When the name of the Goddess of Wealth was brought up, Anbaixiu's interest was piqued at once.
The Goddess of Wealth, Waukeen, held titles such as the Merchant's Friend, Goddess of Trade, and Protector of Merchants. Over the years, the prospect Anbaixiu looked forward to most was becoming a chosen of the Goddess of Magic, with this Goddess of Wealth a close second.
And now, Anbaixiu harbored no hope whatsoever toward the Goddess of Magic, but he was certainly eager to make the acquaintance of the Goddess of Wealth.
Unfortunately, in all these years, she had never descended to have a chat with him.
Anbaixiu asked curiously, "What exactly happened to the Goddess of Wealth? You've said yourself, Master, that I should have become her chosen long ago."
The God of Alchemy explained, "She is slumbering. Long ago, she was captured by a powerful abyssal demon. Only after enduring a protracted period of imprisonment did she manage to narrowly escape. Later, although she successfully took her revenge on that demon, the exhaustion of her divine power forced her into a deep slumber. Commerce on the Prime Material Plane hasn't developed much over these past years, and that is tied to Waukeen's sleep as well."
Anbaixiu asked in confusion, "Then how did you find her?"
"You don't need to know that." The God of Alchemy did not seem keen on discussing the matter, merely saying to Anbaixiu, "I am working on a way to awaken her. What I need from you is to continue expanding your commercial empire. The kingdom-scale alchemy factory initiative you proposed transcends the existing rules of this world, which is of immense help to Waukeen.
"I can sense her power reviving. She is only a tiny step away from waking up."
Anbaixiu never imagined that the Goddess of Wealth had actually been imprisoned by an abyssal demon. This didn't seem to be recorded in any books.
Furthermore, the God of Alchemy hadn't said a word about how he knew Waukeen. Anbaixiu even began to suspect whether his teacher had played a part in Waukeen's comatose state—could he have been the one to strike at her?
Neither Anbaixiu nor the God of Alchemy could be considered good people; scamming mortals and scamming deities were all the same to them, carrying not an ounce of psychological burden.
Still, since the God of Alchemy had put it that way, Anbaixiu could only take his word for it and agreed.
"I'll soon be making deals with the hell lords. Hopefully, transactions involving soul coins will also provide the Goddess of Wealth with power to revive."
The God of Alchemy nodded. "Of course. All commercial transactions share the same essence, whether the commodity traded is gold or souls. But this time, don't make it another case where you win twice; it had best be a genuine win-win. After all, what Waukeen desires is the flourishing of commerce, not a single capitalist monopolizing every industry."
"Now you're asking a bit much of me," Anbaixiu said, mildly disgruntled.
The God of Alchemy rolled his eyes at Anbaixiu and said helplessly, "Asking you to pursue mutual benefit is asking too much? Listen to yourself! If you keep this up, Waukeen won't pick you as her chosen even when she wakes."
"Fine, I'll do my best."
Anbaixiu knew he was asking others for help this time, so it wouldn't do to push things too far.
He would strive for a genuine win-win this time around.
"One last question, Master. Do you know how to find that lobster-headed goddess? A deity hiding in her divine realm shouldn't be easy to track down, right?" Anbaixiu posed his final query.
The God of Alchemy nodded. "Indeed. I only know her divine realm is in the Elemental Plane of Water. That is an extraordinarily vast world, so locating her divine realm will be exceedingly difficult. However, it's not entirely impossible. As long as you give me a general direction, I can invent an alchemical artifact to solve the problem."
"That impressive?" Anbaixiu said in surprise.
"Your teacher doesn't just lie around in here all day, you know. The evolution of alchemical concepts brings growth in divine power, so naturally I can achieve more."
Anbaixiu asked hurriedly, "Can't you just make an artifact that grabs the Kuo-toa Goddess and packages her up directly?"
The God of Alchemy replied contemptuously, "Why don't I just craft an Overgod's godhead and hand it to you as a gift?"
"If you're offering, I certainly won't refuse."
"If I had such a thing, do you think I'd give it to you?!" The God of Alchemy decisively cut the communication.
Having parted ways with the God of Alchemy, Anbaixiu took no rest. Next was the main event: it was time to speak with those two Archdukes of Hell he hadn't seen in a while.
Summoning Tiamat required a large-scale blood sacrifice, whereas Zariel only required placing Melina in the center of the summoning magic circle.
As it happened, Rose of Decay had mentioned to Anbaixiu that the site for the alchemy factory in the Raging Tide Kingdom had been chosen, making it high time for him to pay a visit.
A teleportation array linking Gold Coin Island directly to the Raging Tide Kingdom was already operational, so Anbaixiu teleported straight to the island he had not visited in a while.
