Chapter 314: Crystallization

Li Mochen had been persuaded by Linde Emers that having a legendary second-level lich mage serve him was quite beneficial, greatly increasing his power and hidden cards. One Linde, along with the 'Necropolis' magic tower, was enough to stand on his own.

"So, Mr. Linde, how many years was your contract with Douglas Duncan?"

"Two hundred and thirty years. According to the contract, I am to follow his orders at any time without violating my own will or affecting my personal affairs. Additionally, he has the right to conscript me once a year for tasks within my capabilities that I cannot refuse. However, in return, Douglas Duncan provides me with compensation each time he assigns a mandatory task."

Linde spoke frankly, without reservation: "But Duncan also set extra traps, deepening his control over me during my transformation into a lich."

"Then, using this soul contract as a reference, how about setting your term of service to me at two thousand three hundred years?"

Li Mochen thought to himself that he was quite content and liked to be kind to others.

"All details of the contract will follow your soul contract with Douglas Duncan, but under certain special circumstances, you must allow me to run a tab."

Linde Emers' pupils flickered with ghostly flames. He was silent for a long time before speaking again: "Regarding the term of years, I think we can negotiate further. If we take my contract with Duncan as a reference, then twelve hundred years would be a suitable number. Otherwise, I would rather have this phylactery shattered in your hands. If you possess sufficient magical ability, you should be able to perceive that this scepter affects my power but is not my only anchor."

Li Mochen across from him gave a faint, noncommittal smile, while Linde calmly laid out his筹码: "In addition, all the treasures in my magic tower's vault can be yours, hoping to offset a thousand years of the term. I must mention that in my vault there are three drops of Avalon's Life Spring. Sir, this is the most valuable treasure of my lifetime."

The final result of their bargaining was three hundred and forty years. All other details were similar to Linde's contract with Douglas Duncan, but with slight differences.

For instance, the right of conscription was changed to five times a year. This was the main reason Li Mochen agreed to shorten the term to three hundred and forty years. Secondly, the three drops of Avalon's Life Spring greatly tempted him.

The so-called 'Avalon' is a sacred site in Celtic mythology, another name for the Welsh Otherworld, known as the 'Isle of the Blessed' or 'Isle of the Blessed'; it is also the final resting place of King Arthur, a paradise in the Otherworld.

In Celtic mythology, its status is equivalent to Tír na nÓg in Irish mythology, the Garden of the Hesperides in Greek mythology, and the Garden of Eden in Jewish mythology.

And the 'Life Spring' is one of Avalon's secret treasures. Legend says it can resurrect the dead, extend life, strengthen one's physique, and elevate one's soul.

In ancient Celtic myths, more than one hero benefited from it; legend says its efficacy is second only to the Holy Grail.

However, this was merely a description Li Mochen had read in books; he had no idea what it actually looked like or how effective it truly was.

But since the 'Life Spring' was regarded as one of the top treasures in this world, there must be a reason.

Li Mochen did not expect it to extend his lifespan, but he was very much looking forward to the miraculous effect of 'elevating the soul,' which might help him repair his divine soul.

After the two signed the soul contract bound by the 'Seventy-Two Pillars of Solomon,' Li Mochen tossed the platinum scepter back.

However, he kept the seal ring.

"You have a backup of this, right?"

Without borrowing Hazel's body, Li Mochen could not meet the minimum requirements to use the 'Platinum Scepter,' a third-level holy relic. So holding it was useless—it was just a fire poker. After reaching the contract, he gave it up readily.

But this seal ring could serve as a lower-quality external core, providing him with vast energy within a few thousand kilometers around the 'Necropolis' magic tower. Additionally, he could invoke various spells fixed in the tower, such as the 'Annihilation Cannon.'

Thus, Li Mochen was determined not to return this item until he possessed greater power himself.

"Of course! According to the contract, for these three hundred and forty years, the ownership of the Necropolis magic tower belongs to you; I only have the right to use it."

Linde Emers understood Li Mochen's intention and bowed slightly with a hand on his chest: "I will maintain ample magical energy reserves in the tower's magic pool for your use at any time."

At that moment, ghostly flames burned again in his eye sockets, a sign of emotional fluctuations within Linde Emers' soul.

Shortly after his rebirth, he had already discovered that the demigod dragon girl indeed harbored powerful strength, but for now, she did not yet have the power to kill him.

It was this young man named Andrew Li Wieldenstein who gave him an unfathomable feeling. Especially after the soul contract, he could even sense a slight pressure from the other's soul quality.

But what kind of being was this one?

...

Late at night, in his meditation room, Li Mochen looked with extreme hesitation at three 'hearts' like red crystals before him—another trophy he had forcibly taken from the three legendary 'Pit Fiends.'

However, these were not the true hearts of the Pit Fiends; what had manifested beside Li Mochen at the time were merely power projections summoned by Douglas Duncan through magic.

These three 'Pit Fiends' actually possessed legendary fifth-level strength and were likely lords of their domains in 'Hell.' Through their contract with Douglas, they could project part of their power to aid him in battle.

But this did not mean the three 'hearts' were useless. They were the vessels of the Pit Fiends' power, necessities for Douglas Duncan to complete the summoning magic, and also high-purity energy crystals.

—These were energy crystals more powerful and purer than the 'dual-source' external core in his hand.

What made Li Mochen hesitate was that he still hadn't figured out how to use these three hearts.

Although they were indeed high-purity energy crystals, after bearing the consciousness of the Pit Fiends, they had been deeply polluted by their power and marked with spiritual imprints. This severely limited the ways to use these three 'hearts,' unless he paid a huge cost to purify them.

Currently, the feasible methods were: first, using them to sign contracts with the three Pit Fiends to borrow some of their power to a limited extent in the future; second, sacrificing them to gain benefits from high-ranking demons or devils; third, donating them to the Church of Light for some rewards.

But none of these three methods were what Li Mochen wanted, nor could they realize their full value.

However, if left unused, these three 'hearts,' which were essentially energy crystals, would gradually degrade until their value plummeted, which was even more uneconomical.