Lich for Hire

Chapter 211: Meeting the Chairman Again

Strictly speaking, Ambrose had conspired with the God of Alchemy to deceive the Chairman of the Alchemists' Council.

After the Chairman fulfilled Ambrose's wish, he didn't truly become a god. Instead, he was jointly exiled by the gods into this world of chaos.

Ambrose didn't know the exact details of what the Chairman had experienced since then, but it certainly couldn't have been pleasant.

If it had already been several months since then, Ambrose would never have dared to meet him again. With that much time to think, someone as intelligent as the Chairman would surely have figured out what had happened.

But at this point in time, Alkhemia had only just been exiled. The Chairman was probably still completely baffled and uncertain what had just occurred.

This meant that Ambrose still had a chance to deceive him again.

After all, Ambrose had tampered with the Chairman's soul during their previous encounter, instilling the Chairman with a deep sense of trust and familiarity toward him.

With that advantage, Ambrose decided to take the risk.

The once-glorious Alkhemia had become little more than a field of ruins. Only the seven towers in the center remained largely intact; almost every other building had been destroyed.

Apart from structures created by divine power, almost nothing could withstand the force of extraplanar exile.The city had once housed a large population, yet only a handful of corpses remained scattered among the rubble. Most of the citizens had probably been evacuated by the Lyon Empire, while the gods themselves had removed another portion when they cast the city away.

But gods were not omniscient—and even if they were, they didn't necessarily care enough to check every corner of the city. They had saved most of the population out of humanitarian considerations, but they certainly hadn't combed through every building to ensure no one had been left behind.

As a result, there were occasional corpses to be found among the broken ruins.

Only corpses, however. Ambrose sensed no living presence anywhere in the city. Whether those people had died during the exile or before it happened was impossible to tell.

"The gods love mortals," Ambrose murmured, "but not any particular mortal."

With that quiet remark, he continued through the ruined streets until he found the familiar entrance to the sewers.

The magic circle the Chairman had used to ascend to godhood had been carved into the sewers, and his true body had been located there. As a result, the entire sewer system had vanished together with the city.

Naturally, the gods would want to erase all traces of such a ritual. They had no intention of letting mortals attempt another reckless act of artificial apotheosis.

But why hadn't they simply destroyed everything completely? Ambrose suspected it had something to do with natural law.

The Chairman had attempted to become a god, but ultimately failed. After being tricked by Ambrose, he had become something like a sentient artifact, a thinking tool rather than a true deity.

Exiling him here was likely the most severe punishment allowed to the gods under natural law.

To the Supreme God Aion, the Chairman probably wasn't considered much of a threat. If the other gods had violated Aion's rules just to destroy him, the consequences would have been far worse.

And when Aion became angry, even the Lord of Dawn or the Lord of Storms could not do anything against him. With a single thought, he could strip any god of their divine authority and cast the god down as a mortal.

This wasn't an exaggeration. Aion had done exactly that before. Once, he had even stripped all the gods of their divinity at the same time.

That cataclysm had led to the fall of many deities, and the rise of numerous mortals who took their place.

Since then, both gods and mortals understood one thing clearly: they were powerless against Aion. The gods had no choice but to obey him.

It was precisely because Aion was so overwhelmingly powerful that Ambrose could even bargain with gods at all. He sometimes dared to challenge lesser deities directly.

After all, gods were forbidden to interfere with mortals at will. If they didn't like it, they could try attacking him—then wait and see whether Aion would punish them.

But this was also the only weapon mortals possessed against gods.

Holding these thoughts in his mind, Ambrose entered the familiar sewers. Following his memories, he soon found the place where the Chairman resided, the center of the magic circle.

The Chairman, now a tentacled abomination, was exactly where he had been before. From his perspective, he must have granted Ambrose's wish just moments before. Then, in the blink of an eye, all of Alkhemia had been lifted into the air, beyond his control.

An instant later, the city had arrived in this chaotic void.

The Chairman indeed wondered whether Ambrose had deceived him. Ambrose had claimed to have negotiated everything with the God of Alchemy, yet the result clearly seemed like exile. Perhaps the lich had simply negotiated for himself and forgotten about him entirely.

Logically, the Chairman should have been furious and resentful enough to grind Ambrose's bones into powder. But he wasn't. His path to godhood had required abandoning most of his humanity. Only a trace of mortal emotion remained, and he no longer allowed feelings to dominate his thinking.

So instead of rage, he approached the problem rationally. Had Ambrose deceived him? If so, how should he resolve the current situation? Those were the only questions occupying his mind.

Yet before he could find an answer, a familiar figure appeared before him.

When the tentacled Chairman saw Ambrose, his single eye widened in shock.

This made no sense. Why would Ambrose still be here? Could Ambrose not have deceived him, after all?

For a moment, the Chairman's thoughts became jumbled. None of his previous assumptions fit the situation anymore.

"Chairman," Ambrose said, with a sigh of relief, "it took a while to find you."

The Chairman wasted no time on pleasantries. "What happened?" he demanded. "Did the God of Alchemy go back on his word and exile me?"

Ambrose shook his head. "No. The one who exiled you wasn't the God of Alchemy." He paused before continuing. "You may not believe this, but the God of Alchemy was only a spokesperson. The real decision came from the Lord of Knowledge and his allies. Chairman, a ‘pseudo-god' who can cast Wish infinitely without being bound by divine rules… that kind of existence has far too much influence."

The Chairman snorted. "That's nothing more than the arrogance of gods who can't accept defeat. I gained the greatest power permitted me by natural law. Since they couldn't judge me through those same rules, they resorted to disgraceful tricks."

"Exactly! You're absolutely right!" Ambrose said immediately. "I despise that kind of behavior too. That's why I came back to find you."

The Chairman studied him. "From what I know about you, there's a ninety percent chance that statement is a lie," he said flatly. "You're the sort of person who would do anything for a single gold coin. Pursuing profit is your obsession. You would never risk yourself for justice or moral principles."

Ambrose showed no embarrassment at all. Instead, he chuckled cheerfully. "Correct. You really do understand me well." Then he added, "And since you understand me, you should realize that if I came back here looking for you… it must be because there's something in it for me."

The Chairman fell silent for a moment before speaking again. "You dare oppose the gods… because you want me to grant another wish for you?"

Ambrose nodded. "Talking with smart people makes life so much easier. You've already guessed the truth without my saying a thing."

The Chairman laughed coldly. "As I said, it's very much your style. For the sake of profit, you'd even go against the gods. Unfortunately, casting Wish requires an enormous material cost. This ruined city no longer contains enough material wealth to support a second cast."

As he said this, the Chairman's tentacles suddenly spread outward, surrounding Ambrose completely. Then he asked in a cold voice, "One more question. How did you find me here in this chaotic void? With your abilities, how could you possibly travel between planes and reach this place?" His single eye stared directly at Ambrose. "Or… are you still hiding something from me?"