The Raging Tide Kingdom looked much the same as before, except that the honor guard greeting Anbaixiu was rather grand. Looking at the imposing troops, Anbaixiu was somewhat surprised—their spirits and discipline seemed markedly sharper.
Rose of Decay and Ariel stood side by side, two beauties of contrasting grace cutting an exceptionally striking figure.
Anbaixiu didn't want to spoil the scenery, so he walked over to greet them in the guise of the black-haired youth.
Ariel had seen this form before and wasn't surprised; instead, she felt a sense of relief.
Partnering with a lich sounded unpleasant, after all, and there had been dissenting voices within the Raging Tide Kingdom. It was only because Rose of Decay and Princess Melina possessed such stunning appearances that those hostile toward the undead held back somewhat.
Humans could hardly be blamed for judging by appearances; when unfamiliar with someone, looks dictated first impressions.
For Anbaixiu to appear in human form made the opposition swallow the pill a bit more easily.
Ariel thought to herself, *This lich is quite well-mannered. It seems he truly is sincere about cooperating with the Raging Tide Kingdom.*
Anbaixiu was in no rush, proceeding step by step to inspect the chosen site for the alchemy factory.
Because Anbaixiu intended to construct a fairly massive alchemy factory, the island where the royal capital sat lacked sufficient level ground for construction. Consequently, the factory had been tentatively split between two islands. The land had already been largely leveled, and the blueprints had been drawn up by experts Anbaixiu had hired, without a single flaw in their specifications.
Yet after reviewing the overall layout, Anbaixiu said to Ariel, "Splitting the factory across two islands makes intermediate transport of materials a real issue. Not only does it drive up costs, but it will also lead to unnecessary wear and waste."
The Raging Tide Kingdom was the primary processing site for dragon materials. Processed goods derived from these precious magical materials were typically delicate, and any carelessness during transit could compromise their efficacy.
An extra leg of transport meant an extra risk of loss, which was unacceptable.
Ariel offered an apologetic look. "The Raging Tide Kingdom consists entirely of islands. We don't have much flat land to begin with. Unless we relocate civilian settlements, we genuinely cannot find enough space to build the factory."
This was precisely Ariel's greatest worry. Factions within the Raging Tide Kingdom had proposed demolishing part of the residential districts to accommodate the factory.
But the capital already suffered from a dense population on limited land, making rehousing extremely difficult. Doing so would leave many citizens displaced and destitute.
The ministers cared nothing for the people's plight; dazzling trade terms had made their eyes gleam with greed. It was only because Ariel had pushed back against all opposition that the alchemy factory had been split across two sites.
She simply hadn't anticipated that the lich would still be dissatisfied.
Anbaixiu looked at Ariel. Not having seen her for a while, he noticed the princess looked even more haggard. The Raging Tide Kingdom was such a tiny place; could it really be so exhausting?
"Master Ultraman, are you dissatisfied with this design?"
Anbaixiu's silence made Ariel nervous. The lich before her was a distinguished guest capable of feeding the entire Raging Tide Kingdom; she truly did not want him displeased, yet neither did she wish to see her people displaced.
"Fret not, I understand your dilemma. Therefore, I will solve this problem myself. You wouldn't mind if I reshape an open plot of land a little, would you?"
Ariel said hurriedly, "Of course not."
This clearing had already been leveled anyway; Anbaixiu was free to reshape it however he pleased.
The Golden Throne, reduced to less than half its original size, appeared behind Anbaixiu. As his hands traced patterns in the air, the earth began to rumble. A vast expanse of sand and rock surged from the seabed, fusing seamlessly with the coastal clearing.
Ariel gasped in shock. "World Weaving?!"
Although Ariel was not a wizard but a storm priest, she was nonetheless a spellcaster. She knew full well what caliber of magic World Weaving was—a true power capable of moving mountains and reclaiming seas.
She had known Anbaixiu was a formidable lich, but she had never imagined he could cast a spell that surpassed mortal limits.
Anbaixiu glanced at the further diminished Golden Throne without much concern. Compared to what he had expended out at sea, expanding this patch of land was a negligible drain.
Settling the factory quickly was the only way it could generate a steady stream of profits for him.
Anbaixiu said to Ariel, "Now there should be plenty of space to build the factory. I hope the Raging Tide Kingdom will cooperate in revising the blueprints."
Ariel said quickly, "Thank you! We'll redesign it according to your specifications!"
Ariel had never expected the issue that weighed so heavily on her mind to be resolved so swiftly. Thinking that Master Ultraman was actually quite easy to deal with, she found her confidence in the kingdom's future surging once more.
With the factory site resolved and other details already hammered out beforehand between Rose of Decay and Ariel, Anbaixiu's presence was essentially symbolic—to sign the magical contract.
