So-called advancement to the legendary rank was, in truth, the moment when one's wisdom, power, or another defining trait touched the very origin of the world's laws.
Or, put simply, when one reached the passing mark set by the supreme deity above for mortals.
It was like having a crush on a goddess: going from gazing at a photograph to catching a fleeting glimpse of her in person on the street, feeling as though one had "come to know her even better."
A photograph was flat, a single frozen pose.
Seeing her in person, on the other hand, was three-dimensional and vibrant. And the charming goddess known as the laws of the world was flawless from every conceivable angle, only making one all the more infatuated.
Anbaixiu now had the privilege of beholding this supreme deity's true face for a second time. Bathing once more in the light of the laws granted him fresh enlightenment.
At this moment, the power belonging to the School of Divination stirred restlessly, as if seeking to apply a filter over this supreme goddess and imprint it deep into Anbaixiu's soul.
Anbaixiu quickly suppressed this power. Given his personality, if he chose divination, he could forget about ever attaining godhood in this lifetime.
During his previous advancement, Anbaixiu's will had not been firm enough; wavering back and forth, he had ended up with a legendary boon that was of little practical use to him. But this time, having reincarnated as a lich, he had cast aside all secular desires, leaving only his most obsessive, unadulterated pursuit.
To pursue greater wealth, to possess wealth that could never be exhausted no matter how carelessly spent, to wield the power to protect that wealth rather than being repeatedly scavenged like a treasure chest, and to let his wealth buy anything he desired... Perhaps it was overly greedy, but greed had always been Anbaixiu's greatest obsession.
Regardless of whether tacky, ostentatious gold suited the supreme goddess's demeanor, Anbaixiu simply adored this dazzling color that flaunted opulence.
These obsessions were so distinct that they finally cast a glittering golden filter over the supreme goddess of worldly laws, imprinting it deep into Anbaixiu's soul.
A throne forged of gold manifested before Anbaixiu. In a daze, he saw all living beings prostrating before his feet—praying, bowing, praising, offering everything to the emperor upon the Golden Throne.
When Anbaixiu recovered from the hazy vision, he understood what manner of legendary boon he had obtained.
Anbaixiu walked up to that small mountain of gold and held out his hand.
A million gold coins instantly melted into liquid. Under Anbaixiu's command, the gold flowed, took shape, and solidified into the Golden Throne he had envisioned.
Sitting upon the throne, Anbaixiu drifted through the air until he hovered before the time-frozen Dippel.
With a kingly wave of his hand, Dippel's mobility was restored. However, Dippel's memories seemed stuck at the moment the City of Alchemy was destroyed; he did not even know why he had been teleported here.
Seeing Anbaixiu perched high upon the Golden Throne, Dippel sneered, "So this is the reward you got from your wish? It certainly suits your character."
Ignoring his provocation, Anbaixiu merely spoke a single, calm word: "Kneel!"
Before Dippel could retort, a crushing pressure descended upon him. The defensive wards on his magical robes activated automatically, attempting to ward off this force.
Yet it was entirely futile.
The Counterspell effect failed completely. Dippel was slammed ruthlessly to the floor by the sheer weight, his knees striking the ground with a heavy thud.
Shock gripped Dippel's heart. Was this the effect of Command? Could such a low-tier spell actually work on him? Even if he was an alchemist who didn't specialize in combat, as a legendary powerhouse, his resistance to low-tier magic was exceptionally high, not to mention the various defensive enchantments he wore. How could a single word from Anbaixiu pin him to the floor?
Dippel couldn't lift his head in the slightest, so he couldn't see that after Anbaixiu cast this Command, a corner of the Golden Throne behind him had vanished.
Anbaixiu looked upon Dippel's wretched kneeling posture with great satisfaction. The first effect of this Golden Throne was spellcasting amplification. Low-tier spells had weak effects and were easily blocked or resisted, but casting spells through the Golden Throne vastly empowered them.
In fact, even spells Anbaixiu was unskilled in could be executed flawlessly through the Golden Throne.
Such as... Power Word Kill.
Designating all creatures within a certain radius to undergo an instant-death check—failure meant immediate demise. The power of such high-tier necromancy was terrifying. Even for a legend, failing to save against the instant death effect meant dying on the spot, no matter how powerful you were.
Anbaixiu had never delved particularly deep into necromancy. After all, he had not been reincarnated for very long, and he normally could not cast high-tier necromancy like Power Word Kill.
But now, simply by channeling the power of the Golden Throne, he could cast this spell and snuff out Dippel's life with ease.
Anbaixiu could also cast a Fireball; empowered by the Golden Throne, a single blast could surpass the might of three.
However, as wondrous as the throne was, overusing it would lead to bankruptcy.
Forging gold into the throne was equivalent to infusing it with the power of wealth. Money was indeed powerful, but its consumption was just as immense.
