This Lich Requests More Remuneration

Chapter 107 - 107 101 He Knows Everything

?Chapter 107: Chapter 101 He Knows Everything Chapter 107: Chapter 101 He Knows Everything Amberser was regretting a bit that he shouldn’t have let his old friend Flint escape.

In the incident within Alchemy City, there weren’t many people in the know, and if that old guy started spreading rumors, Amberser would find it hard to come up with evidence to clear his name. After all, being a lich, according to the rigid stereotypes of the Nine Great Kingdoms, others spreading rumors about a lich committing any misdeed isn’t called rumor-mongering—it could be called prophecy.

But this elf girl from the Elf Tribe was much better than that male elf, Cicero—she was willing to talk.

Cicero was the type who had weathered many storms and adventures over countless years, an old slicker against whom Amberser’s “Mind Reading Technique” was very ineffective.

It’s like a person watching a horror movie; at first, they might twist their features in fright, but over time, their reactions to fear become numbed. Amberser’s method of provoking the other party with words and then reading their expressions to extract information, when used too often, would also generate resistance in Cicero, and this guy developed resistance quite fast.

The elves captured with him were the same, all the experienced type; they would constantly adjust their mindset to hide their true thoughts.

However, the Elf Tribe girl in front of him was a bit different.

Amberser used a paralysis spell to control the elf girl and, after observing her carefully, asked, “Young lady, are you of age yet? By the looks of it, you’re probably not even one hundred and twenty years old?”

In the Elf Tribe, seven roughly equals one human year, so an elf is considered of age at around one hundred and twenty. The column in “Legendary Spells” that writes about an eighty-year-old loli elf wife is by a documentary author who has been updating for many years. It’s just that by the time his updates progressed, her age still hadn’t reached maturity, and the author began seeking doctors and medicines everywhere.

No good endings for inter-species romance.

Confronted by Amberser’s suspicion, the young girl said disdainfully, “What’s it to you whether I’m of age! I won’t reveal a single word to an evil lich like you!”

Amberser praised, “Impressive, you’re the most valiant elf I’ve come across.”

“Flattery won’t work on me; I’m not fooled. But seeing as you have some taste, if you let me go, I could offer you the chance to enter into a Magic Contract. As long as you’re willing to sign it and leave this land, we from the Elf Tribe won’t hound you to death.”

The elf girl spoke decisively, but still betrayed a somewhat gleeful expression.

It was probably because Amberser was the “most evil presence in the Nine Great Kingdoms,” and under the auspices of this identity, his praise had a different effect.

It’s like a seller calling you beautiful—it usually doesn’t move most people, but if a world-class fashion designer compliments your beauty and great figure, that’s enough to tell the whole world, best even make it into the news.

“A contract? Aren’t you afraid I’ll renege after signing it?” Amberser went along with her words.

“Heh, you wouldn’t want to know what happens if you break your word,” said the elf girl smugly.

Amberser’s tone grew more excited as he pressed, “Why would that be? A friend at the brink of death once entered into a contract with the Elf Tribe, but now he has reneged. Could it be that the Elven Gods would actually hurl down divine punishment?!”

“How is that possible, you lich, don’t you even have common sense? Deities generally can’t interfere with mortals—that’s something the God above Gods, Aeo, wouldn’t allow,” the elf girl retorted scornfully.

Amberser patted his chest and said, “Oh, I got too concerned for this friend and forgot about that. So it’s not the wrath of the Elven Gods—nothing to worry about then. If it comes to it, we’ll just fight back if you guys attack.”

“Hmph, when the great armies of the Silvermoon Tribunal appear, you’ll learn what’s unstoppable.”

“That’s hilarious—the contracts have nothing to do with waging war. The backlash of a Magic Contract would mostly affect the individual, how could it possibly extend to a territory?”

“That’s because you can’t do it; magic from our Elf Tribe is beyond what you undead could comprehend.”

Amberser suddenly shifted his tone and pressed on, “A Magic Contract that affects an entire territory, you mean its magic effects alter the environment?”

Feeling the change in Amberser’s tone, the elf girl realized something was off and asked in surprise, “Are you trying to trick me into telling you?”

Amberser laughed; the girl was just too naive. It was foolish of the Elf Tribe to recruit minors into the Dusk Guard.

“Breaking a Magic Contract can change the environment of a territory? No, your expression tells me it’s not that… but the contract’s effects are indeed cast over a territory… I get it now; it’s aimed at the people within the territory.”

Amberser scrutinized the elf girl carefully; her changing gaze told him he had guessed correctly.

“Right, it targets the people on the land. If a Lord breaks the contract, the effect will extend to all his subjects, and when you all attack, this effect will become an advantage. But what exactly is the effect?”

“Let me think—the Magic Contract must have been devised by a legendary mage from your Elf Tribe…”
Amberser showed a face of sudden realization and said to the elf girl, “I’ve got it—impressive indeed! Such a clever move really opens my eyes. Truly worthy of the Elf Tribe blessed by the gods.”

