged; he had, of course, paid very little, because that Paladin had a personal vendetta against the Lich and practically joined the fight for free.

At that time, the Porcupine Knight thought he had gotten a bargain, not expecting it to become a pretext for confrontation now.

Masstar, pressing steadily, said, “Because you hired my comrade at such a low price, I have reason to believe you employed some less than honorable methods, perhaps intimidation, perhaps deception. In any case, you bear some responsibility for Allen Watson being captured, wouldn’t you agree?”

As he said this, a vague light and shadow appeared behind Masstar, like a dignified deity, making an angry expression at the Porcupine Knight.

Intimidation Sorcery, which could enhance the threat and weaken the opponent’s will.

The Porcupine Knight felt his legs go weak; he had never been this scared, even in the face of a griffon.

The Porcupine Knight stammered, “You… I… It wasn’t intentional… Please give me a chance to compensate… ”
Only then did Masstar reveal a smile, saying to the Porcupine Knight, “Rest assured, we are not here to trouble our kin; we have come to eradicate that Lich once and for all. However, we need a little help from you.”