"But this kind of stalling won't last more than half a year. At most until this winter." She gave a bitter laugh. "By then, even if I empty myself, I won't be able to keep this shell."
"So, I need you."
Toka frowned: "Us?"
"Ital'ruk."
Zukora finally revealed her true intention, "Your god is now the only force that can penetrate the religious beliefs and tribal rules of each tribe."
"If you can send missionaries to establish strongholds in various tribes in the name of 'resisting Frost Howl' and 'blessing the faith,' even if there are only a few people, they can become a bond."
"It's not just about proselytizing, but about using religion to connect us."
Toka watched Zukora skillfully outline the location of each tribe on the map, the gaps in their beliefs, and the strongholds that must be taken, and suddenly felt a sense of familiarity.
This tactic of treating gods, churches, and beliefs as chess pieces and tools to organize, control, and guide mortal forces... it was too familiar.
The man who always stood behind Skala, always frowning and analyzing the situation, also used to say, "I don't believe in gods, but I know how to use 'gods.'"
Toka lowered his head and smiled, feeling both admiration and a touch of helplessness.
Zukora was also this kind of person.
She not only propped up a collapsing tribe amidst chaos but also managed to unite and organize this "Resistance Alliance" when Frost Howl was approaching.
"As long as these believers are here, I can use them to stabilize the various tribes; as long as you don't make mistakes, I can maintain the framework of this alliance," Ms. Zukora concluded.
Toka shook his head, refocusing his scattered thoughts, and replied, "This isn't preaching; this is already infiltration."
"What do you think we relied on to piece this alliance together?" Zukora retorted, her gaze sharp. "Frost Howl is strong, but what truly made these tribes obey me was food, fear, and a little bit of hope."
"Now the fear of Frost Howl has been temporarily suppressed; all that's left is food and hope—your god can perfectly serve as the latter."
Toka stared at her for a long time before slowly nodding.
He had a vague feeling that Zukora also understood that the success rate of this method was extremely low.
She was simply going all-in, trying to save her life's work—the Resistance Alliance.
"I will inform Skala. The priests you need, we will arrange to send. But there is one thing you must understand."
"We are not your tools; we do this solely for the glory of His Excellency the Emberglow Dragon."
"Of course," Zukora responded with a calm smile, "After all... I too have converted to the Emberglow Dragon."
Toka did not leave immediately.
He lowered his head in thought for a moment, then suddenly looked up: "Ms. Zukora, I have another question."
"Speak."
"Is your food... really enough?" Toka said slowly.
He recalled his conversation with Gollon.
That conversation about Grizzly Hills and the scarcity of prey.
Zukora's expression tightened almost imperceptibly.
"So you noticed it too." She looked at the map. "Yes, the situation right now is very strange."
"It's clearly summer, but the amount of prey we can catch hasn't increased much."
"If it weren't for some existing stock, we would have been hungry long ago."
"Do you have any thoughts on this situation?" Toka narrowed his eyes.
Zukora did not answer directly: "I dare not make a rash judgment."
"But you must know, this is no longer just a problem of a tribe's granary being empty; it's the entire land around us, slowly growing colder, harder, becoming unable to nourish us."
Her voice dropped, as if speaking to herself: "Either the Loa have abandoned us... or something is choking the throat of the entire land."
Toka's expression also gradually darkened.
This was not a problem that could be solved by a single battle.
Nor was it a problem that mortals could easily solve.
Toka did not press further.
With things said to this extent, continuing the conversation would only make the atmosphere heavier.
And—he also knew that Zukora would not reveal everything.
Just as he hadn't mentioned the actual situation of Ital'ruk.
However, that question remained like a thorn in his throat, leaving him unable to shake it off:
"Can His Excellency the Dragon God solve the food problem?"
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/TripleCrown
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"