This Lich Requests More Remuneration-Chapter 218 - 199 Lady of Mists Request
Chapter 218: Chapter 199 Lady of Mist’s Request
Chapter 218 -199 Lady of Mist’s Request
The grey mist was out of place in this environment filled with bird songs and floral scents.
It gave Amberser a sense of illusion and evil, a very familiar feeling, just like Amberser himself.
However, what the mist had formed was a friend he hadn’t seen for a long time.
Chestnut long hair, tied into a long ponytail, wheat-colored skin, athletic and slender legs, and a pair of bright, large eyes… Memories that were once blurry became clear upon seeing this face.
“Alina?” Amberser said the name with confusion.
Alina gave Amberser a charming smile and asked, “It’s been a long time, what should I call you? Which name are you using now?”
Amberser replied with a wry smile, “Haven’t you always called me an unscrupulous bastard? Alina, what are you doing here, what have you become…?”
Upon hearing Amberser’s question, Alina casually replied, “Do you really care? I remember you saying that you’d take any woman, regardless of race.”
Amberser was silent for a moment, then said with a laugh, “You’re right. That’s exactly the kind of person I am.”
Indeed, he had bragged about this in the past, and the next day, their adventuring party encountered a Witch.
However, Alina should not be speaking in such a jesting tone.
Because in that battle, one of her friends died under the Witch’s curse, even her body dissolved into bloody water.
This cheerful feeling should come from Amberser’s own sentiments.
Because Alina’s friend was someone Amberser had intentionally betrayed.
Days before, Amberser had already known that this traitor would lead them into the Witch’s trap. However, he had not informed anyone else, simply allowing the woman to get her just desserts at the crucial moment. Everyone mourned the loss of a comrade, unaware of just how vile this woman truly was.
Alina had been kept in the dark, weeping for days for this so-called “friend.”
It wasn’t that Amberser was unwilling to tell everyone the truth, but apart from divination results, he had no evidence. Warning them in advance would not change their fate of falling into the Witch’s trap; it would only make the traitor cautious. As a Diviner Mage, one must understand which prophecies can be shared, and which must be kept to oneself.
Amberser had chosen to deceive everyone and deal with the trouble alone.
The result was perfect. The traitor died, the Witch died, everyone else was safe, and they even made a fortune from it.
For all these reasons, Alina would not speak of the past with such levity.
Amberser began to suspect that this Alina was a fake.
The Alina he knew had died centuries ago, and with her devoutness to the Father of the Oak, she should have ascended to the Divine Realm long ago. Even if something had gone awry later, the soul of a Druid could not survive for hundreds of years.
This grey figure was not some kind of undead spirit but seemed more like an evil creature. It was probably using some special means to read Amberser’s memories and emotions, then creating this “old friend” imagery.
To verify this was quite simple.
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Amberser said to Alina, “So you suddenly appear in my dream, just to catch up with an old friend?”
Alina walked towards Amberser, stretched out her arms to embrace his neck as if to give him a passionate kiss of a long-awaited reunion, but then her eyes suddenly widened, and her body once again dissolved into mist.
The mist receded and recondensed in the distance but didn’t take the shape of Alina again, only fixing Amberser with glowing eyes.
Amberser’s palm was radiating a dazzling light, a pure and unmatched Holy Light, just as if Arthur Laine had conjured it.
This was a dream, and if the dragons Amberser imagined could appear, then Holy Light was not an issue either.
No matter how this entity entered his dreams, since it had entered and fused with these illusions, it would be subject to the rules of the dream.
The Holy Light inflicted severe damage on the dark forces, directly shattering the opponent’s form.
The grey mist let out a deep voice, “You’re really ruthless. What if it really was your old lover?”
Amberser said, “Alina would not be harmed by the Holy Light. She was naïve, kind, though a bit reckless, but never evil. She also would not speak of a friend’s death in such a sarcastic tone. You’re too obviously a fake. It would have been better if you pretended to be my teacher; anything that guy says wouldn’t be surprising.”
The eyes of the grey mist narrowed into a line, as if in great anger, but then it let out a satisfied chuckle.
“Hahaha, very well, I wasn’t mistaken about you. You’re not only a formidable deceiver but also a wise man capable of discerning lies. Azus was right, with patience, I would return, and you are the one I was looking for,”
Amberser waved his hand dismissively and said, “Stop babbling about nonsensical things to yourself. I don’t even know who you are, nor what you want. Don’t act as if I’ve already agreed to work for you.”
Amberser voiced his objections, but his heart was immensely tense.
Because this mist mentioned Azus, who is the Master of Spellcasting, a subordinate deity to the Magic Goddess Mistrall. The Magic Goddess Mistrall usually only responds to spellcasters with extraordinary talents. For a mage of Amberser’s mediocre level, even reaching legendary status would not earn him Mistrall’s whisper.
However, Azus was much more generous, so many mages and wizards who found themselves unworthy of the Magic Goddess’s favor would switch their allegiance to the Master of Spellcasting.
