Although Ronova minded Wu Yi's description of her a little, she had more important matters to attend to, so she soon turned her attention elsewhere.
"What a nuisance... Why didn't it work?"
She circled Wu Yi several times, looking thoroughly displeased.
"That shouldn't have happened. My authority is clearly working normally."
Still somewhat unwilling to believe it, she asked again:
"You really don't know anything?"
"Hmm, if you insist, I do have a guess." Wu Yi rubbed his chin. "Maybe it's because the life force in my body is too abundant, so death can't be directly bestowed upon me?"
"Are you kidding? Who do you think you are? The Ruler of Life?"
Ronova instinctively wanted to refute him, but after the words left her mouth, she suddenly paused.
No, on second thought, that actually makes some sense.
Could this guy have some connection to the Ruler of Life?
After all, both granting life to the dead and nullifying the Authority over Death seemed to involve the authority over "life."
...Looks like I'll have to pay Rhinedottir a visit later.
For now, though, she had to deal with the matter at hand.
"Hmph. Don't think that just because the Authority over Death doesn't work on you, I can't do anything to you."
She looked at Wu Yi again, resuming the dignified bearing befitting a god.
"Even without using my authority to directly bestow death upon you, I can still forcibly grant you death by destroying your body."
After saying that, she paused briefly and glanced at Wu Yi's reaction.
"...Hey, are you listening to me? I just said I was going to destroy you. Couldn't you at least look a little nervous? Or do you think I can't do it?"
"No, why would I?" Wu Yi shook his head. "But from our conversation just now, I gathered that you're a fair, responsible, reasonable and merciful god, so I don't think you would do that."
"Hmph, who gave you permission to make assumptions about me?"
Ronova snorted, but her face showed no displeasure whatsoever. The corners of her mouth even lifted slightly.
She cleared her throat and continued:
"However, considering that you show respect to the gods and only committed this offense in the course of your duties, I've decided to be lenient with you."
"I'll let you off this time. However, to sate the Ley Lines' hunger and thirst, I must take the soul of this person who was supposed to have died-"
"Please wait a moment, honored Miss Ronova." Just then, Wu Yi suddenly raised a hand to stop her. "What if I told you I had a way to sate the Ley Lines' hunger and thirst and calm their agitation?"
"Hm?" Ronova was startled and instinctively objected:
"How could that be? Even I-"
Before she finished, however, she noticed her own lapse in composure and immediately stopped speaking. She coughed twice and said:
"Let's hear it, then."
"How about I demonstrate it for you myself?"
With that, Wu Yi raised a hand and reached toward Rosalyne. A large mouth appeared in his palm once more and began to suck, about to draw Rosalyne's dormant soul straight out of her body.
But just then, he swung his other hand in a chopping motion toward Rosalyne's soul in the distance, cutting off a small piece of the soul he had just pulled out.
Wu Yi then adjusted the suction of the mouth in his palm, releasing the main body of Rosalyne's soul and drawing over only that small fragment.
At the same time, Wu Yi reached toward himself with his other hand and pulled a strand of hair from his own soul.
Then he raised his hand and drove the strand of soul hair straight into Rosalyne's soul fragment.
When Wu Yi let go, the strand of soul hair suddenly began to grow wildly like a seedling, spreading and branching out. Green light spread along its branches, growing layer upon layer until it formed the outline of a person.
The soul that had grown was identical to Rosalyne, and it floated in midair.
Wu Yi then completely released his hold on the soul. Soon, an invisible suction came from underground and drew the substitute soul he had created straight down.
"That's the method I came up with."
Wu Yi looked at Ronova again.
"I used the Soul Grafting Surgery I've mastered to make an imitation of Rosalyne's soul and fill the gap in the Ley Lines. That should take care of it, right?"
Hearing this, Ronova immediately closed her eyes and sensed carefully. Soon, she opened them again.
"The Ley Lines' hunger and thirst have actually been sated..."
When she looked at Wu Yi again, there was a hint of wonder in her gaze.
"You... No, what on earth are you?"
"Don't make me sound like some kind of monster." Wu Yi shrugged helplessly. "It was just a procedure. As a visitor from beyond this world, isn't it normal for me to have a few special techniques?"
But as soon as he said that, he saw an expression appear on Ronova's face that seemed to say, What is this guy talking about?
"Being a visitor from beyond this world doesn't explain that," Ronova said, shaking her head. "In the past few days, I also met an outsider in Snezhnaya who appeared at the same time as you. But he seemed to be just a mortal. He died the instant he touched the Curse of Death, and even after he revived, he showed nothing out of the ordinary."
"An outsider?"
Wu Yi was startled.
An outsider? One who came at the same time as me?
Could the spatial rift I opened when I escaped the Xianzhou have swept someone else nearby into it?
Wu Yi fell into thought.
Looks like I'll have to keep an eye out if I go to Snezhnaya later. Hopefully it isn't some troublesome Pathstrider lunatic.
Fortunately, judging by what Ronova had said, the other person probably wasn't an Emanator-level figure, but a Pathstrider at most.
"Forget it. I suppose this is why the Heavenly Principles attaches such importance to you Descenders. There's always something special about you."
"However, even if you are a Descender, you must not show contempt for the majesty of death."
A thought crossed Ronova's mind, and she suddenly had an idea.
"In that case, very well, Fifth Descender. Why don't we make an agreement?"
"You may save people if you wish, but there are conditions."
Ronova held up three fingers.
"From now on, we'll have three rules."