This Lich Requests More Remuneration

Chapter 99 - 99 96 Reflections on the Future

?Chapter 99: Chapter 96 Reflections on the Future Chapter 99: Chapter 96 Reflections on the Future The carriage jostled its way along the road, with Isabel sitting inside, looking at the approaching castle with mixed feelings.

After the visit of the Paladins, all human subjects had been dismissed from the castle, and Isabel had to return to her original domain.

The Lord who once coerced her had died, and the domain had been annexed by the Porcupine Knight, so upon receiving Amberser’s order, this Porcupine Knight quickly located Isabel and her brother and sent them to the castle by carriage.

Raul, sitting beside Isabel, seemed a bit too excited, incessantly rubbing the Skeleton Controller in his hand, even though the Alien Skeleton it controlled was already damaged, Raul still couldn’t bear to discard this now useless thing.

It was a testament to his former status above others and the first time he had felt the advantages brought by power.

Therefore, returning to that castle, and back under the command of that master, Raul was very much looking forward to it, and he was eager to serve the Lich Lord once again.

Unlike her brother Raul, Isabel did not long to return to this place so fervently.

Although the Lich Lord seemed more benevolent than other lords, wouldn’t the ultimate result for humans following an Undead be to be turned into zombies or skeletons?

Even if it happened after a natural death, it still meant being eternally enslaved.

Was such a fate truly desirable?

Isabel had worked so hard to become an Alchemist, and in her heart, there was some reluctance to accept her lot. She didn’t want to, like others her age, marry some average man, be worn down by burdensome labor, bear children, and then close her eyes forever within a few years.

She didn’t want to be buried in a grave in her thirties or forties; she yearned for a different kind of life.

Fortunately, Raul was very supportive of her, so Isabel could spare a little more time to learn to read and “steal knowledge” from everywhere. She finally became an Alchemy Apprentice, thinking she could change her life by hard work, only to find out several years later that her teacher hadn’t taught her much at all.

Alchemy is the supreme knowledge, and mere hard work is far from enough to pay the tuition.

Being an apprentice for life wouldn’t be too bad—earning more money than farming and with less fatigue, maybe she could live past fifty.

Who could have predicted that one misfortune after another would come her way—increased taxes, persecution, fleeing, and then becoming a servant of a Lich.

Isabel’s mind was filled with everything she had experienced in the castle; was she going to spend the rest of her life in there?

Isabel felt utterly bewildered; she was just a village girl. Becoming an Alchemy Apprentice was already the pinnacle of her life; her wisdom and perspective were not enough to answer this complex question.

But within, there was always a hint of dissatisfaction.

If she also had a good teacher, might her life have turned out differently?

Speaking of teachers, the image that came to Isabel’s mind was not that of the stern, bald old man, but rather the young ghost she had seen only a few times in the castle.

This teacher had only given her a few pointers, but she had learned more from him than from all the previous years combined.

“Right, if the Lich Lord is fine, then the teacher should still be in the castle too; maybe I can ask for more guidance next time we meet.”

Thinking of that generous teacher, Isabel felt much more at ease.

Anyway, she was still young and had time before becoming an Undead.

The carriage wheels rumbled, arriving in front of the castle.

It was still that familiar oppressing atmosphere; even on a sunny day, the castle seemed shrouded in shadows.

As Isabel walked into the castle, she saw the imposing Lich Lord, his skeletal frame as terrifying as ever.

When he saw Isabel and Raul, Amberser did not bother with any pleasantries; he simply threw Raul a new controller, then ordered, “The Paladins have made a mess of the castle. Raul, here’s a batch of construction skeletons; you are responsible for restoring them to their original state.”

Raul held the new Undead controller, trembling with excitement.

As for Isabel, Amberser directly took the young girl to a new laboratory, moving a pile of heavy documents with Mage Hand.

“You have one night to go through these documents. Starting tomorrow, you will be in charge of assembling the Alien Skeletons. This is my design for the Alien Skeleton Production Line; you’re responsible for putting together this small-scale production line.”

Amberser’s words left Isabel utterly perplexed.

What Alien Skeletons, what production line, what was this thing about only having one night?

But Amberser did not intend to explain; he threw her a small booklet and said, “This is the index.”

After leaving that last remark, Amberser left the laboratory, leaving Isabel alone to stand dumbfounded.

There were no warm reunions, no concern for her predicaments, nor any blame for her escape—the same brisk and efficient air as before.

In the eyes of the Lich Lord, I was nothing more than a tool with intelligence.

Isabel picked up the small book referred to as the catalog with resignation and scrutinized it. It contained brand-new knowledge of alchemy.

Shortly after, Isabel became completely engrossed in it.

Creating the undead should have been a domain of necromancy spells, not directly related to alchemy, one could even say they were fundamentally different. Isabel, lacking spell casting ability, her alchemy was still at a stage where she mixed various materials to yield results. Therefore, it was impossible for Isabel to transform a resurrected skeleton into the undead.

