This Lich Requests More Remuneration-Chapter 175 - 162 The Fall of Sandshadow City

Chapter 175: Chapter 162 The Fall of Sandshadow City

Chapter 175 -162 The Fall of Sandshadow City

Allen was cornered by Katherine’s oath and the Life Casket gambit.

With the Lich severely wounded and the Life Casket lost, and they had the assistance of the Elf Queen, a Legendary powerhouse… If they didn’t deploy troops, they would truly be cursed for a lifetime, and it was very likely that they would be sent to a tribunal, where cowardice in battle would mean at least ten years’ imprisonment.

Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.

But could that terrifying Lich have made such a big mistake? How could something like the Life Casket be stolen?

Wait, the Life Casket?

Allen remembered something, when they returned to their homeland from Alchemy City his father had a carriage full of stuff, and he seemed to have heard him mutter, “That Lich is outrageous, how could he have so many Life Caskets?!”

At the time, Allen, bearing his own guilt, didn’t dare to ask more, thinking he had heard wrong.

Looking back now, could that carriage have been filled entirely with Life Caskets?

Allen couldn’t help but ask, “Is this Life Casket real?”

Upon hearing this, Katherine suddenly became somewhat flustered.

From the moment she entered the city, Katherine’s heart had been racing, and her voice trembling as she spoke.

She had tried lying before, but there was always Amberser by her side to back her up when it mattered.

But now she was all on her own, stretching her acting skills, and she had to use her original identity, which didn’t allow her to unleash her creativity and imagination… It was too difficult.

The Haze Technique concealed not only Katherine’s charm but also her face blushing with tension.

Fortunately, Amberser had helped her craft a “real” lie, one so flawless that even the deities couldn’t fault it, they could only help her prove it.

In the midst of her nervousness, Katherine also felt excited; outwitting her opponent with intelligence was far more interesting than simply overpowering them with brute force.

“This guy can even make use of deities, he’s really too formidable.”

Now, hearing Allen’s doubt, Katherine became instantly anxious, afraid he would discover a flaw. However, before Katherine could explain, Knight Simon, standing beside them, could not stand by any longer.

“Allen Watson, you have been looking for excuses, are you actually scared? If you truly are afraid, hand over the command to me, and you can stay in the city.”

Allen clenched his fists, but he was powerless to retort, unsure whether he was being cautious or fearful. He could only admit that Amberser was his nightmare, an inescapable shadow.

Allen looked at the others, and seeing sarcasm and contempt on every Laine’s face, he immediately realized he had no other choice.

Even if he insisted on not deploying troops, others would combine forces to strip him of his command.

With no other option, Allen said resignedly, “If that’s the case, I will hand over command to you, Simon. But I hope you will leave half the people to guard the city, while I will accompany the troops on the campaign.”

Paladin Simon, aside from Allen, was of the best birth and highest status. If Allen went on the campaign, only he could properly control Sandshadow City. Allen remained wary of falling into Amberser’s plot, hence his wish to leave part of the forces behind to ensure the safety of Sandshadow City.

But Simon insisted firmly, “Don’t even think about stealing my glory.”

In the eyes of others, Allen was already a complete joke, and Simon didn’t want to hear anything from him. A severely wounded Lich who had even lost his Life Caskets was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

How many Paladins could complete a task of slaying a Legendary Undead before their own rise to legend?

Simon had “personally” witnessed Amberser’s severely injured state and refused to let anyone steal this glory.

Allen, gritting his teeth, said, “Sandshadow City is the most important thing; there are tens of thousands of people here!”

Simon stood his ground, “Just kill that Lich, and Sandshadow City will be safe! If you want to stay here, you can stay by yourself; I believe the others will agree with me.”

No Paladin could resist such temptation; they would return as heroes adorned with honor, now seeking to add another glorious page to their record of achievements.

As the two were arguing, Katherine chimed in, “I’ve heard that the Laine Empire can turn the faith of its citizens into real power. Sandshadow City is indeed important, so why not let them protect themselves? If we could mobilize everyone in the city, the combined power should be enough to handle any emergency, right?”

Simon hurriedly said, “Indeed, the Holy Light Magic Array can absorb everyone’s faith. As long as they pray devoutly, they will continuously provide power to the magic array, and not even the Legendary Lich could break through. It’s just one night; we just need them to hold out for one night, and once we return, it’ll be fine!”

Transmutation of faith was the Laine Empire’s most powerful tactic, turning the populace’s faith in the Lord of the Dawn into tangible Holy Light power. Every city in the Laine Empire was equipped with such a Magic Array.

If they were not devout believers, this transmutation would consume their lifespans. Just like Geronimo’s serfs, who couldn’t possibly become true believers after just a few days of learning by rote, they had to rely on their life force for the transmutation.

But Sandshadow City had been retaken for some time and had many immigrants from the Laine mainland. These devout believers, when pooled together, should easily last one night.

“Simon, don’t you think this is going too far?!” Allen said, forcing back his anger.

It was good that these people could return, but why had it suddenly become an all-or-nothing gamble, staking the fate of the entire city?