Though Azus was not a powerful deity, he was supported by Mistrall and Mistrall’s ally, Ogma, the God of Knowledge. These two together were essentially in charge of all knowledge and wisdom in the world, which meant Azus had a profound background. Ordinary deities did not even have the privilege to invoke his name, let alone mortals.
What was the origin of this mist? Daring to call Azus by name, it seemed to have a good relationship with him; could it be a deity as well?
Amberser began to recall the information he had read about the deities related to the misty form, but after much thought, he could not match any deity to this description.
Could this cloud of smoke be using Azus’s name to deceive people?
The fog emitted a piercing screech, speaking very excitedly, “Stop doubting, I can transform into someone you know, which means I can sense your thoughts. You want to know who I am, I can tell you directly, but you must promise me to become my Chosen and avenge me!”
“Avenge?”
This seemed like a keyword that made Amberser think of a name. He hesitantly asked, “Are you… the Lady of Mist?”
The mist shivered, and its voice softened as it spoke to Amberser, “You guessed it right, there’s still someone who remembers my name.”
The Lady of Mist, Laila, also known as the Mother of Illusion, the Lady of Deception, once the goddess of tricksters and illusionists, protecting all deceivers in the world. Even those who did not worship the Lady of Mist would pray not to be troubled by her when making significant decisions or at turning points in their lives.
Due to the special nature of the deceitful domain, the Lady of Mist had few followers and not even a significant church. After all, con artists dare not let others know they are such, as congregating to worship the Lady of Mist would be like admitting to being a trickster.
Though her following was sparse and her divine power relatively weak, Laila didn’t mind. She did not like contention or rivalry, merely indulging in harmless pranks on mortals now and then, a goddess of the chaotic-neutral alignment.
Perhaps it was her lack of extremity that led to her eventual betrayal by a friend and her death at the hands of Prince of Lies, Hircine, who even took her divine mantle.
“According to the records, you should have fallen by now. Even if you haven’t fallen… the Lady of Mist never tells the truth, and where does this supremely evil scent about you come from?”
Influenced by her divine office, the Lady of the Mist couldn’t utter any truth, even when she did not wish to deceive. She could only express herself with preposterous lies that sounded like satire.
If she truly were the Lady of the Mist, then wouldn’t everything she had just said be a lie? If she weren’t… there would be nothing more to say; she would be nothing but an outright fraudster.
The mist quivered and then emitted a piercing sound, “Indeed, I never used to tell the truth, until Hircine’s sword pierced through my body, stripping me of my divinity. I am no longer a deity; I am merely a fragmented soul, free from any constraints of truth or lies. It was Azus who aided me, allowing me to slumber within this land, awaiting the chance to awaken anew. As for the evil you mentioned, it is a curse left by Hircine—there is no deity more malevolent than Hircine in this world.”
The reason sounded somewhat plausible, but Amberser wouldn’t fully believe it. He probed further, “An opportunity for revival? Do you wish to reclaim your divinity?”
“Exactly, I want Hircine and Musk to pay!”
Her voice was laden with resentment, but Amberser remained unmoved. A fallen deity, left with but a sliver of consciousness and memory, to think of seeking revenge against a deity was sheer delusion. Moreover, the Prince of Lies, Hircine, was a deity of immense power, one who stood at the same rank as the Lord of the Dawn.
“Lady of Mist, I do sympathize with your plight, but I am powerless to assist with your revenge. I, a mere lich, am not in a position to declare war on the Prince of Lies. Isn’t the Master of Spellcasting a lesser deity of the Magic Goddess? It would be simpler to ask him for assistance, to have Magic Goddess Mistrall aid your vengeance.” Not to mention Amberser, even his teacher, the God of Alchemy, would be sent to his doom were he to go.
Laila, however, countered, “The Magic Goddess would not involve herself in such vendettas, as you ought to be aware of her doctrines. Moreover, you underestimate yourself. Haven’t you met a lot of deities lately? Haven’t they all extended their olive branches to you?”
Amberser wanted to say that those who had offered him olive branches were all a bunch of flawed goddesses, not one of them reliable.
But this indeed was a sign, a prelude to something big about to happen. These deities from the fringes were all desperately seeking a Chosen of God. One could believe that the more powerful deities had already sprung into action. Within the Nine Great Kingdoms, who knew how many prodigies would emerge, beginning to pen their legendary tales under the blessings of the deities.
“Your destiny is quite peculiar, I can sense it. If you’re willing, you can definitely help me,” Laila said very earnestly.
Amberser replied with a wry smile, “Lady of Mist, your former divinity had nothing to do with destiny, and this lie is overly dismissive—completely lacking in credibility.”
Laila continued, “Heh, destiny is but a lie that cannot be debunked. Aren’t you as well attempting to deceive destiny? Otherwise, why would you come to this forest, seeking the assistance of dreams? The essence of dreams is also lies and deceit, after all.”
Amberser, growing impatient, extended his finger and shook it as he spoke to Laila, “Goddess, it seems you really are too weak to discern what I truly mean to say. What I mean is, what do you want me to do for you? And what benefit would I get in return?”
“If we are to talk about cooperation, show some sincerity. If the benefits are substantial enough, I’m not averse to taking a risk against a powerful deity.”
