Chapter 1258: Divine Grace Substitution, Increasing Orders

"If this were before purchasing the 【Resurrection Covenant】, I might not have been able to answer this question, but now, I can tell you very clearly that the answer is actually quite simple—"

Having said this, Kelifu paused deliberately, which truly made Xia Duo feel a bit impatient, but fortunately, Kelifu did not resort to any tricks like "I'll tell you after we return from the Dream Ruins."

Upon noticing that Xia Duo was quite concerned about this question, he immediately revealed the truth:

"If the Death Priest is unwilling to expend Divine Grace, then the purchaser can provide the Divine Grace they possess themselves!"

That's it?

Xia Duo had not expected such a result, but upon careful thought, it was not impossible; resurrection requires the consumption of Divine Grace, so what difference does it make whose is consumed?

It is just that compared to the priests who follow and serve the Lord of Death for their entire lives, how much Divine Grace could a purchaser who has their own career possibly obtain?

Take Xia Duo for example; his main channels for obtaining Divine Grace from the Lord of Death are enacting laws related to burials, perfecting the order of death, or striking down illegal (unauthorized by the Lord of Death) Undead, clearing away Negative Energy, and so on.

But to accumulate the Divine Grace required by the 【Resurrection Covenant】 through such means, one really wouldn't know how long it would take to save up!

The most critical point is that there is no quantitative standard for how much Divine Grace one can obtain by doing these things; it is entirely up to the Lord of Death.

Perhaps by casually slaughtering an Undead or resolving an undead crisis, one might save enough; or perhaps even after slaughtering all the Undead on the Main Plane, one still wouldn't have enough Divine Grace for resurrection.

This is what is most discouraging; unlike Magic, where things are what they are, there is always a clear process of realization.

Kelifu was able to save enough Divine Grace for resurrection, but he is also a priest of the Lord of Radiance, which is almost equivalent to being a turncoat. Combining this with what Kelifu mentioned earlier, his research into the resurrection of the dead was a special dispensation of Divine Grace (from the Lord of Radiance).

Xia Duo speculated that perhaps the (Lord of Death's) Divine Grace for Kelifu's resurrection was simply a transaction between gods, entirely predetermined!

"Could it be that Kelifu is the biological son of the Lord of Radiance?"

Xia Duo immediately thought of the resurrection case of the Son of Yahweh on Earth, and looking at Kelifu's resurrection three days after death, it really did have a bit of that "ordained" flavor to it.

"Can't think about it, can't think about it!"

Xia Duo decisively abandoned this overly dangerous thought, and the questions he originally wanted to ask Kelifu about the process of death and resurrection ultimately remained unspoken.

"I understand, thank you for your guidance, Lord Kelifu."

Subsequently, Xia Duo changed the subject: "Regarding the exploration of the Dream Ruins, when do you plan to set off again?"

"There are still some trivial matters in Seventon and the Territory that need to be handled, but we will definitely set off this month!" Kelifu gave a rough timeframe, and then added:

"I think our encounter with the indigenous hunters in the Astral Plane last time was very likely due to the wrong departure time. The prophecy mentioned that the Death Authority can only be obtained during the 'Season of Blooming Flowers'; we went too early."

In Netheril, if the "Season of Blooming Flowers" refers to a specific month, it generally means June, but if it does not refer to a specific month, it undoubtedly refers to the time in spring and summer when flowers are in full bloom.

The latter is usually closely related to the climate and does not have a fixed point or period in time; it could be earlier than June, in the middle of June, or later than June.

Xia Duo and Kelifu last went to the Astral Plane in the final days of May, when the temperature had only just begun to warm up; perhaps some early flowers had already bloomed, but it could definitely not be called "Blooming Flowers."

That attempt failed, and if one were to insist on using the prophecy to explain it, perhaps it really was because they went too early—it was neither June, nor was it "Blooming Flowers."

Xia Duo thought about it and felt that Kelifu's speculation might have some merit; the key was that he also couldn't convince Kelifu not to believe in that prophecy.

Thus, he could only go along with the other party's words and said: "In that case, I will wait for your news in Nan Jing. I hope we can successfully reach the Dream Ruins this time!"

"Reaching it is definitely something we can do!" Kelifu's eyes were full of confidence, not just because of his own prophecy, but also because—

"The Eternal Holy Spirit Suoen is currently recovering his state on the Main Plane, and he has already promised me that he will still take us to the Dream Ruins this time.

"But once we arrive at the Dream Ruins, everything will depend on Lord Xia Duo!"

"Lord Kelifu, please rest assured, I will definitely do my utmost to find the 'Death Authority' from the prophecy!"

If it is confirmed that remnants of the 【Projection Plane: Arcane Empire】 exist within the Dream Ruins, then Xia Duo will have a high degree of certainty in finding content related to resurrection spells.

After all, he is different this time compared to the last time he entered as a mere ordinary Advanced Rank Mage; as a Senior Arcanist entering it, as long as he displays sufficient ability and merit, it will not be difficult to come into contact with resurrection spells.

The specific situation will have to wait until he enters the Projection Plane to be known, but Xia Duo already had some ideas about his plans after entering.

……

While speaking, the luxurious lunch Xia Duo had ordered was delivered to him, and Kelifu also stopped talking at the right time. The two finished their lunch in silence and then left separately.

Returning to the Arcane Union, Xia Duo met Dailike at the entrance of the Library, who was on his way to report to his temporary residence. Besides Dailike, there was also the Halan Territory lord he had just contacted.

However, at this moment, the Halan Territory lord was not the desperate, tragic gambler Xia Duo had seen before, but rather had the corners of his mouth turned up and his eyebrows raised, as if he had picked up a hundred Demon-Slaying Arrows on the side of the road.

Xia Duo originally had no intention of prying, but the Halan Territory lord took the initiative to mention it himself—"Lord Xia Duo, do you know? Great Arcanist Kelifu is not dead. He has a Resurrection Covenant and has now returned from the dead!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Xia Duo was thoughtful.

He and Kelifu had gone to the Astral Plane together, and then Kelifu had an accident; this matter could hardly be considered a good thing, and logically speaking, the Halan Territory lord would not have brought it up to him voluntarily.

But now that the other party had suddenly brought it up, it was hard for Xia Duo not to connect him with Kelifu.

Once connected, it actually made sense. Previously, the Halan Territory lord thought his great backer Kelifu was dead, and any support he might have had was gone, which was why he had to gamble everything or was constrained by orders already negotiated and had no choice but to gamble.

But now that Kelifu was not dead, there was no need to gamble everything.

Xia Duo wondered, did the other party want to cancel the Demon-Slaying Amulet subcontracting contract that had already been signed? Or were there new variables in the Demon-Slaying Arrow trade at the Halansaide Zhuang Yuan?

But the fact was—

"I have an old acquaintance who is a student of Lord Kelifu, and I obtained a portion of orders from him. I would like to ask if the Tower of Time can accept more subcontracting orders."