Hearing Kael propose renegotiating the deal, Raymond's face showed trepidation, and he hesitated before saying: "This... how about we exchange supplies with you, as before? We will do our best to meet your demands, no matter the quantity!"
"Hehe."
Kael couldn't help but shake his head with a smile after hearing this. "High Priest Raymond, do you think I still need supplies now? Is there anything that belongs only to your Theocracy and that I can't get my hands on?"
"..."
Raymond was speechless for a while.
The times had changed. Previously, Kael needed the Theocracy and the Empire to provide various stones, wood, and metals for the Holy City's construction, but now that the Holy City was completed, these things were no longer essential to him.
Especially after bringing the Dragon Kingdom under his wing, if he needed similar resources in the future, he could obtain them entirely through the Dragon Kingdom. Not to mention, even the Re-Estize Kingdom was now being conquered by the Church of Destiny, giving him even more avenues to acquire supplies.
As for special items like magic scrolls and healing potions, the Theocracy's craftsmanship used to be unmatched among the human nations, but in front of this individual, it was undoubtedly a case of showing off one's slight skill before an expert.
Not all of the so-called Fate Believers in the Theocracy were combatants like Zesshi Zetsumei; a small number of them had chosen production-oriented professions, and their magic item crafting skills were far superior to the crafting masters trained by the Theocracy.
Was the Theocracy no longer needed by this individual?
Raymond's eyes deepened, and his heart was covered in a layer of shadow.
Kael had been observing the changes in his face. Seeing his stiff expression, he chuckled inwardly while pondering, "Hmm... how about this, High Priest Raymond, I have a proposal for your Theocracy. It's up to you whether to accept it."
"...Please speak." Raymond frowned slightly.
Although he didn't know why Kael had suddenly changed his mind, he had a bad feeling that the proposal Kael put forward would definitely not be a good thing for the Theocracy.
As expected, after a smile, Kael's proposal stated making his face change slightly.
"Why don't your Theocracy just submit to me directly? As long as you submit to me, you will receive the same treatment as Renner and the others, and your Theocracy can rise rapidly just like the Dragon Kingdom."
What an excellent joke!
Raymond almost blurted out a refusal, but the words were suppressed by his strong self-control.
To be honest, the Theocracy stood at the peak of the human nations, and every citizen of the Theocracy was proud of that. Their first reaction to the idea of their country submitting to an individual was, of course, strong disagreement.
However, as a Chief Priest, Raymond was required to consider the future of the nation, and naturally wouldn't express himself as casually as an ordinary citizen, especially in front of Kael, a 'god' who was capable of posing a great threat to the Theocracy.
"Your Excellency, I cannot decide on this matter alone. I must return to the Theocracy and hold a Chief Priest meeting for discussion before I can give you a reply."
Raymond officially conveyed his opinion and decision regarding the proposal.
Kael wasn't surprised by this and said, "It doesn't matter, just bring my proposal back to the Theocracy. As I said, it's up to you whether to accept it."
"Thank you for your understanding."
Raymond bowed respectfully.
He had intended to say his goodbyes, but for some unknown psychological reason, after a moment of hesitation, he still asked Kael the doubt in his heart.
"Your Excellency, may I ask? Why do you suddenly want us to submit to you? Was there any action we took that offended you during our previous cooperation?"
He had to ask.
Among the 'players' from other worlds, beings of the Six Great Gods and Eight Greed Kings' caliber were like moving natural disasters, their influence even spanning all the human nations in the entire northwestern region. And Kael, because of his special ability to convert believers, was far more threatening than the Six Great Gods and the Eight Greed Kings.
If he also harbored thoughts of conquering the world, then the entire continent would fall into chaos, and the Theocracy would become his first target.
Either submit, or be destroyed.
Such a situation was ten times worse than the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick attacking the Theocracy.
So he had to understand Kael's attitude, and only then could he hold a meeting of the Chief Priests to discuss how to ease the relationship between the two parties, or arrange the transfer of their heritage to avoid the Theocracy being wiped out in the flames of war.
To his question, Kael just smiled. "I have to say, working with your Theocracy has been quite pleasant. You have helped me a lot during this time."
"Then why..."
"Because my current life goal is to conquer the world."
So that's it?
Raymond couldn't help but sigh inwardly, his expression becoming complicated. "Forgive my offense, Your Excellency, what exactly is your purpose in conquering the world? Is it to enjoy the pleasure of inflicting pain on others?"
'You' here most likely not only referred to himself but also to the Eight Greed Kings who once sought to conquer the world.
Although the Eight Greed Kings' conquest did not cause significant harm to humanity, and humans even benefited from that war, it still brought great chaos to the continent. Compared to the Six Great Gods who founded the basis of the Theocracy, the 'players' who intended to conquer the world were indeed not very favored.
Kael shook his head and explained, "I don't know what the Eight Greed Kings were thinking, but I don't think inflicting pain on others is something that would make me happy. My purpose in conquering the world, besides pleasure, is to pass the time."
"Pass... the time?"
Raymond frowned slightly.
Kael continued, "I heard five of the Theocracy's Six Great Gods were human and have died of natural causes?"
The Theocracy's Sunlight Scripture had been captured by Kael before, and combined with the numerous Magic Chanters in the Church of Destiny who could use mind-control magic, Raymond was not surprised by the leaking of information about the Theocracy.
"I am not like them; I have eternal life. I will not die of old age in the future."
"You actually have eternal life!?"
Raymond was shocked, looking at Kael with a hint of disbelief, stuttering, "Are you not human!?"
The lifespan of a normal human was a hundred years, and elves and dwarves lived longer than humans. Those who could have an infinite lifespan, besides Undead, were some special heteromorphics. So upon hearing of an infinite lifespan, Raymond's first reaction was that Kael was a heteromorphic with the ability to transform into a human form.
"Of course I'm human," Kael rolled his eyes speechlessly, unable to restrain himself, "Fluder also lived for more than two hundred years through the power of magic. Why do you still have the prejudice that humans must die of old age?"
...Because our gods died of old age.
Raymond suddenly felt a bit absurd, and thought it was disrespectful to the gods, so he didn't speak further.
Seeing this, Kael didn't dwell on the matter and said, "Alright, let's get back to the main topic."
"Actually, you don't have to be too resistant. After the Dragon Kingdom surrendered to me, the Dragon Queen is still in charge of managing the nation's daily affairs; I have not directly interfered with their internal affairs."
"If your Theocracy also submits to me, the treatment will be the same, and you can still manage your own country."
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