This Lich Requests More Remuneration

Chapter 110 - 110 104 He Will Bring Pain to the World

?Chapter 110: Chapter 104: He Will Bring Pain to the World Chapter 110: Chapter 104: He Will Bring Pain to the World Among the three mining domains that Amberser had previously studied, one of them belonged to Duke Peel, a follower of the Goddess of Pain Lovieta.

Duke Peel held a noble title that was unmatched among nearby lords.

This title was not self-proclaimed; it genuinely belonged to an ancient family that had been inherited for several hundred years, although they previously lived within a small duchy. The population of this country was not large, but everyone there worshipped the Goddess of Pain.

This was a goddess full of ambition and prone to invasion. From this, one could imagine what the ethos of that country was like.

Latter, the country was vanquished by the Laine Empire.

Duke Peel, with his family’s wealth and a few of his kin, came to Alchemy City, purchased a domain, and continued to call himself a duke.

Alchemy City had no objections to this because they held knowledge above all else. To them, a noble title was less significant than authorship of an academic paper, and nobles didn’t have many privileges.

In Alchemy City, you would only see nobles bowing and kneeling before scholars. The etiquette and rules between nobles? It didn’t matter; entertain yourselves, because Alchemy City’s laws wouldn’t touch on such matters.

So Duke Peel’s title sounded impressive, but it only carried weight within his own domain.

However, the current Duke Peel had been sleeping on straw and tasting gall. He strived hard to adapt to the atmosphere of Alchemy City and had established a rather complete alchemy industry within the family. The Peel Family produced alchemical potions that sought extreme pain and pleasure. Their sales were not great, but they still held a market among certain special crowds.

But suddenly, Alchemy City was gone, unexpectedly entering a state of war.

The day Duke Peel learned that Alchemy City had vanished, he knelt before the statue of Rowetta and lashed himself hundreds of times, kneeling bloodied before the divine idol as if he had skinned himself, praying.

This torturous pain allowed him to glimpse a smile from Rowetta, and his wounds healed rapidly, even making him look a few years younger.

Duke Peel understood that this was a divine sign, notifying him that the era of the Peel Family’s rise had arrived.

Therefore, the Peel Family was different from other great lords; they took initiative to strike first.

Under the leadership of Duke Peel’s daughter, the Bloody Slave Legion quickly achieved splendid battle records. The domains surrounding Alchemy City had been in a long state of peace and thus lacked any sense of crisis.

After all, with the many magipuppet automatons within the grand Alchemy City, they were enough to sweep away everything.

Why maintain so many soldiers? Are you flush with money?

Small bandits could be dealt with by hiring a few adventurers, and for major crises, like the previous Magic Beast Wars, Alchemy City would naturally intervene to settle everything.

No one could have foreseen that one day, this mighty kingdom would suddenly collapse, leaving all the lords large and small in a state of confusion, only beginning to think about self-preservation once they had calmed down.

At that time, the members of the Peel Family arrived with their Bloody Slave Legion.

The slaves, controlled by divine arts, were incredibly strong and fearlessly aggressive. The more severely they were injured, the more frenzied they became.

Wherever this bloodthirsty horde went, no one could stand in their way.

The pain inflicted by these beasts also became sacrifices offered to Lovieta. This pain-chasing deity then bestowed more blessings upon the Peel Family, even leading to the emergence of a Paladin within their ranks.

It might not be entirely accurate to say this, but being a Paladin wasn’t an exclusive domain of the Lord of the Dawn.

Wicked people also have their saviors. Devotees who worship evil are seen as a different kind of saint in the eyes of their peers.

Theoretically, any deity can bless their followers and create their Paladins, even without worshiping any deities at all; by steadfastly following a certain vow, one can become a Paladin.

However, typically those who serve under deities of an evil alignment are given a special name—Evil Warriors, also known as Unholy Paladins.

The name is not significant, but Evil Warriors are as powerful as Paladins, also capable of wielding the “Holy Slash,” although the effects may differ depending on the deity worshipped.

Duke Peel’s daughter, Bella Tricks, fortunately became one such Evil Warrior.

This seemed more like a destiny, as if the Peel Family was meant to rise.

But this smooth sailing did not last long. Within a matter of days, the Peel Family suffered a severe blow.

The duke’s daughter, leading the Bloody Slave Legion on a plundering excursion, suddenly returned home covered in wounds, collapsing into unconsciousness before she could say a word.

The newly blessed Evil Warrior was severely injured and wouldn’t have survived if she hadn’t been taken in time to the Divine Idol to sacrifice a large number of slaves.

After her recovery, Bella Tricks told Duke Peel of her ordeal, making even this bloodthirsty and brutal lord feel fear.

