Chapter 109: A World Without Pain

Chapter 109: A World Without Pain

When the Skinner Duke and his daughter knelt before Ambrose, he immediately felt a change ripple through the Golden Throne.

The gold was proliferating, and not by a small amount at that.

Ambrose could clearly sense that their act of kneeling alone had added the equivalent of several gold coins to the Throne's weight.

Neither the living mercury slimes nor the undead he had created could have done the same. No matter how long they knelt, his total gain amounted to less than a single coin.

There were two reasons for this sudden surge. First, humans possessed intelligence far exceeding that of artificial constructs or undead servants.

Second, both of those before him were fanatics, zealots whose devotion was on an entirely different level from ordinary believers.

Husky had sufficient intelligence, but he merely regarded Ambrose as an employer. Loyalty wasn't the issue. Reverence was. He did not truly revere Ambrose and could hardly devote himself to Ambrose as a result.

Ambrose quietly resolved to give that irreverent fellow a proper "reminder" later.

More importantly, this experiment delighted him for another reason: even faith obtained through deception could still be converted directly into divine "funding."

In that case, failing to indoctrinate Levitra's entire cult would be an insult to the oath he had sworn.

After savoring their worship, Ambrose spoke calmly to the kneeling father and daughter. "Very good. Your devotion has been acknowledged by the Goddess. Now, I shall convey her revelation to you in her stead."

At once, the two knelt even more solemnly. This was a divine revelation personally interpreted by their goddess's chosen.

"The goddess is enacting a grand design and has tasked me with its execution. I cannot reveal the details to you. You need only cooperate with me. This plan will deceive the gods and the Nine Kingdoms alike. It may involve actions that would normally violate doctrine. But this, too, is part of the plan. When it is complete, worshipers of pain will rise scattered across the entire continent."

Ambrose had said almost nothing of substance, yet neither of them doubted him in the slightest.

Levitra's previous revelation had already proven to be genuine. That meant that Ambrose truly was her chosen spokesperson. Trusting him was only natural.

And it was perfectly reasonable for mortals not to be permitted to know the details of a divine plan. Every epic told the same story. Mortals could never comprehend the gods' grandeur, nor see the world from a divine perspective. Countless misunderstandings and tragedies had been born from that gap. The Skinner Duke and his daughter silently reminded themselves never to become such fools.

Seeing that the two had been thoroughly misled, Ambrose stayed true to his original purpose and emptied the treasury completely.

Then he issued his next command. "For the time being, you are not to torture slaves. Do not conduct rituals of pain on your own. Do you understand?"

The Skinner Duke hesitated, but under Ambrose's gaze, he immediately answered, "I understand. It is all part of the plan."

Ambrose patted his shoulder in satisfaction. "Good. Remember, do not focus on short-term gains or losses. The Goddess's true objective is far greater. For now, secure your territory and do not expand recklessly. Also, keep an eye on the elves. If any of them come looking for you, inform me at once."

The duke agreed repeatedly.

As Ambrose prepared to leave, Bella Trix stepped forward. "My lord, please allow me to follow you."

"Follow me?"

"Yes," she said quickly. "My only talent is killing. If our territory is not to expand, I would be useless here. You must have some use for me."

Ambrose considered briefly. "Very well. Await my orders. I will have a task for you soon. For now, remain here. I suspect trouble will find you before long."

Bella Trix's eyes lit up. "As you command, my lord."

At last finished with his deception, Ambrose looted another warehouse full of alchemical materials.

Bella Trix had offered to send all the alchemists along with him as well, but once Ambrose learned they were all certified professionals, he refused outright.

Those alchemists who had been officially certified in Alkhemia would be masters across the continent.

They surely possessed deep expertise in their specialties. If they were to sabotage him, Ambrose might not notice the deception in time—and even if he did, fixing the problem would be troublesome.

No alchemists wanted to abandon their own experiments. None were content to be mere laborers. Even the Alchemists' Council could only divide research topics among specialists; it could not brainwash them and turn them into obedient cogs.

Ambrose lacked a complete alchemical pipeline. He had no positions for them to fill. Recruiting them would only cause problems.

Having declined the alchemists, Ambrose finally returned to his castle.

The moment he arrived, he opened the Necromantic Codex and sent a message to the group chat. [Megaman Tiga: Friends, I'd like to kill a god. Are there any seniors around who might share their godslaying experience with me?]

Replies came quickly.

[Dullahan's Crown: As expected of my comrade, you don't even think before you speak anymore.]

[Megaman Tiga: Let me hear from your wife.]

