This Lich Requests More Remuneration

Chapter 83 - 83 83 Soul Surgery

?Chapter 83: Chapter 83 Soul Surgery Chapter 83: Chapter 83 Soul Surgery Amberser didn’t want to fight with James Watson at this time.

An entire Paladin Legion, even with the help of Withered Rose, would result in an earth-shattering battle that couldn’t be decided in three to five days.

It wasn’t just that they couldn’t be beaten; it was also pointless. Fighting with these Paladins was nothing but a pure loss.

“The Laine Empire has sent an entire Paladin Legion. It’s not to our advantage to confront them head-on, so let’s hide in the sewers first.”

Amberser’s suggestion was quite reasonable, logical, and maximized their interests.

However, Withered Rose said, “If they seek death, how can I avoid the battle?”

Amberser’s Soul Fire flickered, the persuasive words reaching his lips, but in the end, he swallowed them back.

The religious fanatics of the Laine Empire would rush at the sight of the undead, and Withered Rose was a different kind of madwoman. In the face of the Laine Empire, the Undead Queen would also lose her senses.

Suddenly, Amberser said to Garey Woz, “Chairman, how many Magipuppet Automatons does Alchemy City still have, and can you control them all?”

Garey Woz said, “Originally, to ensure safety, a unified controller wasn’t designed during their manufacture. But if needed, I can make a master controller.”

“Make it now?” asked Amberser, surprised.

Confidently, Garey Woz said, “Yes, it won’t take much time to make it now.”

Amberser quickly said, “Then start. Hand over all control of the Magipuppet Automatons to Lady Rose, and I’ll help you realize your dream.”

“Deal.”

Garey Woz hardly hesitated before agreeing immediately.

Withered Rose looked at Amberser in surprise and asked, “You’re going to give me all the Magipuppet Automatons of Alchemy City?”

Amberser nodded and said, “Consider it your fee for helping this time. We still have a big deal to discuss later; we can’t afford any harm to you.”

Withered Rose looked at Amberser and said with a smile, “You’ve forgotten, I am a Lich, and… never mind, I understand what you mean.”

Amberser: ???

Understand what?

Amberser truly only hoped that this important patron wouldn’t encounter any problems. A Lich wouldn’t die unless her Life Casket was broken, but what if her body was damaged? Would that affect Withered Rose’s rule in Gloomyland? In case the wealth of this rich lady was affected, their cooperation might fall through.

But looking at Withered Rose’s expression, she seemed to understand something else.

Now wasn’t the time for a detailed chat, as Garey Woz had already created the controller during their conversation.

This device was extremely simple to operate. By holding the controller, one could issue commands through voice alone, directly synchronized with all of Alchemy City’s Magipuppet Automatons.

This crafty old man, who knows how many back doors he had left in the Magipuppet Automatons.

Withered Rose gave Amberser a meaningful look before leaving the high tower with her guards.

Only then did Amberser say to Garey Woz, “Let’s go. We’ll head to the sewers now to fulfill your wish.”

Garey Woz was about to take the unconscious Naomi with him when Amberser said, “No need. You won’t need this little girl, and taking her would just be a waste of time.”

“She is the most important part of the experiment. My soul isn’t yet potent enough to ascend to the Divine Realm,” Garey Woz said seriously.

“I said I could help you, remember, when it comes to understanding the soul, I’m the real expert,” Amberser countered.

Amberser’s words made Garey Woz hesitate for a moment.

Reason told him that sticking to his own plan was the safest. But somehow, looking back at the unconscious Naomi, Garey Woz suddenly felt a sense of reluctance.

Humanity had not completely faded from his soul, which was why he felt pity for the child, Naomi.

But it was precisely because of this humanity that he needed to sacrifice Naomi to achieve the transformation of his soul.

Before, Garey Woz had no choice, so he convinced himself that Naomi had to die. But now, Amberser had proposed a second possibility, and Garey Woz’s long-suppressed humanity seemed to have found a foothold, beginning to influence what should have been a purely rational soul.

Garey Woz felt as though he was splitting into two personalities.

Garey Woz’s translucent body flickered incessantly for a while before it finally calmed down.

“You almost destroyed my will,” Garey Woz finally showed anger. His face twisted as he said to Amberser, “You better be telling the truth.”

“Of course, I wouldn’t give up a divine artifact for a Druid girl. Let’s go, we don’t have much time.”

Garey Woz reopened the sealed window, and Amberser also donned a flight spell on himself, as the two floated out the window and flew towards the sewers at top speed.

As they left the tower, Withered Rose’s troops were already battling James Watson’s Paladin Legion.

However, from the looks of it, Withered Rose’s Undead army was at a disadvantage.

