This Lich is a Better Landlord Chapter 24

In the southern district, a structure resembling a monument was emitting waves of a foul odor. Residents of the City of Alchemy gave it a wide berth when passing by; the smell could cause dizziness and nausea if inhaled for too long.

This was one of the entrances to the City of Alchemy's vast sewer system. While everyone knew sewers were places where filth collected, a stench like this had never been present before.

After all, this was the City of Alchemy, a place that would turn even a sewer entrance into a work of art. How could they tolerate such a pervasive stench? A few years ago, a smell like this would have been dealt with in half a day following citizen complaints.

Now, people could only pinch their noses and walk around it.

When Ambrose and Naomi arrived, they saw the rogue and the ranger disappearing into the sewer from a distance.

Naomi couldn't help but say, "To harm others, they're even willing to put themselves in such danger."

The fact that the two would actually brave that stench to enter the sewers just to ambush someone else deeply shocked the naive druid girl.

Ambrose, however, was unfazed. This druid girl must have been well-protected her whole life. Coupled with the druids' typically good-aligned doctrine, she had probably only ever known purity and kindness within her tribe. Now, with her kinsmen in peril, she was forced to confront the cruel world on her own.

The feeling of having one's worldview forcibly shattered must be incredibly unpleasant.

Ambrose simply said flatly, "Welcome to the real world."

Across his centuries of existence, though he had only managed to become a second-rate Legendary, Ambrose had witnessed countless instances of human depravity. A minor incident like this wasn't even worth remembering.

Naomi was silent for a moment, but she didn't seem discouraged. Instead, her expression grew more determined.

"Master Ultraman, shall we go in now?" Naomi asked.

"Not so fast," Ambrose replied. "You're a druid, you should be able to summon beasts, right? Can you summon a raven?"

Naomi nodded. Summoning animal companions was a druid's signature skill, and raven summoning was a fundamental basic. Through a magical ritual, one could call forth a projection of a raven from the distant wilds, indistinguishable from a real one and an excellent scout.

"Summon a raven," Ambrose said, pointing to the sewer opening at their feet. "Send it in there. Have it circle around to check beneath the sculpture."

Naomi immediately understood Ambrose's intent. He was worried the two might have set a trap at the entrance.

*This undead is so cautious,* she couldn't help but think. *I really did find the right person.*

But druidic doctrine and the undead were fundamentally opposed. Naomi worried that even if she rescued her kinsmen, she wouldn't escape punishment.

But now was not the time for such thoughts. Ambrose was the only lifeline she had. Even if she had to face divine punishment, it would have to wait until her people were safe.

Following Ambrose's instructions, Naomi summoned a raven and sent it through the sewer grate. The moment the raven entered, Naomi's expression changed. A summoned wild companion shared most of its senses with its master.

As such, Naomi felt as if she had entered the sewer herself. The nauseating stench was even more pronounced, nearly causing her to lose control of the raven.

Gritting her teeth against the discomfort, Naomi guided the raven in a circle. She didn't find the two who had entered earlier, nor did she see any signs of a trap. Unable to bear the stench any longer, Naomi quickly recalled the raven and reported her findings to Ambrose.

After listening, Ambrose said disdainfully, "Looks like a couple of amateurs. If I were setting an ambush, I'd have at least five magical traps at the entrance."

"So we go in now?" Naomi asked.

"Not so fast. What if they're just skilled and you didn't spot the traps they left?" Ambrose said.

"Then are you going to check again? You should have gone yourself in the first place! The undead don't have a sense of smell!"

Naomi was quite annoyed. If Ambrose didn't trust her, why make her scout? She had just been assaulted by that stench for nothing.

"It's always good to be cautious. Don't worry, no more trouble. We'll just take a detour."

Ambrose cast a spell, and its magic settled over both him and Naomi. Naomi thought it was another invisibility spell, but this time their bodies dissolved into two clouds of mist.

It was the Gaseous Form spell, which could turn a solid body into gas, allowing one to retain consciousness and move by floating. In this state, one was immune to physical attacks and some magical ones, but unable to perform any actions other than moving.

Naomi couldn't help but marvel, "Mages really do have a lot of tricks up their sleeves."

Mages were different from other spellcasters. They cast spells using their intellect. In theory, they could cast any spell they could comprehend, which was why mages mastered far more spells than other casters.

As for whether they were a jack of all trades and master of none, that depended on the individual.

Ambrose led Naomi, and the two of them, in their gaseous forms, slipped through the narrow sewer grate and into the subterranean world of the City of Alchemy.

However, Ambrose, who had planned to travel in his gaseous form, immediately dispelled the effect upon entering the sewer.

"What in the world happened to this place?" Ambrose said in surprise.

Decay, ruin, evil... these negative auras were so thick they felt tangible. Even he, a lich, felt a profound sense of discomfort.

The moment he had entered the sewer in gaseous form, Ambrose felt his body being contaminated. If he remained in that state for too long, he didn't know what vile things he might become infected with, so he quickly returned to his human form.

Naomi's resistance was even lower than Ambrose's. In just a few moments, her face had turned green. The large surface area of her gaseous form in contact with the foul air had led to rapid infection.

After returning to her physical form, her face was pale, and she lacked the strength to even stand steady.

Just as Ambrose was about to purge the negative effects from her, he saw a light flash in Naomi's hand, and a small oak statue suddenly appeared.

A pure green light rippled out from the statue like an ocean wave, a vibrant life force spreading out to create a safe zone within the filthy sewer space.

Naomi's strength returned rapidly, the contamination in her body instantly purged.

Ambrose stood outside the green barrier, as if the layer of green light was more terrifying to him than the sewer's stench.

Staring at the statue for a moment, Ambrose said in astonishment, "An idol of Silvanus? Your tribe has been blessed by a god?!"

Silvanus, the God of Nature, was the deity worshipped by most druids. But faith was a one-way street; just because you believed in a god didn't mean the god had to acknowledge you. Ambrose could sense a powerful divine energy residing within the small statue. This was an object blessed by a deity, a treasure that would be the centerpiece of any druid tribe.

Things were starting to get complicated.

A treasure like this would never be taken outside the tribe unless the tribe had been wiped out.

Naomi, all alone, carrying a divine artifact to rescue her people... Either her tribe was already gone, or she had stolen it.