Seeing this message, Amber Xiu was very surprised. Hadn't Headless Bro's wife said he wouldn't be able to come out for several years? How could he still send Amber Xiu a private message?
Amber Xiu hurriedly replied: [Headless Bro? Weren't you grounded by your wife?!]
[The Crown of the Headless Knight: What grounding? Don't spread rumors. It was just a minor disagreement.]
[Tiga Ultraman: You can fool your brothers, but don't fool yourself too.]
[The Crown of the Headless Knight: Stop talking nonsense. Anyway, I'm planning to go out and clear my head. Just tell me whether it's convenient for me to stay with you for a few days.]
Sigh. He looked so pitiful that Amber Xiu couldn't bring himself to mention rent. For once, he generously agreed. After all, all he had to provide was a room, and undead didn't need to eat or drink.
[Tiga Ultraman: Fine. Stay as long as you like.]
[The Crown of the Headless Knight: Good brother, I'll be right over.]
Amber Xiu was just starting to feel that something was wrong when a burst of light suddenly appeared in the center of his laboratory.
It was the Teleportation Array Amber Xiu had previously used to send Living Mercury to Headless Bro. That lunatic is actually planning to teleport here directly through the array?
Amber Xiu hurriedly channeled his magic and removed the restrictions on the Teleportation Array.
The original Teleportation Array could transfer a glass bottle, but transferring a legendary powerhouse was a completely different matter. The array could explode if anything went wrong.
After frantically undoing the restrictions on the Teleportation Array, a towering figure stepped out from the vast, dark radiance.
It was a giant several meters tall, clad in black heavy armor. He had to bend over to avoid accidentally breaking through the ceiling.
"Quick, Brother Ultraman, shut down the Teleportation Array... No, just destroy it!" the headless giant boomed like a bronze bell before smashing his fist into the Teleportation Array. The force was like an earthquake, nearly collapsing Amber Xiu's laboratory. The intricate Teleportation Array was shattered by that single punch, rendering it useless.
Amber Xiu said heartbrokenly, "Big Brother, calm down! This place can't take that kind of treatment."
The Headless Knight said unconcernedly, "Brother Ultraman, this place of yours is rather shabby. It doesn't befit the identity of a legendary lich."
Amber Xiu immediately tossed away that tiny bit of sympathy and said to Headless Bro, "Don't compare this place to Dragon Grave. If you don't like it, go back. Also, my Teleportation Array was very expensive!"
Amber Xiu secretly decided to charge Headless Bro two hundred gold coins a day to make up for the repair costs.
"Don't worry. I'll compensate you twice over."
After saying that, the Headless Knight's several-meter-tall body quickly began to shrink. Before long, he had returned to normal human height.
Not only that, but he also somehow produced a helmet and fastened it around his neck. Clearly, it had been specially made for him. It fit perfectly with his obviously expensive enchanted breastplate, and once fastened, lights automatically shone where the eyes should have been, making it seem as though he had eyes inside.
Once he put on the helmet, the Headless Knight became a Death Knight, without the slightest flaw.
Amber Xiu couldn't help saying, "Is that really necessary? You even have to disguise yourself when running away from home? Is your wife hunting you down?"
The Headless Knight took out a small pouch and pressed it into Amber Xiu's hand. Then he said, "I came in a hurry and didn't bring any gifts. It's just a little something. Take it, little brother."
Amber Xiu accepted it and looked inside. It wasn't filled with gold coins, but with high-grade Magic Materials. Most of them were specialties of Dragon Grave, rare treasures that money couldn't buy elsewhere.
Amber Xiu estimated their value at no less than two or three hundred thousand gold coins.
"Big Brother, what are you talking about? Brothers don't need to be so formal. Come on, I'll show you around this little place. If you need anything, just say the word."
Amber Xiu's attitude had completely changed. Just based on these three hundred thousand gold coins' worth of Magic Materials, he wanted to become sworn brothers with Headless Bro.
Fortunately, Headless Bro didn't have any fussy demands. After casually looking around the room, he said to Amber Xiu, "This place isn't far from Alchemy City, right? I heard every race can be found in Alchemy City, and undead aren't wanted there either?"
"That's right. As long as they don't provoke a conflict, any race can safely enter Alchemy City. Big Brother, do you want to go into the city for a look?"
Amber Xiu hesitated. For the sake of those tens of thousands of gold coins, he really ought to take Headless Bro into the city to clear his head and fulfill his duty as a host. But he was currently discussing business with Withering Rose. If the wealthy client on the other side sent him a message and he failed to see it, that would be troublesome. This was a major business deal that could support Amber Xiu for several years—far more than a few hundred thousand gold coins.
