Chapter 521: The Peace Treaty

"Benjamin, you are breaking our covenant."

Standing atop the blue dragon was none other than Michel Medici, whose face, though wreathed in smiles, held no warmth.

"The spatial coordinates here correspond to the territorial waters of America, and you once promised me that as long as I live in this world, you Medicis cannot enter the lands of America."

At that moment, a figure also appeared atop the twenty-story magic tower. It was a skeleton with a tall frame, unlike other liches who adorned themselves in splendor; it wore only a simple black robe, its crystalline jade-like bones devoid of any ornamentation.

"Our contract states that the Medici shall not establish influence in your territory; there is no clause forbidding entry into America."

Flames flickered in its eye sockets. After exchanging glances with Michel for a moment, it turned its 'gaze' to Li Mochen.

"Stop, young man. I can give you what you desire."

"Let's hear it!"

Li Mochen showed no intention of stopping. At that moment, his chainsword had just sliced off half of Kito Medici's wing, and then he set his sights on the lower body of the demigod griffin. This enraged Kito Medici to the point of madness, but he had no choice but to retract a certain large organ from his lower body back inside.

"A three-year truce!"

The mage named Benjamin Medici spoke without any emotional fluctuation: "I swear by my soul that the Medici will cease all aid to your enemies and guarantee not to actively oppose you within these three years."

"That's not enough!"

Li Mochen's attempt to 'castrate' the demigod griffin having failed, he cut off its other wing instead.

"You should know what I want, Mr. Benjamin Medici."

"Regarding Angela, I cannot give you any promises. However—"

The lich shook its head, then produced a yellow-gray jade stone from its hand: "I believe this fragment of the dusk goddess Hesperis's divine spark will suffice to grant my request. I know you have been hiring mercenaries and explorers to search for it in the Ionian Sea, have you not?"

Only then did Li Mochen pause his pursuit of Kito Medici. He looked at the stone in the lich's hand and let out a soft laugh: "You know what this means to me, don't you, Lich?"

"Of course. I know the Dusk Holy Armor is in your hands. It will forge another mythical artifact, making your maid nearly invincible."

The soulfire in the lich's eye sockets was ice-blue: "But I think aside from this, few other conditions would tempt you."

"Indeed! Nothing matters more to me than Angela's safety, but if I can gain the power to protect Angela, then I myself am worth considering."

Li Mochen pondered briefly, then pointed ahead: "Our contract does not include them."

He referred to the seven magic towers ahead and the 'Gate of Spell Forbiddance' belonging to Douglas Duncan, frozen in the river of time.

"Agreed."

Benjamin Medici waved his hand slightly, sending a dragonhide scroll and the yellow-gray jade stone before Li Mochen. The former was a highest-grade astral contract, with the terms already written, exactly matching their negotiation results. Clearly, the lich had prepared everything before coming.

Li Mochen chuckled softly. After carefully examining the scroll's material and content to ensure no traps, he readily signed his name.

As the dragonhide scroll burst into flames, the demigod lich immediately stamped his staff, and together with the twenty-story magic tower, vanished into the astral plane.

The three demigods present each cast a deep glance at Li Mochen before disappearing one by one into the astral plane.

"A pity, Michel, that I couldn't secure their promise regarding Angela. But he has made me curious—"

Li Mochen said as he flashed over to the vicinity of the seven magic towers: "The Medici family would sacrifice even the dusk goddess's divine spark to maintain their rights over Angela. What exactly do they want from her? The Michel Group? But without you, the Michel Group would be nothing. Your two hundred billion golden shields in assets are not indispensable to the Medici family."

"But two hundred billion could buy at least eighty lesser mythical armaments, if the stocks could be converted into equivalent funds and someone were willing to sell—"

Michel Medici laughed softly: "Allow me to keep the secret. Of course, if you're curious, A Mo, you can investigate on your own."

Then he rode the blue dragon and vanished from this astral plane.

"Michel seems stronger than before."

Delfinia gazed at the spot where Michel had stood, lost in thought: "That blue dragon—he probably conjured it. But with a true dragon's skeleton as a base, its aura somewhat resembles the 'Fantasy Dragon Armor' you made for your little girlfriend. I suspect it might be the remains of an ancient dragon, perhaps even a deity."

Li Mochen felt the same way; with Light Demon No. 8, his perception was equally powerful.

"Delf, are you very familiar with Michel?"

"Members of my former family were all servants of Michel."

Delfinia's expression was complex, then she changed the subject: "What are you doing?"

She had initially thought Li Mochen intended to take the seven magic towers as spoils of war. But he showed no sign of collecting them or sending them to Atlanta.

Instead, he held an astrolabe from the East, calculating something.

Then, in the next moment, he used the power of the dragon vein to reach into the void. Before long, he retrieved a blue orb.

Delfinia recognized it as a legendary lich's phylactery. For a prepared legendary mage, death did not mean the end.

Though many mages chose to end their lives upon death, more would prepare to become a lich, a powerful undead creature.

And this blue orb was only the beginning.

Li Mochen continued his calculations, and five seconds later, he reached into the void again.

Delfinia looked with mixed feelings at the dragon vein standing beside Li Mochen. She felt that her own position might soon be replaced by this darkfire dragon.

This left Delfinia somewhat disheartened—not because she was vying for favor with Li Mochen, but for the money.

She had to admit that Li Mochen's wealth was quite helpful to the impoverished Heteromorph race; he had been a very good patron.

In the end, Li Mochen retrieved only three phylacteries. Of the seven legendary mages, five had chosen to become liches. But two had deposited their post-death essence in the Medici family vault, willing to serve the family after death.

Given the newly signed truce, Li Mochen could do nothing about them. In fact, he couldn't even breach the Medici family vault.

Afterward, Li Mochen set his sights on the 'Gate of Spell Forbiddance' magic tower, still sealed in the river of time.