This Lich is a Better Landlord Chapter 77

Ambrose was released from the state of [Time Stop], his head held in the hands of this beauty carved from white jade, just as shown in the prophecy.

Ambrose looked at the noble-looking beauty before him, then at the imposing [Death Knights] on either side, and he had already guessed the other party's identity.

"You are... Lady Rose?"

Ambrose's tone was a bit awkward. He never expected to meet this major client under such circumstances.

It turned out that "removing the head" in the prophecy wasn't literally someone tearing his head off, but that only his head had grown back.

[Withered Rose] smiled and placed Ambrose's head on a nearby table. Then, she extended a finger and tapped one of the [Death Knights] standing by.

[Withered Rose]'s fingertip seemed to be a black hole, directly sucking the [Death Knight] into it. Flesh, armor, everything was crushed, turning into pure dark magic.

Immediately after, [Withered Rose] tapped her finger on Ambrose's head.

This dark magic turned into thousands of threads, weaving and combining continuously starting from Ambrose's neck. Ambrose only felt his bones itching. With the help of this power, new bones grew rapidly, restoring him to the appearance of a skeleton frame. Although he couldn't fully recover to his peak state, he could already exert thirty or forty percent of his original strength.

Ambrose moved his body, sighing with emotion. "Lady Rose, compared to you, my control over dark magic is like that of a child."

[Withered Rose]'s move amazed Ambrose. This wasn't just a difference in strength, but mastery over dark magic. As expected of the Undead Queen of [The Underdark]. In terms of necromancy, Ambrose couldn't catch up even if he rode a [Bone Dragon].

[Withered Rose] smiled and said, "It's just different specializations. I couldn't see the secrets of [The City of Alchemy], yet you discovered the truth with just a few fragments of a map."

[Withered Rose] wasn't just being polite. in her view, although Ambrose was a "watered-down" legend in terms of combat, he was truly learned. Probably because he knew so much, he was able to create special creatures like the [Quicksilver Effigy].

"However, that you actually gave me your [Phylactery] for safekeeping... that was beyond my expectations."

Ambrose felt incredibly awkward inside. He couldn't exactly say it was random now.

Damn fate, it really left no room for maneuver. But having his head picked up by [Withered Rose] was better than having it cradled in the palms of a Paladin.

Ambrose could only bite the bullet and say, "You and I are partners; of course, I chose to trust you. Besides, even though you thought this [Phylactery] was fake, didn't you still go to the trouble of protecting it? A [Time Stop] magic scroll... your generosity makes my soul tremble."

That last sentence was Ambrose's heartfelt thought. This Lady Rose really didn't lack money.

[Withered Rose] didn't explain, nor did she stand on ceremony. She truly valued Ambrose. Cooperating with him was pleasant—one had money, the other had technology. A match made in heaven.

For so many years, [Withered Rose] had only met Ambrose, a single undead capable of improving the [Effigy].

Regardless of whether the core technology was taken from others, magical research is inherently built upon the achievements of predecessors. That Ambrose could combine the technology of [The City of Alchemy] with the [Effigy]—this creativity was his achievement.

If her teacher, Master Morgan, knew, he would probably be happy too.

Precisely because of this, [Withered Rose] hesitated for quite a while about whether she should take this opportunity to enslave Ambrose. His [Phylactery] was right in front of her eyes.

But enslaving an undead required tampering with the opponent's soul. Like brain surgery on humans, it was impossible to guarantee complete safety.

If Ambrose wanted to resist, his soul would likely be severely damaged, causing him to become a true puppet, completely losing his own will.

What [Withered Rose] valued was his wisdom, not his strength. Turning him into an idiot would be a loss outweighing the gain.

Eighty percent chance of turning him into an idiot, ten percent chance of completely destroying his soul, and only the final ten percent chance was perfect control.

If Ambrose were a reckless undead like Gareth, [Withered Rose] might have given it a try. But Ambrose was someone who worked with his brain; doing this carried risks far higher than the rewards.

Indeed, it was better to try to bind the other party with emotions.

After all, she hadn't done anything, and he had already sent his [Phylactery] over. [Withered Rose] felt she might have already mastered the method to move an undead's heart, she just hadn't figured it out herself yet. She should consult that Bone Dragon lady again next time; maybe it would work out.

Ambrose had no idea what [Withered Rose] was thinking. After all, as long as undead didn't deliberately make expressions, they could remain expressionless forever. Reading human micro-expressions was meaningless against undead. The beauty before him, who looked much like a human, just kept a polite smile. Don't expect to see any clues.

The two exchanged pleasantries with their own hidden agendas for a while before [Withered Rose] asked about the plan regarding [The City of Alchemy].

[Withered Rose] asked warmly, "Appearing here in such a sorry state, it seems the plan encountered an accident. Do you need my help?"

Hearing this, Ambrose was actually a bit tempted, but he shook his head. "Lady Rose, I cannot pay sufficient remuneration for your help. The opportunity of the [Wish] spell... I cannot yield it to you."

Before this, he hadn't thought about asking [Withered Rose] for help, only passively accepting her intelligence.

The main reason was that this [Wish] spell could only benefit one person.

Don't even think about making a long list and then wishing, "My wish is to realize everything written on this paper."

