Chapter 6: Extra Charge Required
The renovation of undead troops was naturally of great interest to the Undead Lords.
Members of the Elegy Poetry Society were at least Legendary, and someone like Headless Bro, a legendary in-law of the Bone Dragon Family, was surely a great choice for advertisement.
But after waiting for a moment, the first to respond was not the wealthy Headless Bro, but Withered Rose.
[Withered Rose: Quite a creative design, I now believe your rejection was indeed due to foul play.]
So the previous remarks were just pleasantries, this lady sure "knew" how to talk.
[Withered Rose: But there's no point in customizing low-end skeletons, as the teleportation costs far exceed the production costs.]
Good, a discerning customer was what a seller needed, and Amberser replied promptly.
[Diga Ultraman: Skeletons, of course, are about volume. Lady Rose, if you have thoughts of a bulk purchase, we could arrange a delivery location.]
[Withered Rose: Can you do higher-order undead? I happen to need a few enhanced Death Knights.]
[Diga Ultraman: Lady Rose, you're one of us, so I'll be honest. After "Legendary Spells" rejected me, I hardly had any materials left for experiments. I've never tested on high-order undead; the risk of failure is very high. The price will certainly be quite steep, starting at the least at three hundred thousand Gold Coins, and the cost-performance ratio isn't high.]
Members of the Elegy Poetry Society were all formidable powers in the world of the undead, and Amberser was looking to do long-standing business rather than a quick deal, so he didn't conceal the risks involved.
[Withered Rose: Price is not an issue, I have no use for a multitude of low-tier skeletons; I only need high-order undead like Death Knights. Or, an undead troop that can breach the gates of the capital of the Laine Empire head-on.]
Upon reading this message, Amberser's fingers paused for a moment.
The Laine Empire, the most powerful human empire in the Nine Great Kingdoms, with a population numbering in the hundreds of millions, and over a hundred cities.
Seventeen hundred years ago, Paladin Arthur Laine overthrew the brutal rule of the Magic Dragon Tyrant to establish the Laine Empire, achieving the feat of expelling all giant dragons from the continent.
The capital of the Laine Empire was built atop the bones of the Magic Dragon Tyrant, a formidable empire founded on martial prowess.
Over the millennia, the Laine Imperial Capital had been reinforced with countless layers of magical defenses, and the remains of the Magic Dragon Tyrant had been turned into the fiercely powerful Magic Dragon Armament by the Laine people.
With years of ceaseless enchantment and strengthening, even a commoner could gain a power akin to that of a Legendary Giant Dragon with any piece of the Magic Dragon Armament.
Legend had it that only the bloodline of Arthur Laine could unlock the full power of the Magic Dragon Armament, a strategic weapon powerful enough to alter the landscape of the continent.
Even without resorting to this dreadful Divine Artifact, the mere presence of the Court Mage Group and the Lionheart Paladin Brigade within the capital was enough to annihilate any enemy.
All these factors combined made the idea of breaching the Imperial Capital of the Laine Empire tantamount to suicide. It would take at least thirty Legendary Mages working together to cast spells surpassing their tier, to potentially lay waste to this city.
What on earth was Withered Rose up to? Her goal was frighteningly ambitious.
After pondering for a moment, Amberser replied, "If it's the Laine Empire, that'll be extra."
It didn't matter how strong the Laine Empire was, Amberser was desperate for money now. As long as Withered Rose could really pay up, he would work tirelessly for her.
After all, it was only about breaching the gates, not destroying the entire city. Amberser believed that every magic defense had its weakness, and by targeting it, it was possible to temporarily breach the gates within a short time.
How many seconds it could withstand automatic magical repairs would depend on Lady Rose's other preparations, which he trusted were in place. After all, he didn't think that, having been undead for so long, she wanted to end her existence in a blaze of glory without a plan.
Amberser just needed to do his part well and leave the rest alone.
As for whether the Laine Empire would have an opinion about him, who cares—Alchemy City was tens of thousands of miles away from the Laine Empire.
Moreover, who bothers the arms dealer when a war is fought?
When it comes down to it, if the Laine Empire comes looking for him, Amberser could just give them a discount and research countermeasures for their troops.
Withered Rose was also very straightforward, immediately replying, "Money is not an issue, I'll give you thirty thousand as a deposit, plus intelligence on the Laine Imperial Capital, go ahead and draft a design first."
Sure enough, Withered Rose was well-prepared, and it was unknown where she got her intelligence on the Laine Imperial Capital—truly a person with sky-reaching influence.
[Diga Ultraman: It is an honor to serve Lady Rose, I will definitely get the initial design draft done for you within three months at most.]
Three months, in fact, wasn't a lot of time.
High-order undead troops required more materials and far more complicated structural designs—it wasn't as simple as shrinking a skeleton and altering its form.
Because high-order undead all involved a critical issue—magic.
Take Amberser, this shoddy Legendary Lich, for example, the magic he mastered was enough to fill dozens of books. High-order undead would undoubtedly possess powerful spell-casting abilities, and Amberser needed to choose carefully, redesigning the structural form as well as the related soul modification plans.
Magic experiments were extremely complex and precise, requiring plenty of time for validation.
But, after all, dealing with a major client, Amberser was ready to work some overtime to get the first draft out.
"Lucky for me I'm a lich now, without all those worldly desires like eating, sleeping, or going to the bathroom."
Amberser was glad for his choices, pulling out a pile of parchment and starting to calculate intently.
Isabel quickly prepared the Tranquility Potion, but she dared not stop working, fearing Amberser might issue other commands. While pretending to stay busy, Isabel observed her surroundings, looking for a way to escape.
The door of the laboratory was right there, maybe she could seize a moment when Amberser wasn't paying attention and make a break for it?
No, that wouldn't do—the castle was surely riddled with magical traps, maybe just opening the door would trigger one and turn her into a stone.
There were still plenty of magical materials on the shelves; perhaps she could quietly concoct a few potions to deal with the lich?
That still wouldn't work; Isabel, merely an Alchemy Apprentice, definitely didn't have the skills to brew such advanced magic potions, not even her teacher would be capable of that.
In the midst of her anxious whirlwind of thoughts, suddenly Amberser spoke up, "If you're feeling unstable, drink one yourself. These magical materials are expensive; you can't afford to waste them."
His words startled Isabel; she almost thought she had been detected by a mind-reading spell.
Isabel dared not pretend to be busy any longer and, following Amberser's command, drank a bottle of the Tranquility Potion. The potion had a faint bitter taste and wasn't hard to swallow.
After finishing it, Isabel felt her intense heartbeat calm down and her hands stop shaking. Once she had calmed down, Isabel suddenly looked at the empty bottle in her hand.
Out of the twelve bottles of Tranquility Potion, she had drunk one, leaving eleven bottles—who were they for? Could it be true that her brother was really capturing live people for the lich to use as experimental material?
No, that couldn't be right; if it was for experimental material, there would be no need to prepare Tranquility Potions at all; they could just be killed directly.
Unless, the lich truly didn't intend to kill anyone.
Isabel looked at Amberser with curiosity, could it be that she had encountered the fabled kind-hearted Lich?