This Lich is a Better Landlord Chapter 55

Southern Cross Avenue in the City of Alchemy, once the liveliest spot, had now become somewhat deserted.

The deterioration of the economic environment was increasingly visible. More and more shops were closing, and fewer bosses could offer work to adventurers.

The number of customers at The Slag and Ember bar had also become visibly scarce recently. In the past, the owner would definitely have been jumping with rage. Orcs had naturally explosive tempers and were rarely calm.

But the bar had been quiet for the past few days, mainly because the owner had changed.

The former female Orc, Ona Hellfire, had packed her bags and would leave the city once she sold off everything she couldn't take with her.

And The Slag and Ember had changed hands twice in one day. Now, it seemed to have been designated as official property of the City of Alchemy.

Private property becoming public property—such things were truly rare. Usually, public property was secretly turned into private property.

However, the complex machinations behind this weren't important. The Orc bartender stood behind the counter wiping his glasses just as always.

Only the Dwarf singer with the terrible voice had left, and there weren't many customers in the bar, making it seem overly cold and cheerless.

The Orc bartender sighed, feeling a bit regretful; that Dwarf singer was actually quite a nice guy.

Carrying a sense of vicissitude from witnessing the rise and fall of things, the Orc bartender poured himself a glass of ale and savored it bit by bit.

*Ding-dong.*

The bar door was pushed open, and a tall, heavily armored knight walked in.

No introduction was needed; just looking at the Rose and Dragon patterns on the armor identified him as a Paladin from the Ryan Empire.

The Orc bartender put down his glass and subconsciously placed an empty bottle in the most accessible spot.

But when he saw the visitor clearly, he realized this Paladin wasn't the one from before. Although their auras were similar, the Paladin before him was significantly inferior in looks compared to the previous one.

Starlight seemed not to notice the Orc bartender's small movements and sat naturally at the bar.

"A glass of rum."

Starlight was here to gather intelligence. The ten Knights of Judgment had already dispersed throughout the City of Alchemy, collecting all possible clues.

The Slag and Ember bar was the top priority within the intelligence reports. It was here that Alan Watson had formed a grudge against that Lich, eventually leading to his capture by the Lich during the war.

The Orc bartender poured a glass of rum and slid it over, asking, "Paladins drink too? The one who came before only drank plain water."

Starlight downed the rum in one gulp and then said, "Alan Watson is an ascetic; I admire him, but I can't do that. However, this liquor of yours... no need to pour me a second glass."

The Orc bartender said indifferently, "Adventurers mostly can't afford fine wine; cheap and plentiful is their most common requirement. However, Mr. Paladin, you aren't here to drink, are you? If you're here to ask for information, I wonder if you know the rules here?"

Starlight fished out a gold coin, flicked it with his thumb, and it landed precisely in the Orc bartender's shirt pocket.

"The Ryan Empire never mistreats friends who help."

The Orc bartender maintained a polite smile, but in his heart, he didn't believe a word.

From top to bottom, the Ryan Empire was human, and only human. Since when did they consider other races friends?

And upon hearing Starlight's lie, the Orc bartender became even more wary.

A Paladin capable of lying—when taking their oath, they most likely chose the Oath of Vengeance.

To destroy all evil in the world, Paladins practicing the Oath of Vengeance could use deception and sneak attacks to a limited extent against enemies. They could even choose to cooperate temporarily with evil people to destroy a greater evil.

Aside from absolute intolerance towards evil, the moral standards for Paladins of the Oath of Vengeance were much more flexible.

Therefore, outsiders sometimes disparagingly called this type of Paladin a "Black Knight."

"Respected guest, I wonder what information you wish to inquire about? If it's regarding the details of that gambling match, I can describe it for you."

Starlight shook his head. "No need. I am already fully aware of that scam."

The City of Alchemy had long investigated the details of Alan Watson being scammed out of thousands of gold coins. Starlight had already obtained the detailed documents; he was here to ask for other intelligence.

"How much do you know about that undead?" Starlight asked.

The Orc bartender recalled for a moment, then said, "He wasn't a regular customer of ours. In my memory, he only came two or three times. Aside from knowing his name, I don't know much about him."

"I heard that after scamming my companion out of several thousand gold coins, he posted a commission here?"

"Correct, a commission regarding the sewers. Please wait a moment."

The Orc bartender took out the contract Ambrose had left at the tavern back then and told Starlight the details of what happened in the bar before and after the commission.

Starlight listened carefully, occasionally speaking up to ask questions.

"What's in the sewers? Why has it become so dangerous?"

"I don't know. I'm just a bartender; I know nothing about alchemy."

"What did that Lich want Slimes for?"

"I don't know. I'm just a bartender; I know nothing about magic."

"What about that group of trapped Druids? If you repeat your previous words, I will duel you!"

"That won't be necessary. I know those Druids. They haven't left; I heard they remained within the City of Alchemy, though I'm not clear on exactly where they are staying."

...

After chatting for half the day, it couldn't be said there were absolutely no gains. Starlight felt he had a slight understanding of Ambrose.

This Lich seemed very short of money.

This was somewhat strange, but combining it with the recent situation in the City of Alchemy, it seemed reasonable.

Undead didn't need to eat or drink, but the cost of any random magic experiment was enough to feed a commoner for a lifetime. Liches didn't need to sleep either, so they spent far more time on magic experiments than humans, naturally leading to higher expenses.

However, this wasn't exactly valuable intelligence. He couldn't exactly tie a gold coin to a string and lure the Lich out.

Starlight took out another gold coin and said to the Orc bartender, "Recommend a few rogues or rangers. Capable ones."

The Orc bartender pocketed the gold coin and continued asking, "What are the requirements? Assassination? Infiltration? Theft?"

"No assassination needed. I need people proficient in disabling magical traps. The mission is to infiltrate a mage tower, scout for traps, map the area, and find secret rooms and passages inside."

Hearing this, the Orc bartender frowned and said, "That might be hard to find. Most adventurers have left the City of Alchemy recently; finding suitable ones won't be that easy."

"Don't worry, your reward won't be lacking," Starlight said with the grandeur of wealth.

Hearing this, the Orc bartender immediately smiled and said to Starlight, "What a coincidence, I happen to know suitable candidates. They are right here."

Then, the Orc bartender shouted loudly, "Blackie, Husky, work's here!"