This Lich Requests More Remuneration-Chapter 202 - 188 The Middleman Makes a Profit Margin

Chapter 202: Chapter 188: The Middleman Makes a Profit Margin

Chapter 202 -188: The Middleman Makes a Profit Margin

A shipbuilder, on the verge of death, poured his own soul into the creation of a ghost ship, as great a deed as a mother feeding her baby with her flesh and blood during a disaster.

Although the answer was cruel, it was worthy of Aige’s years of search and waiting.

The only question was whether she could accept it.

If she couldn’t, the frenzy of an undead of demigod caliber would leave few survivors here today.

Aige stared at Amberser and asked in a deep voice, “According to what you say, to resurrect my father, I must die.”

Amberser shook his head and said, “No, even if you are willing to sacrifice yourself, you cannot resurrect your father. What has happened cannot be changed; he poured his soul into your growth—this is an established fact, with no possibility of reversal.”

“There’s no hope at all?” Aige continued to press, her voice already trembling.

Amberser also found it hard to bear; Aige had sacrificed too much and would likely find such a cruel truth difficult to accept.

“To say it’s absolutely impossible, that’s not so, if Aeo is willing to help you, the power of the God above Gods is sufficient to satisfy any wish. However, simply relying on a Wishing Spell is far from enough. Aeo never blesses mortals, whether you worship him or curse him, this supreme deity does not glance at the mortal world. Only those who are true deities can catch Aeo’s attention.

“Captain Aige, you are just one step away from consolidating your Divine Nature. What you lack is an opportunity. That opportunity may come very soon.”

Amberser’s words reignited the sparkle in Aige’s eyes, and she said excitedly, “You are right, I had actually forgotten about this method. Although the hope is slim, it doesn’t matter, I have an eternity to strive for it.”

Amberser breathed a sigh of relief, glad to have calmed her down.

“And this cooperation with the Fury Tide Kingdom?”

Aige said indifferently, “Whatever you want, I don’t care about that. I heard you’re particularly fond of playing both sides to make a profit, you made a hefty sum from the Elf Tribe and Dwarf Race, right? Whatever the Fury Tide Kingdom offers, you negotiate it. I don’t need those things.”

Amberser immediately laughed broadly and said, “Well, that’s really kind of you.”

But Aige retorted, “Don’t be so quick to agree. I don’t need money, but I need to become a deity. You know where the opportunity is, and when the time comes, you will help me!”

Instantly, Amberser’s smile faded, as the request was not a simple one.

To become a god, you are either favored and appointed by Aeo, or you wait for an opportunity. Deities are immortal; how could there be vacancies? Only during a battle between gods, when weaker deities are dispatched, do opportunities to claim Divine Nature emerge.

But the problem was, Amberser also wanted to become a deity.

If there was a chance, should he seize it, or not?

Amberser negotiated, “Captain Aige, you should know that Divine Nature is far more precious than even this Divine Artifact before us. I don’t want to feather my nest for nothing, but I do wish to have a discussion with you. Even if a deity does fall and leaves behind their Divine Nature, it depends on compatibility. Your path differs from mine, so if there is indeed such a lucky opportunity to ascend, whoever is suitable should become the deity. How does that sound?”

After thinking it over, Aige didn’t reject the proposal; indeed, divine positions aren’t available to just anyone, and if the powers don’t align, one might not even gain Weak Divine Power and simply be incompatible.

Aside from both being undead, Aige favored the ocean, with domains related to sailing and plundering, while Amberser, being a Lich, leaned more towards spellcasters, indeed a clear distinction. Considering this, there truly was no conflict between the two.

“Alright, I agree.”

Seeing Aige agree so straightforwardly, Amberser was also pleased.

He was not just any Lich, nor just a Mage; there were many Divine Natures that could suit him.

“I’ll be on my way then, I’ll leave the Fury Tide Kingdom to you.”

Having concluded the business, Aige no longer wanted to linger. The massive ghost ship submerged into the water, completely melding into a shallow lake that wasn’t even twenty meters deep, and swiftly vanished from sight.

Amberser used a Flight Spell to hover in mid-air, and quickly returned to the shore.

The King of the Fury Tide approached excitedly and said, “Is it settled?”

Amberser nodded and said, “Yes, the Silent Night Pirate Group promises that for an annual payment of ten million Gold Coins, they will guarantee no further raids on Fury Tide Kingdom ships. Whether fishing boats or merchant vessels, they can freely pass through their territory.”

The King frowned and said, “Ten million Gold Coins? This… this price is too expensive!”

The Fury Tide Kingdom was the poorest among the Nine Great Kingdoms. Laine could easily wager tens of millions, but for the Fury Tide Kingdom, ten million Gold Coins was a substantial amount of pain, let alone annually.

Amberser said, “Your Majesty, I know this price is extremely expensive, which is why I’ve negotiated with the captain. We can pay only half in Gold Coins and substitute the rest with goods.”

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But the King said, “Isn’t that the same thing? Five million Gold Coins worth of goods still amounts to five million Gold Coins!”