“You… you… what did you guess?!” the elf girl said excitedly.

Amberser replied cuttingly, “You don’t need to worry about that. But thank you, you’ve given me enough hints; otherwise, I wouldn’t have thought to guess from this angle.”

“No, I didn’t say anything! What on earth did you figure out?!”

Seeing the flustered elf girl, Amberser said no more, tossed her into a cell within his private space, and then removed the time-freezing effect on the cell.

Cicero and the other elves regained their freedom without understanding why, only to see a female elf being thrown in.

Cicero asked in surprise, “Naya? How did you… You were captured by that Lich too?”

“Cicero, it’s you, you’re all still alive!” The elf girl called Naya couldn’t help but get teary-eyed upon seeing so many of her people.

According to the battle report from the Dusk Guard, these elves captured by Amberser had all been listed as sacrifices.

But Cicero couldn’t be happy to see Naya; she was the captain of another Dusk Guard team. Her capture meant that another Dusk Guard team had been wiped out, didn’t it?

“Naya, what exactly happened? Did you encounter that Lich too?!” Thinking of his interrogation by the Lich, who held his pulse at his throat, Cicero hastily asked, “Tell me, did the Lich interrogate you? You didn’t say anything, right?!”

Naya, already suspecting that she might have inadvertently spilled something, grew even more worried when Cicero questioned her so desperately. Could she have truly revealed the secret?

Stuttering, Naya said, “I… I… don’t know, I shouldn’t have said anything, but somehow the lich just knew everything all of a sudden.”

“What exactly did you say?!” Cicero’s expression turned even uglier.

“I really didn’t say anything, but somehow he figured out that the contract’s function was directed at the people on the territory, and he guessed that it was the power of Her Majesty the Queen! He just stood there, talking to himself about a lot, and then he knew everything,” Naya said with tears in her eyes, about to cry.

“He even guessed that this contract was the power of Her Majesty the Queen?”

Cicero felt only despair. This Lich was too horrifying, certainly the greatest enemy of the Silvermoon Tribunal. If he were to discover the secret of the contract, the damage would be far worse than the complete loss of the Dusk Guard; the strategic plans of the Elf Tribe would be seriously affected, perhaps even resulting in total failure.

Outside the space, Amberser, watching everything happening inside the cell through monitoring magic, listened to all of their conversations clearly. He had only been bluffing the elf girl earlier, as the legends of the Silvermoon Tribunal were numerous, with many unknown, and he couldn’t possibly have guessed them correctly.

But the girl misunderstood, and in her agitation, she blurted out the real target in front of Cicero, who thought Amberser had really guessed it.

“The Elf Queen? I remember her being a ranger who also practiced as a mage, ranger… mage… Magic Contract… the punishment for breaking the contract… people on the territory…”

Amberser felt a thread tying many scattered clues together, almost touching upon the truth behind the Magic Contract. He just needed some solid evidence to confirm his speculation.

Amberser couldn’t help but lament, “Another battle of wits and bravery against a legendary figure; life really isn’t easy.”

Every legend is literal, not only because of the power they wield but also because they are genuine geniuses, capable of leaving their own legend in this world.

Garey Woz, who sought divinity, James Watson, whom the Lord of the Dawn deigned to notice, Withered Rose, who could dominate the Gloomyland, these were geniuses beyond the mundane world. Amberser much preferred bullying the weak rather than fighting desperately against such powerful figures.

But once you reach this level, whether you like it or not, your opponents can only be those of the same caliber.

With a flick of his finger, Amberser froze time within the cell once again.

Let these elves preserve this shocking moment a bit longer; their feelings at this instant might soon prove useful once more.

Amberser cast a Flight Spell and flew towards his own castle. Now that the Elf Tribe’s archers had been caught, there was no reason to continue walking on foot.

The Lady Knight, clad in Thorn Heavy Armor, stood rigid as a board until Amberser left, then trembled and fell.

Her helmet fell off, revealing a head of crimson hair and a fearsome face scarred all over.

Amberser’s Thunderous Wave had dealt her severe injuries; only the blessing from the Goddess Lovieta allowed her to maintain a faint life force in a near-death state, barely keeping her going.

She looked in the direction Amberser had left, her mouth curving into a hideous smile.

The Lich, disguised as a human, had not glanced at her from start to finish. Perhaps her life force was so faint as to be imperceptible, making him think she was already dead. Or maybe the Lich considered her and her soldiers as mere ants, and to ants on the roadside, being stepped on sufficed; there was no need to waste time pinching every single one to death by hand.

This contempt mixed with the pain in her body engraved deep into her soul.

This pain was sacred, and the Lady Knight wore a fanatical, hideous smile.

“I will find you, and then return this pain to you a hundredfold!”