On one side was the well-trained Paladin Legion, whose Holy Light inherently suppressed the Undead, while on the other side was a force mostly positioned outside the city with only a handful of Death Knights and a freshly created bunch of little Zombies nearby, certainly no match.

But Withered Rose’s forces had the advantage in numbers and could hold on for the time being.

Amberser glanced over with some concern but didn’t dare delay, the faster he finished his business, the safer Withered Rose would be.

The two flew quickly and entered into the sewers.

The Wishing Ritual had been fully activated at this point, and the environment of the sewers became eerie.

Garey Woz saw Amberser stop and hurriedly urged him, “Let’s go, the core of the ritual magic array is not far ahead, don’t waste time here.”

Having regained some of his humanity, he became emotional, and his tone of voice was anxious and rude.

Amberser, however, said, “What’s the use of going to the core now? Your soul’s transformation is key to completing the ritual, and I’m going to help you solve that problem now.”

Upon hearing this, Garey Woz spoke in a mocking tone, “Now, here? I’ve spent years of effort researching this ritual magic array, which can use the method of sacrifice to obliterate the humanity in a soul. You’ve only guessed my plan for a few days, and you’re still in a weak state from your recent rebirth. What could you possibly do to solve this issue?”

“I told you, when it comes to souls, I’m the expert. Shut up, let go of your soul, and let me do the work.”

Amberser reached out his hand, grabbing towards Garey Woz’s body.

Garey Woz instinctively wanted to dodge, but quickly suppressed the impulse. The ritual magic array had reached its most crucial point, and there was no time to delay any longer. Since he had chosen to trust Amberser, he had to see it through until the end.

Garey Woz closed his eyes, letting Amberser’s hand penetrate his body.

And as Amberser’s hand touched the semi-transparent soul body, countless black threads finer than strands of hair sprouted from his palm and swiftly spread throughout Garey Woz’s body.

Amberser’s palm seemed to become Garey Woz’s heart, and those threads, the new nerves and blood vessels, completely took control of Garey Woz’s soul.

“This… this sensation… you’re modifying my memory?! No, that’s not right, you’re remodeling my soul!” Garey Woz exclaimed in surprise.

Amberser explained, “Correct, I can remodel on a soul level, not just altering memories but also changing soul characteristics. That’s my legendary ability, Pseudo-Soul. Initially, I could only fabricate blank souls with limited intelligence, but after years of research, I’ve roughly grasped the traits of souls. I now know how to modify them to obtain the specific souls I want. This has become a minor surgery I’ve practiced countless times.

“To strip away humanity and evolve into a deity, I haven’t tried such a feat yet, but the principles are the same,” Amberser continued explaining. The black threads emerging from his palm moved and intertwined like living things, starting to transform Garey Woz’s soul body into a different form.

His head and limbs melted like wax and then split into several tentacle-like shapes. The ethereal skeleton began to fade, leaving no trace of a human form as Garey Woz’s soul completely transformed into a jellyfish.

“This feeling… it’s right… I’m evolving… and it’s better than I calculated…”

Garey Woz’s voice came from the soul again, but it had calmed down, no longer as irritable as before.

Amberser, however, was shaking all over, unable to maintain the effects of the shapeshifting spell and reverting back to his skeleton form.

The ability to create Pseudo-Souls, although powerful, was a challenge because Garey Woz’s soul was extremely resilient. Where Amberser was once like molding clay when shaping souls, he was now carving on diamond, and to make matters worse, it was micro-sculpture, with the difficulty increasing a hundredfold.

Moreover, Amberser was currently in a weakened state, and he had to be fully focused to complete this soul remodeling surgery.

But no matter how focused he was, Amberser saw only a five percent chance of success for this surgery.

Suddenly, the black threads began to tremble wildly, tangling like a mess of string ends, intertwining with one another.

Garey Woz also let out a piercing scream, as the agony of his twisting soul was far worse than any physical torture, feeling like he was being dismembered hundreds of times in that instant.

“Endure it!” Amberser shouted loudly.

One Dice of Destiny after another appeared around Amberser, not made of magic or any physical substance but woven from the untouchable threads of destiny. They spun frantically under Amberser’s control, pouring into the jellyfish-form Garey Woz’s body.

Amberser intended to alter the doomed future of surgical failure, replacing every error with success.

And he believed in his capacity to do so.

The shards of prophecy had shown that Amberser would host the Wishing Ritual in the sewers. Therefore, the soul remodeling surgery was bound to succeed; otherwise, Amberser would have long since fled and wouldn’t stay in the sewers.

All Amberser had to do now was to trust in destiny, in the power he himself had once forsaken.