His daughter had risen to become an Evil Warrior, leading hundreds from the Bloody Slave Legion, yet couldn’t withstand even a single spell from the enemy.

If the Lich came knocking, how could they possibly stand against him?

After fretting for most of the day, Duke Peel could only continue to flagellate himself, hoping for a revelation from the Deity. Sometimes one had to admit that Goddess Lovieta was rather accommodating; she didn’t require anything valuable for sacrifice, only that you could endure the pain, torture yourself severely, and naturally, you would receive her blessing.

Being injured didn’t matter, pain was the source of strength; as long as it didn’t kill you, you could torment yourself to death.

Unlike the Lord of the Dawn, such a righteous Deity required not only that you follow his doctrines, do good, uphold justice, sacrifice yourself for others, but also that you abandon many desires and constantly learn and improve from literature and the arts to possibly become a Paladin.

In comparison, worshipping Goddess Lovieta offered excellent value for belief.

After flogging himself and breaking his limbs, Duke Peel indeed received another sign from Goddess Lovieta.

But this oracle left Duke Peel dumbfounded; he couldn’t believe his own ears and eyes.

Because the Goddess meant, “Follow him, for he will bring pain to this world.”

Duke Peel, fearing that he had misheard, hurriedly brought his recovered daughter Bella before the Divine Idol, hoping that this favored Evil Warrior of the Deity could confirm it for him.

In the end, the result remained the same; the sign from the Goddess was to follow the Lich to bring more pain to the world.

Of course, this wasn’t a mandatory oracle, but rather a prophecy.

The future has been revealed to you by the Deity, whether you believe it or not is up to you. If Duke Peel disbelieved in evil and chose to fight the Lich, Lovieta would be pleased to see it happen, regardless of whether it was her own follower or someone else suffering in this world.

Bathed in blood, Duke Peel stood before the Divine Idol and said to his daughter, “Bella, what do you think?”

By this time, Bella Tricks had already shed her Thorn Heavy Armor, wearing only a pure white dress. She should have been a beautiful and charming young noble lady, but the numerous scars on her exposed skin made it impossible to discern her real appearance.

Hearing her father’s question, Bella Tricks also deeply furrowed her brow.

She had just vowed to make the Lich taste a hundredfold the pain, and now, before she could begin her revenge, she had to join him?

This was a dilemma only followers of an evil alignment would face; if it were a Paladin of the Laine Empire, upon hearing the Lord of the Dawn command them to follow a Lich, they would start packing their bags that same day.

Bella Tricks considered herself a devout follower, otherwise she wouldn’t have made herself into this ghastly figure.

But adhering to the true meaning of pain didn’t mean she was without greater ambition. The Goddess’s oracle seemed unclear; was there room for choice?

“Father, perhaps we don’t need to decide now. If the Goddess says he will bring pain to the world, then let’s wait a while. It’s a chaotic time right now; he might not come for us immediately. We’ll refrain from vengeance for now and expand our domain according to the original plan. If he really comes knocking and we cannot resist, it’s not too late to submit then,” Bella suggested.

Her suggestion wasn’t simply about giving up; the sign from the Goddess was vague, stating the Lich could bring pain to the world, but who knew exactly what that pain entailed. What if the Lich’s method of causing pain was to sacrifice himself?

Duke Peel also thought this approach was more prudent; if worse came to worst, they could surrender when the Lich attacked. The teachings of Lovieta didn’t forbid surrendering. On the contrary, Lovieta favored the strong preying on the weak and submitting to the mighty; being a stepping stone for the strong was a perfectly doctrinal act.

“Good, we’ll stick to the original plan for now. How’s your recovery?” Duke Peel asked his daughter.

Bella Tricks clenched her fist and then said, “It’s almost complete, I can go to war again.”

The blessing of Goddess Lovieta gave Bella Tricks a very strong recovery ability, coupled with the effect of Alchemical Potion and healing arts, her injuries had healed, and she could unleash the power of an Evil Warrior once again.

Duke Peel quickly said, “Good, then let’s not delay. With every day that passes, the map of this land changes dramatically; we must expand quickly and capture more slaves.”

The Peel Family possessed spells to control people’s minds, able to transform them into mad Bloody Slaves in a short time. Thus, snowballing was the correct strategy for them, continuously plundering and conquering was the most efficient method for them.

Bella Tricks nodded, ready to don her Thorn Heavy Armor again, but then she saw a servant rushing to report.

“Great Lord, the mining area has been invaded, and the soldiers guarding the mine are defeated.”

Bella Tricks revealed a fierce smile and with a cruel tone said, “Excellent, I just need someone to vent my anger on. Whoever it is, I will flay their flesh and offer it to the Goddess of Pain.”