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"So you want me to resurrect the Aurora Goddess?" Haru asked, his eyes gleaming slightly.
Elunara fell silent. In truth, she did want his help and at the same time, didn't want his help as well. After all, she didn't want her friend to become Haru's believer.
That meant 'giving away' one of the Nature Pantheon's greatest pillars. Would Aurora herself even accept this outcome? But without Haru, Elunara had no feasible path to resurrect her at all.
"Theoretically speaking, if I said yes, what would you need to resurrect a God?" Elunara asked.
Haru replied, "I would need that God's soul. That's the core requirement."
Elunara considered this, "When Aurora fell, her Divine Body was destroyed and her soul almost disintegrated. Only a single, damaged wisp was saved and sealed away. Could you still resurrect her with that?"
"Only a wisp of the soul…" Haru muttered. That was a miserable end. He silently consulted the GM and received the answer that the Holy Grail could mend a broken soul, but it would require Soul Crystals.
'How many Soul Crystals for the intermediate stage Supreme Goddess?'
[Three billion Soul Crystals to repair her soul and five thousand Divine Crystals to resurrect her.]
Haru's tension faded. He had more than enough Divine Crystals. A mere five thousand was a trivial cost compared to his current reserves.
He explained, "To resurrect the Aurora Goddess, I'd need a vast amount of soul crystals. Do you have access to them?"
Elunara thought for a moment, "You mean the crystallized soul origin of Undead creatures?"
"That's right." Haru said, "I'd need around five billion."
The extra two billion would be his fees, since he would provide the Divine Crystals.
Elunara nodded slowly, "Five billion Soul Crystals aren't an issue. The native empires always stockpile such resources in large quantities, just like Power Stones and Magic Crystals."
"In that case." Haru said, smiling, "if you give me the Goddess' soul, I can resurrect her."
The corners of Elunara's mouth twitched. She still hadn't decided whether to resurrect her through Haru.
"I understand." Elunara finally said, "I'll discuss it with the others."
Haru nodded. He was genuinely hopeful that she would agree. One more Supreme Goddess under his command would dramatically increase his kingdom's strength.
…
Elunara moved the topic along, "As for the alliance between us…"
"I agree." Haru said in a heartbeat. This alliance was entirely in the Great Aetherium's favor. He thought of something and said, "The Beast God Pantheon are also my allies, I hope that we can make it a tripartite alliance."
Christine and the Beast Gods immediately looked at him gratefully. Without the Great Aetherium's involvement, Elunara might never have considered the Beast God Pantheon for an alliance.
Elunara smiled, "The Beast Gods of faith are welcome to our alliance."
Christine and the others exhaled in relief, excitement sparking in their eyes. With both the Great Aetherium and the Nature Pantheon at their side, nobody would dare to harass or trick them lightly again.
A Beast God thought, 'This is the best news we've had since Lord Wojciech was imprisoned in the Immortal Dimension.'
…
Elunara asked, "By the way, would you be willing to ally with a native empire as well?"
Haru's brow furrowed, "It depends on which empire you're talking about. If it's the Light Empire, then absolutely not."
He had already decided that once the Demon Slayer Tournament ended, the Great Aetherium would declare war on the Light Empire.
Elunara shook her head, "Not them, I mean the Elf Empire ruled by Aurelyss."
Haru thought for a moment, then nodded, "That's fine. As long as the Elf Empire stays out of any wars between me and the other empires."
Among the Nature Goddesses, Diane silently confirmed her own prediction. Many top-level Castle Lords have already guessed that Haru's next target would be the Light Empire.
Elunara nodded, "I'll talk to Aurelyss."
…
Once the meeting was concluded, Elunara didn't linger. She prepared to leave with the Nature Pantheon when Selene, the Goddess of Moonlight and Hunting, suddenly spoke up.
"Your Majesty, I sense the aura of my natal artifact on you."
Haru understood what she meant: it was most likely the [Selene's Crescent] he had acquired from the Castle Lord of the Fire Dragon Nest. It was currently sealed and needed one to be at the same level as her to unseal it.
One goddess asked in surprise, "Sister Selene, wasn't your natal artifact lost in the Ancient Era? How is it with His Majesty?"
Haru didn't bother denying it, "The Selene's Crescent was claimed by me among spoils of war. Though we're allies, I can't simply give it back for free, but I can provide a hefty discount."
Selene nodded, "Then please name your terms."
"I need Power Stones and Magic Crystals." Haru said, "The amount depends on how much that artifact is worth to you."
Selene let out a quiet breath of relief.
'That's more than fair.' She thought, 'These mortal resources could easily be traded from the native empires.'
"Thank you, Your Majesty." She said sincerely, "You've shown me more consideration than I expected."
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