Who Pays Whom

Chapter 33: Who Pays Whom

Outside the Ancient Castle, a ragtag army stood in the biting wind.

The weather, nearing winter, made the militiamen shiver.

Amber Xiu paid no mind to this rabble, a force assembled from several nearby Lords, instead focusing his attention on the Paladin at the very front.

It had been over half a month since they last met at the bar.

Amber Xiu hadn't expected this Paladin to associate with the local minor Lords. A Paladin of the Lyne Empire mingling with some Porcupine Knight felt beneath him.

Amber Xiu didn't appear in his human form this time, instead manifesting as the Lich's skeletal form.

As soon as Amber Xiu appeared, the Porcupine Knight rode forward and declared righteously to Amber Xiu, "Filthy Lich, I am Knight Aldrich Jace. You have bewitched my subjects with your evil magic. I now declare, as a noble of Alchemy City, if you do not return my subjects today, you will be starting a war."

The Porcupine Knight was full of confidence today. Even standing before a Lich floating in mid-air, he could loudly berate the Lich without any fear for his safety.

This was because he not only had an army of thousands at his side, but also a Magic Advisor, and more importantly, the company of a Paladin from the Lyne Empire.

If there was any profession in the world that could counter the Undead, it would surely be the Paladin.

With a Paladin willing to act, what did he have to fear?

Amber Xiu carefully observed the people before him, then said, "The Lyne Empire interfering in Alchemy City's affairs? Are you looking for a war?"

The Paladin replied in a deep voice, "Master Ultraman, there's no need to accuse me. I am currently gaining experience in Alchemy City as an adventurer. As an adventurer, being hired by a Lord to hunt Undead is permissible under Alchemy City's laws. I must also thank you for the lesson you gave me before; abiding by local laws is indeed important."

"Oh, it seems you haven't been idle these past few days. You've likely investigated my background thoroughly, haven't you?" Amber Xiu asked.

The Paladin, however, shook his head and said, "Indeed, we should have investigated thoroughly. It's a pity that mortal lifespans are too short. Even the Lords beside me only know that you transformed into an Undead less than a hundred years ago. Beyond that, I couldn't find any other information."

"You're quite honest," Amber Xiu remarked.

This wasn't entirely strange; it was the temporal gulf between the immortal and the mortal. In this world where the average lifespan was only thirty to forty years, Amber Xiu would often spend decades holed up in his Ancient Castle.

After two generations of mortals, stories would turn into "They say there's a terrifying Lich in that Ancient Castle," or "No, I heard it's a handsome Vampire." Such tales would quickly morph into a dozen different versions.

These minor Lords nearby were not ancient, established families. Investigating Amber Xiu's information was akin to researching the life of an ancient figure from several dynasties ago.

If Amber Xiu hadn't let slip the common name "Tiga Ultraman" in the tavern, the Paladin probably wouldn't have even known this Ancient Castle belonged to Amber Xiu.

Not many in Alchemy City knew Amber Xiu's true background. A mere Paladin wasn't qualified to have such figures provide him with intelligence. As for these minor Lords, they were even less significant; their status was inferior to that of the Paladin.

The Paladin said with a pious tone, "Honesty is our creed, and I will adhere to it strictly, even when facing the Undead."

Amber Xiu mused, swiftly adjusting his pre-prepared plan.

Amber Xiu said to the group before him, "Time is Gold Coins. Enough with the nonsense. You're here for my captives?"

Captives?

The Porcupine Knight vaguely sensed something was amiss, but could only repeat, "Return my subjects to me and provide compensation in accordance with the law, and we can avoid war."

These minor Lords had gathered not just for the hundred-odd Freemen who had fled, but more importantly, they wanted to extort a sum of money from Amber Xiu to overcome their current crisis.

In their eyes, the great nobles with centuries of lineage were incredibly wealthy. A Lich who had lived for centuries, not needing to support a large family and having fewer expenses, must be rolling in riches. Perhaps a few Gold Coins trickling from the Lich's fingers would be enough for them to eat well.

Therefore, money was the key.

However, the Porcupine Knight never imagined that Amber Xiu thought the same way.

Amber Xiu floated in mid-air and said in an emotionless tone, "Human, do you think fabricating lies will let you avoid paying? What do you mean I bewitched your subjects? Clearly, your subordinates trespassed into my territory and caused destruction. According to Alchemy City's rules, you should compensate me for my losses!"

Everyone fell into an eerie silence. They had considered many scenarios: Amber Xiu might arrogantly declare all humans to be trash and attack immediately, or perhaps Amber Xiu might show some apprehension and choose to negotiate... They had devised numerous responses for these possibilities.

But they never expected Amber Xiu to lie with a straight face and even turn the tables!

After a long pause, the Porcupine Knight finally said angrily, "Quibbling is pointless. If you didn't bewitch them, how could they have possibly wandered into an Undead's territory?!"

All versions are correct and without error!

Amber Xiu chuckled and retorted, "Then you should ask yourself, you are their Lord, aren't you? Your subjects trespassed into my territory and damaged my Magic Traps. Who knows if you gave the order?"

Amber Xiu even produced a Memory Crystal on the spot, projecting the image within. It clearly showed Raul forcibly entering the Ancient Castle and triggering a Magic Trap.

The Porcupine Knight became agitated and exclaimed, "This is slander! I never gave such an order. Who knows if your device has been tampered with?"

Amber Xiu said nonchalantly, "It can be verified. Paladin over there, you can tell if this Memory Crystal has been faked, can't you?"

The Paladin sneered and said to Amber Xiu, "Master Ultraman, I won't fall for your tricks again. While Memory Crystal footage is difficult to fake, if this human was under your charm, it wouldn't be difficult for you to order him to perform this scene and then record it. Checking the authenticity of this Memory Crystal is meaningless."

Amber Xiu smiled, "You've certainly become smarter. It seems I'll have to collect some tuition fees."

The Paladin's face was hidden by his helmet, so his expression couldn't be seen, but his clenched fist betrayed his inner turmoil. Being made a fool of by Amber Xiu in front of everyone and being heavily extorted before was a lifelong humiliation for him.

Amber Xiu didn't give the Paladin a chance to retort and continued speaking to the Porcupine Knight, "Now it's quite clear. I can produce evidence of your humans trespassing into my territory, while you can only slander me based on conjecture.

"I don't care what reasons your humans have. Since they trespassed into my territory, it is a provocation against me. And you human Lords must pay the price for their actions!

"According to your human noble customs, if you want to redeem your captives, pay money. For Freemen with skills, I recall the price is at least thirty Gold Coins. But they damaged my Magic Traps, the cost is three hundred Gold Coins, and they stole my Skeleton Puppet, causing damage, requiring two thousand Gold Coins for repairs.

"Want to take them away? Bring money! Otherwise, their souls, their bodies, everything about them will become my experimental material to compensate for my losses."