In exchange for the Raging Tide Kingdom's labor, Anbaixiu would provide grain and weapons, while also offering basic training so local workers could acquire certain skills.
On the surface, this appeared to be a mutually beneficial partnership. What Ariel didn't know was that the skills Anbaixiu offered were specifically tailored to this dragon materials processing plant.
Outside of this facility, no other alchemy factory would have any use for them, because in all the world, only Anbaixiu could obtain such materials.
Furthermore, as Anbaixiu's grain became the kingdom's primary import, more fishermen would be diverted into factory labor, leaving the kingdom's food supply firmly in Anbaixiu's grasp.
When that day arrived, Anbaixiu would hold the kingdom's lifeline in the palm of his hand.
It was statecraft by stealth, an act of usurpation that no one in the Raging Tide Kingdom could possibly perceive.
Watching Ariel depart full of joy, Anbaixiu led Rose of Decay and Melina back to their temporary apartment.
Rose of Decay had already noticed the changes to Anbaixiu's Golden Throne and asked with concern, "Did your talks with Talos fall through?"
Anbaixiu shook his head. "Talos was actually quite easy to talk to."
The Lord of Storms was merely bored out of his mind and looking for amusement; he was a hundred times easier to deal with than that Kuo-toa Goddess. Anbaixiu briefly recounted his encounter at sea to Rose of Decay, and shared his plan to kidnap the goddess with both her and Melina.
Listening, Melina let out an excited squeal. "That's so thrilling—kidnapping a goddess! Father, you're amazing!"
Rose of Decay couldn't help glaring at Melina before turning to Anbaixiu. "This plan is utterly absurd! How could you possibly kidnap a goddess?!"
Previously, Anbaixiu had only ever deceived deities by exploiting information asymmetry; in an actual fight, he wouldn't be able to scratch a single hair on a god's head.
"Don't worry, it's not like I'll be doing the dirty work myself. That's why I'm getting other gods to help," Anbaixiu said confidently.
Rose of Decay countered, "When dealing with hell lords, can you really keep winning forever?"
"Now that things have come to this, I have no choice but to keep winning." When Anbaixiu said this, there was no trace of strain or lamentation; instead, he sounded exceptionally calm.
The world was in turmoil, and Anbaixiu was already walking at the forefront of it all, possessing influence that swayed the entire plane.
The natural next step was confronting deities—just as an apprentice who graduated had to face ever more daunting trials.
There was no retreat now, unless Anbaixiu was willing to surrender everything and return to the days of squalor.
Since that was the case, what was there to fear?
Anbaixiu casually drew a slapdash magic circle, placed the still-giddy Melina inside, and began chanting the incantation to summon Zariel.
Only this time, Zariel didn't seem to respond to the summons.
Anbaixiu asked in puzzlement, "Huh? What's going on? Melina, have you lost your appeal to Zariel?"
Within the magic circle, Melina looked utterly bewildered; she had no idea what was happening either.
Refusing to give up, Anbaixiu cast the summons again, repeating it over a dozen times before Zariel's projection finally manifested above the magic circle.
Zariel was as she had always been: blazing fiery wings unfurled behind her, and an exquisite face shattered and reassembled like cracked porcelain.
Zariel raised her right hand, hellfire burning fiercely in her palm. The Archduke of Hell snarled furiously at Anbaixiu, "Accursed lich, you dare summon me again?! And with such a half-assed ritual! You had better give me an explanation that satisfies me, or I will inflict the maximum punishment permissible under my authority!"
Anbaixiu chuckled and explained, "Your Grace Zariel, we're already so well acquainted. Let's dispense with the bureaucratic formalities!"
The so-called devil-summoning rituals were entirely dependent on the fiend's mood. Blood sacrifices, self-mutilation... these were merely the devils' sadistic tastes, not prerequisites for a summoning.
Even with Anbaixiu's slapdash summoning, Zariel could still sense it clearly. Whether she answered depended entirely on her own whims—and after harassing her a dozen-odd times, hadn't she been summoned all the same?
Faced with this brazen, shameless lich, Zariel was exasperated and could only roar, "Whatever drivel you have, spit it out now!"
Knowing Zariel possessed little patience, Anbaixiu got straight to the point: "Your Grace Zariel, I have a plan to kidnap the Kuo-toa Goddess and would like to enlist your aid. I can pay soul coins as your hiring fee."
"Kidnapping? What does that have to do with—" Zariel was about to refuse when her eyes suddenly widened, and she asked in disbelief, "Who did you just say you're kidnapping?"
Anbaixiu enunciated with crystalline clarity, "The Kuo-toa Goddess, Blibdoolpoolp. I intend to capture her and present her to the Lord of Storms."
Zariel said in utter shock, "Lich, have you finally gone mad?"
Chapter 451