This Lich is a Better Landlord Chapter 78

The sewers of [The City of Alchemy] had completely transformed.

The once intricate maze now looked as if it had been kneaded by invisible giant hands, becoming even more broken and chaotic. Walls constructed of magical energy sliced the sewers into different zones, and countless illusions guided the sewer monsters toward designated locations.

They were sacrifices, the kindling for the [Wish] ritual. The flesh and souls of the monsters, along with their memories and emotions, were all melted into the magic circle, turning into millions of black threads.

These threads passed through the magic circle, like the long hair of a ghost, seeking the only living thing within the array—a certain person located in the central area.

At the core of the ritual magic circle, an old man, naked, was suspended in mid-air, entangled by these threads.

The old man's body was hunched, his pale long hair scattered messily; he was as gaunt as a dried corpse.

Although his body was posed in a posture of suffering, his face bore an expression of fanaticism.

Black threads were constantly drilling into his body. The flesh and souls from the monsters, all converted into energy forms, were pouring into the old man.

But his shriveled body was like an abyss that could never be filled. No matter how much flesh and soul essence he devoured, there was no sensation of bloating or fullness.

This bizarre sacrifice had been going on for an unknown amount of time, and the old man maintained the operation of the magic circle with such madness.

Gustavo Flynn stood among a group of alchemists, looking at this old man with a complex expression.

This man was once the pride of [The City of Alchemy], the human closest to the gods. He was the Chairman of [The Alchemists' Council], [Gary Watts].

He had once broken the curse of [The God of Alchemy]. Under conditions where creativity was banned, he created new alchemy potion recipes, reviving [The City of Alchemy]. He formed [The Alchemists' Council], and the improved alchemy formulas he created were enough to compile a specialized dictionary.

He had reached the peak of the legendary rank many years ago, only one step away from true godhood.

But this single step was a celestial chasm.

Without the approval of the gods, mortals could hardly cross this divide.

[The God of Alchemy] looked coldly upon the wise men who practiced this path, offering no response for countless years.

Alchemists were obsessed with new creations, new breakthroughs. In this Chairman's view, he had stagnated for too long.

Thus, this insane plan was born.

Gustavo Flynn couldn't remember exactly which year it was when the Chairman took out a shocking blueprint and showed it to everyone.

A mad plan. A plan that allowed a mortal to become a god without needing permission.

At first, everyone was shaken by this crazy idea. They closed the doors and deliberated for a full twenty years. During this process, many council members even chose to leave because the plan was too insane.

Gustavo Flynn was one of those who stayed. Everyone who agreed to the plan bet everything on the future.

After the plan began, [The City of Alchemy] was like a fruit being constantly hollowed out.

On the outside, it still looked bright and shiny, but in reality, all revenues were poured into this plan. Attempt after attempt, failure after failure, millions upon millions of gold coins were burned.

Gustavo Flynn couldn't remember how many times the sewers had been rebuilt over the years. Several times they were completely destroyed and then rebuilt brick by brick, costing an unknown amount of manpower and resources.

The country that was once the wealthiest of [The Nine Great Kingdoms] was now in danger of economic collapse just from fluctuations in magical materials. This was entirely because they had already gone all-in, completely disregarding the future.

Random tax increases, random price hikes, and all sorts of operations that defied common sense—they were all actually to squeeze the very last drop of blood from [The City of Alchemy] to realize this grand plan.

And it wasn't just money and time. To realize this plan, quite a few members of [The Alchemists' Council] had voluntarily become sacrifices, throwing themselves into the magic circle.

It was precisely because of the self-sacrifice of legendary alchemists that the final piece of this ritual magic puzzle was found. As long as one more legend was thrown in, the [Wish] ritual should be completely finished.

To achieve this goal, [The City of Alchemy] prepared several plans.

First, they began dumping massive amounts of alchemy potions into the sewers, causing the monsters already raised there to mutate and evolve, hoping to spur the emergence of legendary-rank monsters among them.

Second, they manufactured fake prophecies to make adventurers voluntarily go to the sewers and become sacrifices for the magic circle, also hoping to attract legendary powerhouses to come and fill the final piece of the puzzle.

As for the third plan, if they really couldn't find a legend to throw into the magic circle, the remaining members of [The Alchemists' Council] would sacrifice themselves.

Ambrose being targeted could only be counted as his bad luck.

As for the assistance of the [Ryan Empire], Ambrose had actually misunderstood. What [The City of Alchemy] wanted wasn't assistance, but the arrival of legendary powerhouses.

Ambrose was the first sacrifice target. If something went wrong with him, they would stuff that [Supreme Adjudicator] in to fill the pit. As for whether doing so would bring war, these alchemists didn't care. Because if they succeeded, they would have accomplished the feat of a mortal creating a god. If they failed, [The City of Alchemy] would destroy itself without waiting for the [Ryan Empire] to attack.

But now, both targets were lost.

Ambrose self-destructed and fled. James Watson, because he hadn't found the true [Phylactery], was still digging holes in the Lich's territory outside the city. It was said they were originally ready to enter the city, but when passing through a small village, they found a new [Phylactery] in the village chief's house.

James Watson went crazy and insisted on checking everything within a radius of dozens of kilometers.

"That damned Lich!"

