Upon receiving the message, Amberxiu was taken aback. Didn't the Headless Knight's wife say that he couldn't leave for years? How could he still send her a private message?
Amberxiu quickly replied: **"Headless Knight? Didn't your wife confine you?!"**
**"Crown of the Headless Rider": What confinement? Stop spreading rumors. It's just a minor dispute."**
**"Tiga Ultraman": You can fool your brothers, but don't fool yourself."**
**"Crown of the Headless Rider": Stop talking nonsense. I'm planning to get out for a while. Just tell me if it's convenient for me to stay for a few days."**
Sigh, seeing his pitiful state, Amberxiu couldn't bring himself to mention the rent. For once, he generously decided to offer a room, after all, the undead didn't need food or water.
**"Tiga Ultraman": Fine, stay as long as you want."**
**"Crown of the Headless Rider": Good brother, I'm on my way."**
Amberxiu suddenly felt something was wrong. A burst of light appeared in the center of his laboratory.
It was the teleportation circle he used to send live mercury to the Headless Knight. Was this lunatic really planning to teleport directly here?
Amberxiu hastily summoned his magic to open the teleportation circle's restrictions.
Normally, the circle could only transfer small objects like a glass bottle, but transporting a legendary warrior was no easy task. A single mistake could cause the teleportation circle to explode.
In a flurry, Amberxiu unlocked the restrictions. A towering figure stepped out from the radiant light.
It was a giant, several meters tall, clad in black heavy armor, who had to bend down to avoid smashing the ceiling.
"Quickly, Ultraman, shut the teleportation circle down… no, just destroy it!" The Headless Giant's voice boomed like a bronze bell. He struck the teleportation circle with a fist so powerful that it nearly collapsed Amberxiu's laboratory. The intricate magical formation shattered instantly, no longer functional.
Amberxiu winced in pain, "Brother, calm down! My place can't withstand this!"
The Headless Rider casually responded, "Ultraman, this place is too shabby for a legendary lich like me."
Amberxiu immediately discarded his fleeting sympathy and said, "Don't compare this to the Dragon Tomb. If you don't like it, go back. And the teleportation circle cost a lot!"
Amberxiu privately decided to charge the Headless Rider a daily rent of two hundred gold coins to cover the repair costs.
"Don't worry, I'll compensate you double."
After saying this, the giant's body quickly shrank, and in no time, he returned to normal height.
Not only that, he pulled out a helmet from somewhere and placed it on his neck. Clearly, it was a custom-made helmet, fitting perfectly with his expensive enchanted chest armor. Once worn, the eye sockets glowed as if there were eyes inside.
With the helmet on, the Headless Rider became a Death Knight, flawless in appearance.
Amberxiu couldn't help but say, "Really? Running away and still needing to disguise yourself? Is your wife hunting you down?"
The Headless Rider handed Amberxiu a small pouch, which he took, saying, "I rushed here without any gifts, just a small token. Take it, brother."
Amberxiu opened it to find not gold coins, but a large amount of high-level magical materials, mostly rare items from the Dragon Tomb, which were priceless.
Amberxiu estimated their value at at least two to three hundred thousand gold coins.
"Brother, what are you talking about? No need to be so formal. Come, let me show you around. If you need anything, just ask."
Amberxiu's attitude shifted. With those magical materials worth hundreds of thousands of gold coins, he almost wanted to swear brotherhood with the Headless Rider.
Fortunately, the Headless Rider had no high-maintenance demands. After a quick glance around the room, he said, "This place is not far from Alchemy City, right? I heard Alchemy City welcomes all races, and undead won't be hunted down?"
"Exactly. As long as you don't provoke trouble, any race can enter safely. Do you want to visit the city?"
Amberxiu hesitated. Given the magical materials worth hundreds of thousands of gold coins, he felt obligated to take the Headless Rider out for a stroll as a host. But he was also negotiating a major deal with the Wealthy Lady, which could be his future fortune. Missing her messages would be a disaster.
