This Lich Requests More Remuneration

Chapter 71 - 71 71 Secret Meeting

?Chapter 71: Chapter 71 Secret Meeting Chapter 71: Chapter 71 Secret Meeting Within Alchemy City, the Alchemist Council has always been the supreme ruler, as well as the most mysterious one.

They do not have a complete roster, and they rarely appear in public; even the exact number of members is unknown to outsiders.

It is only known that any crucial decisions are announced from the ugliest high tower in the center of the city, and all important news is also delivered to this tower, a symbol of disgrace to Alchemy City.

At the top of the tower is a vast and empty room.

A large round table stands alone in the center, surrounded by hundreds of chairs. Yet, only four people are sitting there, each at a far distance from the others.

Gustavo Flint, the sixth seat of the Alchemist Council, was one of them. Looking at the empty seats, he said indifferently, “The president once said he hoped to see the room filled with Legendary Rank Alchemists one day. Sadly, over the years, the number of council members has never exceeded double digits.”

The other three did not engage with the topic. One of them asked, “Have the people from the Laine Empire arrived yet?”

Gustavo Flint replied, “They are on their way, having crossed the Continental Transmission Array. They should arrive by tomorrow at the latest.”

“And the hostages held by the Lich, have they all been brought back?”

Gustavo Flint nodded and said, “He promised the trade would happen tonight; I will personally verify everything.”

“Are you prepared to deal with this Lich, then? Have you found his Life Casket, which is the most crucial?”

Upon hearing this, Gustavo Flint finally showed impatience and said sternly, “Mind your tone, Diper. Just because you hold the second seat doesn’t mean you can boss me around. I am not your apprentice, and you have no right to speak to me with such an interrogative tone.”

The Alchemist known as Diper scoffed and then said, “You should be aware that the reason you’re burdened with these mundane tasks is precisely because your other contributions to the plan are negligible. Even that Lich’s papers are more significant than what you’ve brought to the table.

“The one who should recognize their place is you. In Alchemy City, knowledge is above everything else.”

Gustavo Flint clenched his fists; such words were a great insult to an Alchemist. Just as he was about to teach this arrogant second seat a lesson, another council member spoke up, “Stop wasting time with your verbal sparring; the success or failure of our plan is what’s most important. Flint, although Diper’s words are harsh, they are true. The Lich is crucial, and we need to be sure you’re ready.”

Gustavo Flint snorted coldly and then said, “Rest assured, I have everything arranged. I will have that Lich’s Life Casket in my hands.”

Diper no longer mocked, but cautiously said, “Then let everything proceed according to the plan. However, how are we dealing with the Undead Queen?”

Gustavo Flint replied, “Today we will invite her out of the city; once all the defensive magic is activated, even if she brings out her entire Shadow Legion, it will take a month or two to breach the city. And, she has no reason to do so, as our interests do not conflict.”

Diper frowned and said, “The Undead Queen from Gloomyland wouldn’t truly come for a visit. You still haven’t figured out her purpose?”

“That’s not important, nor do we have time to keep investigating. This queen is also a Lich, and as long as they are not tied to obsessions from before their transformation, their thoughts tend toward absolute rationality. This queen’s obsession is clearly with opposing the Laine Empire, so she won’t rashly make enemies for herself.”

Gustavo Flint’s words were quite persuasive.

Undead who have lost most of their desires will naturally grow indifferent to most emotions and thus won’t be influenced by personal feelings. This makes predicting an Undead’s actions relatively simple.

Diper turned his head to look at the only person who had not spoken, asking, “So, the last question, Mr. Jones, are the Druids ready?”

Sunlight fell upon him, illuminating the cloak woven from leaves that appeared exceptionally verdant. He was a Druid, and by nature, he should despise these Alchemists, yet here he sat calmly at the highest point of Alchemy City, listening to them discussing their greatest secrets.

If Amberser had been there, he would have recognized this Druid; it was Van Jones, whom he had encountered in the sewers.

In response to the questions from the Alchemists, Van Jones gave a serious nod and then said, “As long as you uphold your promises, we will bring the girl as agreed. However, she must not be allowed to get close to the thing in the sewer again. Even though she was raised by our tribe since she was a child, she still shares blood with that thing. The last time, she went to the sewer on her own, nearly trapping my people and myself inside.”

Gustavo Flint said, “Rest assured, you just need to bring the person here directly.”

At the end of the meeting, Diper stood up and addressed everyone, “Ladies and gentlemen, I hope everything goes smoothly with the plan, and we all get what we desire.”

The four dispersed, and the vast meeting room once again sank into silence and darkness.

However, none of the four noticed that during their meeting, unusual dark clouds had been looming over Alchemy City.

The gap between Legendary beings can be vast, with some possessing power beyond imagining.

Miss Pale Bone from the Bone Dragon Family was one such individual. As a Bone Dragon, her personal strength was not considered particularly strong, but she had mastered a Legendary Grace related to stealth and concealment to a remarkable degree.

Not even the multiple layers of magical protections on the council tower could prevent her from eavesdropping as clearly as if she were part of a face-to-face conversation.

When she was hidden amongst the clouds, nobody cast a doubt on this mass of dark clouds, nor detected the slightest trace of her. It was unimaginable that such an enormous Bone Dragon could be a Legendary assassin.

Atop the vast body of the Bone Dragon rode a headless Giant. Although the Headless Knight was over four meters tall, he seemed quite small on the Bone Dragon, which was thirty to forty meters in length.

Miss Bone Dragon said impatiently, “What on earth are these Alchemists talking about, Gareth? Did you understand anything?”

Unable to shake his head, the Headless Knight simply responded, “Who knows? From what my brother says, Alchemists have a twisted state of mind. Just send out what you’ve heard and let those with heads worry about it.”

Miss Bone Dragon found this quite reasonable, but she complained discontentedly, “Hmph, don’t think that I’ve forgiven you; we’ll settle our scores when we get back!”

Gareth replied compliantly, “Alright, alright, we’ll talk about it at home, at home.”

Pale Bone sent the intelligence she had gathered through the Necromancy Codex to Withered Rose, who in turn swiftly forwarded the information to Amberser.

As Amberser read the text on the Necromancy Codex, his fingers tapped rhythmically on the table.

After pondering seriously for a while, he sent a message to Withered Rose: [Lady Rose, I have a very important request and hope you can do me a favor.]

[Withered Rose: This sounds serious. What do you need my help with?]

[Diga Ultraman: Please hold onto my Life Casket for a while.]

[Withered Rose: What are you saying? You want me to keep your Life Casket safe?]

Withered Rose’s fingers trembled as she typed her response; the situation seemed to be progressing unexpectedly fast.

[Diga Ultraman: Yes, since Alchemy City has decided not to involve you, who could be more suitable to help me safeguard my most important possession other than the powerful Undead Queen?]

[Withered Rose: But that’s the Lich’s Life Casket.]

[Diga Ultraman: It doesn’t matter, I trust you. After all, we still have business worth several billion to continue working on together; you wouldn’t harm me.]

It took a long time before Withered Rose’s new message came through on the Necromancy Codex: [Alright, I’ll take good care of it.]

Amberser drew several complex Magic Arrays in the air, and a hidden chest slowly emerged, heavily landing on the ground.

Amberser walked over, opened the chest, and revealed hundreds of intricately crafted silver-white caskets within.