My Paladin Friend

Chapter 39: My Paladin Friend

In the dim candlelight, the young Mage was writing furiously.

"Poor Allen has once again suffered brutal torture, but even as he lay dying, he persisted in praying to the Lord of Dawn. I can't help but be moved by his steadfast faith, yet I can't help but wonder, what has faith truly brought him.

"As fellow captives of the Lich, only he is enduring torture, while I, a mere Apprentice Mage, can even write letters to my family..."

William Harvey filled several sheets of parchment with his writing and then handed the article, titled "My Paladin Friend Allen - A Brief Discussion on the Influence of Faith on Young People," to Amber Xiu.

Amber Xiu read through the content carefully, nodded with satisfaction, and said to Harvey, "Not bad, your writing is quite good. Are you considering a career change to novel writing?"

The young Mage offered an awkward yet polite smile, then cautiously asked, "Master Ultraman, can a story like this really be published in 'Legendary Spells'?"

Amber Xiu had asked Harvey to create a story from his own perspective, detailing how the devout Paladin Allen, due to his unwavering faith, had provoked a powerful Lich. After being captured, he suffered even crueler treatment because of his faith.

The story, a sprawling twenty to thirty thousand characters long, subtly pointed out that Allen's faith wasn't genuine but rather a result of his upbringing, a brainwashing that turned him into a fanatical follower of the Lord of Dawn. It argued that his overly strict, almost perverse, training by his devout father had turned the promising young man into a religious fanatic.

In essence, the article's central theme was that James Watson, the editor-in-chief of 'Legendary Spells,' had brainwashed his son through coercion, violating the Continent's universal value of freedom of belief, and distorting the teachings of the Lord of Dawn, turning people into religious fanatics.

Harvey felt that if this article were submitted, his name would be permanently blacklisted by 'Legendary Spells,' and the Paladin Legion would march directly to the castle gates, not to apprehend Master Ultraman, but to send him, William Harvey, to the stake.

Amber Xiu happily comforted Harvey, saying, "It definitely won't make it into the main issue of 'Legendary Spells,' but the supplement should be fine. Congratulations, young Mage, you're now a contributor to 'Legendary Spells.'"

The main issue of 'Legendary Spells' featured high-end magical research, while the supplement was more entertainment-focused. Articles like "My Years Drifting North of the Silver Moon High Court," "My Eighty-Year-Old Loli Elf Wife," and "The Dominating Prince of the Lyne Empire" were popular "documentary literature" pieces, and the supplement even outsold the main issue.

Amber Xiu couldn't directly send a threatening letter to the Lyne Empire saying, "Your Paladin and Light Cleric are in my hands. Send me millions of Gold Coins for their ransom, or I'll kill them."

If he did that, the Lyne Empire would undoubtedly publicly declare Amber Xiu a wanted criminal and immediately dispatch troops to eliminate him, and even Alchemy City would have no grounds to intervene.

Therefore, Amber Xiu needed a more subtle way to inform James Watson: "Your son is in my hands!"

Having Harvey write such an article was a roundabout way of notifying him through 'Legendary Spells.' If James Watson didn't want to lose his son, he would likely pay the ransom out of his own pocket, avoiding a complete breakdown in relations.

In the article, Harvey repeatedly mentioned the ransom price and the condition of releasing the captives upon receiving the money, from an observer's perspective. He believed the editor wouldn't be foolish and would understand Amber Xiu's intentions.

Although Harvey was well aware that he would face dire consequences after the article was published, as a captive, he had no real choice but to hope Amber Xiu would keep his promise and not make things difficult for him.

From their interactions over the past few days, the Lich seemed much more merciful than he had imagined. Even the Paladin and the Light Cleric hadn't been mistreated; at most, they were confined and prevented from wandering around. The cruel tortures described in the article were, in fact, fabricated.

Harvey had even asked Amber Xiu why he fabricated the story instead of using actual torture.

Amber Xiu's answer at the time surprised him.

"Why use torture? I'm so busy with experiments every day that I barely have time to sleep, let alone torture them. Besides, what's the use of torturing them? I can't kill them for their souls, and injuring them would cost money to treat. Am I crazy to waste money and time on them?"

The answer sounded logical, but Harvey felt something was amiss. A Lich, a creature of undeath, refraining from torturing a Paladin solely for cost reasons?

No one would believe that, would they?

However, Harvey didn't press further. His life as an Apprentice Mage in the Ancient Castle was quite comfortable. He had his own room and could even read books occasionally.

If it weren't for the constant surveillance by those Mutated Skeletons, Harvey felt it wouldn't be much different from being at home. Speaking out of turn and angering this merciful old Lich would truly be a case of losing more than he gained.

Amber Xiu carefully put away Harvey's article, mailed it to 'Legendary Spells' as quickly as possible, and then retreated back into his Laboratory.

Amber Xiu wasn't bragging; he was genuinely busy.

The combat logs for the Living Mercury still needed some editing. Simultaneously, he needed to finalize the Living Mercury experiment. More importantly, he had to organize the detailed data and information to send to the Undead millionairess, Withering Rose, to see if she could settle the final payment.

In Amber Xiu's opinion, the Living Mercury already met Withering Rose's requirements.

Its Magic Resistance was sufficient to withstand most Magic Traps. The Living Mercury wasn't Undead, so it wouldn't be detected by the Lyne Empire's Undead monitoring systems. Coupled with its ability to shapeshift at will, it could infiltrate through sewer outlets or directly scale the city walls.

If the quantity was sufficient, the Living Mercury might actually be able to breach the Lyne Empire's walls.

Of course, this was assuming the Lyne Empire's Legendary figures didn't intervene. A few large-area magic attacks would be too much for the Living Mercury to withstand. They only had Magic Resistance, not complete immunity to magic.

After working diligently for most of the day, Amber Xiu finally finished packaging the data and sent it to Withering Rose via the Necronomicon.

The wealthy lady seemed to be online constantly, as she replied almost immediately.

[Withering Rose: So fast? I thought you'd need another month or two for the initial design.]

Designing high-level Undead wasn't easy, especially Undead Troops specifically tailored for the Lyne Empire. It was as wishful as asking for beef noodle soup with no noodles, only beef.

[Tiga Ultraman: Standing on the shoulders of giants, it's naturally easier to achieve results. I found inspiration from Master Morgan's Grave Golem design and created this new type of Grave Golem, which should meet your needs.]

[Withering Rose: Master Morgan? What a coincidence, I'm his student.]

Amber Xiu hadn't expected such a coincidence. No wonder Withering Rose wanted to deal with the Lyne Empire. Master Morgan was pursued by the Lyne Empire's Paladins and eventually perished. She was seeking revenge for her teacher. That spirit was admirable.

[Tiga Ultraman: For Master Morgan's sake, I can offer you a discount.]

[Withering Rose: Oh, how much of a discount?]

[Tiga Ultraman: 0.5% off.]

The wealthy lady was silent for a long time before replying.

[Withering Rose: Forget the discount. If my teacher finds out he's only worth that much, he might just come back to life to smash your phylactery.]

[Tiga Ultraman: Very well. Respect is held in the heart; it shouldn't be measured in Gold Coins.]

[Withering Rose: ...]

The wealthy lady didn't reply further, seemingly engrossed in studying the data Amber Xiu had sent.

As Amber Xiu eagerly awaited feedback from his client, he suddenly noticed new messages on the Necronomicon.

However, the sender this time was someone he hadn't expected.

[Crown of the Headless Knight: Brother Tiga, can I stay at your place for a few days?]

(End of Chapter)