This Lich is a Better Landlord Chapter 73

The most important thing for a Lich was their phylactery, so every Lich would think of every possible way to hide it.

Some would choose to bury it deep underground, some would choose to build a secret room with perfect magical defenses, and some would be paranoid enough to carry the phylactery with them.

Ambrose chose "all of the above."

He built a secret room in the castle specifically for placing phylacteries, dug a deep pit under the secret room to hide another phylactery, carried one with him all year round, and hid a few more every time he went to a new place.

Give one to Gareth, give one to Withered Rose, give one to a student, give one to a servant... The main strategy was "better to have too many than not enough."

As for which one was real, *hehe*, that's a secret for now. Anyway, no phylactery was completely useless.

After finishing these tasks, Ambrose went to the cells and pulled all the Paladins out. He bound them tightly with chains one by one, sealed them with magic, packaged them into coffins, and transported them outside the castle.

The airship from the City of Alchemy was already waiting there. His old friend, Gustavo Flynn, had been waiting outside for a long time.

Ambrose transformed into a human appearance and gave Gustavo Flynn a brilliant smile. "Old friend, it seems you guys are in quite a hurry."

"The people from the Ryan Empire have already arrived. If you didn't send the people over, I would have to treat them to dinner. Resolving this quickly saves me time so I can go back to my experiments."

Gustavo Flynn's expression remained as serious as ever. His dark skin and terrifying gaze made him look even scarier than Ambrose, the Lich.

"Oh, arrived so soon? Which big shot is it?" Ambrose asked.

"Hehe, also an old friend of yours. The Supreme Adjudicator of the Ryan Empire, James Watson."

The smile on Ambrose's face vanished instantly. If there were any lingering emotions left in his heart after reincarnating as a Lich, hatred for James Watson was one of them, and it took up a significant portion.

"It's a real pity I can't let that old man carry his son's coffin for a state funeral," Ambrose said through gritted teeth.

Only then did Gustavo Flynn reveal a smile. He was happy if Ambrose was angry.

This damn Lich. Not only did he refuse the President's invitation back then, but now he also caused Gustavo to be mocked. Gustavo Flynn didn't feel that his alchemy skills were inferior to Ambrose's; it was just that their research directions were different, and his research wasn't of much help to this plan.

To be ridiculed for lacking wisdom just because his specialization didn't match the task made Gustavo Flynn want to dismantle Ambrose's phylactery right now.

But there was no rush. He would get his wish soon enough.

Thinking of this, Gustavo Flynn couldn't wait to say to Ambrose, "Get on the airship. I hope you are prepared. The use of the Wish Engine is somewhat complex; we still need several hours to practice."

"That troublesome? I thought you just made a wish to the machine and that was it," Ambrose said.

"How could it be that simple? This is a great machine we created after spending countless efforts. To allow everyone to make a wish, naturally, a more complex process is required. You must memorize the precautions carefully later. If any problems occur, don't blame me for not reminding you."

Ambrose looked at Gustavo Flynn's face and couldn't spot any flaws.

*This old guy acts like it's real.*

If Ambrose didn't have friends helping him gather intelligence and hadn't broken their false prophecy, he might have really walked right into the trap.

And now, Ambrose and Gustavo Flynn, two veteran actors with a combined age of over a thousand years, were competing in acting skills. It was a pity there were no film critics nearby to shout "Bravo!"

Ambrose took the captives onto the airship. As soon as he entered the cabin, he realized he was trapped in a space shielded from teleportation magic.

Seeing Ambrose's expression change, Gustavo Flynn explained, "This is the latest model, preventing others from using teleportation magic for boarding actions."

*Hehe, I believe you, my ass. Who plays boarding actions during aerial combat? You just blast airships with magitech cannons.*

Perhaps he was really anxious; Gustavo Flynn didn't care whether Ambrose believed him or not. He drove the airship at a Monk's Dash speed, rushing like lightning all the way, returning to the City of Alchemy in the shortest possible time.

Shortly after the airship left, a squad of fully armed Paladins appeared outside Ambrose's castle.

This time, it was still the Knights of Judgment, but their numbers had multiplied several times over.

Moreover, the one leading the team was none other than the Supreme Adjudicator, James Watson.