Yet Amberser smiled mysteriously, whispering, “Your Majesty, the Undead don’t come ashore; how would they know the actual prices of goods? We could inflate two million to appear as five million, and they would be none the wiser. However, to prevent those Undead from growing suspicious, we must settle the first year entirely in Gold Coins, then offset some of the cost with goods in the following years.”

Upon hearing this, the King suddenly showed a look of astonishment. He hadn’t thought of that tactic.

The King hesitated and then said, “Seven million Gold Coins? This price is not unacceptable.”

This price was just at the baseline that the Fury Tide Kingdom could afford. Amberser, drawing from Monger Greyriver’s memories, was aware of their military expenses and the costs incurred over the years combating the Silent Night Pirates. After careful calculation, those seven million Gold Coins were likely the limit the Fury Tide Kingdom was prepared to agree to.

Any larger number would have caused them to hesitate for a long time, and Amberser did not have the time to waste here.

The Divine Artifact was already in hand; making his escape back to the Emerald Dream Forest was the real priority.

Amberser’s calculations were very precise. After returning to the Royal Palace, the King consulted with his domestic advisors for a while and spent quite some time confirming that there was profit to be made before formally sealing the deal.

Although this was contrary to the teachings of the Lord of the Storm, calculating the account revealed that the Fury Tide Kingdom could save a good hundred million in losses each year. For the sake of the nation, they had to accept it.

Of course, part of the reason things went so smoothly was that Aige had demonstrated her formidable power.

Having witnessed Aige’s strength firsthand, the King of the Fury Tide understood just how slim their chances of winning the war were. With Airel firmly on Amberser’s side, the King naturally opted for compromise.

Amberser casually produced a contract, claiming it was prepared by the Silent Night Pirates, and had the King of the Fury Tide sign it, thus completing the transaction that relied wholly on bluff.

The shadow that had loomed over the Fury Tide Kingdom for a full millennium suddenly vanished, leaving the King somewhat melancholic, as if he had stepped into another era.

Amberser didn’t care what they thought, immediately volunteering, “Your Majesty, there’s no time to lose. I will take the Gold Coins and trade with the Undead in the deep sea at once.”

It was time to make his getaway. This trip had already taken close to eight days, and more troublesome matters lay ahead.

Whether Naomi had mastered the ability to become a Giant Dragon, and how to use the Artifact Hourglass to grant Naomi the power of time, were the questions that would take the longest to resolve.

Those would be the most time-consuming.

Amberser was eager to leave, but the King did not want to let him go.

“Do you, a hero, really need to personally deliver the Gold Coins? I could simply send someone to do it. Monger, you’re already very busy with your regular duties; don’t waste time on such trivial matters.”

Following this unexpected incident, the King of the Fury Tide was highly satisfied with Amberser’s capabilities. He was already contemplating marrying him off to Airel as soon as possible to produce excellent heirs for the kingdom. After all, Monger Greyriver was over forty, almost past the prime age for childbearing.

Amberser vaguely felt something was amiss. If he didn’t make a break for it, it seemed likely to bring trouble. He quickly said, “Your Majesty, this is the first collaboration with the Silent Night Pirates in a millennium. I would feel more at ease supervising it personally. Besides, this sea voyage isn’t just to meet with the Silent Night Pirates; I must also make another trip to the Emerald Dream Forest.”

The King asked in surprise, “The Emerald Dream Forest? What do you want to do there? We’ve always been at odds with those Druids.”

“Your Majesty, with your wisdom, you must have noticed that the landscape of the Nine Great Kingdoms is rapidly changing. Alchemy City has been destroyed, Laine has taken over half of the Dwarf’s desert, and the Dwarves had no choice but to retreat to the site of Alchemy City. The Elf Tribe has begun closing its borders, and the Emerald Dream Forest has been preparing for war for many years… Your Majesty, a great war is imminent, and we are likely unable to avoid it even in our overseas islands.

“Before this war begins, we need more allies. I heard that Queen Katherine of the Elves is visiting the Emerald Dream Forest. The Elves and Druids have always had a good relationship; they must certainly be discussing an alliance. This is an excellent opportunity for me to represent the Fury Tide Kingdom on a diplomatic mission to the Emerald Dream Forest, and we may just be able to ally with both these kingdoms at once.”

Amberser spoke as if he truly believed what he said, leading the King of the Fury Tide back into deep thought.

The King expressed his concerns, “But how could they agree to ally with us when we’ve always had a troubled relationship with those Druids?”

Amberser continued, “That was in the past. Now that Laine has swallowed half the desert, their next target will obviously be the Emerald Dream Forest. The Druids may have a bone to pick with us, but what is that compared to the national interest? The Fury Tide Kingdom does not aspire to take their land; it’s Laine they must consider the greatest threat.

“But my Fury Tide Kingdom is a strategic rearguard to the Emerald Dream Forest. If they go to war with Laine and we harass them from behind, the Druids will have a difficult time. Moreover, Your Majesty, we’ve just lost several million Gold Coins to the Undead; we must find a way to recoup that from the Druids, mustn’t we?”