Chapter 445: Chapter 63: Taking Without Giving This is an era filled with transformation.
Humanity is gradually transitioning from a primitive society to a civilized one, from the tribal era to the city-state era, and even the divine spirits are undergoing a dramatic change, with many mortal powerhouses harboring the ambition to become gods.
The Gleya before him is undoubtedly one of them, as a five-star gold-marked legendary powerhouse, Duncan felt the immense magic power hidden within her the moment he saw her!
In this era, even divine spirits are continually renewing and iterating.
The divine spirits of the ancient times are called Primordial Gods, many of whom gained their status through lineage, meaning their offspring were born to rule the mortal realm as gods.
The Bloodline Gods ruled humanity through the Dark Ages for tens of thousands of years.
With the dawn of civilization, a new type of divine spirits emerged in the fertile southern regions, known as the ’Gods of Faith’, who were not born with the bloodline of Primordial Gods but instead rose to godhood by mastering a divine position and law through their efforts, supported by the faith of mortals.
With the emergence of the ’Gods of Faith’, the primitive priests and shamans transformed into priests, a mutually beneficial process whereby mortals provided faith source power to the Gods of Faith, who in turn granted mortals the ability to wield magic.
The concept of divine techniques is still a fresh term, only used in very few places.
The appearance of the Gods of Faith brought about great change in the world, many mortal powerhouses saw the possibility of becoming divine spirits, leading numerous hidden legendary figures to attempt assembling their legendary myths and, through this, master some kind of divine position and law.
The old faction of Bloodline Gods also actively transformed, with some who became gods through lineage absorbing and digesting the power of faith, transitioning from Bloodline Gods to Gods of Faith.
Undoubtedly, Kod, the God of Strength, is among them.
For his legend has been very active over the past few centuries, spreading to other places, and even single-handedly promoting Hegel beside Duncan to gather a god-like heroic myth as a mortal of the concept of strength.
However, not all divine spirits are willing to adapt to the changes of the era.
Some Bloodline Gods have sat on their thrones for too long, not only failing to adapt to the changes of the era but also viewing the ’Gods of Faith’ as potential enemies, oppressing them, even waging war to eradicate their foundation of faith in the secular world.
This is one of the reasons for the constant warfare across various city-states during this era.
There is only one existence that cares neither for bloodline nor faith: the Primordial God, and some ancient gods that embody specific concepts whose existence is so old that, even if they do nothing, legends about them still circulate.
Of course, they are considered relics, and as long as they don’t threaten the ’Gods of Faith’, no one disturbs them.
The emergence of churches and priests was driven entirely by the Gods of Faith.
The very foundation of all Gods of Faith is the ’human’ race, as human society possesses the potential to embrace all transformations.
By comparison,
this is the Divine Sealing Era of the western realms, where the Primordial Divine Spirits gradually retreat backstage, and the powerhouses embarking on the path of divine sealing begin to take control of the world’s laws and authorities!
Inside the treehouse.
The alluring and enchanting Gleya walked ahead, her full, moon-like hips captivating the eyes of the Barbarians. Hegel, however, appeared far more restrained than before, as he vaguely sensed that the witch before them was not simple, and if it came to a real fight, he might not be her match.
"This is the magic potion you need."
"Giant Power Potion!"
The beautiful witch pushed open a small room, her gaze falling on Hegel, and spoke slowly: "It’s an alchemical potion I spent years formulating."
"Extremely valuable."
"I can give it to you, but what will you offer me in return?"
Upon hearing this beautiful witch’s words, everyone instinctively looked towards Duncan.
Unbeknownst to anyone, he had become the first choice of negotiator for the Barbarian Battle Group.
Initially, Duncan stood behind the group, as the Dragon Bloodline he was inscribed with had begun to take effect; when the witch first glanced at him, she detected a slight fluctuation of magic power. But now he could no longer hide, the people in front of Duncan cleared a path as if welcoming a central figure, and he suddenly stood in front of Hegel.
Even Hegel stood beside him unconsciously, for the Dwarves’ magic weapons were indeed more useful than the junk given by the tribal shamans!
The great figure appears.
The alluring witch’s gaze sharpened instantly because, as a legendary witch, she could sense the presence of magic power, and something about Duncan felt off to her.
Barbarians are not skilled in magic, and a Barbarian shouldn’t possess the Wind of Magic.
Duncan’s human form still only had a tiny bit of mana bar, yet compared to other Barbarians, it was an impressive amount, at least two or three times theirs.
"Our brave and fearless battle is the best reward for you!"
As Duncan spoke, he immediately drew everyone’s attention.
Even Hegel looked shocked, his mind unable to grasp such a complex issue, and he could only genuinely try to understand and learn something.
He had thought Duncan would purchase it, yet they were actually out of money.
All squandered away by brawls! Their possessions were all gone.
Hearing Duncan’s words, the beautiful witch before them was also momentarily stunned, then curled the corners of her mouth into a playful, seemingly amused expression, staring at Duncan as she said: "Are you suggesting I should give such a precious magic potion to you all for free?"
This Barbarian was quite audacious, rarely did one encounter a Barbarian so adept at speaking and negotiating.
"No."
Duncan shook his head slowly and said: "Not for free, but for mutual cooperation."
"It was just invented by you, wasn’t it?"
The witch Gleya nodded, her expression proud, lifting her snow-white voluptuous peaks and said: "Indeed. Only I can formulate such an alchemical potion in this land."
Gotcha.
Duncan’s expression remained calm as he spoke: "Yes."