Outside the Ancient Castle, a ragtag army stood in the cold wind.
With winter fast approaching, the militiamen shivered.
Amber Xiu paid no attention to this rabble assembled by several nearby lords. Instead, he focused on the Paladin standing at the very front.
Since their parting at the bar, the two had not seen each other for more than half a month.
Amber Xiu had not expected this Paladin to mingle with the nearby minor lords. A Paladin of the Lyne Empire mixed in with that Porcupine Knight? That was rather beneath him.
This time, Amber Xiu had not taken human form. He appeared directly in the skeletal form of a lich.
The moment Amber Xiu appeared, the Porcupine Knight rode out from the formation and declared righteously, "Filthy lich, I am Sir Aldrich Jace. You used evil magic to bewitch my people. Now, in my capacity as a noble of Alchemy City, I declare that if you do not release my people today, you will be starting a war."
The Porcupine Knight was brimming with confidence today. Even standing before a lich floating in midair, he could still loudly berate his opponent without the slightest concern for his safety.
That was because he had not only more than a thousand soldiers at his side, but also a Magic Advisor. More importantly, he had a Paladin of the Lyne Empire accompanying him.
If there was any profession in this world that countered the undead most effectively, it was undoubtedly the Paladins.
With a Paladin willing to take action, what did he have to fear?
Amber Xiu carefully looked over everyone before saying, "The affairs of Alchemy City have drawn in the Lyne Empire. Are you trying to start a war?"
The Paladin replied in a deep voice, "Master Ultraman, there is no need to pin a crime on me. I am currently adventuring in Alchemy City as an adventurer. As an adventurer, accepting a lord's commission to exterminate undead is perfectly legal under Alchemy City's laws. I should also thank you for the lesson you taught me before. Obeying local laws is indeed very important."
"Oh? Looks like you haven't been idle lately. You've more or less investigated my background thoroughly, haven't you?" Amber Xiu asked.
The Paladin shook his head. "We certainly should have investigated it thoroughly. Unfortunately, mortal lives are too short. Even the few lords beside me only know that you transformed into an undead less than a hundred years ago. Beyond that, I could not find any other information."
"You're certainly honest," Amber Xiu said.
That was not particularly strange. It was the gap in time between immortals and mortals. In a world where the average lifespan was only thirty or forty years, Amber Xiu could casually hole up in his Ancient Castle for decades.
After two generations of mortals, the story of "There's a terrifying lich in that Ancient Castle" would quickly turn into a dozen different versions, such as, "No, I heard it's a handsome vampire," and so on.
The minor lords nearby were not members of any ancient, long-standing families. Investigating Amber Xiu's background was much like investigating the life of an ancient person several dynasties removed.
If Amber Xiu had not let slip Diga's commonly used name, Tiga Ultraman, at the tavern, the Paladin probably would not even have known that this Ancient Castle belonged to Amber Xiu.
There were not many people in Alchemy City who clearly understood Amber Xiu's background. A mere Paladin was not important enough for those people to provide him with information. As for these minor lords, they were even less worth mentioning. Their status was inferior even to that of a Paladin.
The Paladin said in a devout tone, "Honesty is our creed. Even when facing the undead, I will uphold it strictly."
Amber Xiu pondered this and swiftly adjusted the plan he had prepared.
Amber Xiu said to the group before him, "Time is money, so let's skip the nonsense. You came for my prisoners?"
Prisoners?
The Porcupine Knight vaguely sensed that something was wrong, but could only repeat, "Return my people to me and provide compensation in accordance with the law. Then we can avoid war."
These minor lords had gathered together for more than just the hundred or so Freemen who had fled. More importantly, they wanted to extort some money from Amber Xiu to get through their current crisis.
In their view, those great nobles whose families had been passed down for centuries were all incredibly wealthy. A several-hundred-year-old undead like you did not even need to support a large family, so you spent little and earned much. Surely you were rolling in wealth. Perhaps a few gold coins leaking through the fingers of this lich would be enough to fill their bellies.
Therefore, money was the key.
What the Porcupine Knight had never expected was that Amber Xiu thought the same way.
Amber Xiu floated in midair and said in a completely emotionless tone, "Human, do you think making up lies will let you avoid paying compensation? What do you mean, I bewitched your people? It was clearly the humans under your command who trespassed into my territory and caused damage. According to Alchemy City's rules, you are the ones who must compensate me for my losses!"
Everyone fell into an eerie silence. They had imagined many possible situations. For example, Amber Xiu might arrogantly declare that all humans were trash and then attack outright. Or perhaps he would have some reservations and choose to negotiate. They had thought of many ways to respond to these possibilities.
But they had never expected Amber Xiu to brazenly lie through his teeth—or even turn the accusation back on them!
After quite some time, the Porcupine Knight finally said furiously, "Arguing semantics is pointless. If you hadn't bewitched them, how could they possibly have run into the territory of undead creatures?!"
Amber Xiu chuckled and retorted, "Then you should ask yourself. You're their lord, aren't you? Your people entered my territory and even damaged my Magic Trap. Who knows whether it was you who ordered them to do it?"
Amber Xiu even took out a Memory Crystal on the spot and projected the images within. They clearly showed Raul forcing his way into the Ancient Castle and triggering the Magic Trap.
The Porcupine Knight became extremely agitated. "This is slander! I never gave such an order. Who knows whether your device has been faked?"
Amber Xiu said indifferently, "It can be verified. Paladin over there, you can tell whether this Memory Crystal has been faked, can't you?"
The Paladin gave a cold laugh and said to Amber Xiu, "Master Ultraman, I will not fall for your tricks again. The images in a Memory Crystal are difficult to fake, but if this human was under your bewitchment, having him act out this scene at your command and then recording it would not be difficult. There is no point in checking whether this Memory Crystal is genuine."
Amber Xiu smiled. "You've gotten clever. Looks like I'll have to charge you tuition."
The Paladin's face was enclosed within his helmet, so his expression could not be seen. However, his tightly clenched fists still revealed his inner turmoil. Being made a fool of by Amber Xiu in front of everyone before, then ruthlessly fleeced, was the greatest humiliation of his life.
Amber Xiu did not give the Paladin a chance to retort. He continued speaking to the Porcupine Knight, "It's obvious now. I can produce evidence that your humans trespassed into my territory, while all you have are baseless accusations against me.
"I don't care what reasons you humans have. Once you trespass into my territory, it is a provocation. And you human lords will have to pay the price for their actions!
"According to the customs of your human nobility, if you want to ransom your prisoners, then pay up. As for Freemen with useful skills, I recall the price is at least thirty gold coins each. But they damaged my Magic Trap, which cost three hundred gold coins, and stole my Skeleton Puppet, causing damage that requires two thousand gold coins in repair fees.
"Want to take them away? Bring me the money! Otherwise, their souls, their corpses, and everything they possess will become experimental materials to make up for my losses."
(The End)
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