“Shut up, Allen Watson, you coward. Don’t forget, we don’t need to follow your orders. I’m going to lead the others out to fight the Lich now. You can wait here. Whether to mobilize the residents to strengthen the Magic Array is up to you!”

Simon, taking his men with him, turned and left without giving Allen any face.

Allen wanted to stop them, but looking back at the soldiers around him, he found their gazes shifting, none daring to meet his eyes. He couldn’t rely on this bunch at all.

He had taken over Sandshadow City too recently and hadn’t had time to establish his own authority.

Katherine followed Simon and left, finally breathing a sigh of relief while feeling impressed, “That guy really did calculate everything, no wonder he acted so hard and looked so miserable. Turns out they really would start arguing over this.”

While “rescuing” Simon and the other Laine people, Katherine and Amberser had put on a very exciting show, fighting from the ground up to the sky, then from the sky down into the desert’s depths, until Amberser “fled with serious injuries”, and Katherine was also “gravely wounded”, only she was fortunate enough to snatch the Life Casket he was carrying.

This was a battle between legends, Simon and the rest simply couldn’t tell the real from the fake, thinking they’d be dead if they took even a half a move from them.

It was precisely because Amberser’s acting was so convincing, bones scattered all over the ground, that Simon firmly believed this was a great opportunity.

And for this very reason, Allen and Simon had such an intense conflict that allowed Katherine to complete another task given by Amberser—to turn Sandshadow City into an armed populace.

“That Lich would do anything for money,” Katherine remarked.

Originally, when Amberser negotiated with the Silvermoon Knights, a militia man was worth a thousand Gold Coins, not counting ordinary citizens. But now, if ordinary civilians were pulled into city defense, they would become militia.

Then, Amberser could point at the population of the city when settling accounts with the Silvermoon Knights.

And Sandshadow City had tens of thousands of people.

Katherine guessed that the expressions on the Silvermoon Knights’ faces would be quite unsightly when that time came.

Katherine couldn’t help but chuckle, knowing full well that Laine and the Elf Tribe were considered allies, but somehow, just the thought made her a bit excited, probably because she had put in some effort into this plan.

Simon’s resolve left Allen no choice but to sound the warning horn, reluctant to let Sandshadow City risk falling. He awoke the citizens, having them begin to pray to the Lord of the Dawn and take over the work of the Paladins.

Although many residents had complaints, most of them still cooperated and began to pray at the altars around the city.

Holy Light shone brightly throughout the city, as dozens of Paladins led nearly all the soldiers out of the city, chasing in the direction of the “gravely wounded Lich.”

Katherine naturally joined the troop leaving the city, but before she did, she made a point of circling the city, quietly leaving behind a little “gift”.

Allen had completely fallen out with Simon and the others, so he simply stayed in Sandshadow City.

Even if he was called a coward, it didn’t matter anymore. His unease grew stronger, and staying in the city was the best choice.

Watching the troop leave Sandshadow City, Allen couldn’t help but wish that the group would suffer a great loss against the Lich, at least then they would know who was right.

But as soon as that thought emerged, Allen punched himself.

As a Paladin, how could he entertain such dark thoughts? Those were his compatriots.

“This Lich is just too horrifying. Even without having met him, just thinking about anything related to him makes me become dark,” he lamented.

Allen quickly recited the doctrines in his mind, wanting to expel all darkness from his heart.

Time ticked by second by second, but there was still no word from the Paladins who had gone out.

Allen grew more and more uneasy. Could it be that the Lich had run away? Even if they came back empty-handed, it would be okay, as long as they returned safely.

He waited until the sky was almost bright.

Then, at the edge of the distant desert, a golden dot appeared and grew larger.

When Allen could finally see clearly, his heart that had been hanging by a thread finally died.

It was a huge Golden Throne and the terrifying Lich sat upon it, waving at Allen.

“It really was… all a trap! A snare laid by that Lich!”

Allen furiously pounded the city wall, his fists bloodied, but the pain in his hands couldn’t cover the rage in his heart.

Over a hundred Paladins and two thousand soldiers, their odds were likely grim.

Allen couldn’t help but feel relieved that he had stayed in the city, thankful that last night he had summoned the entire city’s population to pray and bolster the Holy Light Magic Array. The collected Power of Faith from all the citizens at least could hold off the Lich for a few days.

By then, reinforcements from the Imperial Capital should have arrived, right?

Speaking of which, it had been almost a day since he had asked for help, why hadn’t there been any response?

As Allen was pondering how to cope, he suddenly heard a series of exclamations from within the city.

He quickly turned his head to look inside the city, only to see a dozen dazzling lights rise up. These lights, filled with strong Magic, disrupted the perfect operation of the Holy Light Magic Array.

It was as if everything had been prepared in advance. The moment the Holy Light Magic Array of Sandshadow City was disrupted, the Golden Throne had already teleported above the city.

Allen felt everything go black; a thick fog of darkness enveloped him.

Not just him—the entire Sandshadow City had fallen into complete darkness. Devout prayers were interrupted, panic descended upon the city, and piercing screams echoed everywhere.

Allen slumped to the ground, powerless.

“It’s over! Sandshadow City is completely finished!”