Lich for Hire

Chapter 295: One Hell of a Scapegoat

Ambrose was stunned by Black Rose's choice. "Shara? Why would you choose Shara? You do realize we both screwed her over, right?"

Back then, Ambrose had done most of the work, but Black Rose hadn't held back either. She had led an army and slaughtered a massive number of drow herself.

Going to Shara now was practically walking into a trap.

Black Rose gave a wry smile. "She's the only goddess willing to answer my request."

Ambrose fell silent. Unlike him, Black Rose couldn't just bargain for benefits. He would take blessings from any god so long as the price was right.

But her goal was different. She wanted to destroy Lyon, or at least gain the power to do so.

That was not a request most gods would entertain. Even the elven gods were unwilling to clash with the Lord of Dawn over the drow. Other deities were no different.

Only someone like Shara, once a top-tier deity but now among the lowest-ranking, would dare accept such a deal. She already had countless powerful enemies. One more wouldn't matter.

"What's her offer?" Ambrose asked. He still remembered their last negotiation. Shara's so-called "blessing" had been so stingy that even he had been speechless. It was almost as if she held dominion over stinginess itself.

Black Rose shook her head. "I haven't decided which divine domain to offer yet, so I don't know what I'll get in return. But... with you here, I'm not worried."

In the past, her trust in Ambrose had been based on his ability to deliver. Now, it was intrinsic.

Subconsciously, she had begun to rely on him and to entrust him with major decisions.

Just moments ago, she had nearly believed her dream of destroying Lyon was impossible. It was Ambrose who steadied her and renewed her hope. Undead were emotionless, governed by absolute reason except when it came to their obsessions. Where their obsessions were concerned, it was as if they had come alive again.

And at her most vulnerable—at her most "alive"—Ambrose had been there. How could that not change the nature of their relationship?

Black Rose led him to a massive altar.

Ambrose recognized it immediately as the altar he himself had once constructed. By offering something Shara favored, one could call upon the Dark Goddess.

Last time, he had sacrificed a damaged divine artifact to satisfy her.

Black Rose had no such artifact, but she had plenty of slaves. The rebellious drow she had captured earlier hadn't all been executed yet.

Hundreds of drow were brought onto the altar. They were swiftly devoured by darkness, which then condensed into a massive floating head: Shara's visage.

For some reason, the goddess seemed particularly fond of appearing in the form of a single looming head, gazing down upon mortals with overwhelming pressure.

Black Rose immediately bowed in respect.

All deities stood above mortals. Even a queen of the Umbral Depths had to show her reverence.

But Ambrose reached out and lightly pulled her upright.

"Don't," he said. "We're negotiating, not offering unconditional devotion. Don't lose momentum right from the start."

Gods were peculiar beings. They held immense power over their followers and were able to punish them at will, but outsiders were another matter. Ambrose did not worship the Lord of Dawn, so that god had no authority over him.

With deities, debasing yourself too much was practically suicidal. The more you yielded, the more leverage they gained.

Ambrose always remained polite, but never submissive. That was why no god could easily control him. Loss, who had tried to do so recklessly, had been harshly punished by Aion.

So when Shara saw Ambrose, she didn't bother hiding her disgust. She would rather meet her "dear sister" Selene than deal with this lich again.

Her voice echoed with a layered resonance. "You again, lich!"

Ambrose smiled. "It's an honor to be remembered by a goddess."

Shara very much wanted to crush him on the spot, but Loss's fate was still fresh in her mind. She dared not violate Aion's laws.

Ignoring him, she turned to Black Rose. "Speak. Which domain are you offering?"

This time, Black Rose was smarter. Instead of answering directly, she replied, "Honored Goddess, the domain belongs to him. He merely gifted it to me owing to our past ties. The decision is his."

Shara snorted. "The queen of the Umbral Depths, taking orders from a lich? Why not just hand your kingdom to him while you're at it?"

Black Rose smiled. "That's not impossible. Once Lyon is destroyed, I would be willing to give him everything I own here."

