"This is the price for staying here. If they can accept it, then they should obediently wait for me to send someone to register them."
After Ed stated his price, he carefully observed the subtle expressions on Willow's face.
Although the lich had been isolated from the world for a long time, she carefully considered the history after the Demonic Tide that the nomadic tribe chief had told her, and felt that this was not a price to pay, but rather something that the nomads had always wanted.
However, her role as a shaman was ultimately temporary; as the two sides were about to part, she could not make decisions on behalf of the tribespeople.
Willow thought for a moment and said:
"Although I think the price you offered is already quite merciful, I am only a temporary shaman. The issue of permanent ownership is beyond my ability to resolve. You can discuss this with the clan chief."
Ed frowned slightly. The lich in front of him didn't seem to be lying. Although nomadic tribes still had primitive shamanistic worship, it was a youthful version of the separation of church and state.
Ed sent out a random task to inform the clan chief, and suddenly noticed a problem in Willow's words:
What is a temporary shaman?
Willow explained:
"I just happened to stumble upon this nomadic tribe and the battlefield of a small Blood Corpse Tide during my travels, and then used my Psionic Energy to help them win that battle. Their shaman, who could cast a few unorthodox Psionic Energy Formula, happened to die in that battle, so they made me the new shaman."
"Didn't you refuse them?"
"Forehead..."
Willow looked at the young lord in front of her with a somewhat resentful gaze, who had been constantly lowering her standards since the very beginning:
"Obviously, I'm not very good at saying no."
"Really."
"But I had to continue my travels, so I only agreed to be their temporary shaman until I escorted them to safety before we parted ways."
"No wonder you were in such a hurry to talk to me, you were waiting to step down..."
Willow nodded:
"Yes, traveling across this continent is very dangerous. Even I can't guarantee safety. There's no need to take an entire tribe on this adventure with me."
"So, where is your final destination?"
"Have no idea."
The lich shook his head sincerely.
A bewildered Ed thought for a moment and changed his word:
What is the purpose of your travels?
Willow hesitated briefly, then finally said in concise language:
"To save this world from chaos and to ensure the survival of intelligent life amidst the Demonic Tide."
Hearing the words, which were generous yet tinged with uncertainty, Ed couldn't help but take a deep breath.
This goal... I feel like I've heard of it somewhere before?
Oh right, isn't this the Chinese translation of the game's opening sequence that I provided for the players?
Isn't saving someone from chaos simply about establishing a new order?
Ed's eyes lit up as he looked at the lich in front of him, and his attitude changed noticeably:
"Ahem, Lady Lich, do you see any possibility that this is the end of your journey?"
The lich looked at the Low Tier before him, wanting to say something.
But considering the nature of the other party's Psionic Energy black hole and the dragon below, he felt that his previous judgment was biased.
Before she could even come up with her lines, Ed had seamlessly switched from scam mode to sales mode:
"This is the Second Holy See of the Tree Worship Church. Its purpose is to restore the glory of the Tree God to the world and to protect everyone from the corruption of the Demonic Tide."
"Over the past period, I have recruited many talented individuals. In addition to my own expertise in plant-based abilities, there is also a dragon and her retinue, a metal knight from the Eternal Domain, and a cyborg merchant from the Graycast Corridor who have joined us. If you become a member of the Second Holy See, we will also gain a significant boost in the field of Psionic Energy."
A look of hesitation immediately appeared on the lich's face. Ed realized that the other party had softened and asked directly:
What makes it difficult for you to make a decision?
The Lich weakly explained:
"I've only been traveling for less than a month, and there are still so many places I haven't been to..."
"That doesn't prove anything."
Ed shrugs:
"Does that mean the most suitable person will always appear last? That's a flawed way of thinking."
"But how do I know this is the best place?"
Ed looked into the lich's eyes and said seriously:
"Believe me, this is truly the best place for you. Otherwise, why don't you go to the Eternal Domain or the Graycast Corridor?"
The lich sighed:
"They hate all demons."
Ed nodded:
"That settles it. This is the only place on this continent where all races are equal."
"Yeah?"
The lich pulled a notebook from his waist and opened the cover, while Ed took his map from the bookshelf.
On Willow's map, the upper half of the continent was very clear, while on Ed's map, the lower half was relatively clear. By piecing together their maps, they managed to create a somewhat hastily constructed world map.
Ed pointed to the map and asked:
"Then tell me, where else do you plan to go?"
Willow pointed to the Holy City the Tree Worship Church, Ed shook his head:
" The Tree Worship Church has become corrupt and decadent over the past century, and human experimentation is rampant within the sect. The Second Holy See was created precisely to eliminate them. If you don't believe me, I can show you a few test subjects I rescued right now and tell you about it. If you go there, I think there's a high probability you'll be dissected."
Willow shuddered slightly at Ed's earnest tone, and her finger slowly moved down:
"Here?"
" The Bone Alliance? Don't you think that's a name a normal person would come up with?"
"Here?"
" The Starlight Empire? I haven't heard any negative news about it, but it's separated by the entire Tree Worship Church. You can't exactly row a boat across, can you?"
Willow's finger continued downwards, only to discover that beyond a stretch of ice was the ocean.
From this perspective, it seems there are indeed very few normal forces in this world. However, on the other hand, normal forces generally don't want liches.
Am I really destined to stay here?
Although the place is eerie and the lord doesn't seem particularly powerful, at least no one has shown any obvious hostility towards the liches along the way. Moreover, as long as this place accepts enough races, the liches shouldn't be a problem.
Seeing Willow struggling with her dilemma, Ed felt a little nervous himself.
He had recruited so many people, but Seraphina was an investor, Duolin was a reformed individual, and Gray and Xilǐ'er were temporary workers. Ultimately, was there even one person with a clean resume, the ability, and no previous employer willing to join him?
Now a bright-eyed yet foolish lich graduate has come before him, Ed must seize this fresh talent.