The Headless Rider noticed Amberxiu's hesitation and generously said, "Don't mind me. I'm just here for a drink, a casual stroll. You go ahead with your business."
What a great brother—generous and considerate. But how does the Headless Rider drink? Does he pour wine into the wound on his neck?
"Well, if you want to visit Alchemy City, no problem. But I suggest you change your appearance. They don't reject undead, but with your current look, the city might go on alert right away."
Unlike Amberxiu, who appeared weak, the Headless Rider exuded an aura of strength, with his enchanted armor radiating a powerful magical energy, likely a relic-level item.
Appearing fully armed in Alchemy City could easily be mistaken for an undead attack.
"Ah, you're right."
The Headless Rider squeezed a ring on his finger, and his body quickly changed, transforming from a powerful Death Knight into an ordinary human male.
A ring that solidifies transformation magic—an extremely luxurious piece of equipment.
Transformation magic itself isn't particularly powerful; it's the expensive materials used to solidify the magic that make it so extravagant. To Amberxiu, using such expensive equipment for a mere transformation was akin to making an ashtray out of gold.
Even if the Headless Rider's savings were gone, he still radiated an enviable air of wealth.
After transforming, the Headless Rider appeared as an ordinary middle-aged adventurer, though anyone with a keen eye would notice a subtle iron-blooded aura lingering.
No wonder he could rise above thousands of Holy Warriors from the Lyan Empire.
"Alright, I'm off to drink. You don't need to worry about me."
The Headless Rider, clearly eager to leave, dashed out so quickly that Amberxiu barely had time to react.
"How long has he been suppressing this? So eager to drink. Sigh, a legendary strongman afraid of his wife—truly, marriage is the real grave."
Amberxiu mused for a moment, but quickly returned to his business, as the Wealthy Lady had already sent a message.
**"Withered Rose": I must say, your design for the spirit servants is quite creative. If the teacher were still here, he would be so pleased. Thank you."**
Amberxiu could sense a trace of sorrow in the words.
**"Tiga Ultraman": I'm glad you're satisfied."**
**"Withered Rose": There are a few adjustments, but overall, it's almost exactly what I wanted. However, you can't produce live mercury solution yourself, can you? If you want to mass-produce these mercury spirit servants, you'll need to order large quantities of live mercury solution from Alchemy City."**
**"Tiga Ultraman": Yes, but don't worry about the cost. Alchemy City has counterfeit live mercury solution, much cheaper."**
**"Withered Rose": No, you're underestimating the amount I need. I need at least 100,000 mercury spirit servants. If you order that much live mercury solution, Alchemy City will definitely notice. It might lead to an investigation into our transaction, and the Lyan Empire might prepare for it."**
100,000?! Amberxiu was shocked by the number. He had planned to sell each spirit servant for 50,000 gold coins, and if all went without discounts, that would amount to 5 billion gold coins—enough to drive the alchemists in Alchemy City mad with greed. This fortune could make them disregard contracts and demolish Amberxiu's castle.
Moreover, with this many mercury spirit servants, could Withered Rose really be planning to wage war against the Lyan Empire? That would be a battle they would surely lose.
**"Tiga Ultraman": That seems impossible. I can't order that much live mercury. I'll have to try breeding them myself. Mercury spirit servants are a full-fledged species capable of breeding on their own, though it takes a long time and requires a lot of metal."**
**"Withered Rose": Yes, that's what I thought too. Time isn't an issue. I'll help you with the metal feed."**
**"Tiga Ultraman": Transporting metals via teleportation is costly, and ordering large quantities of ores will easily attract the attention of Alchemy City."**
Magic is powerful, but the costs can't be ignored. Expensive items can be sent via teleportation circles, but low-value, bulk goods are a waste of such luxury.
**"Withered Rose": Don't worry. I'll drop the price of ores soon. Some mines will go bankrupt, and I'll give you funds to buy them."**
Amberxiu: ...
Sister, just how rich are you?
Lowering the price of ores in an entire region? Is this the realm of the wealthy woman?
End of Chapter