Shara stared at her, clearly not expecting that answer. It quickly became obvious that the bond between these two undead was far from ordinary.

For his part, Ambrose felt no joy, only admiration. Black Rose was far sharper than most people he knew. She had neatly deflected Shara's provocation.

As for handing over the entirety of the Umbral Depths, that was obviously impossible. Surely it was just a rhetorical jab.

"Dark Goddess Shara," Ambrose called out, "let's skip the pointless probing. Your time is valuable. Let's talk business. I have two domains: corruption and darkness. You may choose either one, but I'd like to hear your offer first."

Shara didn't bother arguing over his disrespectful tone. "You already know my offer," she said. "I can enhance her dark magic."

Ambrose blinked in disbelief. "You can't be serious. You think that blessing is worth even one divine domain? I thought you were lowballing me last time on purpose. But now... it seems that's simply all you can afford."

The implication was obvious. Shara was broke.

Even Black Rose felt a chill. Mocking a god to her face—was Ambrose not afraid of death?

Then again, after what he had done to Loss, perhaps this wasn't so surprising.

And Ambrose's words had indeed hit their mark. Shara could not allow such a reputation to spread.

What if everyone started calling her a destitute goddess? Even if it were true, that fact couldn't be made public.

Unable to silence him, Shara merely snorted. "Foolish lich, do not attempt to judge a god with your narrow vision. I can grant far more, but corruption and darkness are not worth such a price."

Ambrose quickly replied, "How could that be? These were taken from Loss herself."

Shara let out a cold laugh. "I am the Dark Goddess. Loss's paltry dominion over darkness is meaningless to me, like the scrap cut from a polished gem. As for corruption, it was never central to Loss's identity. A mortal fusing with it would only become a lesser deity, at best. It's hardly useful. If you had brought me the drow racial domain, I might have considered offering something better."

Ambrose sighed dramatically. "What a pity. I've already traded the drow domain to the elves in exchange for their protection. Praise be to Choralan, and may His light shine upon the world."

Shara seemed stupefied. "You gave the drow domain to the elves?!"

"Not gave, but traded," Ambrose corrected. "For protection. Once I ascend, if you trouble me, you'll be facing the entire elven pantheon."

But instead of anger, Shara burst into harsh laughter. "I see. So that's how it is. The portents of Fate are now clear. All that will happen... will happen because of you. Lich, do you realize what you've done? You've just ignited a war among the gods."

Ambrose frowned. "I'm not your follower, Lady. Save the riddles for them. If you have something to say, say it plainly."

Shara, seemingly in a better mood, obliged. "The drow are Loss's most important domain. If I had taken it, I would only profit temporarily. Eventually, I would have needed to reconcile with her. But you handed it to the elves, and they accepted it. That means they intend to reclaim the drow."

That much made sense. And that was why they had enlisted Ambrose's help to begin with.

"But what does that have to do with a divine war?" Ambrose asked.

Shara's voice deepened. "The greatest obstacle to reclaiming the drow is not the drow, but rather Loss herself. By accepting that domain, Choralan has declared his intent to settle old grievances. And Loss is the leader of the dark elven pantheon. No matter how much infighting takes place between them, they will unite at this critical moment. The elven pantheon will go to war, and that war will inevitably spread, drawing in many gods, myself included.

"Lich, you truly are beloved by Fate. You harvested Loss's domains, then delivered it into elven hands. A war of the gods will begin because of you. Countless deities may fall. But tell me, can you bear the consequences?"

Black Rose instinctively tightened her grip on Ambrose's hand. This was terrifying. How could a mortal bear responsibility for igniting a divine war?

But Ambrose simply patted her hand reassuringly. "Don't worry. No matter how fiercely the gods fight, what does that have to do with us mortals?"

Then he looked up at Shara and said calmly, "Lady, you can drop your attempt to pin this on me. "The elven gods are going to war because of old grudges and an old betrayal. Loss was the one who lit the fuse. At best, I'm the stray spark that lit up this powder keg. Where I come from, we have a certain saying: debts have creditors, and grudges have owners. No matter how you look at it, you can't pin this on me."