A single casting of Power Word Kill would cause the throne behind him to dissolve completely.
Having confirmed this ability of the Golden Throne, Anbaixiu no longer agonized over which legendary boon to choose from the God of Alchemy.
The Guildmaster's ability guaranteed a hundred-percent success rate for alchemy experiments, but required spending money. The Golden Throne's ability was much the same, also requiring cash to cast spells he didn't know. Their effects overlapped to a degree; even if it wasn't a complete replacement, choosing the Guildmaster's ability felt somewhat redundant. After all, many alchemical experiments relied heavily on high-tier spellcasting, and the success rate often depended on those very spells.
Therefore, he should choose the property transmutation boon. That way, Anbaixiu wouldn't have to fuss over finding bones to create skeletons; he could forge them directly from steel, granting him far more options. If that were all, however, Anbaixiu would merely be using money to bridge the gap between himself and other legends, which went against his philosophy of wanting to make even more money.
Hence, the Golden Throne possessed a second ability: helping Anbaixiu turn a profit.
Anbaixiu looked down at Dippel kneeling on the ground and adopted a gentle tone. "Master Dippel, there seems to have been a slight misunderstanding between us."
Feeling the pressure lift, Dippel scrambled awkwardly back to his feet. In this moment, he finally sensed the threat of death. The lich before him seemed transformed, and the golem puppets he had once relied upon were already destroyed. He no longer had the luxury of acting tough.
Lowering his head, Dippel said to Anbaixiu, "I admit that I've lost completely this time. I am willing to pay a ransom."
Hearing the word "ransom," Anbaixiu's eyes lit up.
"Heh, you see? It really was a misunderstanding. I knew Master Dippel would understand my difficulties. After all, your people from the City of Alchemy had the paladins tear down my castle. As for this ransom, it must certainly be worthy of a legend's stature, wouldn't you agree?"
Dippel's expression darkened, but he could only reply, "The City of Alchemy has long been running a deficit, and I don't have much cash on hand, but I can pay with these."
Dippel reached slowly into his robes, terrified of provoking a misunderstanding.
He produced an object resembling a pocket watch and offered it to Anbaixiu.
Anbaixiu carefully opened it, and beams of light projected from the pocket watch, assembling into numerous three-dimensional images.
"The detailed data and schematics for all the golem puppets in the City of Alchemy are here. I assure you it's even more complete than the official archives. This information is encrypted, but if you release me, I will give you the key to decipher it."
Yet Anbaixiu casually tossed the pocket watch back, saying, "Apologies, but I have no interest in golem puppet technology. You should know full well that I am a lich. To my eyes, the undead are far more useful than golem puppets."
"B-but I have nothing else left!" Dippel said agitatedly. He had sacrificed almost everything, only to lose so utterly.
"Don't say that. Don't you still have your life?"
Another small piece of the Golden Throne's backrest vanished. Pale green magical energy washed over Dippel, wringing an agonizing wail from the legendary alchemist.
Dippel desperately tried to activate the magical gear on his person, but it was already too late.
Necrotic energy pierced his body, swiftly corroding his flesh and blood.
His robes fell away, revealing stark white bones.
Under Anbaixiu's gaze, the skeleton knelt before the throne, mirroring the vision Anbaixiu had witnessed upon comprehending the ability.
A shower of golden light sparkled across the missing corner of the throne, and fine golden sands formed, partially filling the gap.
This was the Golden Throne's second ability.
Every living being that submitted to Anbaixiu and devoutly knelt before the Golden Throne could recharge it through faith.
That was right: faith top-up.
The stronger the willpower and intellect of the creature devoutly bowing before the Golden Throne, the more faith gold coins it generated.
This had nothing to do with physical constitution. The faith generated by a child kneeling devoutly might exceed that of a ferocious beast, because human intellect far surpassed that of beasts.
Anbaixiu unsealed the remaining alchemists, emptied their pockets, and transformed them all into skeletons as well.
However, these skeletons didn't seem to count as high-intellect creatures; the gold generated by their kneeling fell short of satisfying Anbaixiu.
Though Dippel had been a legend, the instant he died, his soul vanished. If he worshipped a deity, it had likely entered that god's divine realm; if not, a legendary soul would become high-value currency contested by the devils of Hell.
The skeleton before him was merely somewhat sturdier in frame.
Still, that was no major issue. What was lacking in quality could be compensated with quantity.
Paired with the Simulated Soul ability, as long as Anbaixiu had enough time and materials, he could forge a vast army to provide him with an endless stream of faith recharges.
Previously, Anbaixiu would have worried about a shortage of materials, as obtaining large quantities of corpses from living creatures was no simple task—no matter how rich you were, nobody had that many corpses to sell, unless one resorted to outright mass slaughter.
But now, the vessels used to house Simulated Souls no longer had to be limited to skeletons.
Chapter 89