Lich for Hire

The domain of darkness sounded impressive, but even Shara had dismissed it in favor of corruption.

That alone spoke volumes about its limits. It was like carving out a tiny scrap from a grand concept and calling it "darkness." In truth, it was little more than an insignificant dab of paint on a vast canvas.

For mortals, fusing with such a domain could still elevate them to godhood on the spot. No matter how faint the divine power, it was a qualitative leap forward.

But trying to sell it to a god was another matter entirely.

It wasn't merely weak, but also problematic. Its origins were questionable, and anyone who fused with it would likely invite trouble.

The gods strong enough not to fear trouble had no interest in such a feeble domain. On the other hand, the weaker gods might want it, but couldn't afford the consequences.

Taken together, these restrictions meant it would be extremely hard to sell for a good price.

When it came to matters of the divine, Ambrose could only consult the God of Alchemy.

As always, the god appeared the moment he was called. Ambrose simply tossed out a few gold coins and called his name before the God of Alchemy materialized, beaming with delight.

The moment he appeared, he said smugly, "So, you've already noticed? My divine power has recovered, and it's even stronger than before."

Ambrose nearly replied, "A son knows his father best," but swallowed it. He needed a favor, after all. Instead, he chuckled dismissively.

"Now that your power's back, does that mean you can finally give me the blessing you owe me?"

He hadn't forgotten that the god had promised him one the last time they spoke. The God of Alchemy coughed awkwardly. "There was a minor miscalculation on my part. I thought my recovery would let me grant you a special blessing, but..."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Ambrose snapped. Not only did this old man steal his domain, he wasn't even going to give him a divine blessing?

"Relax," the god said quickly. "Now, this isn't a blessing, but I think it may be even more useful to you."

He drew a circle in the air with both hands. A massive full-length mirror appeared before Ambrose.

Ambrose examined it closely. Behind the mirror was a dense array of gears and a mana-powered furnace. He couldn't tell what it did at a glance.

"What is this?" he asked.

The God of Alchemy explained, "Back when I was searching for you, I developed an artifact that could locate anything, anywhere. By the time I finished it, though, I'd already found you."

"It's that powerful?!"

Ambrose was genuinely startled. If the mirror could observe any place at will, it would be a supreme artifact, one far more valuable than any blessing.

"Don't get your hopes up," the god said. "It only works at full capacity in my divine realm. The mortal world can't supply enough divine power to support it. You certainly won't be using it to spy on the elven queen bathing, for one."

"Why would I even want to see that?" Ambrose shot back.

"Oh? And peeking into someone else's treasury is somehow more respectable?"

Ambrose didn't bother bickering with his former master. "So what can it do right now?"

"I've simplified the design into something mortals can reproduce. Any alchemist can build it. The mirrors can connect directly to each other, showing the other party while allowing voice communication. I even left ports for add-ons: a small teleportation array, or perhaps memory crystals. You can transmit small items or record conversations."

"...So, video calls and online shopping?"

Ambrose was stunned. As a transmigrator, he'd often considered using knowledge from his past life to reshape this world and make a fortune while doing it. Communication had always been the biggest hurdle. He'd once thought about developing telegraphs.

But the omnipresent mana in this world interfered with electromagnetic waves, making long-distance transmission impossible. Even if signals got through, they were too distorted to be useful.

Wired communication was theoretically possible, but rubber wasn't mass-produced here. He'd barely found any rubber trees. The constructs of Alkhemia used an expensive alchemical compound for insulation and cushioning, which was far too costly for cables.

And without large-scale power infrastructure, long-distance systems were out of the question.

But this mirror could enable wireless long-distance communication!

"How much does one of these cost to make?" Ambrose asked.

"How would I know about mortal market prices? I'll give you the schematics. You can calculate everything yourself."

Ambrose mentally ran through his estimates. If the production cost stayed under twenty thousand gold, and maintenance was below three hundred per month, it would have real market potential.

But when he saw the schematics, he froze. "This... this is it? The structure's this simple? It wouldn't even cost two hundred gold to produce!"

It made no sense.

The God of Alchemy explained, "The device contains rule-based effects. In essence, I've embedded my blessing into it, and I'm using my divine realm as a relay to maintain its operation. That's why the cost is so low. But if the laws of alchemy change, it might affect the device."

Ambrose nodded. Divine power—of course. That explained everything.

His mind raced with possibilities. It didn't take long for him to envision countless applications and ways to spread the technology.

Then he remembered why he'd called the god in the first place. "You've completely distracted me," he said. "I wanted to ask whom I should sell the domain of darkness to. Don't you have any generous friends among the gods?"

The God of Alchemy chuckled. "I have plenty of friends, but none stupid enough to let you fleece them. You're not seriously expecting the Lord of Knowledge to buy it, are you?"

That made Ambrose pause. The God of Alchemy did have close ties with the Lord of Knowledge. Back when alchemists had offended the gods, the Lord of Knowledge could have wiped them all out, but he'd spared them out of respect for the God of Alchemy.

Still, expecting him to buy the domain was impossible. A god of such immense power wouldn't care about something this trivial. And he was famously neutral. He wouldn't get involved in anything that even hinted at divine conflict.

"So what now? I can't just let it rot in my hands."

Ambrose hadn't expected something as valuable as a divine domain to be unsellable.

"What about your demigod friends?" the God of Alchemy suggested.

Ambrose shook his head. "None of them need it."

Within the Elegiac Society, only three were suitable candidates: the Poet, Aige, and the elder ghoul Yugasi. But all three had made it clear that they had no intention of fusing with someone else's domain.

The Poet didn't need one. His state was unique. He was somewhere between god and mortal, but not a demigod.

Aige wanted to ascend on her own to catch the attention of Aion—whatever would give her even the slightest chance of resurrecting her father. Accepting a domain would trap her as a minor deity forever, and Aion wouldn't even notice her.

Yugasi was similar. He wasn't far from godhood already, and another few centuries of slumber might be enough. There was no reason to accept such a flawed domain.

Ambrose had even considered offering it to the Society's president, but he hadn't bothered to respond at all.

As he wrestled with the problem, a thought suddenly struck him. "Wait... there might actually be someone." He turned to the God of Alchemy. "If a god falls after losing their domain, then fuses with a different one, what happens?"

"A fallen god?" The God of Alchemy paused, thinking. "That would be... rebirth. Unlike mortals who force their way into godhood, a fallen god has already ascended once. A new domain wouldn't limit their growth. In fact, they'd be far better off than mortals in that regard."

Ambrose's eyes lit up. "Then I know who to give it to... No, not sell. Give."

The Lady of Mists was the perfect candidate.

He had encountered her in the Emerald Dreamwood and promised to help her deal with the Prince of Lies, but at the time, it had been little more than lip service. He was a powerful deity, after all. What could he possibly offer?

But now, if he could help her reclaim true divinity, then Ambrose would gain not one, but two gods who would never abandon him.

And even though she had fallen, her connections remained. She might even bring other gods into his corner, such as... the mighty Goddess of Magic.