This Lich Requests More Remuneration-Chapter 117 - 110 Release the Captives Children First

Chapter 117: Chapter 110: Release the Captives, Children First

Chapter 117 -110: Release the Captives, Children First

Fate always has such a sense of humor.

Not long ago, Amberser was thinking about how many Elves would die on the battlefield in order for them to understand the “Wrath of the Lich.” Now he had to consider how to quell the war, a situation that others would find amusing, yet it was causing Amberser’s very soul to react.

Oh fate, you have always been like this.

When you have everything in your life planned out, an unknown storm would suddenly hit, tossing you around until you’re disoriented, and just when you finally grasp at a straw to save yourself, you discover there’s a hook hidden inside… As he recalled his past memories, Amberser felt a chill down to his bones, as if even his bone marrow had been cooled.

However, Amberser was also very clear that his decision was not wrong.

After mastering the power of prophecy, his premonitions had always been quite accurate, and even though he actively sealed this ability, he could now vaguely judge the future. This was a passive effect that was impossible to completely remove.

Now his prophetic abilities fully recoiled, becoming Amberser’s Legendary Grace. With just a bit of focused attention and thought, those hunches would become very intense, making it impossible to ignore them.

So, Amberser’s desire to negotiate with the Elves wasn’t rash, but he had already sensed that this choice was likely to achieve his aims.

“I need to find a Deity to pray to later, to help me seal this prophetic ability again,”

Amberser mumbled about the improbable possibilities, then entered his private space.

The Elves trapped in the cell were still in a state of Time Freeze, that girl named Naya and Cicero were still maintaining the posture they had during their argument.

When Amberser lifted the Time Freeze, they didn’t immediately notice his presence.

“I really shouldn’t have agreed to let underage Elves join the Dusk Guard, even if they are so-called geniuses!” Cicero said angrily.

Although Naya knew she had messed up, she said with great grievance, “I swear to the Elf God, I really didn’t say anything, it must have been some Spell that the Lich used to read my memory! It has to be!”

Standing outside the cell, Amberser said cheerfully, “The blessing of the Elf God, I don’t have the ability to undo that yet. But exaggerating the enemy’s capability is indeed a way to reduce your own guilt. I understand that. However, by speaking like this, are you not showing some disrespect to the Deity?”

Upon hearing Amberser’s words, all the Elves were startled.

Just now, no one stood at that spot; how did the Lich appear using some Spell without any sign?

Amberser’s words also made the young Elf girl’s face turn pale. Was she really disrespecting the Deity?

Seeing Naya’s expression, Cicero immediately dropped his anger and comfortingly said, “Don’t listen to the nonsense of that Lich. He’s trying to disturb your mind. The Deity won’t blame us for such an unintentional fault.”

But after comforting her, Cicero himself felt very nervous.

The Lich before him was the most troublesome enemy he had encountered; not only because of his power but also because his tongue could talk the dead back to life and the living to their graves.

He could easily break through one’s inner defenses with a casual remark, could tell a person’s inner thoughts from the slightest of expressions, and the Elf Tribe’s blessing of immunity to mental control was like nothing to him.

There stood Amberser, not saying a word, just grinning with his human visage as he stared at Cicero.

After a few seconds, Cicero could hardly bear it and yelled, “Lich, what the hell do you want?! If you have the guts, kill us!”

“Heh, the same old rhetoric. What good does sending you off to the Elven Divine Nation do me?”

Amberser walked into the cell and slowly made his way through the Elves, arriving in front of Cicero and said with a smile, “Don’t worry, I’m not here to torture you, nor to extract information. I already know what I want to know. I’m just here to inform you that in a few days you will be sent off to the desert. Please prepare yourselves, and at least consider suicide after the transaction is over. I promise I won’t desecrate your bodies if you don’t die in my hands, how does that sound?”

Before Cicero could respond, Naya exclaimed, “What do you mean? What transaction are you talking about?!”

Cicero shouted, “Naya, shut up!”

“But…” the young Elf girl, anxious and blushing, chose to close her mouth under Cicero’s angry gaze, only to glare hatefully at Amberser.

Amberser continued to smile and speak, “Stay calm, I said I’m not here to torment you, no need to be so nervous. You should know, it’s not just the Elf Tribe that has its eye on this land. The Desert Dwarves have been beaten back by the Laine Empire and are barely hanging on, this land being their strategic retreat space.

“As for rights of residence like mine, whether it’s Elves or Dwarves, none are likely to care. Survival of the fittest; I’m not about to complain, just informing you that the Desert Dwarves have paid to interrogate you for intelligence. And I’ve agreed. I’m just here to notify you, so you don’t get too emotional when the transaction happens.

“I’ve heard that Elves can die from a broken heart, right? Elves are troublesome; other captives could be dealt with a sleeping potion, but you all have to be reminded by me specially. So please, maintain a good attitude.”

Those words from Amberser made even Cicero lose his composure, agitatedly saying, “You sold us to those wind-eroded rocks?!”

Amberser hurriedly reminded, “Wow, such racially insensitive language; make sure not to use that later, or the Dwarves certainly won’t mind teaching you a lesson.”

