This Lich Requests More Remuneration

Chapter 88 - 88 86 Talking Business with a Deity_2

?Chapter 88: Chapter 86: Talking Business with a Deity_2 Chapter 88: Chapter 86: Talking Business with a Deity_2 Ogma, the Master of Knowledge, the Namer of All Things, a powerful deity of the Absolute Neutral Camp. It’s said that he could decide whether a new idea would come into existence in this world, and restraining the creativity of alchemists isn’t a big deal for him.

Amberser found it preposterous too, thinking what kind of heinous act the group of alchemists must have committed to provoke a deity who’s absolutely neutral to impose divine punishment.

The chairman’s one-eyed pupil contracted, as if he had received a great shock.

“You even created seven towers to humiliate us!”

“Whether it’s humiliation or a reminder is all up to you.”

The God of Alchemy seemed disdainful of the chairman’s questions and said in a lecturing tone, “These seven towers represent the seven most common mistakes in alchemy, which are practically the foundation of all experiments. Over the years, haven’t the chances of your apprentices making basic errors greatly reduced?

“Of course, waking up every day and seeing those seven towers, they will naturally avoid those seven stupid mistakes during their experiments, yet you interpret it as humiliation.”

“Petty creature, do not measure the thoughts of the divine with your mortal mind.”

Listening to this, Amberser felt something off, recalling these were the same words the chairman had used to scold Diper earlier. In just a short while, the boomerang was hitting their own head.

Seeing that the chairman was about to lose his composure, Amberser quickly said, “Forget him, he’s got a venomous tongue! Arguing with him is pointless, grant my wish already!”

But before the chairman could respond, the God of Alchemy snapped his fingers, and it was like the whole world fell silent.

It wasn’t just silence; even the flow of air came to a halt. This was the effect of time coming to a standstill, but it was no longer the sort Amberser had seen on the scroll. This time, it was cast by the deity himself.

In an instant, time was stopped throughout Alchemy City, including both sides of the fierce battle on the ground.

The entire city came to a standstill, leaving only Amberser and the God of Alchemy able to move.

“Alright, now we have time, we can chat at leisure.” The God of Alchemy conjured a set of table and chairs out of nowhere, with tea all prepared, and gestured for Amberser to come over, “My student, don’t you want to catch up with your teacher?”

Amberser clenched his teeth, sat opposite the God of Alchemy, and said coldly, “Do I have another choice?”

The God of Alchemy poured a cup of tea for Amberser, then said, “Don’t be like that, you’re my most esteemed student. The first time I saw you, I was drawn to your clear eyes that hadn’t been tainted by the knowledge of magic.”

Amberser retorted mercilessly, “Cut the crap, you were blind when you met me! And besides, isn’t that line just mocking my stupidity?”

“You see, this is where you’re smart; you immediately spotted my flaw,”
the God of Alchemy lamented and said with deep regret, “But I must correct you on one point: you’re definitely not stupid, just excessively greedy. You want to learn everything, know everything, and the result is you master nothing. I never doubted you could reach the status of a legend, but look at what you’ve done—what’s the use of such a legacy? If you had stuck with alchemy, by now you might already be one of my acolytes.”

Amberser, unmoved, responded with a chuckle, “You and I were once so poor we couldn’t afford food. You misled me, made me believe that the end of only studying alchemy would lead to begging! Had I not learned magic, had I not turned to thievery, we would’ve starved to death long ago!”

Amberser couldn’t help but feel there was something amiss. Back then, the old man hadn’t a good grasp of alchemy, so how on earth did he become the God of Alchemy? The old codger must’ve hidden a lot, yet Amberser figured he wouldn’t be told, and he didn’t feel the need to fuss over it now.

“Let’s get one thing straight, my former mentor,” he continued, “I was never your disciple, so don’t try to apply your religious guilt trips to me. You taught me the basics of alchemy, and I took care of you for over a decade; any way you slice it, I’m at a loss! So, drop the act of deep concern, as if I’m indebted to you. Now, let’s get back to the matter at hand—what do you really want to do?”

After becoming a Lich, everything from his living days should have vanished into smoke. It’s best to focus on the benefits at hand. Amberser was now only interested in the reason the God of Alchemy had appeared here—to cause trouble, or to cherry-pick the benefits?

The God of Alchemy sighed and said, “Rest assured, I know you want the effect of the Wishing Spell. We haven’t seen each other in so many years; as your teacher, I wouldn’t shortchange you. The Wishing Spell is yours. The other deities have already agreed, so there’s no need to worry.”

Amberser immediately sensed there was a catch and pressed, “Other deities?”

After sipping his tea, the God of Alchemy explained, “Yes, Garey Woz may be mad, but his intellect has indeed reached the level of a deity, turning himself into a Divine Artifact capable of casting the Wishing Spell, and he succeeded, to the astonishment of all gods. But do you think the gods would sit idly by?”

“The Wishing Spell has always been a divide between mortals and deities. The ability to cast Wishing Spells without limit is akin to stumbling upon a Divine Nature that anyone could use. How could the gods allow such a divine presence to fall into mortal hands?”

After pondering for a moment, Amberser found himself agreeing with the God of Alchemy.

“The Nine Great Kingdoms would wage war over this Divine Artifact, and nobody could escape it. No matter the chaos, whoever secures the Artifact can put an end to all troubles. If I were to lay my hands on it, I’d also become the target of every legend on the continent who would tear me to pieces in a heartbeat.”

Nodding, the God of Alchemy said, “Exactly, I knew you would understand. Once these legends band together, even the weaker deities could be killed by them. That’s why I’m here today—to seal away this Divine Artifact. Otherwise, the whole continent would perish in war. However, before sealing it away, giving you a chance to make a wish shouldn’t be an issue.”

“How about that? Am I not good to you, my student?”

But upon hearing this, Amberser didn’t show any signs of happiness; instead, he expressed disappointment, “That’s it? After all the hustle, the rights to the Wishing Ritual were already mine. Your sudden appearance to put a claim on it, offering me just one chance to make a wish—that’s supposed to be for my benefit? Teacher, you still know how to count your pennies.”

The God of Alchemy’s expression stiffened, and with resignation, he said, “I knew it wouldn’t be easy to come to terms, but my dear student, aren’t you forgetting something? This is the arrangement settled by the consensus of the gods. Do you really have the confidence to defy the collective will of the deities?”

Amberser responded with a smile, “The deities? You mean the consensus of the Orderly Gods? There’s more than one god out there wishing to see the world burn.”