This Lich Requests More Remuneration-Chapter 194 - 181 Finding the Location of the Divine
Chapter 194: Chapter 181: Finding the Location of the Divine Artifact
Chapter 194 -181: Finding the Location of the Divine Artifact
Airel left with a smile on her face, apparently heading straight for the Royal Palace.
Amberser didn’t waste any time either, dispersing everyone before beginning to dig right on the spot.
There was no way he had three days; that foolish Princess might just come to her senses in half a day and then bring the Fury Tide Legion over to kill him.
So, time waits for no one; he had to act now.
The advantage of being a Mage shone at this moment, as there was nothing more convenient than magic for digging holes.
As Amberser’s magical power began to circulate, a deep fissure split open in the ground as if drilled by an invisible drill bit, rapidly revealing a bottomless pit.
Amberser jumped right in and hurried to dig further down.
It was uncertain whether he could find the Divine Artifact he needed before the Princess caught on.
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As for Airel, she truly believed that “Monger Greyriver” had undergone a complete change of heart and became her soulmate, and for the sake of this fellowship, she went straight into the Royal Palace.
Along the way, she was as fast as lightning, kicking up a trail of dust.
The King had been eating when Airel barged in without announcement, almost ruining the meal on the table with the dust she brought with her.
The King wiped the dust off his face and asked, “What’s the rush now?”
The King of the Fury Tide was endlessly indulgent with this daughter, and for a simple reason, she was the only Legendary amongst his many children, the sole one to receive the blessing of the Lord of the Storm.
Airel excitedly said, “Father, Monger Greyriver told me he knows how to contact the Silent Night Pirate Group, and that we could negotiate a peace, potentially avoiding a war.”
The King glanced at Airel then sternly said, “Did you go to challenge him to a duel?”
Airel’s face turned sheepishly red as she explained, “I did say that I wanted him to duel me, but he didn’t agree. It’s not like that, I didn’t force him, he volunteered.”
The King rolled his eyes, comforting his daughter, “Alright, I know, he hasn’t been killed by you, has he?”
Airel quickly said, “Of course not… wait, I really didn’t force him, truly.”
“Would you dare say you didn’t make a move? Would you swear before the Deity that you didn’t raise your hammer against him?!”
“This…” Airel struggled to explain, “Although I did make a move on him… but anyway, it’s not what you think, Father, he truly volunteered.”
The King, losing his patience, waved his hand dismissively and said, “Enough, just tell me how badly he’s hurt. Has he been sent for treatment?”
At that point, Airel grew angry and loudly said to her own father, “Why don’t you believe me?! He really volunteered, I didn’t force him!”
The King also lost his temper, speaking very seriously, “That’s enough, Airel, my patience has its limits. I am commanding you, do not use violence on him again. Otherwise, I will discipline you myself.”
Unable to bear the injustice, Airel said with emotion, “If you don’t believe me, Father, then come with me to see him, and you can ask him yourself.”
“How am I to ask, in your presence, and then wait for you to beat him again tomorrow? Don’t I know your character, Airel; you’ve always used your fists to make your point, just like me!”
Both father and daughter had volatile tempers, and they found it increasingly difficult to control their anger as they argued.
Airel slammed her hammer onto the dining table and then said to the King, “I always knew this day would come, Father. Since neither of us can convince the other, let’s settle this the most traditional way of the Fury Tide Kingdom.”
The King, looking at the hammer sparking with electricity, asked in a deep voice, “Are you challenging me to a Divine Duel?!”
In a kingdom that glorified violence and destruction like the Fury Tide Kingdom, reasoning often failed, and fists had to do the convincing.
A Divine Duel was considered the ultimate way to “resolve disagreements,” with both parties dueling in front of the Divine Idol of the Lord of the Storm. The victor was deemed in the right, and the loser had to unconditionally accept the victor’s stance.
The duel allowed for surrender, but most often ended with one party’s death.
“Exactly, since you won’t believe anything I say, let the Deity decide who is more right!”
Lightning burst from Airel’s eyes, and the tremendous power filled the air with free-floating sparks.
In other kingdoms, such a posture might have been interpreted as a typical case of patricide and usurpation, but for the Fury Tide Kingdom, this was not the case. A successor challenging the reigning King was tradition, although this day had arrived sooner than expected.
The King stood up, towering a head taller than Airel, and appeared much more robust.
The air, originally filled with thread-like lightning, suddenly became turbulent as two different currents collided, generating countless sparks.
The King, lowering his head, gazed down at his daughter and then said to her, “Fine, you’ve won, you’re the new King, and from now on, everything in the kingdom is up to you!”
“I will definitely win!” Airel said confidently.
The King scoffed and said, “Ha, if boasting were useful, what would be the need for a hammer? Airel, if you lose, you will follow my orders without question.”
