This Lich Requests More Remuneration

Chapter 108 - 108 102 The Elf Queens Second Promotion

?Chapter 108: Chapter 102 The Elf Queen’s Second Promotion Chapter 108: Chapter 102 The Elf Queen’s Second Promotion Back in the castle, Amberser was in high spirits as he gradually melted Gold Coins into the Gold Throne.

Scoring three hundred thousand Gold Coins from Viscount Leiteman, a Great Lord truly is a Great Lord, far more generous than a Porcupine Knight who’s as poor as a church mouse.

Had he not needed to continue the cooperation, Amberser might have been tempted to raid his gold vault directly.

Three hundred thousand Gold Coins restored the Gold Throne to its original glory and even added a flourish, as many exquisite patterns began to emerge.

But they were not yet clear enough to make out the specific designs.

Amberser felt that as long as he kept melting Gold into it, the Gold Throne would continue to reveal more abilities.

“So poor, still too poor,” he lamented, then opened the Necromancy Codex, and sent a message to Withered Rose: “Lady Rose, I just discovered something. The Magic Contract I mentioned before might have been researched by the Elf Queen. Should the contract be violated, its effects will apply to every person within the corresponding territory.”

Withered Rose quickly replied: “I didn’t expect you to have quicker news than me. I was just about to share my intelligence with you. Besides the content of the Magic Contract, I’ve also learned that the Elf Tribe is mass-producing weapons that can destroy spell structures, rendering ordinary defensive Magic completely ineffective.”

“Diga Ultraman: Mass-producing? How could enchantment weapons of that level be mass-produced?”

Amberser was shocked to see the message from Withered Rose.

This went against common sense. Enchantment had to adhere to fundamental principles. He had seen Magic-Breaking Weapons before, some of which could not only break Magic effects but also prevent the target from using any Spells for a certain period of time after a hit. But such truly magebane weapons were rare, because they required the “Whispering Bark” unique to the Gloomyland.

Whispering Trees naturally have an Anti-Magic Field surrounding them. Plucking a single Whispering Flower would suppress all Spells within several meters. However, once the Whispering Flower is taken out of Gloomyland, it withers completely. Only a small, precious piece of bark can be extracted from the tree and taken out of Gloomyland, which is used to make Whispering series weapons.

In the entire Gloomyland, one might not find more than a few mature Whispering Trees, and it takes hundreds of years for a piece of Whispering Bark capable of making Magic-Breaking Weapons to grow.

Other weapons capable of destroying Magic follow roughly the same principle, with hard-to-find materials, hence these weapons are not widely circulated on the continent.

Amberser thought that even if the Elf Tribe, with its long history and wealth, had accumulated a hundred or so Magic-Breaking Weapons over the years, that would have been impressive. But Withered Rose spoke of mass-production, where materials posed the largest issue, not to mention how many Alchemists could assist in crafting such a multitude of Magic-Breaking Weapons?

This was not an industrial production line; each sword had subtly different metal grains, and enchantment required adjustments to the Magic Array structure based on these differences. There was no way to create a mold and simply replicate them. We’re not talking about Skeletons, the kind of rabble that even ordinary people could defeat, but weapons with magical effects.

Even just to enhance sharpness a bit, enchanted weapons could sell for four or five times their price.

Magic craftsmen, materials, time—these three factors strictly limit the number of enchantment weapons.

If there were truly an unlimited supply of Magic-Breaking arrows, Rangers would be the mightiest under heaven, not Mages claiming the title of ‘Spelllords.’
However, Withered Rose very confidently replied: “My information is not wrong. The Silvermoon Tribunal has indeed mastered a technique for mass-producing Magic-Breaking Weapons, which is related to their embargo on magical materials in recent years. Although the specifics are unclear, it’s certain that all of this is by order of the Elf Queen.”

Amberser stroked his chin and pondered for a long time before replying, “From what I know, the Elf Queen started as a Legendary Ranger before taking up the mantle of Mage. Lady Rose, do you think it’s possible that she ascended to Legendary status a second time?”

“Withered Rose: A second ascension to Legendary status? Such an event is less likely than a mortal becoming a Deity, less real than legend.”

Amberser did not argue. Without the grace of a Deity, he too wouldn’t have ascended to Legendary status a second time. But because he had that extraordinary encounter, who’s to say the Elf Queen hadn’t? The Elven Gods were notoriously protective, even more so than the Lord of the Dawn.

Just look at the attributes of the Elf Tribe: beauty, intelligence, longevity, immunity to most mind control, near immunity to illness, innate affinity for magic, natural expertise with bows… Add up all these blessings, and it’s enough to make humans envious to the point of damnation.

To say whether the Elf Queen could go from being a Legendary Ranger to also becoming a Legendary Mage… Amberser felt there was a significant possibility. Perhaps it was some outrageous Legendary Grace that allowed her to lead the whole Elf Tribe into equipping themselves with Magic-Breaking Weapons on such a large scale.

