Chapter 3313: Becoming Mortal, the Dilemma of Divine Envoy Advancement

Before departing, Xia Duo informed the two Divine Envoys about the Abyssal Land Embryo that Danzo had previously discovered in the Underdark. Upon hearing this, Divine Envoy Taide decided to head to the Underdark to investigate, and even had a perfectly valid reason:

"I do not possess the power to track those who have established a Sacred Contract, so I will not accompany you in the tracking. If you encounter a powerful enemy, just summon me."

It was not just Taide himself; he would not even leave the other Divine Envoys under his command for Xia Duo, intending to take them all to the Underdark, saying: "I ask that Mage Xia Duo find us a guide. They do not need to lead us into the Abyssal Land, just point out a general direction will suffice."

"No problem, I will have someone coordinate it, but it may take a moment."

Saying this, Xia Duo immediately began contacting Tili'ao, asking the other party to coordinate with Danzo's side to arrange for his people—actually, the Divine Envoys—to enter the Underdark, with the ready-made excuse of investigating the previously discovered Abyssal Land Embryo.

Because human Radiant Priests are very adept at purifying Abyssal Aura, Danzo had actually long been hoping for human priests to go to the Underdark to help them solve their difficulties.

And now that Netheril was taking the initiative to propose sending priests to investigate, that side would certainly be eager for it, and it was basically impossible for them to set up any obstacles; this was the fundamental reason why Xia Duo had agreed to Taide so readily.

Of course, for the sake of convenience in acting on the Mortal Plane, Xia Duo also put forward his own request to the group of Divine Envoys: "The descent of Divine Envoys might attract unnecessary attention. If possible, I ask that you all temporarily take the form of human priests."

"That is only right." Waiqi was the first to agree; previously, Danzo had also expressed no refusal.

In fact, before Divine Envoys like Waiqi and Danzo walked out of the portal of light, they were no longer in the image they had when in the Kingdom of Radiance; at the very least, their physical size had shrunk significantly, almost comparable to Xia Duo.

As a Holy Sword Divine Envoy specializing in combat, although he very much hoped to nip all potential risks of falling into the Abyss in the bud, unless it truly evolved into a real Abyssal Land, he would never have a reason to intervene.

Therefore, on the Main Plane, taking the form of a Mage is actually a very good means of disguise.

Xia Duo provided the clue to the Dream Abyss, and Danzo, as the direct handler of the incident, naturally gained a lot of Divine Grace because of it; as a token of gratitude, he gave Xia Duo a Holy Seal that could summon him at any time.

Later, after encountering successive Abyssal incidents, Danzo only then understood a little why those Divine Envoys ran to the Mortal Plane so diligently. One must know that heading to the Mortal Plane, even if not going in person, requires investing a considerable portion of one's essence.

But even now that they were maintaining a state approximating mortals, those Divine Envoys still possessed characteristics completely different from mortals; for example, the radiant wings behind Divine Envoy Danzo did not disappear just because his figure had become slightly smaller.

Then it was only a matter of listening to the arrangements of Xia Duo, the summoner. This is also where many Divine Envoys struggle; responding to a summons from the Mortal Plane, once there, it might just be a battle between mortals, at most adding an excuse involving the Abyss.

"Since that is the case, let us set off! Divine Envoy Danzo, just stay here for now. Once things are coordinated in the Underdark, I will send someone back to bring you all down."

"Very well, then we shall stay here for now." Danzo agreed without hesitation.

Unless summoned by a mortal—which is the current situation—he came here summoned by Xia Duo. If he happened to encounter an Abyssal Land or demons, he would of course immediately purify or slay them, but that had not happened yet.

This is also one of the dilemmas of advancement faced by Divine Envoys.

Only by constantly advancing to the side of the god can a Divine Envoy's life be considered complete.

Or rather, only advancement is the sole pursuit of a Divine Envoy; as for religious dogmas and the like, they might just be shortcuts discovered for the convenience of advancement.

When mortals see them, no matter how slow-witted, they would not think these Divine Envoys are their own kind.

"Mage Xia Duo, is this acceptable?"

But charging into the Abyss is not something every Divine Envoy can do, and the risks of charging into the Abyss are even greater. Divine Envoys certainly possess Divine Nature, but they would still be more willing to use more efficient ways to obtain Divine Grace.

But upon hearing Xia Duo's request, the strange phenomena on the two Divine Envoys gradually disappeared, and even their images and temperaments underwent huge changes; Danzo and his subordinates transformed into a strange combination of priests, Adventurers, and Paladins.

It is a pity that his Divine Envoy rank had not yet reached the level of Courage and Wisdom, so he could not leave statues on the Mortal Plane. Merely having a token did not guarantee a summons would be received, and since the token concerned his essence, he could not leave behind too many.

"Yes, no problem."

Unless specifically probing, even Xia Duo could not see any flaws, but if one were to probe deliberately, it would inevitably carry the suspicion of being offensive; this is true not only for Netherese Mages, but for any Spellcaster.

As for Divine Envoy Waiqi, he transformed into a very classic Mage image, holding a Scepter in one hand and a Holy Book in the other. Of course, at this moment, the Holy Book no longer had any divine mystery, looking just like an ordinary Spellbook.

Danzo had experienced this shortcut on the Mortal Plane that was no less effective than charging directly into the Abyss, so naturally, he did not want to fight on the battlefield like in the past. At the very least, going to the battlefield was no longer the first choice; if there were a summons from the Mortal Plane, he would definitely respond immediately.

This is where many Divine Envoys struggle.

But even with the risks, there were still Divine Envoys willing to do so. Danzo, having experienced it personally, naturally understood that all this was because of Divine Grace; the Divine Grace obtained from handling Abyssal incidents on the Mortal Plane was higher than participating in battlefield activities in the Heavenly Realm.

Second only to charging directly into the Abyss.

But the former, because of maintaining close contact with mortals, really has the possibility of encountering Abyssal incidents, while the latter, because of strictly adhering to dogmas, instead misses many opportunities.

The Kingdom of Radiance has a limited quota for resurrection each year. If one is not selected and has no friends to help, I am afraid one can only wait until the next time a new Abyss Battlefield is opened to possibly be resurrected together.

Divine Envoy Danzo used to belong to the latter category, almost never responding to mortal summons unless it was a priest and the Abyss was explicitly mentioned, only then might he descend. But because Divine Envoys willing to accept summons in the Kingdom of Radiance were in the minority, Danzo actually rarely had plans to go to the Mortal Plane in the past, until he came into contact with Xia Duo.

As for Divine Envoy Waiqi, his body was shrouded in faint Holy Light, and those rays of Holy Light would often manifest in the form of scrolls, echoing with the Holy Book at Waiqi's waist.

In the Kingdom of Radiance, which is in a state of long-term war, this is actually quite dangerous; it might be that just because one went to the Mortal Plane, the main body becomes suppressed on the battlefield, or even dies.

If they were still in the Kingdom of Radiance, they would be nearly half a head taller than Xia Duo! In addition, there are combat forms; for instance, Danzo's combat form is a light-based giant over ten meters tall.

In such situations, some Divine Envoys would choose to join the battles between mortals, while others would return directly to the Kingdom of Radiance.