This Lich is a Better Landlord Chapter 81

The moment Gary Watts's soul appeared, Ambrose tossed his quill aside, deftly cast several defensive spells on himself, and prepared to jump out the window to make his escape.

But Gary Watts simply extended a finger and tapped the air gently. The window instantly turned into solid gold, fusing seamlessly with the wall. It could no longer be opened.

Since fleeing was off the table, he might as well stay put. Worst case scenario, he’d just have to respawn again. Ambrose stood his ground, waiting for Withered Rose to arrive.

Looking at the window that had transmuted into gold, Ambrose spoke in a tone dripping with jealousy, "Turning stone to gold. What an enviable Legendary Boon."

Ambrose's envy was genuine. If he had that Legendary Boon, he wouldn't be so poor.

Gary Watts shook his head. "You misunderstand. My Legendary Boon is not Midas Touch. But this is not the time to discuss such things. We can sit down and have a proper exchange later."

"You're not planning to attack?" Ambrose asked, surprised.

Gary Watts shook his head again and spoke calmly, "I don't have the confidence to snatch this child away under the watchful eyes of the Undead Queen."

As soon as the old man finished speaking, several hazy shadows appeared beside Ambrose. It was Withered Rose and her Death Knight guards. They had entered the room using *Mass Invisibility*, intending to ambush the old man, but their *Greater Invisibility* had been seen through.

Ambrose immediately felt at ease. With Withered Rose here, at least in terms of combat power, they didn't need to fear this wretched old man.

Gary Watts ignored Ambrose's smug expression and turned to Naomi. "Child, let me tell you the truth. You are my great-granddaughter, and currently, my only living blood relative."

Naomi remained silent. She couldn't accept this so-called truth. She just wanted to flee this place. Whether this old man was the mysterious Guild President or her relative, she didn't want to know.

Running away might be shameful, but for Naomi, it was the easiest choice.

"Just as that Shadow Druid said, I have been conducting a great experiment. But for a long time, I was stuck, unable to move forward. Until one day, my daughter died in an accident. Although I was estranged from her due to my obsession with research, her passing still caused me inexplicable grief.

"But it was precisely because of this indescribable grief that my soul entered a special state. At that time, I discovered that this brought me closer to the goal I wished to achieve.

"Therefore, I began to pay attention to my granddaughter. I personally raised and educated her, cultivating a deep bond with her. On the day she passed away, my grief was many times more intense than before. But after the grief, my soul ascended once again. I then confirmed that this was the correct path."

Gary Watts spoke flatly, as if telling someone else's story, indifferent to whether Naomi could accept it. He continued, "So, I had a crazy idea. If I severed all blood connections, perhaps my soul could truly detach from the mortal coil and enter the realm of the gods.

"But because the experiment had reached its final stage, I could no longer raise you personally. I had someone send you to the Shadow Druid tribe to let them raise you..."

Ambrose suddenly interrupted the President. "It wasn't just about raising her. Shadow Druids wouldn't have any affection for a sacrifice, yet this little girl obviously had a decent childhood. In your initial deal with them, you definitely didn't mention that this girl was a sacrifice. Instead, you instructed them to take good care of her, only revealing the truth recently, right?"

Hearing this, Naomi was bewildered and asked excitedly, "Why? Why go through all that unnecessary trouble?!"

If she hadn't been treated with warmth growing up, Naomi wouldn't be in such despair right now.

Ambrose snorted coldly and explained, "Because if you aren't miserable enough, his heart won't hurt enough.

"Didn't he just say it? Only sufficient grief can stimulate his long-numb soul. He didn't have time to bond with you. If you were treated with indifference growing up, would you be sad now? Would you be in despair? If you aren't sad and desperate enough yourself, how could this perverted old man feel grief?

"He is using the cruelest, most heartless method to scourge his own conscience, allowing him to completely abandon his human emotions."

Gary Watts did not refute this. Instead, he praised, "Writing you that invitation letter years ago was my most correct decision. It is a pity you refused me."

Naomi canceled her panther transformation and collapsed helplessly to the floor. She never expected the truth to be so cruel. That such a malicious person existed in the world, and that he was her only blood relative.

Ambrose sighed and cast another *Sleeping Potion* spell on Naomi.

If he didn't put her to sleep, this girl was going to lose her mind.

Looking at the slumbering Naomi, Ambrose said to Gary Watts, "Back when I was still human, I didn't fit in with perverts like you. But I have a question. Is the ascension of the soul such a simple matter? Any random error in sensation could cause the experiment to fail. What if this girl dies and you still haven't reached the realm of gods? Wouldn't all your efforts be wasted? Don't tell me you calculated it; I'm more of an expert on soul matters than you."

Gary Watts replied, "Because this is my Legendary Boon. I can turn a 'possible success' in an alchemy experiment into an 'absolute success,' thereby avoiding all experimental errors. Although the conditions for use are harsh, if everything proceeds according to my plan, this ritual magic will definitely succeed. However, you disrupted my plan."

