Chapter 295: Lich

After returning to White Castle, the White Dragon Lord continued studying magic, using experiments to verify what he had learned. In his free time, he researched golems—specifically the Metamagic Construct and the Diamond Golem.

Refined by countless generations and numerous alchemy grandmasters, the Diamond Golem was already perfect. Even the White Dragon Lord could not improve the construct any further.

The White Dragon Lord crafted eight Diamond Golems to guard the White Tower. Four of them were stationed in the main hall to intimidate... friends.

In truth, this was just his wicked sense of humor acting up; he was using the Diamond Golems to flaunt his wealth.

The White Tower did not actually need more guards. Controlled by the Gold Finger's immense processing power, armed with the Magic Crystal Cannon at its peak, and lined with numerous Magic Cannons hidden along its structure, the White Tower itself possessed the off-the-charts battle power of a High-Tier Legendary Level combatant.

That was for external threats. Internally, it boasted spells like Dimensional Banishment alongside a series of magical servants and golems. Under the Gold Finger's control, these magical servants could coordinate to form a peerless battle team, achieving results far greater than the sum of their parts.

Its only shortcoming was that the White Tower could not move.

Regardless, placing four five-meter-tall Diamond Golems in the hall of the White Tower was more than enough to blind any visitor with sheer opulence.

As for why he did not forge more, diamonds were among the most precious of magical gems. Even the White Dragon Lord could not stomach the cost of buying too many at once.

He had not crafted a single Metamagic Construct, however, simply because it was not cost-effective.

The White Dragon Lord finally understood why Merlin Heavenly Principle had brought out the Metamagic Construct blueprint and sold it at such a low price.

Several of the metals required for the Metamagic Construct were high-level materials that could not be found in Nordhill. The cost of those rare materials alone was enough to build a Diamond Golem.

Merlin Heavenly Principle was still considered "generous." Along with his own improved design, he had included the original blueprint recovered from the Arcane Empire ruins. However, the primary material for the original Metamagic Construct was a secretly forged alloy of the Arcane Empire, and the formula for that alloy had long been lost.

Therefore, aside from its value as a collectible and a research subject, this Metamagic Construct blueprint was almost completely useless.

"That wicked old fox!"

The Metamagic Construct incident left the White Dragon Lord itching with frustration. It felt exactly like a gamer holding the blueprint for a Divine Artifact, only to find that the crafting materials had gone completely out of print. It was absolutely stifling.

The White Dragon Lord maliciously guessed that Merlin Heavenly Principle was not satisfied suffering alone, so he sold the blueprint to make everyone else suffer with him.

A kinder guess was that Merlin Heavenly Principle was simply being selfless, sharing a good thing on the off chance that someone actually succeeded in building it.

The White Dragon Lord did not know what Merlin Heavenly Principle was really thinking, but he leaned toward the latter—or perhaps a bit of both.

Aside from these two legendary golems, the White Dragon Lord had also fully mastered the blueprints for the Iron Golem, Stone Golem, and Clay Golem. However, he stopped after producing a single batch of each.

The materials required for the golems were not ordinary iron, stone, and clay, but expensive magical materials. Even with White Castle's massive wealth, continuous production was unsustainable.

...

Time passed day by day.

Year Three of the White Tower Calendar, winter.

Fine snowflakes fluttered down. In the light snow, Oqi City appeared hazy, like viewing flowers through mist, making it difficult to see clearly.

This winter was exceptionally cold. Even the Ogres, protected by astonishing layers of fat, did something rare and dug out the fur coats buried deep in their wardrobes.

But the freezing weather could not cool the fiery atmosphere in Oqi City. The Administration Department had already arranged for people to hang festive colorful cloth on the snow-covered street trees, because today was the last day of winter, and tomorrow was the shared holiday for everyone in the Afiaiv Kingdom.

Many races made up the Afiaiv Kingdom: trolls, Ogres, gnolls, Harpies, Murlocs, gray dwarves, kobolds, lizardmen, Troglodytes, and humans who had migrated to the Overseas Archipelago. There was also a small number of goblins, alongside humans and Orcs brought back from the Madilan World. It could practically be called a museum of Nordhill's races.

These races all had their own festivals and customs, but Yafiavi's National Day was their only shared holiday, and it had gradually become their most important festival.

Even the outsider humans joined the revelry, because the first day of spring was also a very important festival on the Nordhill Continent.

However, the White Dragon Lord could not bring himself to be happy, all because of the Murloc kneeling in the hall of White Castle.

