This Lich Requests More Remuneration

Chapter 101 - 101 97 The Side Effects of Freedom of Belief_2

?Chapter 101: Chapter 97 The Side Effects of Freedom of Belief_2 Chapter 101: Chapter 97 The Side Effects of Freedom of Belief_2 With that thought, it seems not so absurd after all.

Alchemy City was indeed formidable, allowing those fanatics to coexist peacefully for many years. But now, with the destruction of Alchemy City and the loss of its suppressive force, the side effects of freedom of belief are about to explode.

Amberser studied the map for a while and decided to start by troubling the Storm Family.

The reason was simple: they were the closest.

The other two families were quite far from Amberser’s territory, not only separated by the lands of several smaller lords, but the roads were also in poor condition. Even if a Teleportation Circle could be established, distance would remain an issue.

Since all three families were crazed, he might as well pick the nearest one.

Amberser planned to first gather some information to see how many troops the large family had and if there were any formidable professions, and so on.

As he passed by Isabel’s laboratory, Amberser took another look inside. The girl’s work efficiency was quite acceptable, even though she was just methodically assembling the Undead Production Line, she learned quickly and there were no major issues.

The only problem was, every time the girl saw him, she would rush over, calling ‘Teacher, teacher,’ and then flip through her notebook frantically, asking dozens of questions in one breath.

Amberser could only answer her questions one by one, and realized that he had been delayed in his departure.

But since the girl’s questions were related to the mission, Amberser couldn’t ignore them as it would be him delaying his own chance to make money.

Having finally answered all her questions, Isabel took a deep breath, mustered her courage and asked Amberser, “Teacher, I appreciate all the guidance you’ve provided. I have one last question to ask you.”

“The last one? You’re being a bit presumptuous,” said Amberser.

Alchemy is such an esoteric subject, this girl will have plenty of opportunities to ask questions in the future.

“No, no, that’s not what I mean…” Isabel became a little flustered and took a few more deep breaths before saying to Amberser, “Teacher, this question may be a bit presumptuous, but I want to know what it feels like to become Undead. Does it hurt?”

Amberser looked at Isabel curiously, wondering why the girl suddenly asked this question.

“What, you’ve come to terms with it and are ready to discard those futile worldly desires and transform into Undead?”

If that was the case, Amberser could help her out, but it would have to wait until the Undead Production Line was sorted.

“No, I just…” Isabel’s face turned ashen as she said quietly, “It’s just that I’ve realized I have no choice. Working here, isn’t the end result also becoming an Undead, eternally enslaved?”

Amberser shook his head and said, “You don’t have to worry about that. The actual Undead transformation ritual is very expensive, and if you’re unwilling, no one would waste the cost to forcibly transform you into Undead.”

Preserving one’s original consciousness during Undead transformation isn’t cheap; Amberser had spent almost all his fortune when he became a Lich. For Undead like Husky, who are evolving towards high-order status, maintaining a self-conscious high-order Undead has always been very expensive.

Isabel’s most valuable asset was her knowledge of Alchemy. There was no point in turning into an ordinary Skeleton; preserving her self-consciousness for the transformation would require a significant cost, which Amberser was intending to offer as a benefit.

If Isabel did not want it, he certainly wouldn’t have foolishly spent money on some transformation ceremony.

But in Isabel’s ears, it meant something else.

“Teacher, are you saying that all this is a matter of money?”

“Of course, the undead naturally lack those mundane desires; the only thing they need to negotiate with you is interests. Your role in this castle is to generate profits. As long as the profits are significant, everything is negotiable. Remember this, and then do your job well.”

Amberser gave one last piece of advice, then quickly left the castle.

Once he had his direction, Amberser cast the flight spell and flew towards his target.

The family that worshiped the Lord of the Storm was named the Leiteman Family and had existed in Alchemy City long before Amberser settled there; they owned a main city and three satellite towns, with an estimated population of thirty to forty thousand people.

With such a population, they could field thousands of full-time soldiers. In other places, this might be considered warlike due to the constant issue with food production. But near Alchemy City, this seemed less of a problem, as it was easy to buy enchanted seeds here.

Seeds that increased yield and were pest-resistant; if purchased in large quantities regularly, would certainly yield more than other locations’ farming efforts.

If one’s household maintained a certain number of alchemists, one could even turn enchanted seeds that would degrade after a single planting into seeds that could be sown four or five times before degrading.

When Amberser entered the Leiteman Family’s territory, he noticed that the place had an air of laxity on the outside but tight control on the inside.

While not prohibiting strangers from entering the territory, as soon as Amberser walked into the outer satellite town, he felt four or five pairs of eyes on him, watching this stranger intently. The Leiteman Family must have already sensed the brewing storm, with more people patrolling the streets than working.

“They’re indeed well-trained; a direct attack would probably be troublesome. Can we set up a teleportation circle directly in the mining area and steal the ore that way?”

The Leiteman’s territory was too large, with towers and other defensive fortifications everywhere; a forceful attack’s duration was uncertain. Moreover, undead troops also cost resources, and it was unclear how long they would need to mine to offset the losses incurred in battle.

Amberser pondered lower-cost strategies in his mind, but soon a noble-dressed individual came over and said politely, “Hello, stranger mage, have you come here to taste our special Thunderfruit Brew? Our lord is very hospitable and insists on offering a drink to guests like you.”

The noble’s words were polite, but the guards surrounding Amberser were already enclosing him, ready for battle.

Amberser had intended to speak first with the Leiteman lord to discuss cooperation, such as buying ores at low prices to avoid an unnecessary war.

But he suddenly felt something was off when the guards were surrounding him, as an uncomfortable gaze also fell upon him.

After a brief sense, Amberser discovered the source of the gaze; it was an elf clad in the leather armor of the Dusk Guard.

Indeed, these elves would not only target minor lords like the Porcupine Knight; their elite squads had already entered various domains. Seeing that there were no Leiteman soldiers guarding beside the Dusk Guard, had they already reached an agreement?

When the noble saw Amberser fall silent, he stepped back slightly and continued, “What do you say, mage? How do you wish to proceed, with a drink of our respectful Thunderfruit Brew or perhaps to discuss matters elsewhere?”

Amberser smiled and said to the person from the Leiteman Family, “Of course I’d wish to sit down with the Leiteman lord over a drink. I bring a message from the Dwarf King of the Golden Kingdom that must be discussed with the Leiteman lord in person.”