Goblin Dependency

"Alright, let's begin."

Cornell stepped back a few paces, returning to the base of the altar, and nodded towards Priest Isidor, who was waiting nearby.

He instinctively wanted to take out the black wood statue he had just stuffed into his chest, but glanced at the elf corpse lying quietly on the table.

After pondering for a moment, he suppressed a certain impulse that seemed to be a bodily instinct.

The slightly raised hand was then lowered, hanging somewhat unnaturally at the sides of his thighs.

He did not notice the mage's somewhat strange behavior.

This resurrection spell was an incredibly challenging task for Isidor, who had not yet stepped into the realm of the transcendent.

He was not in the mood to care about anything else.

Since just now, he had been fully focused on adjusting his state, even his breathing faintly resonating with the silver-white mist drifting above the church, as if trying to merge his entire being with the Moon God Church.

Seeing Cornell confirm that the casting materials were correct, he no longer hesitated, and slowly stepped forward to the altar where the elf's body lay.

Descending a few steps, Isidor raised his hands, overlapping them gently on the holy emblem on his chest, the edge of which, encircling the mysterious eye of the stars, faintly peeked from between his thumbs.

His eyes had closed at some point, and his head slightly lifted, allowing the brilliant light refracted by the stained glass to fall upon his face.

His lips moved slightly.

A blurred, dreamlike prayer sounded in the air.

Magic particles quietly fluctuated.

As if influenced by some invisible attraction, the shimmering silver mist drifting above the church hall gently descended, and under the priest's spiritual control, softly covered the surface of the elf's body.

It was as if a thin layer of softly glowing frost enveloped his entire body.

At the same time, a bright moonbeam, shining down like a spotlight from above the church dome, suddenly converged!

Illuminating the previously somewhat dark interior of the church a bit more brightly.

And the casting materials placed nearby also visibly began to dissolve under the moonlight, seeping into the elf's body.

The resurrection ritual proceeded silently.

Cornell stood quietly in the shadow of a nearby column, his eyes reflecting the bright and serene moonlight ahead.

The mage's unique ability to observe with acute precision on a microscopic level.

Allowed him to vaguely glimpse a nearly imperceptible, elf-like elongated silhouette, slowly descending towards the elf corpse on the altar, guided by that moonbeam from the church dome.

The sacred environment of the Moon God Church and the bright moonlight of the Moon Feast night were the best environments for casting spells.

No one disturbed, and there were no other interfering factors.

Allowing Isidor to concentrate wholly on the spell itself.

The ritual was progressing smoothly and was about to conclude.

Watching the slowly descending humanoid shadow in the air, Cornell pondered whether, after the elf's resurrection, he should first accompany him home to avoid any risk of him reneging.

Yet his chest suddenly experienced an extremely peculiar sensation.

Not the usual warmth, chill, pain, or itch.

But an abrupt, eerie feeling as if his senses in that chest area had been amplified countless times.

Though still separated by a shirt, Cornell could distinctly feel the texture and engravings of the wooden statue against his skin.

Feeling a hint of discomfort.

Yet his mind seemed veiled in a thin mist, leading him to subconsciously ignore the peculiarity and strangeness of this sensation.

He merely withdrew his gaze, lowered his head, and subconsciously took the statue out of his bosom.

He hadn't yet had the chance to look at it closely when the silver-white moonlight at the corner of his eyes also disappeared in an instant.

Suddenly returning to his senses.

Drawn by the statue, he did not witness the process of the elf's soul merging with the body.

But given the current situation...

"Is it over?"

Cornell, clutching the statue tightly, asked the priest at the side of the altar.

"Probably..."

His forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat.

Isidor's face appeared somewhat pale, his weary eyes fixed on the golden-haired elf's corpse before him, filled with confusion.

"The spiritual power circulated smoothly, and the divine arts had connected with his soul."

"Normally, the spell should have succeeded."

