Amberxiu had always been a pure undead.
Whether it was sheltering refugees, aiding druids, falling out with paladins, or waging war with the neighboring lord, the ultimate goal was always the same: simply to make money.
Now, as a legendary lich with the power to craft simulated souls, his need for human souls was minimal. This war was essentially a loss for him, given that every second the castle's magical defenses ran, it burned through gold.
Killing a few people was hardly cost-effective.
Thus, Amberxiu had to ensure some returns.
The three individuals before him were perfect candidates for free experimentation, ideal for testing the combat abilities of his newly crafted spiritual constructs.
---
Harvey felt it was time to abandon the path of the wizard. The so-called prophecy school was nothing but a trap. It had seemed right to charge forward, but instead, he had walked straight into a snare.
He'd encountered traps before, but who would dig a deep pit right at their doorstep? Such an endeavor would require immense effort, and what purpose did a pit several dozen meters deep serve? A few spears at the bottom could eliminate enemies from a few meters away—what was the point of making it so deep?
This question was soon answered. As he fell, the pit narrowed like a funnel, eventually transforming into a slide.
The three of them slid down, feeling as if they were waste being washed away. Just as Harvey thought he was about to land in some unspeakable place, he suddenly felt something latch onto his back, pulling him into another passage.
By the time his backside had been bruised, Harvey found himself in a metal cage. With a clank, the cage locked behind him.
Harvey was too late to lament the pain in his rear, for standing outside the cage was the terrifying lich—Di Jia·Automan.
Staring into those eyes, burning with the fire of souls, Harvey could only force a smile and say, "Master Automan… I swear I was forced into this, do you believe me?"
Amberxiu chuckled and replied, "Whether you were forced or not, does it matter to me?"
Harvey fell silent. The lich's bluntness left no room for negotiation.
However, being a mage who had invested heavily in intelligence, Harvey quickly devised a thought: "Since I didn't fall into a lethal trap and get pierced through the heart, I must still hold some value alive. Master Automan, could you tell me why you want me alive? Perhaps I can assist you in achieving your goals."
Amberxiu, never one to hide his intentions, answered candidly, "Simple. I want to ransom you."
Harvey's mouth dropped in surprise. He never anticipated such a reason. Thinking back to how he had used human refugees as bargaining chips to demand money from the boar-riding lords, Harvey couldn't shake the strange feeling that this lich was in desperate need of money.
"So... how much do you want, Master Automan?"
"At least ten thousand gold coins. You're a mage, after all," Amberxiu replied.
Harvey smiled wryly. "That might disappoint you. My employer can't come up with that much money."
"Is that so? An army of over a thousand men can't afford ten thousand gold coins?" Amberxiu was skeptical. While they might not have the cash, they surely had something of equal value—a lord, after all.
Harvey sighed and explained, "Master Automan, don't you know the situation in the Alchemy City? If they weren't desperate, they wouldn't have joined forces to attack your castle."
"Is it that bad?"
Amberxiu had planned to ask more questions, but just then, there was a clanking sound as a light cleric fell into another cage. Amberxiu cast a spell to freeze him in place, and a swarm of skeletons surged forward, stripping the cleric of his clothes.
By the time the freeze spell wore off, the cleric had been drugged and lost consciousness.
"Well, we'll talk about your situation later."
Amberxiu left Harvey with that statement and floated away from the cell.
As Harvey watched the strange skeletons moving outside the cage, he tucked the small piece of wire back into his sleeve. Even if he could unlock the cage, as a mage apprentice, he wouldn't stand a chance against so many skeletons. Escaping now would be suicide.
"Ugh."
Harvey sighed deeply. The people of the Ryan Empire only knew how to boast—claiming paladins could defeat the undead. In reality, they were nothing but pawns in the lich's hands.
---
Amberxiu arrived at another sealed cell, where the paladin had landed safely. The paladin was now knocking on the walls, searching for a way out.
But it was futile. The cell was surrounded by thick rock and soil, with only the sliding entrance above and a heavy iron door.
Perhaps the trap at the castle gate had left a psychological scar on the paladin, for he dared not use his Holy Slash on the iron door.
Amberxiu, accompanied by the living mercury, approached the cell. Without even opening the door, he ordered, "There's a paladin inside. Teach him a harsh lesson."
After giving the command, Amberxiu placed the living mercury at the iron door.
The creature, understanding its task, wriggled and quickly seeped through the crack in the door.
The paladin inside, sharp as ever, noticed the mercury's intrusion.
But having never encountered living mercury, he mistook it for another of Amberxiu's malevolent tricks.
He gripped his longsword tightly, wary of the iron door.
What happened next, however, far exceeded the paladin's expectations.
The mercury appeared to have life, wriggling toward him.
"A slime? No, what is this?!"
The paladin, an experienced adventurer, had never seen such a strange creature.
Could it be another special undead creation by the odd lich?
No matter, though. No matter what undead it was, a single Holy Slash would suffice. If one didn't work, he'd just use another.
The holy light gathered on the paladin's longsword, and with a swing, the sword came down on the wriggling mercury.
The air rippled as the sword's light cleaved through the space.
Amberxiu, observing through the monitoring crystal, shuddered. If that strike had landed on him, his bones would have been cleaved in half.
The paladin's Holy Slash was indeed a formidable force, and the Ryan Empire had several legions of such warriors.
The Holy Slash was mere moments from striking the mercury when, unexpectedly, the sluggish mercury surged and expanded like boiling liquid.
Clang! The sound of metal striking metal rang out.
The paladin's Holy Slash didn't strike the mercury directly but clashed with another longsword, which had materialized from the mercury's body, intercepting the blow with ease.
It may not be entirely accurate to call it a longsword, as it was merely a shard of silver-colored blade that had grown from the mercury's form, holding the paladin's fearsome strike at bay.
Though the silver sword was cut deeply, the holy light dissipated with it, causing little damage.
"Impossible! This monster isn't even undead, and it has magical resistance?!"
The paladin, understanding the situation after just one strike, was stunned.
Before he could collect his thoughts, the silver sword extended further. From blade to hilt, and then an arm holding the sword... a fully armored warrior made entirely of mercury stood before the paladin. Upon closer inspection, the two shared a striking resemblance.
The living mercury had shaped itself into the paladin's form, mimicking his earlier stance, and swung the sword toward him. The silver light poured down, even more violently than the previous Holy Slash.
End of Chapter