Chapter 398: The Deal (II)

Faced with Donald’s conditions presented in person, the two royal holy spirits of Celt needed some time to discuss them.
For Celt I, the term “becoming a god” still posed a barrier in his mind, but the brilliant Celt VII saw through it immediately and advised, “The terms offered by this young man are very favorable and mutually beneficial. Most importantly, they ensure the greatest benefit for our kingdom!”
“…Charlie, what are you still hesitating about? Working with our own people is far better than being absorbed by other true god churches!”
Ultimately, Celt I accepted the reality.
“Very well! I agree to your conditions, but you must ensure that nothing you do violates our agreement!”
Donald smiled upon hearing this and said,
“That goes without saying. To ensure the mutual benefit of both sides, let’s sign a contract!”
With that, he produced a contract drafted using the Book of Truth.
The two holy spirits carefully read the contract and found no potential flaws. It not only guaranteed the previously mentioned conditions but also included many more mutually beneficial clauses. Those who violated the contract would face extremely severe punishments.
Both sides were satisfied, and in the end, Donald, Celt I, and Celt VII jointly signed the contract.
Once the contract turned into light and flew away, Donald proceeded to implement its terms, teaching the two of them about becoming gods.
“You should know that the orcish supreme god who perished a thousand years ago was elevated to a higher god by the Ancestral Spirits!”
Celt VII nodded. This well-known fact was not a secret among the elite of the continent, and the two holy spirits had naturally heard of it as well.
“The advantage of holy spirits is that, with enough faith power, they can quickly rise from the lower ranks to the pinnacle of legend. However, due to the lack of a physical form, they face much greater difficulties at each stage of becoming a god compared to ordinary ones. They often get stuck in bottlenecks for years without progress. Even after becoming true gods, their strength is limited, making them weaker than normal true gods!”
Hearing this, Celt I felt puzzled and asked, “If you don’t think I’m suitable to become a god, why help us then?”
Donald smiled and replied:

“Even the weakest True God is still a True God. At most, they may be weaker when competing with other True Gods, but their status and power remain unchanged. Even as True Gods, unless there are irreconcilable hostile relationships such as divine conflicts or factional opposition, no True God wants to unnecessarily gain another True God-level enemy. So as long as you can become a god, Celt can largely ensure order and stability. Other True God churches might at most use indirect tactics to spread their message externally, but they cannot enter your territory to preach without permission!”

“Besides, isn’t the issue of the Holy Spirit’s weakness solvable?”

Hearing this, Celt VII quickly asked, “What’s the solution?”

“The solution is simple. Since the Holy Spirit has no physical form, we just need to find a body for His Majesty!”

Seeing the surprised expressions on the two Holy Spirits’ faces, Donald explained, “Of course, this body can’t be just any body. A body made of ordinary creatures or materials simply can’t accommodate the Holy Spirit’s powerful soul. Not to mention the corrosive effect of that faith power like poison. It must be a vessel capable of holding divine power. The best choice would be an unclaimed True God’s body!”

“And I happen to know where such a body can be found!”

“Really!”

Both Celt VII and the First King were extremely excited by what Donald said. A suitable body was a huge temptation for Holy Spirits like them!

“Of course it’s true. As for the type of body and whether it matches your soul, those aren’t the main issues. Unclaimed bodies are easy to take over. As long as you can successfully possess that body, it’s no problem to revert to a human form!”

“Theoretically, a True God can transform into any form of life according to their will. Gender, race, and so on mean nothing to a True God. Of course, there are no boring True Gods who like to keep changing. Even that degenerate monarch who was promiscuous with both sexes always maintained his original male form. Too many changes could make believers uncertain about the True God’s existence, reducing their devotion—something True Gods certainly don’t want to see!”

As he spoke, Donald took out a fist-sized crystal. The two Holy Spirits immediately exclaimed, “Faith Crystal?”