"Old Jimmy, have you thought this through? Given your strength, the success rate of converting into a Lich is very low. If you fail, your soul will be completely obliterated. You will not even have the chance to enter a Divine Kingdom."

"Master, I have made up my mind. Rather than dying of old age like this, I would rather transform into another lifeform to continue studying the mysteries of magic and serving you."

The White Dragon Lord gave the aging Old Jimmy a deep look. When Old Jimmy first pledged allegiance to the White Dragon, his days were already numbered. By relying on dragon bloodline conversion and the power of magic, he had lived for nearly eighty more years. Now, he wanted to become a Lich to continue existing in this world.

To be fair, even though Old Jimmy had worked just as hard for White Castle as Old Blind after undergoing the dragon bloodline conversion, the White Dragon Lord preferred the simple-minded Old Blind. Old Blind was truly devoted to his duty, whereas Old Jimmy's dedication came with personal motives—namely, to earn more rewards.

He schemed too much. This was the main reason why Old Jimmy, despite being far smarter than Old Blind, had always remained second-in-command among the Murlocs.

Of course, those like Old Blind were in the minority. It was perfectly normal for intelligent beings to be selfish; the White Dragon Lord was not so petty as to lack that much tolerance.

When it came to rewards, the White Dragon Lord always judged things on their own merits. He would not deduct Old Jimmy's rightful rewards just because of his selfish motives.

But this time, the White Dragon Lord felt very conflicted. Old Jimmy had requested his help to undergo the Lich conversion.

The White Dragon Lord sighed.

"Becoming a Lich is no simple matter. Do you understand enough about it?"

No matter the plane, Liches were synonymous with power and evil. One of the prerequisites for becoming a Lich was being a Legendary Mage, and a Legendary Mage naturally could not be weak.

As for why being a Legendary Mage was a prerequisite, it was because only a Legendary Mage possessed enough knowledge. Combined with a resilient soul baptized by the laws of the world, only they could withstand the erosion of the power of death without losing themselves and turning into monsters filled with hatred and murderous intent.

"Yes, I know the chances of a non-legendary lifeform converting into a Lich are very low."

Old Jimmy gritted his teeth.

"But I still want to try. Besides, with Master's strength and knowledge, finding a method should not be hard. I beg you to help me, Master."

The White Dragon Lord weighed the matter in his heart. Over the years, Old Jimmy had indeed made countless contributions to White Castle. Even if he became a Lich, he would continue to serve White Castle.

"There is a method! But I cannot be sure if you will be able to endure the pain."

"I will extract your soul and roast it over the Soul-Forging Fire until it becomes dense enough to withstand the erosion of the power of death."

"But you must think carefully. The Soul-Forging Fire is what the Demon lords call Hellfire. It is the most famous punishment in the multiverse, and the agony is not something an ordinary person can endure."

A Demon's favorite food was a chaotic, broken, and powerful soul, and the Soul-Forging Fire achieved exactly that effect. The pain would cause someone to break down and go mad, while the soul-forging flames made the soul dense and powerful. Once a soul was roasted to a certain point, a Demon would take it off the fire and eat it.

The White Dragon Lord's method involved taking the soul out when it could no longer bear the pain, letting it cool for a moment, and then putting it back in to roast. He would roast it repeatedly until the soul met the standard before holding the Lich conversion ritual. The suffering involved in this process went without saying.

Furthermore, even the White Dragon Lord could not fully comprehend the mysteries of the soul, so this method carried massive risks.

The White Dragon Lord added.

"If you cannot handle the pain and lose your mind as a result, do not blame me."

Old Jimmy hesitated upon hearing this. The most famous quote from Demons was: "I will roast your soul over Hellfire for ten thousand years!"

Although the guys who said that usually ended up dead, it was no empty threat; they would actually do it.

Not just Demons, but evil gods also liked to use this method to torture their enemies. This alone showed the sheer level of agony caused by the Soul-Forging Fire.

Eventually, Old Jimmy convinced himself.

"Master, I am not willing to just die like this. I still want to try."

The White Dragon Lord closed his eyes, opening them a moment later.

"Very well! As you wish."

The White Dragon Lord stood up and walked toward the White Tower.

"Follow me."

Leaning on his staff, Old Jimmy followed the White Dragon Lord.

The White Dragon Lord retrieved a bronze candlestick from his collection room. The candlestick was covered in patina, looking ancient and mottled, and its base was formed by four skulls.