The more he thought about it, the more it seemed plausible, so Amberser said to Withered Rose: “If we rule out the impossible, I feel this conjecture is closer to reality. Regardless of whether the Elf Queen has ascended to Legendary status for the second time, this matter is related to her, and we must come up with a strategy to deal with it.”

When Withered Rose saw Amberser talking like this, she felt a bit odd. How had it turned into “we” needing to figure out a strategy?

Previously, she had only owed Amberser a favor, helping him gather some intelligence. The Undead of the Gloomyland had no conflict with the surface-dwelling Elf Tribe, so why would she use her own kingdom to oppose the Elf Tribe?

“Could he really be considering me part of his family? It seems that might be the case, after all, he did give me the Life Casket.”

With a furrowed brow, Withered Rose felt that something was off.

She had intended to use her feelings to bind Amberser, making him come to work in Gloomyland, yet somehow she had nurtured this affection, only to find herself consistently helping him with his troubles. Why was this the case?

Withered Rose hesitated for a moment and didn’t immediately reply to Amberser. Instead, she sent a message to Miss Bone Dragon, “I want to ask you a question. When Gareth fell in love with you, what did he do for you?”

“Pale Little Skeleton: Ah, sister, why are you suddenly asking this?”

“Withered Rose: Just curious. I want to learn.”

“Pale Little Skeleton: He didn’t do anything. What could he, a Headless Knight being hunted to his doom by Laine, possibly do? It was I who helped him escape his pursuers, took him back to the Dragon Tomb, helped rebuild his body, fashioned his armor for him, helped him…”

Miss Bone Dragon listed out all she had done for Gareth with a treasure-like reminiscence, making it sound as though Gareth was entirely dependent. It was all Miss Bone Dragon’s giving.

The more Withered Rose read, the more it seemed off, she asked her best friend, “What’s the point of such pure dedication?”

“Pale Little Skeleton: Affection is all about giving, after all. If you calculate these things, it’s not true love. That’s how it’s written in human novels. Plus, once the other person truly cares for you, you will sooner or later feel how much they care for you.”

Withered Rose frowned again, it seemed there was some truth in it.

However, opposing the entire Silvermoon Tribunal for his sake seemed like a cost that was…
While she was still hesitating, Amberser sent a new message: “Lady Rose, you’d better stop inquiring about the Silvermoon Tribunal. I don’t want the Elves to start suspecting you.”

“Withered Rose: But you just said we would face this together.”

“Diga Ultraman: What I meant was, if I’ve no place left to turn, I hope that you could let me hide in Gloomyland for a few years. Alone, I cannot possibly contend with the entire Silvermoon Tribunal. My only intention is to utilize the strength of the Desert Dwarves to teach these Elves a lesson, to exact revenge for the grudge I bear against them. If the Desert Dwarves can’t beat those Elves, I will certainly flee, and you are my fallback.”

Withered Rose’s fingers halted midair as she was writing a reply, suspended for a long time without response.

This, perhaps, was what Miss Bone Dragon referred to as true care?

After a long silence, Withered Rose sent Amberser a reply: “Fine, you’re welcome anytime.”

As she closed the Necromancy Codex, Withered Rose placed her hand over her shapely chest, then sighed helplessly, “Indeed, the Undead are heartless.”

But after saying this, Withered Rose turned to the maid attending her and said, “Go to the library, bring me all the books related to Vampires.”

Withered Rose swore that she would do her research thoroughly. They were both heartless Undead, so why could Vampires maintain their feelings, and feel so intensely that they could be attracted to their food?

Amberser was reassured by Withered Rose’s response.

From the beginning, he had no intention of having Withered Rose wage war against the Elves. That was impractical and meaningless.

Amberser, a war broker, needed only to give the Elves a wake-up call. Why should he send a quality client like Withered Rose to deplete her resources? Every loss she suffered was a dent in Amberser’s future revenues.

The Elf Queen’s second legendary upgrade enabled the Elf Tribe to be massively armed with Magic-Breaking Weapons, a problem Amberser didn’t need to concern himself with. The ones who should be truly worried about this were the Desert Dwarves.

Amberser didn’t hesitate and immediately sent a message to Hake Stone, “Senior, I have a big secret about the Elf Tribe. For just two million Gold Coins, ask the Desert Dwarves if they’re interested. I guarantee it’s crucial intelligence that could affect the outcome of the war.”

“Dislikes Humans: No problem, just two million. As long as the information is useful, I agree right now.”

Seeing the instant reply, Amberser furrowed his brows.

Something was off. Why had the Vampire suddenly become so generous when the promised top-tier Gargoyle hadn’t even been delivered yet?

Amberser, as sensitive to these matters as Miss Bone Dragon was to unfaithful men, tentatively sent another message, “I’m talking about two million Gold Coins, in cash.”

“Dislikes Humans: Two million is two million; you’re not thinking of raising the price at the last minute, are you? Tell me what the information is, I won’t short-change you.”

This Vampire was definitely acting strange.