The Headless Knight also noticed Amber Xiu's hesitation, but he didn't make things difficult for him. He said cheerfully, "Don't worry about me. I'm just going to have a drink and look around. You can get on with your work."
What a wonderful big brother—generous and considerate. But how did the Headless Knight drink? Did he pull open the wound on his neck and pour the alcohol inside?
"Big Brother, going to Alchemy City won't be a problem. However, I suggest you change your appearance first. Alchemy City doesn't reject undead, but if you enter the city looking like this, it may immediately go on high alert."
Unlike a lightweight like Amber Xiu, Headless Bro radiated the aura of a powerhouse from every part of his body. Even a blind person could sense the intense magical power coming from his enchanted armor. It was probably a fine item of artifact rank.
Appearing fully armed in Alchemy City would easily make people misunderstand and think the undead had come to attack the city.
"Oh, that's true."
Headless Bro rubbed a ring on his hand, and his body rapidly changed. The powerful Death Knight became an ordinary human burly man.
A ring containing a fixed Transformation Spell—a remarkably extravagant piece of equipment.
It wasn't that the Transformation Spell itself was particularly powerful. On the contrary, it was a very ordinary spell. The materials needed for equipment capable of fixing a spell in place were simply very expensive. Using them to fix a Transformation Spell was, in Amber Xiu's eyes, as extravagant as making an ashtray out of gold.
Even if Headless Bro had lost all his secret savings, he still radiated an enviable air of wealth and nobility.
After transforming, Headless Bro looked utterly ordinary, like a down-and-out middle-aged adventurer. However, a careful observer would notice the iron-blooded aura that occasionally leaked from him.
He truly was an impressive figure, capable of fighting his way out through thousands of Paladins from the Lyne Empire.
"All right, I'll go have a drink by myself. You don't need to worry about me."
Headless Bro had probably been stifled for a long time. After saying this, he dashed out impatiently, moving so quickly that Amber Xiu couldn't react in time.
"How long had he been holding it in? He's in such a hurry just to have a drink. Sigh, even a dignified legendary powerhouse is afraid of his wife. Marriage really is the true grave."
Amber Xiu only sighed for a moment before he had no more time to concern himself with Headless Bro, because Withering Rose had sent another message.
[Withering Rose: I have to say, the design of this spirit construct is very creative. If my teacher were still here, he would definitely be delighted. Thank you.]
Amber Xiu could detect a trace of sorrow in the words.
[Tiga Ultraman: I'm glad you're satisfied.]
[Withering Rose: There are still a few things that could be adjusted, but overall I'm very satisfied. It almost completely meets my requirements. However, you can't produce Living Mercury Solution yourself, can you? If you want to manufacture these mercury spirit constructs in large quantities, you'll need to order a great deal of Living Mercury Solution from Alchemy City.]
[Tiga Ultraman: That's true, but don't worry about the cost. Alchemy City has counterfeit Living Mercury Solution, and it'll be much cheaper.]
[Withering Rose: No, you're underestimating the quantity I need. I require at least one hundred thousand mercury spirit constructs. Once you purchase that much Living Mercury Solution, Alchemy City will definitely notice. It would be easy for them to investigate and uncover our deal, and then the Lyne Empire might be put on guard.]
One hundred thousand?!
Amber Xiu was startled by the number. He had been planning to sell these mercury spirit constructs for fifty thousand gold coins each. If none of them were discounted, that would amount to fifty billion gold coins. If the alchemists in Alchemy City, who were desperate for money, found out, there was no telling what they might do. That fortune would be enough to make Alchemy City ignore its contract and tear down Amber Xiu's castle outright.
Moreover, with so many mercury spirit constructs, was Withering Rose really planning to go to war with the Lyne Empire? That would be a war she was guaranteed to lose.
[Tiga Ultraman: Then there's nothing I can do. I can't order that much Living Mercury. I'll have to try breeding it myself. Mercury spirit constructs are a complete race with the ability to reproduce on their own. It will just take a long time and require a great deal of metal.]
[Withering Rose: That's what I thought too. Time isn't a problem. I'll handle the metal feed.]
[Tiga Ultraman: Using a Teleportation Array to transport metal, a low-value cargo, would be very expensive. And ordering large quantities of ore would also make it easy for Alchemy City to notice.]
Magic was omnipotent to a certain extent, but its costs couldn't simply be ignored. Valuable goods could be sent through a Teleportation Array, but using one to transport large quantities of low-value cargo would be excessively extravagant.
[Withering Rose: That's unnecessary. I'll drive down the price of ore in a short period of time. By then, some mines should go bankrupt. I can then give you the money to buy them.]
Amber Xiu: ...
Sister, just how rich are you?
Was suppressing the price of ore across an entire region the realm of a rich lady?
(The End)
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