Hearing the priest say this, Cornell also couldn't help but step forward two steps, staring intently at the elf's body lying quietly and motionlessly on the altar.

"Come on, these casting materials are so expensive, if we do it again, I'll be cleaned out."

"Don't let it come to the point where I have to compensate with the ancestral tree at home..."

He was halfway through his sentence.

When Cornell suddenly felt the statue in his hand seem to swell for a moment.

His heart suddenly skipped a beat, and just as his gaze was about to move away from the corpse in front, it hesitated.

Before his eyes, the golden-haired Elf lying on the altar suddenly twitched a finger.

It drew his attention back again.

"Feng Xian?"

It seemed as if the name called by Cornell was heard.

The golden-haired Elf named "Feng Xian" slowly opened his eyes, revealing his dull emerald green pupils.

He looked just like a robot programmed in advance.

Bending both arms, he pressed his palms against the cold surface of the altar, exerting his waist and abdomen, his tall body stiffly and slowly sat up.

Then, he once again halted.

His eyes stared into the empty space ahead, motionless.

"Is this... a normal situation?"

Cornell, though having had prior experience resurrecting teammates, was using the Divine Arts moonlight of the "Moon Feast" for the first time.

Seeing this scene, he couldn't help but ask the Priest beside him.

Isidor was also experiencing this for the first time and, facing the confusion of an old acquaintance, could only give an ambiguous reply:

"Just resurrected, maybe still a bit unaccustomed?"

"Let's wait a bit longer and see."

The words had just fallen.

The golden-haired Elf, sitting blankly on the altar, seemed to gradually adapt, just as Isidor had said.

His neck twisted, slowly turning his head.

The golden long hair, draping by his ears, gently swayed, revealing beneath it his long, pointed ears adorned with the characteristic wooden ear ornaments of the Elf race.

For some unknown reason, at this moment, Cornell only felt as if the time in his eyes suddenly slowed down.

It allowed him to even see the Elf's slightly trembling eyelashes, the blood-colored hue blooming between his lips due to being reborn, and...

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the sudden eruption of holy silver light from Isidor's body!

A sense of something amiss arose in his heart.

But just as this thought surfaced, before he could process it through his mind, analyze and summarize, and drive his body to take appropriate action.

The golden-haired Elf's cold emerald eyes, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, completed the head-turning motion and looked at himself.

And locked eyes with Cornell.

Thud——

The first thing that exploded was the Silver Iron Bracelet hidden beneath the long sleeve on his right wrist.

Silver-blue dots surged out, twisting in the air to roughly form the shape of a Shield.

But before it could materialize, it was shattered into chaotic Magic Particles by an invisible force.

Then, the second to explode was the golden necklace around Cornell's neck, long concealed under his clothing.

The complex and chaotic patterns on its surface merely glimmered twice before dimming as if short-circuited.

The necklace itself disintegrated into ashen dust.

Finally, it was the black rune on Cornell's brow formed by overlapping two hollow circles.

Its faint glow caused the surrounding space to warp and blur suddenly, making his body vaguely seem unreal.

But it was only a moment before it futilely returned to normal.

The black rune melted into dim light, dissipating into the air.

All it took was one glance.

This Mage with a Professional Level nearing "Transcendent," a student from the Hosone Royal Academy, taught by Huancai City's tower Arcane Master with profound background.

All the protective Magic Equipment and Enchanted Runes on him turned into useless scrap.

Behind him, the tranquil and sacred silvery-white moonlight condensed, securely enveloping and protecting the Priest Isidor, who had lost consciousness.

The boots landed on the ground.

In the deathly silent air where even the sound of breathing disappeared.

The golden-haired Elf clumsily and stiffly stepped down from the altar.

Standing before the Mage.

Under the gaze of the Mage's bloodshot eyes, filled with horror and dread.

He reached out and gently took the statue from the Mage's hand.

Step by step.

He staggered and walked out of the church.

Boom——

It was the noise of stained glass shattering.