Perhaps due to their living environment, Desert Dwarves were even shorter than dwarves from other regions; after all, the shorter they were, the easier it was to stay grounded during a storm without being blown away. The skin of the Desert Dwarves was also rougher, marked by the windblown sand, indeed bearing resemblance to wind-eroded rocks.

However, the Desert Dwarves didn’t appreciate this moniker, which was almost akin to pointing at their faces and calling them ugly.

But Cicero disdainfully said, “Such an artistic name, if they don’t like it, I can simply call them ‘ugly dwarflings.'”

Amberser showed no intention of defending the right of the dwarves to choose their own nickname, merely staring at Cicero until he felt thoroughly uncomfortable.

“All right, change the subject. Verbal insults, extreme emotional venting, none of these tactics mean anything to me, so there’s no need to hide your inner unease. You fear that once handed over to the desert, the dwarves will use you to gain an advantage in the war. Feelings of guilt and impotent rage need an outlet, and thus, people often act foolishly in desperation…”

Amberser commented on Cicero’s behavior at a measured pace, and the feeling of an exposed wound was too much for Cicero to bear, “What exactly do you want to do? Lich, stop wasting everyone’s time. You definitely didn’t come here just to tell us we’ve been sold off!”

“Ha ha, at least you’re still somewhat rational. That’s good enough. Only someone capable of thought at this juncture deserves the right to negotiate,” Amberser said earnestly to Cicero after dropping his mocking demeanor: “What I want is simple, to have the Elf Tribe pay to buy you back. What do you think? That way, the intelligence of the Elf Tribe won’t get leaked, right?”

Cicero spoke passionately, “Elves will not succumb to threats!” Yet for some reason, upon hearing Amberser’s suggestion, his heart wrenched with keen interest.

Not just him, but the other elves felt the same way.

Indeed, if they could be redeemed, the Elf Tribe’s intelligence would remain safe, and they too could return home alive.

As for the intelligence that Amberser had previously deduced… sorry, they would rather not think about that detail for the time being.

Elves may be innately graceful and full of wisdom, but in terms of willpower, they were quite lacking compared to the fanatics of the Laine Empire; at least they had the sense to fear death.

Hearing Cicero’s words and offering no rebuttal, Amberser bypassed him to address the other elves directly: “Whether or not this transaction succeeds, it’s still a chance for negotiation. I’ve really got no grievances with your Elf Tribe. Think about it, I’m the original inhabitant here; I’m the one who’s been invaded and harmed. Both the Desert Dwarf invasion and the Elf Tribe invasion are the same to me, it’s just that dwarves aren’t as arrogant as you elves.

“Now, if you are willing to put aside your pride and talk to me, I could consider placing you and the dwarves back on an equal footing, which is to your strategic advantage as well. This isn’t just for your own sake but also for the other members of the Dusk Guard.

“You don’t actually believe that the other Dusk Guards who encounter me will end up any different, do you?”

Playing the victim and addressing the concerns of the elves, while using other elves as a pivot, Amberser’s array of persuasive words left the elves silent, and Cicero made no further retort.

The words made sense and yet, they didn’t.

But sometimes, right or wrong isn’t needed, just a way out.

Bringing out the overall interests of the Elf Tribe to give these elves a leg to stand on, with that they would set aside their pride and willingly step down the offered path.

Naya, the youngest, was also the first to be swayed by Amberser’s words.

Naya whispered to Cicero, “Cicero, maybe he’s right, we have to think about the Elf Tribe’s overall strategy. Once we’re sent to the desert, that might spell disaster.”

The other silent elves also began to speak one after another. If given the choice, of course it would be better to be ransomed, being captured might be a disgrace, but as long as one was alive, there would always be a chance to redress the shame.

Seeing the sentiment of his peers, Cicero understood that even if he refused, it would be meaningless. The lich before him was too adept at manipulating hearts. The spirits of the Dusk Guards had been broken, and if he was unwilling, someone else would agree to be the messenger. The Elf Tribe would certainly consider Amberser’s proposition.

The likely outcome was that both dwarves and elves would end up at the negotiation table, bidding against each other, filling the lich’s coffers to the brim.

From the moment they were captured, everything had been within the lich’s calculations.

Resigned, Cicero said, “Fine, if you release me, I will bring your message back.”

He agreed verbally, but Cicero decided that once he returned, he must report in detail the fearsome nature of the lich, alerting the Elf Tribe to be wary of him, to avoid being completely led by the nose in the upcoming negotiations. Recalling the previous encounters with Amberser, Cicero felt that many details could be thoroughly scrutinized; if he documented them all and presented them to the Elf Tribe, perhaps they could glean a great deal from it.

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Amberser smiled and said, “What are you talking about? I didn’t say I’d release you.”

Amid the elves’ astonished faces, Amberser turned to Naya and said, “Girl, you heard everything I just said, now go repeat it to your people.”

Upon hearing this, Cicero hurriedly tried to object, “Wait! Naya… she…”

However, Amberser furrowed his brow, mocking, “Minors first, ladies first, isn’t that how it should be? No way, no way. Surely the leader of the Elf Tribe’s Dusk Guards isn’t planning to abandon ship and leave the child behind as a captive?”

At these words, all the elves couldn’t help but glance at Cicero.

Cicero clenched his teeth and balled his fists, beginning to regret his consent.

Naya, the child, would end up being sold by the lich and counting the money for him!