Gustavo Flynn was originally a staunch supporter, but the closer it got to the final moment, the more regret he felt.

Were they too paranoid? Once the plan failed, the investment of all these years would be completely wasted, and the future of [The City of Alchemy] would be thoroughly destroyed. Moreover, he didn't want to become a sacrifice thrown into the magic circle.

Unlike other alchemists, Gustavo Flynn seemed to care more about power and status. Although the ideal was lofty, it wasn't lofty enough to sacrifice himself.

Thinking of this, Gustavo Flynn turned his head to look behind him. In the corner stood a young alchemist. He was handsome, and a smile remained on his face as if he were looking forward to what was about to happen.

He was also a member of [The Alchemists' Council], but the youngest of all members and the last to join. Gustavo Flynn didn't even know his real name, only knowing that he always called himself [Coin].

This was obviously a fake name, but [Coin]'s alchemy had indeed reached the legendary level, and he had volunteered to be the final sacrifice. Now that the Lich had run away and James Watson wouldn't make it in time, there wasn't much time left before [Coin] committed suicide for the sacrifice.

But why did he look so happy?

Even the companions who sacrificed themselves before needed to repeatedly reaffirm their resolve before marching to their deaths, throwing themselves into the magic circle with heavy hearts or excitement.

[Coin], however, was relaxed to a fault. Gustavo Flynn couldn't see a hint of unease or anxiety on his face.

"This kid, he won't run away at the critical moment, will he? Then wouldn't I be the one who has to be sacrificed?"

With this thought in mind, Gustavo Flynn took the initiative to walk over and said to [Coin], "The plan failed; I bear responsibility. I am truly sorry."

The young alchemist heard this and said nonchalantly, "It doesn't matter. We prepared a backup plan long ago, didn't we? Don't worry, let me fill the last slot. However, regarding the final link, are we really ready? Without completely severing the Chairman's humanity, he cannot become a true god."

"According to calculations, there should be no problem. The Chairman only has one blood relative left alive. As long as this blood connection is destroyed, his soul will be completely purified. With the interference of humanity removed, he will be able to evolve into a god under the effect of the ritual."

Gustavo Flynn seemed to be cheering himself up, and also trying to steady [Coin], speaking with an extremely certain tone.

[Coin] looked at Gustavo Flynn and asked back, "Humanity and divinity—can they really be converted that simply? It sounds like a forced plot twist invented by a hack writer who ran out of ideas. 'Having no ties makes one strong,' 'the death of a lover allows a breakthrough'... stories are written this way, and we seem to feel it's reasonable too.

"But humanity, divinity, and the soul... shouldn't those things be deeper than that?"

Listening to this, Gustavo Flynn felt something was wrong. Was this kid really scared and preparing to find an excuse to escape?

"It won't happen. Our calculations won't be wrong. Trust the Chairman; he is the person closest to the gods." Gustavo Flynn took out a potion and said to [Coin], "Why don't you rest for a while? When the time comes, we will wake you up."

[Coin] looked at the rippling transparent liquid and recognized it as a potent [Sleeping Potion].

Gustavo Flynn didn't trust him, afraid he would run, so he wanted him to sleep until the moment of sacrifice.

The young alchemist smiled slightly and said to Gustavo Flynn, "If this can dispel your doubts, I don't mind."

After speaking, [Coin] drank the entire [Sleeping Potion] and immediately yawned.

Just before falling asleep, [Coin] said one last sentence to Gustavo Flynn: "Compared to my doubts, Master Flynn, you seem to have even less faith in the plan. Instead of worrying about whether I will back out, you might as well think about how you will deal with the aftermath once the ritual ends."

"What did you say?" Gustavo Flynn felt something was wrong and wanted to question him further, but [Coin] had already fallen into a deep sleep due to the potion's effect.

Gustavo Flynn hurriedly supported him. After confirming he was truly asleep, he had someone carry [Coin] to the sacrifice location and placed him into the magic circle in advance.

By doing this, even if [Coin] wanted to run, he would be blocked by the magic circle, and they would discover it immediately.

Although all preparations were made, the unease in Gustavo Flynn's heart grew stronger.

Could some accident really happen?

Gustavo Flynn prepared to go talk to that group of Druids; he had to confirm the existence of that girl.

Meanwhile, the newly reborn Ambrose was walking on the streets of [The City of Alchemy] with [Withered Rose].

Many residents of the city had already sensed something was wrong. [The City of Alchemy] was under full martial law. Even the city defense system was fully activated. Countless [Automatons] patrolled everywhere under the control of [Justicars], ready to eliminate all unstable factors.

This was also Ambrose's first time witnessing [Withered Rose]'s power.

This Undead Queen only needed a glance, and those [Justicars] of [The City of Alchemy] would be converted into undead within seconds. The process was silent and painless, and their magic defense equipment didn't react at all.

They didn't even know they had died. By the time they realized it, they had already become [Withered Rose]'s puppets. Then, these [Justicars] would obediently control the [Automatons] to clear a path.

What a terrifying legendary gift. As expected of the Undead Queen of [The Underdark].

With the help of [Withered Rose]'s power, Ambrose moved forward without encountering any obstruction.

Before long, Ambrose found his target—the location where the group of Druids was staying.