Chapter 397: The Deal (1)

By this point, Donald’s tone had become fervent.
“The most important advantage for us is that once you become a True God, Celt will be your domain. Not only will the Church of the Three Glorious Gods have no excuse to invade other True Gods’ territories, but no church will be able to do so either. According to the Pact of the Gods, revised after the fall of the Banai Empire a thousand years ago, interfering in the affairs of other True Gods’ domains in the primary material world is a grave taboo among the gods. By standing on the side of justice, and with the Lord of Dawn’s usual decisive approach, we will surely provoke a united reaction from the neutral gods, and the issue will be resolved. Then, as long as you remain firm in your resolve, Celt will not undergo any changes you don’t want, and it will remain under your protection forever!”
After saying this, not only did King Celt VII’s eyes shine with excitement, but even the stubborn King Celt I’s rigid expression softened somewhat, clearly his thoughts having been shaken by Donald’s words.
“Charlie! I have to admit, this kid makes a lot of sense. His vision is far more far-sighted and wise than ours, as we two have been hiding underground in the palace for hundreds of years without seeing much of the outside world!”
Hearing King Celt VII say this, King Celt I tried to argue, “But the ancestral traditions…”
He was cut off abruptly by King Celt VII.
“Ancestral traditions? Who cares about them? For Celt now, we are the ancestors, and what we say is the ancestral tradition! And why should we inherit our ancestors’ mistakes? I always said rules are meant to be broken. If it weren’t for my bold reforms after ascending to the throne, how could the kingdom have revived and expanded into the vast territories of the Northern Counties?”
“The kid is right! If we don’t keep up with the times, we’ll end up becoming history. The ways of the Banai and the Arcane Empire aren’t entirely wrong, but there must be flaws, otherwise they wouldn’t have failed twice. Now that True Gods are the mainstream of this world, do you still want to follow in our ancestors’ footsteps?”
“This…”
Celt hesitated. Overturning a belief that someone had held for over five hundred years was undoubtedly a huge shock to him!

Seeing King Celt I hesitate, King Celt VII intensified his words: “Two hundred years ago, you had the chance to ignite the Divine Flame and become a demi-god. If you succeed in achieving divinity and use the power of the kingdom’s faith, advancing further will be no problem!”
“Think about it! If you were already a true god, even as a demi-god, the Church of the Dawn Lord would never dare to defy you!”
King Celt VII’s words left King Celt I, the founder of the kingdom, unable to argue. Though he was a powerful warrior, he was not a competent ruler. He had established the Celt Kingdom with the help of his advisors, so he was not particularly skilled at governing a kingdom.
King Celt VII, on the other hand, was a wise and ambitious ruler. Over these centuries, the two sacred spirits had supported each other, their relationship more like that of brothers than grandfather and grandson, so he could accept King Celt VII’s advice.
Seeing that both sacred spirits were deep in thought and silent, Donald couldn’t help but break the silence.
“Actually, His Majesty Celt VII is mostly correct, but you’ve overlooked one issue!”
“Oh? What is it?”
“The difficulty of achieving divinity. While King Celt I meets the qualifications to ignite the Divine Flame, he still lacks sufficient divine power. If he had tried two hundred years ago, I can’t say it would have failed for sure, but the success rate would have been less than one percent! Especially for a sacred spirit without a physical form to back it up, achieving divinity is ten times harder than for an ordinary peak legendary warrior. A single mistake could lead to total destruction, with no chance of revival.”
Hearing this, King Celt I’s expression darkened.
“It’s you who want me to achieve divinity, and it’s also you who say I can’t succeed. What exactly do you want?”
Donald chuckled and said to the two sacred spirits, “Your Majesties, please remain calm. Since I’ve pointed out the problem, I naturally have a solution!”
With that, Donald stopped suppressing his aura and removed the Truth Book’s barrier on his divinity. A powerful presence rose in the underground space, causing the two flames on the altar to fluctuate instantly.
“You…”
Both sacred spirits were greatly surprised by this. This presence surpassed that of most peak legendary warriors. King Celt VII, who was at the legendary level, felt immense pressure. In terms of the cohesion of his power, this young man, Donald, was even stronger than King Celt I, who had reached the demi-god level.

Celt I said excitedly, “Have you really reached this point?”
“Yes, I’ve already begun preparing to ignite the Divine Fire. I just lack a bit more accumulation. Even if I start now, I have an 80% chance of success. With my help, I can guarantee that Your Majesty Celt I will successfully ignite the Divine Fire. If we continue to work together, it won’t be difficult for you to hold the throne firmly!”
Celt VII said in disbelief, “How is that possible? Are you perhaps the reincarnation of a true god?”
Donald didn’t answer. His mysterious attitude only reinforced Celt VII’s suspicion. Of course, Donald wouldn’t explain anything, preferring to let the other party misunderstand and thus avoid revealing any secrets.
Celt I, who hadn’t been blinded by the idea of becoming a god, asked clearly, “All this you’ve done isn’t done for free, is it? If we accept your help, what price will we have to pay?”
“Of course. You can consider it a deal. In return for my help, when I manage to ignite the Divine Fire, you’ll need to protect it! Your Majesties surely can’t naively think that no enemies or opportunistic outsiders will try to attack or interfere while we ignite the Divine Fire. And as fellow Celts, I promise to help protect this kingdom and won’t expand or spread my teachings beyond my own territory!”
Upon hearing this, the two holy spirits immediately understood. These conditions were already Donald’s greatest concessions!
In fact, they knew very little about the process of becoming a god, which was the case for most legendary powerhouses.
After all, the number of true god positions in the world is limited. Neither true gods nor demigods would share their knowledge and experience of becoming gods with competitors.
Donald was able to acquire so much relevant knowledge thanks to the Book of Truth and the selfless contributions of several godly beings, such as the ancient evil god, the Goddess of Night, the Destroyer Monarch, and the Supreme Brain.