This Lich Requests More Remuneration

A druid told an undead that she would not only help for free but was also willing to sacrifice her life to protect the undead.

Amberser couldn't begin to count the absurdities of the scam,

Amberser snorted and said to her, "Don't tell such boring lies. The most expensive things in this world are those offered for free. Tell me your real purpose, and then I might consider cooperating with you."

The Druid Girl glanced around, then said, "We can find a private place to talk."

Amberser snapped his fingers, and a pitch-black barrier enveloped the two of them.

Amberser said, "Soundproof and lightproof, ordinary scouting spells can't penetrate this barrier. You can speak now."

The Druid Girl looked at the dark curtain in shock. She was also a spellcaster, and she could tell just how formidable Amberser was from a single spell.

Casting spells required incantations and gestures, which were the most basic elements. Silent casting was already a high-end skill, but Amberser had not only refrained from using incantations, he had also erected the barrier instantly. If this were in battle, who could imagine how fast he would be able to cast fireballs? Even the famous Three Fireball Cult of the continent could only launch three fireballs within six seconds.

This undead was far more formidable than she had imagined.

Indeed, she had approached the right person.

The Druid Girl took a deep breath, then said to Amberser, "Previously, my kin and I explored the sewers of Alchemy City, and later, we encountered something terrifying. My people are trapped in there, and I need to rescue them."

"All your people are trapped, and you plan to rescue them by yourself? If you expect me to make a move, it's not going to be as simple as a free guide service. You'll have to pay extra," Amberser said, perplexed.

"That's not necessary, I have my ways. You just need to help me find them. As an undead, you are more sensitive to the light of life inherent to druids and can accurately locate them in the sewers. In exchange, I'll help you find the Slime you're looking for."

Amberser pondered for a moment, then asked, "How long have they been trapped?"

The Druid Girl fell silent for a moment, then said, "It's been over two months now."

Amberser: …

Two months? There probably isn't even a bone left, so where's the light of life?

Seemingly reading his thoughts, the Druid Girl said anxiously, "My kin have the ability to protect themselves; they are just trapped. If I can find them, I can help them escape. They must be alive!"

The last sentence sounded as though she was assuring herself, her voice tinged with a cry.

Amberser became even more curious about the secrets of the sewer. This forsaken place had attracted not only Paladins from the Laine Empire but also druids... Surely it couldn't actually be hiding a legendary giant dragon?

"What did you encounter in the sewer?" Amberser asked.

The Druid Girl was well aware of the value of this information and said to Amberser, "You have to promise me first, otherwise I won't tell you more."

"No problem. I can sign a contract with you right now. If your people are still alive, I will do my best to help find their location."

Amberser thought about it and did not refuse.

This Druid Girl seemed to offer better value than the other two guides anyway.

The dangers of the sewer wouldn't change with a different choice of guide. On the contrary, this girl had witnessed the horror of the sewer, which was an advantage.

The Druid Girl hastily signed the contract with Amberser,

Naomi Watts – Amberser only now learned the name of the Druid Girl.

This surname didn't seem typical of druids, whose surnames were mostly related to nature and varied according to different societies, like 'Lunar Eclipse,' a renowned lineage name from a particular Moon Society of druids.

Watts... sounded more like the style of human nobility, and the family was probably related to lightning and thunder.

It seems the background of this Druid girl is also shrouded in many mysteries.

However, Amberser wasn't curious about others' gossip; he only wanted to know information related to the sewer.

"Now, Miss Watts, please tell me what exactly is in the sewers?"

Naomi Watts recalled, "I can't be sure what kind of monster we encountered. Originally, I was exploring the sewers in South City District, and then the filthy sewer suddenly transformed into a beautiful garden, just like our homeland…"

The Druid girl carefully described everything she encountered. To Amberser, it sounded like a vast, high-level illusion. Within this Illusion Realm, there were many hidden dangers disguised as other things, such as apples that bite and sheep that suddenly grow claws.

While it was quite treacherous, it wasn't overly powerful. The group of Druids was only trapped in the Illusion Realm, unable to leave. As for the Druid girl in front of him, the other Druids had combined their efforts to send her out of the illusion for her to go back and call for help.

"So you came back alone? What about your fellow tribespeople? Surely the entire Druid Tribes aren't all down in the sewers, right?" Amberser inquired.

"That is irrelevant to our agreement."

"Heh, alright, I won't ask further. But according to what you're saying, this monster doesn't seem too difficult to deal with."

While a large-scale illusion realm was powerful, having to use illusions to ensnare people indicated that the adversary didn't possess great offensive capabilities. If it were a Shaping Energy School Mage from the Three Fireball Cult, they would have incinerated the group of Druids in six seconds, maybe even collapsing the sewer.

Several illusion-using creatures flashed through Amberser's mind, and he felt he should be able to handle it.

"Then let's not waste any more time, we should set off right now."

Amberser removed the barrier and filed the contract at the tavern, which served as notarization. All taverns where adventurers gathered offered this service to reduce disputes, and most city-states recognized the legal effect of such adventure contracts.

Without this service, the sour ale and the Dwarf Roarer's singing alone wouldn't attract so many patrons.

Upon leaving the tavern, Naomi was eager to lead Amberser to the entrance of the sewer.

But Amberser held her back and cast a High-Level Invisibility Spell.

The figures of the two quickly became transparent and eventually vanished completely into the air.

Naomi was startled, not understanding what Amberser was doing, but she soon saw two male adventurers emerge from the tavern, the very Thief and Ranger who had interviewed with them.

Their demeanor suggested they were in cahoots.

As soon as they stepped out of the tavern, they started looking around, evidently preparing to trail Amberser and Naomi.

The Ranger even summoned a hunting dog in an attempt to track the two by scent. However, the dog circled a few times but still failed to detect their presence.

The Druid was naturally blended with the environment, her scent perfectly merging with it. As for Amberser, although he was a Lich, an unusual scent indicated an anomaly, reflected in compromised experimental results, so he always paid attention to hygiene. Even with the body of a Lich, there was no smell to him.

Still, the two adventurers were relentless, heading towards the entrance of the sewer, as if determined to continue their pursuit.

After they had left, Amberser canceled the invisibility effect.

Naomi asked in confusion, "What exactly are those two trying to do?"

Amberser explained, "One pretended to be a clumsy con artist, the other offered a seemingly reasonable but inflated price, both old tricks. They didn't fool me, so now they plan to follow us and scavenge benefits by stepping in without hesitation and snatching everything valuable from us if we run into trouble in the sewer."

That is the way of adventurers—in places without rules, their morals could stoop as low as robbers.

"So what do we do now?" Naomi was obviously a rookie with little adventuring experience; otherwise, she wouldn't have waited so long in Alchemy City without being able to find suitable companions, leading her to desperately turn to a Undead like Amberser for help.

Amberser declared matter-of-factly, "We follow them, of course. They won't give up and will definitely enter the sewer. If they want to take advantage of us, why can't we take advantage of them?"

Amberser smiled with satisfaction, having missed an opportunity for trickery before, now it was making a comeback, thankful for the easy prey sent by the goddess of fate.