Chapter 440: The First Voter

The sudden transformation of human mage Donald into a true god shocked many forces upon hearing the news. This was the second true god to appear in the remote kingdom of Celt, following the King of the North.

Many had long been intrigued by Donald, the young human mage who had risen from the Golden rank to legendary status in just a few years. They believed he must possess some secret methods to rapidly enhance his strength, and acquiring such secrets would be immensely beneficial for them and their backing factions!

Yet Donald’s genius grew at an astonishing pace. Before certain factions could act, he had already reached the demi-god level, catching everyone off guard. Now, even if they remained interested in the secrets behind his success, they dared not risk offending a demi-god who was now a true god!

This was also why Donald did not deliberately hide the news of his transformation.

At his current level, he no longer needed to be constrained by worldly matters. He didn’t have to compete for power like ordinary nobles, and his territory was self-sufficient, far more prosperous than most noble domains. There was no need to fight over trivial gains, which would only attract envy.

Over the years, however, many nobles failed to understand Donald’s approach and sometimes mocked him in secret. It wasn’t until news of this lord of Dalaran, the young northern mage who had become a god, reached them that these nobles realized he wasn’t foolish for giving up so much wealth and power within reach—he simply despised such worldly interests!

Once a true god, the gap between immortals and mortals became as insurmountable as the heavens. This divine distinction filled these human nobles, once on Donald’s level, with deep reflection.

As time passed, after the Natural Guardians Council was established, Donald became temporarily free. He no longer needed to intervene in matters within his territory, as everything was handled by his subordinates.

Aside from the elf believers who preferred nature and rarely appeared in the outside world, Donald had few followers among humans in the main world, but those he did have were relatively active.

Currently, his followers are mostly concentrated within the territory of Dalaran. They were originally commoners who worshipped him as their lord, including farmers and craftsmen, as well as adventurers and soldiers who revered the strong. Yet the most elite among them are his summoners. These utterly loyal summoners are devout in their faith—naturally suited to be believers. Even their lives were bestowed by Donald, and they have unconditional faith in their master. With proper training, they can become fanatical believers. Among these followers, those with the highest level of devotion have mostly become Donald’s priests, possessing various divine spells. Theoretically, demigods cannot grant divine spells to their followers; if they wish, they can bestow a small amount of power on a few followers, but this is far less extensive and systematic than what true gods can offer. True gods, however, possess divine authority and can transmit part of their power to their followers through the bonds of faith—this is how priests arise. The more devout a follower, the stronger the divine spell power they receive, similar to how greater bandwidth allows more data to be transmitted at once. Although Donald currently lacks the ability to grant very advanced divine spells—new gods usually grant spells no higher than level five, and some, due to their weaker or less complete divine domains, can only grant level two or three spells—such churches naturally lack strength. But Donald is an exception. Even as a demigod, with the Truth Book as a medium, he could grant his followers spells up to level six. Now that he is a true god, with the help of the Truth Book, he can grant spells up to level nine—a feat only gods above mid-tier can accomplish! Powerful divine spells allow followers to better experience the might of the true god, which is highly beneficial for establishing prestige and increasing devotion. However, his priests have not yet reached a very high level. Aside from a few who can cast level six spells—equivalent to the strength of bronze-tier priests in other churches—most have only just begun to grasp the power of divine spells. Yet this already fills those who were once ordinary commoners with pride and excitement, as they have acquired abilities comparable to those of mages almost overnight—all bestowed by the great Natural Guardian Donald.

Donald isn’t in a hurry either, as most of his followers in the main world are elves, and he himself is already a powerful professional with considerable strength. The divine spells he has acquired now are merely enhancements; it will take some time for their full potential to be realized. Most of the divine spells Donald can bestow at present are related to the natural realm, such as plant growth, healing spells, water creation spells, root entanglement spells, and purification spells. There are also summoning spells, as well as divine spells derived from spatial rules like portal magic.

The most remarkable ones are those for detecting evil beings and chaotic creatures, as well as the Sacrificial Fire. The former can generally be granted by gods of order and goodness, but the Sacrificial Fire originates from the power of hunters of demons and is a unique divine ability that Donald can bestow on his followers.

It’s worth noting that those who receive divine spells related to the natural realm are mostly those with a caster’s physique or predisposition, while those who gain the power of the Sacrificial Fire are often followers with a warrior’s physique and potential. This is similar to the difference between priests and holy warriors, though no systematic class system has yet been established.

The divine spells related to summoning and space are relatively neutral, and both types of priests under Donald possess them.

There are indeed followers who master all three categories of divine spells, but they are extremely rare, and each of them has reached a strength level above silver.

Through the threads of faith, Donald can observe all these followers and even glimpse their thoughts. This is because, to a certain extent, the will of a follower’s soul merges with that of the god they worship, bringing them closer to the god’s path. This fusion greatly enhances the god’s control over the follower.

The reason divine spells and ordinary spells are called differently is that the former are the core magical abilities granted by gods, while the latter are magical skills mastered by mortals themselves. In reality, their effects are largely similar.

At present, Donald’s priesthood is still in its infancy, without a systematic framework—a situation common among many newly risen gods. However, it is believed that over time, they will each take on distinct roles, just like the established gods, without further confusion.

After becoming a god, to maintain mystery, Donald, as the lord, can no longer appear frequently among the people. All affairs of his domain are handled by his subordinates.

On the day before setting off to attend the founding ceremony of the Sea God Kingdom, Donald summoned Clinton, who had been in charge of the Adventurers’ Guild, to the manor on Lakeheart Island. Ever since the Divine Fire was kindled, he had rarely appeared openly in the lord’s residence, usually residing alternately between Lakeheart Island, Darknight Manor, or the Mage Tower.

“Clinton, my most loyal servant, do you wish to follow my path until you witness eternity?”

As the first Summoner to appear in this world, Clinton had accompanied Donald through the earliest and most difficult stages. He could be considered Donald’s first true believer, which made him fully qualified to be granted the status of an Elect. That was precisely why Donald had called him over today.

Clinton was naturally more than willing. As the first warrior to stand by his master, he had always felt a sense of honor. However, as his master’s strength grew beyond his own and other heroic figures emerged, that honor gradually faded.

Unwilling to accept this, Clinton subjected himself to rigorous training, pushing himself to break through from Bronze to Silver rank, so as to be able to assist his master with some of the tasks. Yet this was not enough for him—he wanted to help his master do even more!

It was because of these obsessions that Clinton, though not the strongest Summoner, was the most devout among all believers, almost reaching the level of fanaticism.

In contrast, Uther, the only Summoner who had reached the Golden rank, had his faith in Donald weakened by his knightly reverence for holy light. His devotion was slightly lower than that of Clinton and Kelthas, though his loyalty remained unaffected.

After Clinton eagerly agreed, Donald nodded immediately and bestowed upon him the power and status of an Elect.

The process of granting Elect power was something Donald would naturally understand once he became a true god—it was like an instinct, requiring no learning or comprehension.

An Elect was essentially a terrestrial representative of a true god’s divine authority. Most people considered Elects to be manifestations of the true god, but Donald saw them more as humanoid artifacts.

Because the power granted to the chosen ones is not part of the true god’s will, which would only turn them into manifestations of the true god rather than chosen ones with independent wills. What is granted to them is actually a portion of the true god’s laws and authority, enabling them to control and wield divine powers and related abilities. As a result, once one obtains the status of a chosen one, even an ordinary farmer can possess semi-divine strength and immortality.