Under the dim light of the candles, the young mage wrote fervently.
"Poor Alan has once again endured cruel torment, but even in his dying moments, he continues to pray fervently to the Lord of the Dawn. I cannot help but be moved by his unwavering faith, though I cannot avoid questioning what exactly faith has brought him.
"Of all the captives among the liches, only he suffers such torture, while I, a mere mage apprentice, am able to write letters to my family…"
William Harvey filled several sheets of parchment, then handed over his article titled *"My Paladin Friend Alan — A Brief Discussion on the Impact of Faith on the Young"* to Amberius.
Amberius read the piece carefully, nodding in approval. "Not bad. Your writing is quite good. Have you considered switching careers to become a novelist?"
The young mage smiled awkwardly but politely, then cautiously asked, "Master Ultraman, do you really think this kind of story will be published in *Legendary Curse*?"
Amberius had asked Harvey to write a story from his perspective, describing how the devout paladin Alan, driven by his steadfast faith, provoked a powerful lich, only to suffer even greater torment after being captured.
The article spanned twenty to thirty thousand words, subtly implying that Alan's faith was not sincere, but rather a product of his upbringing. It depicted how, like brainwashing, he had been turned into a fanatic of the Lord of the Dawn, thanks to the extreme training imposed by his fanatic father. The article painted Alan as a once-promising young man who was twisted into a religious zealot due to his father's brutal methods.
Essentially, the article argued that *Legendary Curse* editor James Watson had brainwashed his son, violating the universal value of freedom of belief, distorting the teachings of the Lord of the Dawn, and turning Alan into a religious fanatic.
Harvey believed that submitting this article would result in his name being permanently blacklisted by *Legendary Curse*, and the Paladin Legion would undoubtedly march to his castle, not to punish Master Ultraman, but to burn him at the stake in Harvey's stead.
Amberius, however, assured him, "The main publication of *Legendary Curse* is likely out of reach, but the supplement should be no problem. Congratulations, young mage, you are now a contributor to *Legendary Curse*."
The main publication of *Legendary Curse* focused on advanced magical research, while the supplement was more entertaining. Pieces like *The Years I Spent Struggling in Silvermoon Court*, *My 80-Year-Old Loli Elf Wife*, and *The Overbearing Prince of the Lyen Empire* were all popular and even outsold the main journal.
Amberius could not send a direct threatening letter to the Lyen Empire, saying, "Your paladin and priest are in my hands. Pay a ransom or I will tear their souls apart."
If he did that, the Lyen Empire would immediately issue a bounty on Amberius and send troops to eliminate him, and the Alchemical City would have no reason to stop them.
Thus, Amberius had to use a more subtle approach to notify James Watson: *Your son is in my hands!*
By having Harvey write this article, Amberius hoped that Watson, upon reading it, would realize what was being implied and pay the ransom to avoid losing his son, all without a direct confrontation.
In the article, Harvey repeatedly mentioned the ransom and the promise to release Alan once the money was received, hoping that the editor would understand the implication.
Though Harvey knew that sending the article would bring him trouble, as a prisoner, he had little choice. He could only hope that Amberius would keep his word and not make things difficult for him.
From their recent interactions, Harvey found that the lich was more merciful than expected. Even the paladin and priest had not been mistreated—at most, they were just confined and not allowed to wander. The brutal tortures described in the article were, in fact, fabricated.
Harvey had even asked Amberius why he chose to fabricate the story instead of simply using real torture.
Amberius' answer surprised him.
"Why use torture? I'm busy enough with experiments and hardly have time to sleep, let alone torture them. Besides, what's the point? I can't kill them to harvest their souls, and injuring them would just cost me more money for treatment. Do you think I'm crazy enough to waste money and time on that?"
This answer made sense, but Harvey still felt that something wasn't right. A lich, not torturing a paladin, just because of the cost? No one would believe that.
But Harvey didn't press further. As a mage apprentice in the castle, he was living relatively comfortably, with his own room and occasional access to books.
If it weren't for the constant surveillance by the alien skeletons, he would have thought it felt just like being at home. If he said too much, however, and angered the merciful lich, it would certainly not be worth the trouble.
Amberius took Harvey's article, sent it to *Legendary Curse* as quickly as possible, and then returned to his laboratory.
Amberius wasn't boasting—he was truly busy.
The live mercury battle footage still needed some editing, and he had to finalize the live mercury experiment. More importantly, he needed to organize the detailed data and send it to the wealthy necromancer, Dead Rose, hoping to receive the balance of payment.
To Amberius, the live mercury had already met Dead Rose's requirements.
Its magical resistance was sufficient to withstand most magical traps, and since it wasn't undead, it wouldn't be detected by the Lyen Empire's undead monitoring systems. With its ability to shapeshift, it could bypass the city walls via drainage pipes or even climb the walls directly.
With enough numbers, live mercury might be able to breach the Lyen Empire's defenses.
Of course, that was assuming the legendary figures of the Lyen Empire didn't intervene. Otherwise, with a few large-scale attack spells, the live mercury wouldn't stand a chance. They had magical resistance, but were not completely immune to magic.
After a long day of work, Amberius finally packed the data and sent it to Dead Rose via the Necromancer's Codex.
Dead Rose seemed to be always online, as she quickly replied.
**Dead Rose**: *So fast? I thought it would take another month or two to see a draft design.*
High-level undead were not so easy to design, especially ones specifically intended to counter the Lyen Empire's undead soldiers. It was like ordering a bowl of beef noodles with only beef—pure wishful thinking.
**Dija Ultraman**: *Standing on the shoulders of a master makes it easier to achieve results. I was inspired by Master Morgan's spirit servant designs and have created this new type of spirit servant. It should meet your needs.*
**Dead Rose**: *Master Morgan? How coincidental, I was his student.*
Amberius hadn't expected such a coincidence. No wonder Dead Rose wanted to take down the Lyen Empire—Master Morgan had been hunted to death by the Lyen Empire's paladins. This was about avenging her teacher, a spirit truly worthy of respect.
**Dija Ultraman**: *In honor of Master Morgan, I'll give you a discount.*
**Dead Rose**: *Oh? How much of a discount?*
**Dija Ultraman**: *A 9.95% discount.*
The wealthy necromancer remained silent for a long time before replying.
**Dead Rose**: *Don't bother with the discount. If the teacher finds out I'm worth so little, he might come back to smash your life box.*
**Dija Ultraman**: *Fair enough. Respect is kept in the heart, not measured by gold.*
**Dead Rose**: *...*
The wealthy necromancer didn't respond further, likely focusing on the materials Amberius had sent.
Amberius, eager for feedback, was suddenly interrupted by a new message on the Necromancer's Codex.
But this time, it was from someone he hadn't expected.
**The Headless Knight's Crown**: *Dija, old buddy, can I stay with you for a few days?*
End of Chapter