Airel readily agreed, “You’re telling me not to use violence against Monger Greyriver, aren’t you? Fine, I promise. If I lose, I won’t lay a finger on him.”
“No, I want you to marry him!” the King said very seriously.
“Impossible! He’s twenty years older than me!” Airel vehemently refused without hesitation.
The King said gravely, “Which man of your age in the kingdom can be called a hero? Monger is the most outstanding in the kingdom; otherwise, would I grant him such great power? Yes, he is a bit old, but his wife died a few years ago—this is the perfect time for you to marry him. Do you really want a weak and incompetent husband?!”
The talent in the Fury Tide Kingdom was declining with each generation; the men of Airel’s age were either foolish or stupid, weak or cowardly. This was due to the problems in the way the country was governed, with almost no change in the population and an ever-decreasing ratio of talented individuals.
The old King only wanted to unite the most outstanding man and woman in the kingdom, hoping they could produce a more intelligent and powerful heir; otherwise, who knew how many more years the Fury Tide Kingdom could endure?
Airel could never accept marrying an old man like Monger Greyriver, but the King gave her no chance to back out.
“You initiated the Divine Duel, and I’ve staked my position as King. You also have to wager something of equal value; it’s just a marriage proposal—you’re getting off cheap. Airel, do you intend to dishonor the Deity?!”
These words from the King made Airel grind her teeth in anger, but she dared not retract her decision for the duel, and could only say to the King, “I will definitely win!”
The King said smugly, “Ha, I’ve heard that phrase countless times, but they all ended up as my subordinates.”
The argument between father and daughter was paused in this increasingly resolute way. Divine Duels were sacred events that required time to prepare, and even more so for a duel concerning the succession of the kingdom, which meant even longer preparation times.
The King had no interest in dealing with the Silent Night Pirate Group, knowing the incredible talent of his daughter and not being completely certain of his own victory, so he had to focus entirely on preparing for battle.
Neither father nor daughter seemed to consider what would happen if both were seriously injured after the duel, and at that moment the Undead of the Silent Night Pirate Group began their assault on the capital.
What they were thinking now was to finish this duel quickly, to settle a long-standing dispute once and for all, and then they could unite the kingdom’s power.
Airel had originally come to buy time for Amberser, but now, quite serendipitously, no one was paying attention to what Monger Greyriver was up to.
Amberser was working hard tunneling through the earth, estimating that he’d already dug hundreds of meters deep, but the rock and soil still looked the same, with no trace of the Divine Artifact anywhere.
Standing deep underground, Amberser stroked his chin.
“This doesn’t make sense, what exactly is the hint from fate, did I misunderstand it again?”
Fate doesn’t give the wrong answers; it could only be that one’s understanding is inadequate.
The leaf that had landed on Monger Greyriver’s head wasn’t hinting that this man knew the whereabouts of the Divine Artifact, nor was it pointing to the spot where he was standing—then what could it be?
Amberser had to bring out all the information he’d gathered once again.
First, the Elf Tribe had hidden the Divine Artifact seventeen hundred years ago to prevent the Magic Dragon Tyrant from retracing time so that it could be defeated by Arthur Laine. Aside from the Magic Dragon Tyrant, no one else could use it, so when the Elf Tribe hid the Divine Artifact, they never intended for anyone to find it.
“Divine Artifacts generally possess great power, and those of Legendary Rank can already sense the presence of divinity, so it must be sealed with magic. To maintain a seal for seventeen hundred years, it’s not a common sealing spell, but rather a piece of Magic Equipment capable of a long-duration seal…”
Amberser began to put himself in the Elves’ shoes, attempting to deduce where the Divine Artifact might be by considering the type of magic the Elf Tribe excelled in. He ought to find traces of it.
But even after carefully sensing around, Amberser still found no clues.
“No, no, according to Katherine, the last Elven King wasn’t adept at magic, so it’s very possible that the means to seal the Divine Artifact wasn’t provided by the Elf Tribe… It was Arthur Laine. He stole the Divine Artifact from the Magic Dragon Tyrant, and it was he who asked the Elf Tribe to hide the artifact well.
“He could steal it, which means he could shield the connection between the Magic Dragon Tyrant and the Divine Artifact. That’s not the Elves’ method, but rather a Paladin’s—or no, it should be said the Holy Light power of the Lord of the Dawn. I think I’m getting it.”
Amberser realized he had been mistaken from the start; the withered leaf had indeed pointed to the location where the Divine Artifact was buried, but not beneath the ground.
Amberser used the Flight Spell to return to the cave entrance, staring at the empty air and estimating the height from which the leaf had fallen. He then stretched out his senses, turning them into a web to entwine the area.
After a while, Amberser finally detected something odd.
In that space was a tiny, invisible rift, only perceptible with full concentration, where there was the slight hint of abnormality, a spatial crack finer than a strand of hair.