[Pale Little Skeleton: Honestly, I agree with Gareth. This sounds pretty brainless. Were you struck by an intelligence-lowering curse?]

[Human-Hater: My friend, have you gone mad? If you provoke the elven gods, you won't even have ashes left to bury.]

The elves didn't just have a single god, but rather an entire pantheon of them.

If a divine war truly erupted, even the Lord of Dawn would need allies to challenge them. How could a mortal—even an undead—speak so lightly of slaying a pantheon of gods?

With a sigh, Ambrose explained, [Megaman Tiga: I'm not targeting the elven gods. I'm not that stupid. My target is the Mistress of Pain, Levitra.]

He summarized his experience, omitting any specifics. He only mentioned that Levitra had tricked him and forced him into something resembling unpaid labor, and that he intended to retaliate.

[Human-Hater: The Mistress of Pain... She's not some weak deity either. She's still far beyond us. Why not just endure it? What's so unbearable about working for a god? She's evil-aligned too, same as me.]

Ambrose replied firmly, [Megaman Tiga: Working for her is impossible. She's not paying me!]

[Human-Hater: Gareth, how long has he been like this?]

[Dullahan's Crown: No idea. I'm not that close to him, either.]

......

The group argued noisily for a while, but no one proffered any useful advice. Deicide was the stuff of legend. Few knew how it was actually done. Never trust a bard's lyrics—rhymes mattered more to them than truth.

After a long wait, Black Rose finally appeared.

[Black Rose: How did you manage to provoke a god again? And how do you plan to deal with the elven invasion?]

[Megaman Tiga: I'll handle them together. Levitra choosing this moment to scheme against me means she's eyeing the chaos of war. Once the war begins, pain will follow. Every death is a feast to her. She wants me to influence this war: to make it bloodier, to make the suffering greater. I plan to end the war without bloodshed and starve the Mistress of Pain as she watches. Ideally, she'd die of rage.]

[Dullahan's Crown: Change your class to Dullahan, my friend. You really don't need your head anymore. If you alone could stop the elven invasion, you could even march into Lyon and chop off their emperor's head.]

[Megaman Tiga: Shut up, Gareth. Say "head" again and I'll tell everyone about Lilith, Jenny, and Ashley.]

[Pale Little Skeleton: Who are they?]

[Dullahan's Crown: He made them up! I don't even know those humans!]

[Megaman Tiga: Then how do you know they're human and not beastfolk?]

[Dullahan's Crown: No, that's not what I meant!]

[Pale Little Skeleton: Sorry. Keep talking, you guys. We'll be logging off for a bit.]

Ambrose sneered. A mere sugar baby trying to outplay a lich?

After silencing the troublemaker, Ambrose laid out his plan. [Megaman Tiga: At its core, this is just a resource grab for land, population, and supplies. The desert dwarves are planning a strategic evacuation and need territory to resettle their people. That's their demand. Solve that, and they won't invade. The elves are the same. They might be aggressive about it, but it's all about what they stand to gain.]

[Black Rose: Everyone understands that. But do you know what the elves actually want?]

[Megaman Tiga: That's exactly the information I need. The elves have more than sufficient land. They don't want foreign populations. As for resources, the core of Alkhemia is already gone. Are the surrounding cities' alchemical industries really worth such a massive campaign? There must be another reason. If we find it, the war might be defused entirely.]

[Black Rose: Aren't you enemies with the elves?]

Ambrose paused briefly. [Megaman Tiga: I do hate those elves who jack up material prices. But revenge doesn't have to mean slaughter. I prefer watching them lose everything at the negotiating table.]

[Human-Hater: Mental suffering is still suffering. Wouldn't the Mistress of Pain profit anyway?]

The dwarf vampire suddenly chimed in. He was starting to think Ambrose might not be joking. Ending a war without bloodshed sounded plausible, if only barely.

Before Ambrose could answer, Black Rose replied for him.

[Black Rose: Compared to the devastation of war, the mental suffering of a small group of high-ranking elves is negligible. It's like setting a lavish banquet before the Mistress of Pain and then letting her eat nothing but a single lettuce leaf. She'd be furious.]

[Megaman Tiga: Exactly. We can't erase all pain from the world, but we can drastically reduce it, leaving that woman raging helplessly in her divine realm, writhing like a worm.]

[Black Rose: Do you need me to keep gathering intelligence for you?]

Ambrose had previously told her not to intervene, but circumstances had changed.

[Megaman Tiga: No. This time, I'll go speak with the elves myself.]