The course of events unfolded in a manner entirely unexpected by Amberxiu, forcing him to drag the headless man back to his castle.
The interruption to his drinking session left the headless man little choice but to divert his attention to Allen Watson, the paladin, under the pretext of "seeing whether the new generation of paladins has become more powerful."
Amberxiu had no time to argue and merely cautioned, "Don't kill him." With that, he turned to his own preparations.
According to the customs of the Alchemy City, after the unfortunate administrative officer reported the news, it would take at least five hours before the members of the Alchemist Council received the message. Then, another hour or two would pass as they decided who would negotiate with Amberxiu.
Amberxiu had seven hours to prepare, and if he wanted to secure the greatest advantage in the upcoming negotiations, he needed to make full use of this time.
He hauled out a large pile of magical materials, even summoning the imprisoned apprentice mage, Harvey, to work as a laborer.
Confused and disoriented, Harvey began assisting Amberxiu in setting up a massive magical array.
At first, Harvey didn't know what Amberxiu was doing, but as the array slowly took shape, he began to recognize its purpose.
"Sacrifice… prophecy of the future… magical conduit… materialization…"
The more he understood, the more sweat beaded on Harvey's brow.
This was a ritual unique to the school of prophecy, one Harvey had only read about in books. The ritual's effect was simple: by offering a sacrifice, one could predict the future to a certain extent. The more valuable the sacrifice, the more precise the prophecy.
Harvey's limbs stiffened.
What could be more precious than the sacrifice of life? Clearly, he was the one about to be offered up. This lich had finally lost patience and was no longer willing to let him stay in the castle, enjoying free food and access to magical books.
Should he resist?
Harvey hesitated.
During his days confined in the castle, he had entertained thoughts of escape. He had spent his time reading, attempting to improve his magical abilities as much as possible. It had paid off; Harvey had indeed made significant progress.
The school of prophecy was a niche within a niche, but Amberxiu's library contained a wealth of related materials. Harvey had devoured them, becoming intoxicated by their contents. Compared to when he had first been captured, Harvey felt like a completely new person.
Could he struggle, after all?
Every magical ritual was delicate and precise; any mistake could lead to catastrophic failure, causing a violent backlash. Perhaps he could exploit this, and with a stroke of luck, even severely wound this lich.
Harvey wasn't hoping to kill Amberxiu—after all, liches didn't die unless their phylactery was destroyed. But if he could destroy Amberxiu's current body, he might have a chance to escape during the lich's rebirth.
"Stay calm, I can do this. The key point of the ritual is… here… if I adjust this part slightly…"
Taking advantage of Amberxiu's distraction, Harvey subtly altered the structure of the magical array.
The changes were minuscule, not enough to destroy the entire ritual, but they were just the beginning. Harvey continued making small adjustments, leaving behind a series of "flaws" within the array.
If Amberxiu didn't notice and proceeded with the sacrifice, the backlash would be catastrophic. Even if the explosion didn't destroy his body, it would certainly send his magical energy into a violent frenzy, and that would be Harvey's opportunity to escape.
Everything was set, and Harvey had steeled himself, awaiting the moment…
"Hey, what are you doing standing where the sacrifice goes? Get to the position for the ritual," Amberxiu instructed.
Harvey's eyes went wide. "Huh?!!"
Amberxiu continued, "What's this 'huh' business? I told you to conduct the ritual. You've read so much about the school of prophecy these past few days, don't tell me you can't recognize the function of this array. That would be so disappointing."
Harvey, still incredulous, asked, "Wait… wasn't I supposed to be the sacrifice?"
Amberxiu mocked, "What are you thinking? The more valuable the sacrifice, the better the effect. You're not worth even a thousand gold coins, and this array cost me nearly two hundred thousand gold. Using you as the sacrifice would be a waste. Know your worth, little one!"
Harvey: …
Although he wouldn't die, Harvey still felt a slight insult—a bit of displeasure, but nothing more.
No, this wasn't the time to dwell on that.
He had tampered with the array so much, if he were to perform the ritual now, wouldn't it mean his own death?
In that moment, Harvey felt like a clown in a circus.
Amberxiu watched Harvey's indecision, his legs trembling in fear, before finally smirking, "Enough of the theatrics. You think I didn't notice your little tricks? Don't worry, you're not going to die."
"Wait, you knew?" Harvey exclaimed in shock.
"Of course. Your little tricks were far too elementary. By the time you started making changes, I had already adjusted the array myself."
Harvey was even more stunned, asking, "Why did you do that? Was it just to make me look like a fool?"
Having spent some time with Amberxiu, Harvey didn't think the lich was the type to do something for mere amusement. Everything he did was so… economical. He never wasted anything. The cost of this ritual was so high that Amberxiu wouldn't have let him tamper with it just for his own entertainment.
Harvey felt the need to clarify, even though it might anger the eccentric lich.
"Of course it was a test. You're an apprentice of the school of prophecy, aren't you?"
Harvey admitted without hesitation, "I never meant to hide that. Also, Master Ultraman, you're a mage of the school of prophecy too, aren't you? Your library contains so many rare texts on the subject—books that can't be found anywhere else."
Amberxiu shook his head, saying, "No, I've given up on that path."
"Why?" Harvey asked, confused.
Amberxiu didn't answer, instead asking, "Let me ask you, if a prophecy foretold that you would die tomorrow, what would you do?"
Harvey hesitated for a moment, then replied, "I'd probably spend my last day writing down everything I've learned."
Amberxiu smiled and said, "You see, that's the difference. I can't accept my fate, so I've given up."
Harvey was thoughtful for a moment before asking, "But I'm just a prisoner. What do you want me to do?"
"Of course, work for me. Your lord has already refused to pay your ransom, so you'll have to work off your debt. Now, you're going to conduct this ritual, and I'll pay you two gold coins as your wage. That will cover your food for the day."
Harvey: …
Two gold coins for that stale bread? It's more like robbery!
Amberxiu wasn't concerned with whether the price was fair, continuing, "Alright, back to business. I allowed you to tamper with the array because I wanted to see how well you understood it. Now, I'm satisfied."
"Harvey, you're no longer just an apprentice. You are officially a mage of the school of prophecy."
Upon hearing Amberxiu's words, Harvey couldn't contain his excitement. Regardless of his position, being recognized by Master Ultraman was something to be proud of.
Amberxiu gave his orders: "Alright, let's get to work."
With that, Amberxiu reluctantly poured a large sum of gold coins into the sacrificial pedestal, the clinking of at least three hundred thousand coins causing his ribs to ache. A large portion of the advance payment from the Withering Rose had just vanished.
Harvey: …
So, gold coins were the true sacrifice. It didn't seem entirely right, but looking at Amberxiu's trembling soul fire, it seemed like nothing was wrong with the offering.
Harvey, now fully focused, began to conduct the ritual, inquiring, "Master Ultraman, what would you like to prophesize?"
Amberxiu replied solemnly, "The secret of the Alchemy City's sewers."
End of Chapter