Chapter 396: Persuasion

The flying magic ship carried the warriors of Dalaran northward back to their homeland at a speed even faster than when they arrived. When passing by the capital, it sent the others back, while Donald teleported away from the ship alone.

Upon returning to the palace of Selt, Donald’s mindset had completely changed.
The first time, he was just a down-and-out noble waiting for rewards; even with his status as a mage, he was insignificant in the eyes of the royal family.
The second time, he was already a noble lord. Though he hadn’t yet reached a position of great influence in the kingdom, achieving such success in less than a year was enough to fill him with pride!
This time, Donald’s status was comparable to that of a king or prince. Not only was Dalaran his most prosperous and powerful noble territory, but he also owned two other lands. Just being a legendary warrior was enough to earn him a welcoming reception from the royal family.
Moreover, Donald’s territories weren’t just governed by him alone as a legendary warrior; even the Guardian of the Royal Line, the Holy Spirit of Selt I, would treat him with respect.

So, when Queen Sophia welcomed him, Donald didn’t show excessive gratitude. Logically, it should have been the king who welcomed him, but considering King XV’s health, the queen, who held the highest status in the palace, took his place.
Queen Sophia and Donald had a long-standing relationship. She first inquired about the situation in Sereon, as she hadn’t seen her family there in years.
Due to the sudden outbreak of rebellion, she hadn’t had time to get detailed updates from Duri. Donald naturally fulfilled her request and mentioned the magic portal that connected Sereon and Dalaran, news that delighted Queen Sophia greatly.
“That’s wonderful! It will be much easier for me to visit Sereon and my brothers in the future!”
Even as a queen, she couldn’t return to Sereon easily due to the many obstacles between Selt and Sereon. But through Dalaran, she could teleport straight to the border of Sereon, avoiding sea routes and the long journey through Gadrine’s interior, allowing her to head straight to the heart of Sereon via Dragon’s Tooth Fortress.

This back and forth saved at least two months of time, assuming smooth conditions. If faced with storms or other severe weather, it would likely take half a year just for Celt to travel to Theron and back.

The two then discussed the recent battles near Dalaran. Dalaran’s strength came as a great surprise to the queen! Now, Queen Sophia was increasingly grateful for having made friends with young Donald back then.

With conversation keeping things pleasant, it took only ten minutes before Donald was brought to the core area of the palace.

Before him stood a rather unremarkable palace. Rather than a palace, it seemed more like a warehouse within the royal complex. Compared to the other magnificent palaces, it appeared too simple. Anyone who saw it would hardly think it was an important place; if one wanted to uncover the secrets of the palace, it would easily be overlooked!

“Please come in! That great being is inside!”

With that, the queen stepped aside and left.

Donald adjusted his clothes and stepped into this unassuming building.

Contrastingly to its plain exterior, the interior of the palace was grand and imposing. It turned out to be a vast underground palace. Judging by its size, it covered at least most of the palace, showing just how enormous and magnificent its construction was.

Apart from a large square in the underground space, there were no other buildings. A platform in the shape of an altar stood in the center of the stone-paved square, with two golden misty masses slowly “burning” atop it like flames—one resembling a bonfire, the other like a torch. Through his divine vision, Donald could easily discern the powerful forces of law within them, as well as the mist of faith converging from all directions toward the altar. Clearly, there was more than one holy spirit in this underground space—besides Celt I, there must be another.

“You’ve arrived!”

Celt I appeared silently in front of the altar, accompanied by another figure dressed in military attire.

“Your Majesty, the great founder, I pay my respects!”

Donald delivered a formal noble bow and spoke.

“There’s no need for formality. You must be able to guess who this person is!”

Donald replied with dignity: “Yes, this must be one of Celt’s two greatest rulers, His Majesty the Seventh, the Restorer! It’s not surprising that you have become a holy spirit.”