A wondrous magical item—Morodin's Musical Candlestick!

Morodin's Musical Candlestick was one of the favorite objects of the Abyssal lord, Morodin. Whenever he wanted to sleep, he would light this candlestick. The agonized screams of his enemies were like beautiful music to his ears, and only by listening to this "music" could he sleep peacefully.

An evil incantation spilled from the White Dragon Lord's lips. The language was sinister and low, like murmurs from a nightmare.

It was Abyssal. Like the dragon language and Ancient Elvish, Abyssal was a language that possessed special power.

Whoosh!

A handful of red flames burst forth on the candlestick. It was a bright, deep crimson, yet it emitted no heat whatsoever.

Old Jimmy could not help but shiver.

The White Dragon Lord glanced at him.

"It is not too late for you to back out."

Old Jimmy did not say a word. He simply offered a deep bow to the White Dragon Lord.

The White Dragon Lord shook his head helplessly.

"Very well. I hope you will not regret this."

The White Dragon Lord rapidly chanted an incantation.

Soul-Seizing Hand!

Ripples undulated through the void, and a massive transparent hand lunged out from the center, violently yanking out Old Jimmy's soul.

Held in the grip of the massive soul energy hand, Old Jimmy watched his body slump softly to the ground. He opened his mouth but made no sound.

But the White Dragon Lord clearly heard what he wanted to say.

"Master, please tell my clansmen that I am dead."

The White Dragon Lord nodded and placed Old Jimmy's soul onto the candlestick.

Ah!

Old Jimmy's soul instantly contorted in agony, unleashing a howl on the soul plane. He struggled within the crimson flames, but no matter how hard he fought, he could not escape the fire.

With a wave of his hand, the White Dragon Lord cast a soul-level soundproof barrier over the candlestick. After all, he did not share the hobby of "listening to music," especially when the singer was his own servant.

Picking up the candlestick, the White Dragon Lord walked to his private lounge, placed the candlestick on his desk, and ordered the Gold Finger to monitor the state of Old Jimmy's soul, extinguishing the flames once he reached his absolute limit.

The White Dragon Lord walked out of the room and muttered to himself.

"Perhaps having a Lich dependent would not be so bad."

In the eyes of most people, Liches were crazed, evil monsters. However, the White Dragon Lord did not think so—unless the Lich had already been a deranged villain in life.

Generally, a newly born Lich retained the same mindset they had in life. Their goal for becoming a Lich was either a fear of death or an unfulfilled dying wish. In most cases, however, Legendary Mages became Liches simply to prolong their lives and continue studying the mysteries of magic.

Usually, these Liches would find a hidden place to hole up and research magic, only venturing outside when they ran out of experimental materials.

The reason people formed the opinion that Liches were evil was that the good Liches stayed at home, while only the bad or mad Liches came out to stir up trouble.

As for the origins of mad Liches...

Although Liches were called undead creatures, they could still die. It was simply a rather long process that took tens of thousands of years, and it was tied to the aging of their souls.

But 99.9% of Liches would never live to see a natural death. The older a soul got, the weaker it became. Once the soul grew frail, it could no longer withstand the erosion of death energy, and when it could not withstand that erosion, the Lich's heart would turn evil, becoming the aforementioned mad Lich.

Once a Lich went mad, they would emerge to wreak havoc. After causing a certain amount of casualties, they would die at the hands of the churches of the Gods of Justice. After all, only Soul Magic and a small number of divine spells could directly destroy a Lich's soul, preventing them from respawning in their Soul Casket.

After their death, their lair might even be plundered—and that was something even the White Dragon Lord found extremely appealing. The experimental results a legendary Lich had accumulated over at least several thousand years of research... how tempting that was.

In fact, many advancements in magical civilizations came from the laboratories of Liches.

"Liches really are good people."

The White Dragon Lord strolled all the way to the gardens of White Castle. White Castle featured internal temperature-regulating magical arrays, so even in winter, all sorts of exotic flowers and rare plants were in full bloom.

Suddenly, a message appeared in his mind: the second castellan of White Scale City, Feixi Darkscale, was requesting an audience.

While the White Dragon Lord could send messages to his dependents at will, his dependents could not freely send messages to him unless it was an emergency. Therefore, they had to come to his door for most matters.

The White Dragon Lord arrived at the hall of White Castle, where Feixi Darkscale was waiting.

"Master, the Maritime Patrol Office has discovered traces of a Lich in Fury Blood Bay, below the Overseas Archipelago."