When the City of Alchemy spoke with Ambrose, they said returning the Paladins counted as paying back the favor. But when speaking with the Ryan Empire, this favor also included Ambrose's castle.

The City of Alchemy was responsible for getting Ambrose out of the castle. While this Legendary Lich was away from his mage tower, the Ryan Empire would personally strike to utterly destroy this evil place.

This was also part of the deal.

James Watson stood before Ambrose's castle and issued a command with a cold face: "Destroy the evil before you. Purify all the filthy undead."

The Paladins responded in unison, raising the longswords in their hands, their holy light connecting into a single sheet.

When these Paladins rode their Celestial Warhorses charging toward the castle, the castle's Automated Defense System triggered automatically. Once again, necrotic energy rained down like a storm.

But necromancy spells that were fatal to ordinary people became like a gentle breeze under the various defensive buffs of the Paladins, having no effect whatsoever.

This was the terrifying aspect of the Ryan Empire. Their divine spell effects were particularly suited for large-scale legion warfare; the more people there were, the stronger the combat power they exerted.

The skeleton puppets on the periphery of the castle posed no threat either; they were purified by the holy light before they could even get close.

They smashed through obstacles effortlessly. The castle gate was rammed open, traps at the entrance were detected in advance, and a [Stone Shape] spell filled them in completely... Without anyone controlling them, these defense facilities could only operate mechanically, their effectiveness reduced by more than half.

The Paladins swept through like splitting bamboo, completing the mission in less than ten minutes.

A Paladin came to report, saying respectfully to James Watson, "Supreme Adjudicator, we have completely conquered the castle. It's just... there were some casualties."

By the last sentence, the Paladin felt somewhat embarrassed.

James Watson frowned and questioned, "Casualties? It's just a magic castle without a Lich controlling it, mere skeletons. Are you telling me the Knights of Judgment actually suffered casualties?"

It was as if he had heard something inconceivable.

For a Paladin legion skilled in group combat and possessing various healing divine spells, having people die in such a battle was simply a disgrace.

"My Lord, we encountered several types of strange skeletons. They had bizarre shapes, used magitech weapons, and their ammunition was very peculiar..."

The Paladin described the process in detail, causing James Watson to frown deeply.

The initial advance was very smooth; ordinary undead and magic traps couldn't affect the Paladins much. The real danger came from those suddenly appearing aberrant skeletons. Skeleton Snipers with only half a body mounting magitech rifles while hanging upside down from the ceiling; Skeleton Tanks blocking holes in the walls, exposing only a bit of their cannon barrels.

These monsters attacked unexpectedly every time. What was more terrifying was that once their bullets caused a wound, they would cause the human bones to grow abnormally. Several Paladins merely had their skin grazed, only to be torn apart alive by the proliferating bones amidst wails of agony.

And this terrifying symptom didn't respond to any healing divine spells, as if this wasn't a magical curse, but a terrifying power they had never seen before.

Fortunately, the number of these types of skeletons was small. Once their positions were confirmed, a [Divine Smite] could eliminate them. The massive Skeleton Tanks just took a few more smites, and because their huge size made them clumsy and unable to dodge, they were essentially live targets.

James Watson hadn't expected Ambrose to have such vicious means. Was there actually necromancy magic in this world that couldn't be purified by holy light?

The Paladin continued to report, "My Lord, there are many human slaves outside the castle. They should be compatriots enslaved by the Lich."

James Watson waved his hand and said, "As per custom, give them enough food and set them free. We won't take them with us this time."

"But, My Lord, inside the castle, there is a Light Cleric. He said he is your son's squire."

James Watson frowned. *Why is there still a Light Cleric? Were the hostages not all handed over to the City of Alchemy?*

"What is his condition? Is he seriously injured?" James Watson asked.

The Paladin hesitated for a moment, then answered, "He looks unharmed. And he doesn't seem to lack food or water. He looks... very healthy."

James Watson said angrily, "How could he be unharmed?"

That article clearly wrote that Alan was subjected to inhuman torture every day, making James Watson weep old tears. How could this Light Cleric be unharmed?

James Watson roared in rage, "He must have betrayed his faith! Interrogate him severely! Also, dig out that Lich's phylactery as soon as possible!"