Chapter 521: The Wolf and the Bear

"Then, shall I write a letter for you to take? Although I feel that matters concerning faith cannot be explained clearly in just a few words."

Sinuoli frowned. Since Ulric was being so polite, he naturally could not directly reject him. Being courteous before resorting to force also meant alerting the enemy, and he could not catch him off guard as he had done with Ranald.

"No need for such trouble. If you are willing, we can go find Him directly. He should be hibernating in His little den."

"You, you will vouch for this?"

"I vouch for it with my Godhood."

"Hmm, then let us go."

Sinuoli weighed the hammer-axe at his waist and stared at the White Wolf God, pondering for a moment. Ultimately, the reputation He had accumulated over thousands of years won the Dwarf's trust. Moreover, as He had said, both were ancient beasts turned gods whose spheres of influence were adjacent; there was definitely constant friction between the two.

"Boom!"

Ulric wiped his mouth with his arm and stood up, punching into the void. A shimmering spatial vortex appeared. Sinuoli followed in His footsteps and stepped into the semi-solidified passage.

"Your Divine Kingdoms are connected?"

"What a thing to say! Hasn't your entire Dwarf clan's place been opened up? The halls of the Ancestor Gods—I've heard the Little Beards chanting about them for thousands of years!"

Ulric laughed heartily, while Sinuoli blushed. His title of Ancestor Chosen was self-proclaimed, and he had only ever entered the Divine Kingdom of Valaya, which had just awakened from its slumber, once in total.

"Awoo!"

"Woo~"

The environment of Ursun's Divine Kingdom was also an ice field and frozen tundra amidst wind and snow, though it was closer to nature and lacked a bit of human presence compared to Ulric's. The White Wolf led Sinuoli along a familiar path through a forest of snow pines to the front of a massive cavern.

"A giant bear—no, it's a spirit body."

Guarding the cavern were two white bears, each four or five meters tall at the shoulder. Facing the intruders, they stood up, appearing almost like giants. Ulric opened his blood-red maw and let out a wolf howl, making them dare not approach.

"Good eye. They are all offspring of the old bear. Even weaker Demigods in the Mortal World would struggle to fight them."

"I once heard that Kislev is alive and can protect her people when the scourge of war descends. The elemental bears that displayed great divine power during the Chaos invasion were them borrowing bodies to descend to the mortal realm, right?"

Sinuoli stroked his beard. Participating in the repair of the Rune Colossus had given him a deep understanding of and interest in giant constructs. The elemental bears rising from the earth out of thin air had once made him very curious.

"I smell the scent of a living person! Old Wolf, who have you brought here?"

In the semi-underground cave lay a massive, incomparable giant bear. Accompanying His roar, a snowstorm rushed toward them. The scar running across His left eye added a touch of ferocity to Him.

Although Ursun's eyeballs were almost as large as Sinuoli himself, comparing them to the size of the cave, Sinuoli knew that His divine power had faded significantly from its peak. "Proportionality" did not fit a bear's aesthetic.

"This is Sinuoli, the most prominent hero in the Mortal World. He has made a grand vow to be the bane of the wicked and the guardian of the good."

"Aha, a Dwarf! A thief, a robber! It's one thing for the old ones to steal, but the little one dares to deliver himself to my mouth!"

The Bear God stood up, and the Divine Kingdom shook as if echoing its master's rage. Sinuoli stood straight with his hands behind his back, his face stern. Ulric was merely the guarantor; he was the one here to negotiate. How could he succeed if he couldn't even handle a show of force?

"You should know the promise of the Bokha family, the guardian deity of Kislev. My master and I only collected the reward we were owed."

"Just for cleaning up a few stupid thieves who snuck in while I was napping?"

"If stupid thieves could easily capture your Chosen and destroy your network of believers, leaving you nearly fallen into Twilight, then what of the Great Powers? Would only those who cut off your head, usurp your Godhood, and completely destroy Kislev be worthy of being called Chaos Great Powers?"

Sinuoli laughed heartily. The Battle of Donggong was where he had saved Boris-Boha, who had been captured by a Blood Dragon Knight. The Bear God Ursun could not bluff him by putting on a brave face. The establishment of the Great Orthodoxy was a shot in the arm, but it still could not fix the deficit left by the Great Holy War.

"To tell you the truth, in the near future, you will get your wish. A more terrifying darkness is brewing in the Chaos Wastes, and the new Everchosen is expanding his own lackeys!"

"Nonsense! I lived on this land before the guys who created you brought the Daemons here!"

"Hey! Khorne has already spared no effort to cross the boundaries of the realms to strike at me personally. Do you really have to wait until your bear head is decorated on the Skull Throne before you are willing to face reality?"

"Huff~ huff!"

The Bear God fell silent. He knew the power of the Everchosen. During the Great Holy War, He had tried His best but still could not prevent the fall of Praag and the siege of Kislev. The dual loss of divine power and believers had left Him unable to interfere in the Mortal World for a long time.

"Sinuoli speaks the truth. The North Wind tells me of a new threat. I have already supported him," Ulric added loudly.

"Why must it be him? Wait until I select..."

"Forget it. How many moves did your last champion last against Asawa-Kuer? Even the war blade you bestowed was destroyed. Right now, can that reckless kid withstand three strikes from this Dwarf fellow?"

Ulric bared his canine teeth. He was a violent God of War and was not known for a good temper. Ursun's failure to recognize the situation made Him lose face in front of a junior, and He felt His good intentions were being treated as ungratefulness.

"Listen to me: this is essentially a problem of efficiency and attrition. For the two of you, the faith of mortals sent into the Divine Kingdom suffers attrition, and the divine power converted back to the Mortal World requires crossing the boundaries of the realms. But I am still accepted by this world."

"What if you take the opportunity to ascend to Godhood?"

"And do what you do—watch this world be swallowed by the rolling turbid currents from within the Divine Kingdom, and then perish silently? I would rather die a glorious death in the Wastes!"

"Good lad, I didn't expect you to have such deep attainments in oratory! If you were a bit taller, you'd be just like Sigmar!"

In the passage on the way back, Ulric patted him heavily on the shoulder. Ursun had been persuaded. Having lived on the land of Kislev for nearly ten thousand years, He had developed extremely deep feelings for it.

"If everything can proceed smoothly, Kislev will become the greatest beneficiary of the Northern Expedition. To improve the living standards of the people in such a harsh natural environment, one must either have great technological development or have more resources."

Sinuoli sighed. He had exhausted all his skills, using both threats and empty promises, but the initiative still remained firmly in the hands of the Bear God. The extent of the concessions He made was beyond the Dwarf's expectations.

"Take my blessing and go do something great!"

Ulric pulled out a handful of wolf mane and braided it into Sinuoli's hair. The divine power attached to it would tell all White Wolf believers that this person had received His highest approval.

"When you return victorious, we shall drink with the Wolf God again!"

Flashing out from the Holy Fire and landing back in front of the Shenkan, the Knights of the Winter Throne bowed to him. As long as Sinuoli wished, he could add "Champion of the White Wolf" to his titles.