Donald nodded and explained:

“It’s just some spoils. With this crystal of faith, it should be enough to support both Your Majesties to leave the palace for a considerable time, greatly reducing their constraints and facilitating preparations before the divination ceremony. Moreover, retrieving that divine body is likely to be quite dangerous, so Your Majesty’s strength is needed to increase our chances of success!”
Sert I nodded in agreement. “That’s only right. Rest assured, aside from the divine body, I won’t covet any other benefits!”
After discussing some details further, Donald offered to leave. Both of them had once been kings, and with Sert’s kingdom as a support, these matters would likely be handled properly without his need to get involved.
“The preparation for the divine body still takes some time. Now that the existence of the Holy Spirit has been revealed, taking advantage of the period right after the rebellion ends and before the new king ascends is the perfect time for you to spread the word more extensively, laying a better foundation for igniting the divine fire!”
After Donald left, silence reigned in the underground palace.
After a long while, Sert I sighed and said, “I don’t know if choosing this path was the right decision.”
“Once a decision has been made, there’s no need to hesitate—just do your best!” said Sert VII, his eyes shining with wisdom.
“Speaking of which, we should even thank the Church of the Dawn Lord for this indirect invasion! Without their pressure, given your stubborn nature, I don’t know how much more time it would have taken to get you to compromise—although I haven’t had saliva in hundreds of years!”
Sert VII made a rare joke, somewhat self-mocking, which made Sert I feel uneasy as well.
By choosing to become a Holy Spirit, one gains endless time but loses all human sensations—something unimaginable to those who have never experienced it. In contrast, though true gods are also beyond the mundane, they live in a more human-like manner, enjoying higher standards of food, clothing, and comfort.
So becoming a god isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Realizing this, Sert I asked curiously, “What exactly is the background of this Baron Merlinna? If he’s just a minor mortal mage, I don’t believe it. Even in our era, the number of legendary powerhouses in a kingdom was fewer than the number of fingers on one hand, let alone a local noble who has three or more such powerhouses under him!”
Sert VII replied thoughtfully:

“This young mage has reached such a level either by being the reincarnation of a true god or by obtaining some extraordinary opportunity, or else by receiving the favor of a powerful true god—there is no fourth possibility!”
“Regardless of his background, his help to us is real and tangible! In any case, having his support is a fortune for us!”
After those words, silence fell over the underground space, with only the sacred fire on the altar burning steadily.
The two-month-long rebellion in the south of the Kingdom of Thelos finally came to an end, with Prince Andrew captured, a small number of rebels executed, and most of them taken prisoner.
When the allied forces recaptured all the territories, left some troops to guard them, and the main forces returned triumphantly, bringing the rebel leaders back to the capital, Donald, who had left the palace grounds, had already returned to his own territory of Dalaran via teleportation without arousing anyone’s attention.
After the battle, Dalaran seemed unchanged, as the fighting had taken place outside its gates, so it was not damaged by the war.
The rebel forces from the North Counties, having suffered heavy losses of over a thousand men, took two days to regroup their scattered troops and assemble north of Stonehold. This time, learning from their previous mistakes, they did not dare to attack Dalaran immediately but waited for support from the southern rebels.
However, after waiting for several days, news came that the southern rebels had been defeated and the royal forces were achieving successive victories. This panicked the rebels from the North Counties, as it would be easy for the kingdom to deal with them once the southern rebellion was quelled.
As a result, the noble factions leading the rebels in the North Counties began to disagree with each other, further delaying the conflict until the army of Dalaran returned victorious on flying magic ships.
With this new and powerful force joining them, the rebels became even more hesitant to take action.
Upon returning to his manor, Donald immediately rewarded everyone, especially the young princess of the Ansel family who had offered friendly assistance.
Miss Cornelia was so pleased with Donald’s praise that she was ten times happier than if she had received praise from the king himself. Overjoyed and a little shy, she took Catherine to the balcony to talk in private.

Donald saw all this, and it stirred something in his heart. He had long known that Cornelia felt fond of him, and it would be dishonest to say he didn’t feel anything at all for her. Deep down, Donald didn’t deny that he wasn’t averse to this younger girl either. However, having lived two lives, his composed demeanor reflected his mature psychological age; he considered himself to be in his early thirties. Pairing himself with a little girl would be rather wicked! So, his feelings for Cornelia were more like those of a brother toward a sister!