This Lich is a Better Landlord Chapter 47

Events had taken an unexpected turn, forcing Ambrose to drag the Headless Knight back to his castle.

His drinking mood ruined, the Headless Knight shifted his attention to the paladin, Alan Watson, declaring, "Let's see if the new generation of paladins has gotten any stronger."

Ambrose only had time to give one piece of advice: "Don't kill him." Then he got busy.

According to the usual practices of the City of Alchemy, after that unlucky Justicar reported back, it would take at least five hours for the members of the Alchemists' Council to get the news. Then, it would probably take another hour or two for them to decide who would negotiate with Ambrose.

That gave Ambrose seven hours. If he wanted to gain the greatest advantage in the upcoming negotiation, he needed to make preparations within that time.

Ambrose hauled out a large pile of magical materials. He even dragged the apprentice mage Harvey, who was locked in a cell, out to serve as a laborer.

Harvey, utterly bewildered, began assisting Ambrose in laying out a massive magic circle.

At first, he had no idea what Ambrose was doing, but as the circle slowly took shape, Harvey began to recognize several of its functions.

"Sacrifice... future prediction... mana conduit... manifestation..."

The more he understood, the more cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

This was a magical ritual unique to the School of Divination, something Harvey had only read about in books. The effect of the ritual was simple and direct: offer a sacrifice, and you could predict the future to a certain extent. The more valuable the sacrifice, the more specific the vision of the future would be.

Harvey's hands and feet felt stiff.

What could be more valuable than a life sacrifice? Obviously, he was the sacrifice about to be offered. The lich had finally run out of patience and wasn't going to let him continue to eat, drink, and read magic books for free in the castle.

So, should he resist?

Harvey hesitated.

He hadn't been idle during his days of confinement. He'd thought about escaping and had been devouring books to improve his spellcasting abilities as much as possible. And it had paid off; Harvey's gains had been substantial.

The School of Divination was a niche among niches, yet Ambrose's library contained a wealth of related materials that had captivated Harvey. He felt like he had been reborn compared to when he was first captured.

So, was it worth a shot?

Every magical ritual was incredibly precise. Any mistake could lead to failure and a violent backlash. Perhaps he could use this. If he was lucky, he might even be able to seriously wound the lich.

Harvey didn't expect to kill Ambrose—a lich wouldn't truly die until its phylactery was destroyed. He just wanted to destroy Ambrose's current body and use the time it took for him to regenerate to escape the castle.

"Calm down, I can do this. The key node of this magic circle is... here... If I just modify this slightly..."

Taking advantage of a moment when Ambrose wasn't looking, Harvey quietly altered the structure of the magic circle.

It was a very minor change, not enough to ruin the entire ritual, but it was just the beginning. Harvey started making all sorts of small adjustments, leaving a series of "flaws" in the magic circle.

If Ambrose didn't notice and actually used this circle for the sacrifice, he would surely suffer a severe magical backlash. Even if it didn't blow his body to bits, it would send his mana into a chaotic frenzy. That would be his chance to escape.

Everything was ready. Harvey steeled himself, waiting for...

"Hey, what are you doing standing on the sacrificial spot? Get over to the ritual master's position," Ambrose said.

Harvey froze. "Huh?!!"

"What's with the 'huh'?" Ambrose continued. "I want you to conduct the ritual. You've read so much about the School of Divination these past few days. Don't tell me you can't even tell what this circle does? That would be a huge disappointment."

In disbelief, Harvey asked, "You mean... you're not using me as the sacrifice?"

Ambrose's tone was mocking. "What are you thinking? For a sacrifice, the more valuable the offering, the better the result. You're not even worth ten thousand gold coins, and the materials for this circle alone cost nearly two hundred thousand. Using you as a sacrifice would be a waste, wouldn't it? Know your own value, kid!"

Harvey was speechless.

He wasn't going to die, but he still felt a little insulted. Not a lot, but it was annoying.

Wait, that wasn't the issue right now.

He had just tampered with the magic circle in so many places. If he was the one conducting the ritual, wouldn't he be the one to die?

Harvey suddenly felt like a clown in a circus.

Ambrose watched the dawdling Harvey until his legs were weak with fear, then let out a cold laugh. "Alright, stop the act. You think I didn't see your little tricks earlier? Don't worry, get up there. You won't die."

"Huh? You knew?" Harvey said, surprised.

"Duh. You've still got a long way to go. I was readjusting the circle on my end while you were fiddling with it."

Harvey was even more astonished. "Why would you do that?" he asked strangely. "It wasn't just to make me look like a fool, was it?"

From his time with Ambrose, Harvey didn't think he was the kind of undead who enjoyed such cruel jokes. Every action he took was so... economical. He never wasted anything. The cost of this ritual was so high; he would never let Harvey mess with it just for a laugh.

Harvey felt he had to ask, even if it might provoke the strange lich.

"Of course it was a test. You're a mage apprentice of the School of Divination, aren't you?"

Harvey admitted it frankly. "I never intended to hide it. Besides, Master Tiga, you also walk the path of the School of Divination, don't you? Your library has so many rare books on the subject, many of them unique copies that can't be found anywhere else."

Ambrose shook his head. "No. I've given it up."

"Why?" Harvey's face was filled with confusion.

Ambrose didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked, "Let me ask you, if a divination told you that you were going to die tomorrow, what would you do?"

"Well..." Harvey hesitated, then said, "I'd probably spend my last day trying to write down as much of the knowledge I've learned as possible."

Ambrose smiled. "See, that's the difference. I cannot calmly accept fate, so I simply gave it up."

Harvey seemed lost in thought. He then asked, "But, I'm just a prisoner. What do you really want from me?"

"To work for me, of course. Your lord has officially refused to pay your ransom, so you have to work to pay off your debt. For conducting this ritual, I'll pay you two gold coins, which will cover one day's worth of food."

Harvey was speechless again.

Two gold coins for that hard bread? That was more outrageous than robbery!

Ambrose paid no mind to whether the price was fair. "Alright, back to business. I allowed you to tamper with the circle to see how much you understood it. I'm very satisfied with the results.

"Harvey, you are no longer an apprentice. You are now a full-fledged mage of the School of Divination."

Hearing Ambrose's words, Harvey couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. Regardless of their positions, receiving recognition from the great Master Tiga was definitely something to be proud of.

"Alright, get to work," Ambrose commanded.

With that, Ambrose reluctantly poured a massive amount of gold coins onto the sacrificial platform—at least three hundred thousand of them, by the clattering sound. His ribs ached at the sight. The down payment from Withered Rose was now mostly gone.

Harvey was stunned.

So the gold coins were the sacrifice. It didn't seem to make much sense, but seeing the way Ambrose's soulfire trembled, maybe there was nothing wrong with it after all.

Harvey stopped letting his mind wander and began to conduct the ritual seriously. At the same time, he asked, "Master Tiga, what is it you wish to scry?"

Ambrose replied with great solemnity, "The secrets of the sewers beneath the City of Alchemy."