Don't try to play those tricks. One wish is one wish; otherwise, the laws of the world will teach you a very serious lesson.

[Withered Rose], however, said, "The [Wish] spell has no meaning to me. You should already understand my obsession. I want to destroy Ryan. The [Wish] spell cannot accomplish that."

Ambrose thought for a moment and nodded. "That's right. [The Lord of Dawn] wouldn't let a [Wish] spell destroy Ryan."

[The Lord of Dawn] was an extremely powerful deity. The essence of the [Wish] spell was to change reality through the power of world laws, but for a deity, countering this was merely a lifting of a hand.

[The Lord of Dawn] only needed to intervene slightly, and the effect of the [Wish] spell would completely vanish.

This was the benefit of faith. When you believe in a generous and powerful deity, you truly receive protection. Of course, the premise is that you must conduct yourself according to the deity's dogma; otherwise, the backlash is also terrifying.

"Even if you don't need the [Wish] spell, I can't produce an equivalent reward." Ambrose hesitated for a moment, then said, "Or, perhaps a discount on future payments?"

[Withered Rose] laughed heartily, then said to Ambrose, "Consider it an advance investment. Perhaps you can become a god through this [Wish] spell."

Ambrose shook his head. "I won't make such a greedy wish. Besides, couldn't you wish to become a god yourself? Your chances of success are greater than mine."

"But then I couldn't destroy Ryan with my own hands. Gods have rules for gods. Otherwise, regarding those countries invaded by the [Ryan Empire], why couldn't their gods intervene? I am currently still on the [Material Plane], facing the [Ryan Empire]. Once I become a god, I will face the direct intervention of [The Lord of Dawn], and my odds of winning will be even smaller."

Truly sober and clear-headed. This Undead Queen had really done a lot of research and preparation for her revenge, considering every aspect.

"So, you're really willing to help?" Ambrose asked with a hint of anticipation.

"Of course. You've entrusted your [Phylactery] to my keeping; I must repay this trust. Besides, I see you must have had a perfect plan. The reason for the accident is merely because your strength is too weak."

Ambrose: ...

Although [Withered Rose]'s words hurt his self-esteem a bit, Ambrose knew it was the truth. If he hadn't forced the use of the [School of Divination]'s power, he would have been pinned down and beaten by that [Automaton]-riding alchemist. Without the power of a demigod, knowing a lot didn't mean much.

Ambrose said very solemnly to [Withered Rose], "In that case, I leave it to you. Lady Rose, please help me one more time. If you have need of me in the future, I will definitely give my all."

"For free?" [Withered Rose] asked.

Ambrose was silent for a long time before squeezing a sentence out through his teeth: "Consultation fees waived completely. For other things... I can give a discount. A real discount."

[Withered Rose] laughed so hard she shook, her long hair cascading down, possessing a unique kind of beauty.

But this couldn't shake Ambrose's will. No matter how beautiful she was, she wasn't as good-looking as gold coins.

After laughing wantonly for a while, [Withered Rose] resumed her dignified appearance and said to Ambrose, "Then let's begin. What do you need me to help you with now?"

"First, I need to know where I am. This should be your palace. Have you returned to [The Underdark]?" Ambrose asked.

"No, we are still inside [The City of Alchemy], just temporarily hidden."

[Withered Rose]'s words startled Ambrose. Hadn't [The City of Alchemy] invited this queen to leave? How did she deceive everyone?

[Withered Rose] seemed to guess Ambrose's confusion and explained, "Those alchemists responsible for escorting me away were refined into undead by me, becoming my puppets. Therefore, the reports [The City of Alchemy] received were all fake, and then I went into hiding."

After listening, Ambrose could only praise her brilliance.

The time gap between the order to escort her out and reporting upward should have been very short. To turn those [Justicars] into undead puppets in such a short time without attracting anyone's attention? How powerful must her necromancy be?

One could only say, as expected of a legend. A "watered-down" version like him couldn't compare.

Thinking about it this way, Ambrose yearned for the [Wish] spell even more.

Ambrose continued, "Since we are still in the city, that's even more convenient. The [Wish] spell ritual still lacks two keys. One is a legendary sacrifice. They originally wanted to sacrifice me. Although I ran away, they definitely have a backup plan. But for the second key, they shouldn't have a substitute. So we need to find this second key first and grab it."

"Oh? What is the second key?" [Withered Rose] asked with great interest.

"A Druid girl named Naomi Watts. She should be imprisoned somewhere in [The City of Alchemy] right now. We need to find her. If I'm not mistaken, she should be held in [The City of Alchemy]'s most famous [Hall of Wisdom]."

[Withered Rose] repeated in confusion, "A Druid? Is key to the [Wish] spell?"

"I also think it's ridiculous, but my deduction shouldn't be wrong."

It wasn't entirely deduced either. In the prophecy he obtained at the start, that Druid girl appeared very abruptly. At the time, Ambrose couldn't figure out what this girl had to do with the destruction of [The City of Alchemy].

It wasn't until he saw the map drawn by [Withered Rose] and the true and false documents in the tower that he pieced everything together.

"What exactly is so special about this Druid?" [Withered Rose] asked.

Ambrose didn't hide it and spoke his biggest conjecture: "She is very likely a blood relative of the [The Alchemists' Council] Chairman, and also the most important, irreplaceable sacrifice."