However, Amberser had modified the production method of the Alien Skeletons. Isabel didn’t need to create real undead directly; her job was more like preparing materials on a large scale.

After processing these bones according to Amberser’s instructions and sending them into the furnace filled with dark magic power, they would transform autonomously into undead, becoming qualified puppets.

It all sounded simple, but the actual operation was far from easy.

Even as a mere executor, Isabel was baffled by the complex formulas and principles within, and this small book was just a simple summary. The real execution details were in that stack of thick documents.

It was hard to imagine how much effort the Lich Lord must have put in to deconstruct and transform complex necromancy spells into an assembly line technology that even mortals could operate.

If the core issue of the dark magic power furnace could be solved, then any small lord could produce their own undead legions.

Isabel held immeasurable respect for the Lich Lord’s abilities. Setting aside race, he was an admirable, erudite scholar who would stand out even in Alchemy City, a gathering place for geniuses.

She just didn’t know why she had never heard his name before.

Isabel put away her previous apprehensions; now was not the time to ponder the future. She had to complete the Lich Lord’s task first, or she might very well become one of the materials for the task.

On the other hand, Raul was also working hard.

Amberser had prepared several specially shaped skeletons for him, tasking him with repairing the damaged parts of the castle. The paladins had wrecked the castle during their search for the Life Casket, leaving many pits and hollows unfilled. Raul’s workload was also quite heavy, and even though these uniquely-shaped skeletons were obedient, they were less agile than humans at work. He couldn’t help but think that if the Lich Lord assigned him a few dozen human subordinates, the work would be much easier.

But Raul dared not make such a request to the Lich Lord. Accustomed to serving under a lord, Raul was very clear about his position—first, he had to complete the tasks assigned by the lord before he could propose any suggestions.

With both siblings diligently at work, Amberser confidently returned to his personal laboratory.

He couldn’t stop thinking about the pair of magic-draining short swords of the Elf Tribe; he felt there was some special secret there.

The enchantment on the swords wasn’t overly complicated. To Amberser’s understanding, it seemed to draw on the special abilities of creatures like the Feline Demon-Mallow. This creature resembled a long bag with claws, but its mouth was filled with sharp teeth, making it look ferocious and terrifying.

It appeared to rely on claws and teeth for attacks, but in truth, the Feline Demon-Mallow was a creature exceptionally skilled in spellcasting. What was more outrageous was its strong resistance to magic, and the Feline Demon-Mallow had mastered a unique spell capable of nullifying most other spells’ effects.

Combined, these traits made the creature a nemesis to spellcasters, and a great magical civilization had once been brought to ruin by these creatures.

The effect of the enchantment on these swords was somewhat similar to that.

Upon striking a target, it would disrupt the magic effects present on the target, while absorbing the magic power and transferring it into the user’s body.

Simply put, this short sword was practically a mage slayer; Amberser himself had narrowly avoided being ambushed by it.

But as ingenious as it was, there was still one important problem that Amberser couldn’t wrap his head around. By rights, the person using this weapon should have crippled themselves the first time they absorbed magic power; what was the deal with these elves?

Had the elves developed new magical organs to neutralize this magic power, or had they received a new blessing from a deity?

“Ah, I so want to dissect a few of them to see,” Amberser mused.

With an interesting subject at hand, Amberser felt an itch in his bones. If it weren’t for the fact that these elves could fetch a good price, he really wanted to lay them on the dissection table and carefully dissect them for study.

However, dissection might not yield results, and if nothing was found after dissecting, wouldn’t that be a financial loss?

In the end, the anticipation of ransom still overruled the pursuit of knowledge.

Nevertheless, although he couldn’t proceed with dissection, Amberser couldn’t just leave it be.

The Elf Tribe was about to launch a large-scale invasion, and surely Cicero wasn’t the only one with a Magic-Breaking Weapon. If Amberser didn’t want to die from an assassination by such a weapon, he needed to figure out how to counter it.

After long consideration, Amberser felt he could start with the research on the Mercury Avatar.

Amberser stroked his chin, lost in thought.

Now that Alchemy City had turned into a warzone, those mines no longer needed to be purchased; it was possible to simply seize them. It was about time to initiate the large-scale cultivation of the Mercury Avatar.

“No, no, that’s not the right way to think. Lady Rose already agreed to give me the money for the mines; how could I consider such an uncivilized method as seizing? I should first ask Lady Rose for the money and then discuss the price with the mine owners. It’s my skill to negotiate for a better deal.”

Having made up his mind, Amberser took out the Necromancy Codex and sent a message to Withered Rose: [Lady Rose, I think we could start with the Mercury Avatar breeding plan. Shouldn’t we also put the plan to purchase the mines on our agenda soon?]