Divine Beast Ascension

Chapter 309: Oli’s Additional Terms

“Please, write the formation.” Insisting, Oli bowed to the man with the utmost respect for the first time.

“I may have studied soul sciences but that doesn’t mean I’m a miracle worker. Let me be clear when I say that this is no guarantee,” rephrased the man. “I’ll give it everything I have, but that doesn’t mean I’ll succeed. I’m not Daruun...”

“Who?”

“Nothing. You–”

“Who is Daruun?!” Oli asked emphatically, leaning toward the man with the utmost curiosity. “Is that someone who can bring my father back?!”

“Calm down... I’m not sure if even Daruun can bring back your father, though he’s more qualified than I,” answered the man, placing both hands on Oli’s shoulders. “For now, we–”

“Can you get him to bring back my father?”

.....

“Oli, this–”

“Can you, yes or no?!” shouted the young cultivator, unafraid of the man more powerful than Oli could imagine.

“No. I have no say over whether he would attempt such a thing. Nor can I afford–”

“You mentioned soul sciences, so is Daruun the leading soul scientist? Is that the case?”

“That’s exactly it.”

“Can you get me a meeting with him?”

Sighing, the man shook his head. “Oli, you don’t understand how vast the void really is. Daruun doesn’t even live in this district–”

“Is there any way for me to meet Daruun or to convince him to bring back my father’s soul?!”

The man rubbed his forehead and looked to the energetic youth.

“Is there a way?!” Oli passionately shouted again.

“Give me a moment to think...” the man responded, waiting for Oli to back away and give him some space.

A few minutes passed in silence as the man looked back and forth between Oli and the ground. More time passed as Oli kept quiet but never shirked his persistent gaze. Eventually, the man shook his head and sighed, “Again, I’m making no promises about reviving your father. But... should I do everything in my power to work with that man, with my own efforts of revival being the backup plan, will you–”

“I’ll do whatever you ask and suffer any pain.”

“Oli, it’s not that simple.” The man added, “If you’re forcing me to go that far, then I’ll be asking for your complete submission to my plans. Your family’s safety will still be guaranteed but you’ll have no say in anything I force upon you.”

“That’s fine,” replied Oli.

“Even if that continues beyond the scope of this world?”

“... How exactly?”

Answering Oli, the man explained, “If you’re trying to have me get ahold of the leading soul scientist throughout the void, you’d better understand how drastic your plea is. Do you know what lies beyond this world? Do you know how far away your first planet is from this one?”

“... No.”

“Then let me summarize it. Your first planet is a few hundred planets away, in a completely different system than this one. And you already have a decent idea of how large a galaxy is, right? Now imagine traveling halfway across that galaxy to knock on Daruun’s door, who is a man known to all great experts across the entire void.”

“... Uhhh...” Speechless, Oli stammered and sputtered in thought.

“And the void is what we call the empty space that spans throughout the universe and across the galaxy,” mentioned the man. “You have no concept of how powerful such a man is. You don’t even know how powerful someone has to be to leave their homeworld, let alone govern a portion of the void or be one of its leading experts.”

“...”

“Again, I make no promises on being able to successfully revive Dioro. And I would be even more reluctant to promise a meeting with someone like Daruun... But if I promise to at least attempt to work with Daruun with the guarantee to try reviving Dioro myself should that not work out, will you accept all that I ask of you and everything that you’re ordered?”

Taking in a deep breath, Oli nodded ever so slowly. “So long as every avenue is explored in reviving my father, then I’ll accept. I would have to anyway, so why not get something out of it worth my effort?”

“That’s fair, but you’ll be permitting me to claim you as a subordinate hereafter. Under those terms I can guarantee that you’ll be spending even more time away from your loved ones while you’re off fulfilling intergalactic assignments in the far future,” stated the man. “You’ll rarely get to see them and you will not live an easy life. In comparison, your struggles here may not even compare to what you’ll endure in the void.”

“... If you can guarantee the safety and longevity of my loved ones, as well as the attempted revival of my father... Then I’m willing to accept such a debt.”

“Alright. Then don’t expect my support or help the moment you act against my desires and plans, no matter how little the infraction. You may not care for the trouble, but that means I’ll be revoking my protection of your family the moment you stop complying.

“Still, I’m certain they would all agree with me in saying that my dad’s revival is worth it...”

“He was a great man. I’ll agree to that... But right now. It’s time you begin the process.”

Suddenly, a slew of items appeared at the man’s side, including a table for those items to sit on. Oli noticed a few large, light blue bags of fluid, reminding him of the IV situation that the man had mentioned before. But there more things that Oli was clueless about.

In a flash, the man had picked up what mimicked a chisel but with a tank of a metallic fluid. The fluid glowed and added a touch of light to the desolate darkness. It caused Oli to blink but the man finished his job before Oli needed to fully adjust to the new light. Now, on the ground, there was an incredibly intricate circle carved into the ground. It glowed like the metallic fluid but even lighter and wasn’t hard on the eyes at all. And the man left a grey cushion in the center.

“Sit. I’ll prepare the needle.”