"Heh, if you guys hadn't tried to drag me down with you, I wouldn't have bothered with you. Since you plotted against me, don't blame me for fighting back. But, seeing as you've shown yourself now and don't seem ready to fight, are you looking to negotiate a cooperation?"

Gary Watts nodded. "How much do you know about this ritual?"

"I only know that even if you succeed, you won't become a god. You'll become an artifact, a tool capable of truly casting *Wish*. That's no different from suicide," Ambrose said with certainty.

Gary Watts replied, "That is enough. Because *Wish* is a spell that only gods can cast at will. I don't care if my will disappears; I only need to reach the realm of the gods."

"Why? That's meaningless," Ambrose asked, puzzled.

If one lost their sense of self, what was the use of becoming a god? Becoming a tool to be used by others at whim—wasn't that worse than being human?

"Alchemy is a miraculous discipline. From the first time I synthesized a potion using alchemy, I was completely captivated. Once this path is started, it cannot be stopped. I just want to move forward, to reach the peak. As for the method or form in which I reach that peak, I do not mind."

A trace of emotion finally appeared in Gary Watts's tone; evidently, he hadn't completely lost his human feelings yet.

Ambrose said with even more disdain, "And the God of Alchemy doesn't rein in you lunatics? Like before, giving you divine punishment so you wouldn't dare blaspheme the gods again."

Gary Watts shook his head. "Divine punishment? Do you think his previous curse was punishing us? You are wrong. He did it only to push us further.

"The God of Alchemy is not a god of faith, just like the God of Justice. As long as someone practices justice, even if they don't know Tyr's name, they can provide divine power to the God of Justice. Every time an alchemist creates a new formula, the God of Alchemy's power grows a little stronger. As long as people continue to advance in alchemy, his power will continue to increase.

"He doesn't need faith; he needs mortals like us who are willing to give up everything for alchemy. He doesn't care if we blaspheme, because even acts of blasphemy will leave a mark in the history of alchemy significant enough to drive worldly change, and he will ascend to a greater realm because of it.

"So, actually, he is the most selfish one. The gods suppress us to force us to burst forth with brighter fires of wisdom. In the years since I lifted the divine punishment curse, the development speed of alchemy has exceeded the previous few centuries.

"He never favored us; he only takes from us alchemists. So, since there is a way to become a god, and I have the ability to realize it, why shouldn't I do it?"

Ambrose quickly waved his hand to stop Gary Watts's speech. He didn't want to listen to such blasphemous language. Every lunatic had their own logic; whether it was self-consistent or not, whoever believed it was a fool.

"Cut the crap. Let's talk business. How do you want to negotiate?"

Gary Watts answered, "Help me complete the ritual. I will become an artifact capable of casting *Wish*, and you can control this artifact. A win-win, is it not?"

Ambrose countered, "Flynn won't agree. Your underlings have put in so much effort; it's impossible they don't have wishes of their own."

"It doesn't matter. We can sacrifice them together, making them part of the artifact. I am their President. As long as I bring this child back, they won't suspect anything. When the time comes, you just need to launch a surprise attack. With this Undead Queen's power, you can completely turn them into sacrifices."

Gary Watts calmly stated an extremely vicious plan. He wasn't even going to spare his own people.

Ambrose and Withered Rose, both Liches, were somewhat startled. This old man was crueler than the undead. It wasn't just his emotions; he had thrown away the Lawful alignment entirely, becoming fully Chaotic Evil, stopping at nothing to achieve his ends.

"Well? This is purely profit for you. You have no reason to refuse, right?" Gary Watts urged. "My time is running out. If we don't start the transformation ritual soon, everything will lose its meaning."

Ambrose wanted to agree verbally. Logically speaking, agreeing to him had no downsides. It would maximize benefits and minimize risks.

However, a strange unease lingered in Ambrose's heart.

Because there was still a prophecy that hadn't come true.

Naomi, this Druid girl, was supposed to be murdered and die in the Hall of Wisdom, not be sent to the sewers for sacrifice. But now she was alive and well. That meant that regardless of whether Ambrose agreed or not, things would not proceed according to Gary Watts's plan.

But the question was, which link had gone wrong? Clearly, he just had to nod his agreement to eliminate all risks.

Could this girl escape?

No, thinking like that was a waste of mental energy. Since the Druid girl was destined to be killed in the Hall of Wisdom, he didn't need to consider the cause. What Ambrose needed to consider was: after the ritual procedure was destroyed, why would he still appear in the sewers and actively preside over the ritual?

Clearly, in the prophecy, Ambrose did not choose to cooperate, leading to the subsequent chain of changes and the ultimate destruction of the City of Alchemy, flying into the sky as ruins.

Something was missing. What part had been overlooked?

Ambrose's soul fire flickered erratically. He directly blocked all external signals, using his entire soul power to think, connecting all known clues.

An external force was missing. A very powerful external force. A force strong enough to disrupt the situation even after he cooperated with Gary Watts. Who could it be?

Suddenly, a name surfaced—James Watson.

Ambrose's body shook. He asked Gary Watts, "Where are the paladins of the Ryan Empire? And Supreme Adjudicator James Watson, where are they?"