Unlike Celt I, who was tall and strong with a relatively handsome and gentle face, Celt VII nodded kindly and said, “I have some memory of the Merlina family. There was a young man who followed me and helped build achievements back then. You must be from a knightly family! I never expected to meet such a powerful mage as you!”
Despite this king’s seemingly gentle demeanor, Donald, who was well-versed in history, knew that his heart was the exact opposite of his appearance. On the surface, Celt VII, who looked like a cultured middle-aged man, was far more wild than the seemingly strong Celt I. It had been he who ordered the massacre of the barbaric tribes in the Northern Wastes and led the knightly order to push the kingdom’s territory further north.
Donald humbly replied, “It’s also my luck. I’m afraid that from now on, there will be even more opportunities for those in my Merlina family to develop magical talents!”
Celt VII shook his head. “To become a legendary powerhouse, luck is important, but hard work and effort are essential! To become a legendary powerhouse before the age of 25—such a genius has never appeared in history before. There must be some secret to it!”
Upon hearing this, Donald remained calm and said, “If there’s a secret, who among those who have reached the Golden Rank doesn’t have some? I’m just a bit luckier than others!”
From the other party’s tone, Donald could tell that he had no intention of delving deeper, so he naturally wouldn’t panic and reveal his true abilities.
Seeing the young man’s composure, Celt VII stopped probing, smiled, stepped back a few steps, and handed the floor over to Celt I.
“Do you know why I’ve come to see you this time?”
Celt I’s deep voice rang out, and Donald immediately had an answer in mind.
“Your Majesty has summoned me, surely to use my strength to maintain Celt’s stability!”
Celt I nodded in approval upon hearing this.

“That’s indeed the case. Over the years, as Celt has grown more prosperous, many forces within the Church of the Gods have become restless. This time, the Lord of Dawn’s test has given them further confidence—even if they can’t conquer Celt all at once, they can gradually erode us. After all, I am not a true god and cannot protect this land forever. Aside from me, there are no other forces in the kingdom that reach the level of demi-gods. Since you have become a legendary warrior at such a young age and carry the pure bloodline of Celt, it’s not impossible for you to enter the realm of immortal demi-gods in the future. Your lifespan will surely be far longer than that of ordinary people. That’s why I intend to entrust you with the responsibility of protecting Celt’s legacy. In return, you can enjoy the resources of the royal family. What do you think?”
Donald shook his head in admiration after hearing this.
What the other person said was roughly in line with his assumptions. Although the Holy Spirit was almost immortal, without igniting the divine flame, it couldn’t truly transcend the mortal realm, and its lifespan was still limited—usually between 500 and 1,000 years. Beyond that limit, it would be increasingly eroded by the power of faith, eventually exploding like a firework and its soul completely disappearing from the material world.
“Your Majesty, you still have plenty of time, and there’s another better path you could take. Why entrust this task to me, an outsider?”
“If you’re referring to becoming a god, then there’s no need to persuade me. As a true descendant of Bannai, I will not follow in the footsteps of our enemies!” Celt stared at Donald with sharp eyes, his face showing a hint of anger, making him even more imposing.
Donald didn’t dare agree with Celt I’s insistence, so he boldly expressed his own views.
“Are the gods really our enemies? I think Your Majesty’s view is too extreme. Just because some true gods contributed to the destruction of Bannai doesn’t mean we should put ourselves against all of them! Doing so is undoubtedly seeking our own destruction!”
Celt I became furious upon hearing this, but before he could react, he was stopped by Celt VII, who was smiling.
“Let’s hear what this kid has to say!”
Donald nodded in gratitude to Celt VII, then continued, “The era of the Magic Empire has ended. Anything that hinders historical progress will eventually be crushed by the wheels of history. No matter how powerful the Ancient Arcane Empire is, what will destroy them in the end isn’t the gods, but the disasters they bring to the material world!”

“So I think our enemies are not entirely the gods, but mostly ourselves. The gods are not all greedy vampires either. Even if you don’t become a god, how long can you protect Celt? On the contrary, if you become a god, Celt will have true gods as its backing, allowing it to more effectively prevent invasions by other godly religions. And even if you become a true god, you won’t have to exploit faith like some other gods do; instead, the people of Celt will spontaneously revere you. By then, even without building a temple, the people of a kingdom will be enough to grant you sufficient divine power!”