"What is a Guardian Totem?" Nexus inquired. Whether he agrees or not will have to wait after he learned what a Guardian Totem is.
"As expected, it doesn't know what a Guardian Totem is!" Wyden was internally delighted.
He knew how risky his bold plan was, but it must be done. The tribe survived last night by luck, but they wouldn't be as lucky forever.
With their weak power and few numbers, if another lizardmen tribe were to set eyes on them, they definitely wouldn't be able to survive.
The only chance that Wyden can see to save the tribe and even make it flourish was for them to have a Guardian Totem.
Only this Mushroom, which doesn't know what a Guardian Totem is, has a chance to accept the nymphs, and Wyden has to grab this chance.
Despite his nervousness, he maintained a calm on the outside while he gave an explanation.
"A Guardian Totem is a tribe's most revered existence. The Guardian guides the tribe and helps the tribe grow. In return, the governed tribe will forever worship, serve, and protect the Guardian Totem."
"Most Guardian Totems cannot move on their own, nor do they have limbs. Most of the time, while the Guardian Totem can make its worshippers powerful, they themselves do not have fighting capabilities. As such, it is the worshipper's job to ensure the protection of the Guardian Totem."
Wyden explained what it means to be a Guardian Totem. He speaks truthfully, but he is also withholding some truth.
"I see. Basically, we will have a symbiotic relationship. I provide Blood Boiling Mushrooms to you, and you serve and protect me in return" Nexus muttered.
This proposal doesn't sound bad. After all, although Nexus can now use his mycelium to move, he couldn't go far. Aside from that, he still has limited attack power.
It wouldn't be bad to have a group of Butterfly Nymphs serve and protect him.
"Your Excellency, the relationship between the Guardian Totem and the worshippers is closer than that."
"We are also not aware of the exact details, but the more worshippers there are, and the stronger and more devout they are, the stronger the Guardian Totem becomes."
Wyden continued. The tribe knew some things about Guardian Totems, but they were only basic information because they had never had their own Guardian Totem before.
"This… could it be faith?" Nexus thought in his mind.
As a webnovel fanatic, he naturally read webnovels wherein the characters gain power through faith and worship. Oftentimes, these characters are Gods that derived their power from faith.
Could this world actually have a similar setting? Although even if that is the case, there might be some differences.
In the novels, one must at least be a "Legendary" or a "Demi-god" before they can absorb and use the power of faith.
However, from Wyden's explanation, it seems that in this world, the threshold to use Faith was way lower. Nexus just had to accept worshippers, then boom, it was done.
Now, the question is, should he accept or decline?
A moment passed, and Nexus didn't provide an answer, which made Wyden and the others nervous.
While the other nymphs might not be as perceptive as Iruline, and they didn't realize Wyden's deceit, if they really gain a Guardian Totem, that would be for the best.
Not a single one of them doesn't want Nexus to agree.
"Hmm… I really can't think of a reason to refuse. Besides, even if they become bad apples, it's not like I cannot deal with them." With this in mind, Nexus finally spoke again.
"Very well, I accept. I shall become your Guardian Totem and all of you shall become my worshippers" Nexus agreed, much to everyone's relief, and they all cheered.
"We thank Your Excellency!" All the Butterfly Nymphs spoke at once while kneeling on the ground.
With Nexus's acceptance, he sensed a stream of energy coming from the nymphs and gathering around his main body.
He can choose to accept and absorb this stream of energy or reject it, but since Nexus already agreed to be their Guardian Totem, he naturally accepted the energy.
He can sense that only once he absorbed the energy coming from the tribe's worship, which he called 'faith', would he really become their Guardian Totem.
As soon as Nexus absorbed the faith energy, he established a mysterious connection to the nymphs, and the latter also sensed that.
The nymphs grew more comfortable around Nexus as if they were kids returning into the embrace of their mothers.
Nexus himself was affected; his affection for these nymphs grew. In the past, he merely thought of them as potential 'business partners,' but now, a small part of him starts to genuinely care for them.
"It seems like faith affects both parties" Nexus thought after sensing the changes he had.
Due to the limited faith he absorbed considering the low number of the nymphs, he didn't gain much, but he knew that this was temporary.
Once he obtained more faith, he could use it for a lot of different things. Fortunately, despite being a newbie and ignorant Totem, Nexus can still rely on his instincts once more.
He doesn't know if all Guardian Totems have the same instincts as him, vaguely knowing what they could use faith for, but it doesn't matter.
Nexus doesn't plan on doing anything half-baked. Since he gained worshippers, he would ensure that they would grow in power and numbers, as that would also benefit him.
"Your Highness, we are in your care. To commemorate this day, why don't you bestow a name on our tribe?" Wyden suggested.
Now that Nexus has become their Guardian Totem, the way they address him also differs. It changed from Your Excellency to Your Highness.
Worshippers use the honorific title "Your Highness" to respectfully address their Guardian Totem.
"A name… I am not good at naming. Why don't the tribe take my surname? My name is Nexus Morningstar, and the tribe can be called the Morningstar Tribe, and all of you will also have the Morningstar surname" Nexus decided on a whim.
It would be a lie to say that he doesn't feel proud and exhilarated to see people worshipping him.
After all, he came from the 21st-century Earth, wherein everyone is equal at the very least on the surface. Where would you see anyone being worshipped like this?
While Nexus is now a mushroom, he still retained a part of his humanity, and it was human instinct to want to be above others.
If not, why would it be that in the past, people strived to be Nobles or envy the Kings and Emperors?
Nexus is not a selfless Saint to be indifferent.
"Yes, Your Highness! From now on, we are the Morningstar Tribe, and all of the Butterfly Nymphs will have your surname!" Wyden immediately accepted it.
Right now, what he wants the most is to bind Nexus closer to the tribe. After all, aside from one piece of information he withheld, most of the things he mentioned earlier are almost all the things the tribe knew about Guardian Totems.
He wants to tie Nexus to the tribe to the point that even if the Mushroom Spirit learned of his deceit, it would still continue being the Tribe's Guardian Totem.
At most, Wyden is willing to end his own life to placate the Spirit's fury.
"Long live Your Highness!"
"Long Live the Guardian Totem!"
"Long live the Morningstar Tribe!"
The nymphs celebrated loudly, and even Nexus was affected by their mood.
He controlled his mycelium and he pumped mana into one of his mushrooms to use two of his three innate magic.
"Wyden, Chief of the Morningstar Tribe, you shall take the honor of receiving the first mushroom of the Morningstar Tribe" Nexus said while casting both [Energy Sac] and [Symbiosis] on one mushroom.
The fifty mushrooms he currently has are still all normal Blood Boiling Mushrooms. But now, after using his Innate Magic on one of them, the mushroom will transform into a different one.
At a rate visible to the naked eye, the mushroom grew bigger and plumper. It didn't change that much externally aside from the size, but inside, an internal sac grew on it.
It now deviates from a normal mushroom. After all, what mushroom would have a sac inside it that could store energy?
"This mushroom… from now on, this Mushroom would become a symbol of our tribe. Only those who assimilated with my mushroom would be true members of the tribe!" Nexus announced while using his mycelium to take the mushroom to the nymph's chief.
While he accepted these nymphs, Nexus was not stupid enough to fully trust all of them. He naturally needed a countermeasure in case they betray him.
Fortunately, his [Energy Sac] and [Symbiosis] magic are the perfect magic to restrain these nymphs and ensure that they will never betray him. Even if they do betray him, he could take their lives anytime.
"Everything is under the Guardian Totem's will!" Wyden said before accepting the mushroom without any hesitation.