In his sleep, Riku seemed to hear someone calling his name.
He felt someone shaking his body, and his consciousness gradually returned.
Being forcibly awakened from deep sleep, Riku yawned and opened his drowsy eyes.
"Why are you here?"
What met his gaze were two expressionless, pretty faces.
His heart skipped a beat, and his sleepiness instantly vanished.
If it were just Schwi, that would be understandable—after all, the two of them had been living together for the past two weeks, and after becoming familiar with one another, a certain level of trust had been established.
But the sudden appearance of Origami Tobiichi left him flustered.
"Of course, I'm here for our deal," Origami said matter-of-factly. "It's already been two weeks—you must have some thoughts about it by now?"
"So it was about that…" Riku rubbed his temples in slight distress. "I know this is important, but was it really so urgent that you had to wake me up in the middle of my sleep?"
"I originally intended to wait until you woke up, but Schwi said losing a few hours of sleep wouldn't harm your body."
"Fine, I'm awake now, so there's no point talking about it further."
Riku gave Schwi a slightly resentful glare and sighed helplessly. "I'm sorry I haven't sought you out these past two weeks. But you should understand, this matter is of great importance. Even if I've made a decision, I still need to consult with the other tribespeople. I can't give you a definitive answer in such a short time."
"How much time do you need?"
"If possible... could you give me another month?" Riku asked hopefully.
As a human, Riku knowledge level was already quite high.
However, when it came to this world, the information he possessed wasn't even the tip of the iceberg, let alone having a clear view of the entire situation.
Over the past period, aside from conducting investigations and managing the tribe, he spent all his remaining time communicating with Schwi, trying to extract as much intelligence as possible from this Ex-Machina's database.
Only in this way could he gain a better grasp of the bigger picture and make the best possible decision.
But for Origami Tobiichi—who had been idling and growing bored—her patience was running thin.
"Riku, the reason I chose your tribe to spread the faith is because you have the largest population and thus would provide the most belief energy," Origami stated expressionlessly. "If you can't make a decision, I can simply choose another human tribe. They don't have a Schwi like you do—if I offer them protection, they'll agree to the deal immediately."
This was a lie.
Although in Riku eyes she was undoubtedly a member of a high-ranking race, compared to other races capable of constructing complex formulas and using various magic, she only barely met the standard in combat ability.
Origami Tobiichi didn't even have detection capabilities.
After leaving Avant Heim, she had spent days circling the northern, eastern, and western parts of the Lucia continent, without finding any trace of a human tribe.
If she hadn't coincidentally encountered a hunting party of the beastman race—who had happened to capture three humans—she would've had to spend much more time and effort to find any humans.
But Riku didn't know any of this.
So after Origami spoke her slightly pressuring words, his expression froze, and a flash of panic appeared on his face.
"By the way, I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but I figured I'd let you know anyway," Origami seized the moment to continue. "The Dwarf race has developed a powerful god-slaying weapon, E-Bomb, and they'll soon begin testing it on the Lucia continent."
"Mm, a few days ago, I found that out from the wreckage of a downed Dwarf mothership," Riku said heavily, nodding. "I haven't told anyone else yet—how did you learn about it?"
"I have my own sources," Origami said indifferently. "If you're unwilling to rely on my strength, how exactly do you plan to deal with the disaster that's about to unfold?"
Riku didn't respond immediately.
If the E-Bomb were to be detonated on their continent, their lives would undoubtedly be affected.
But it wasn't like he had no countermeasures at all—just that each option came with a heavy price.
"Riku, my conditions remain unchanged. I offer you protection and power, in exchange for your tribe becoming believers of Mio the Spirit Mother," Origami said. "I understand you harbor doubts about me and the potential of the Spirit Race. You're reluctant to tie your fate to us. That's why I will first show you my sincerity."
"What do you plan to do?"
"I'll have the Dwarf race move the test site of E-Bomb to another continent. That is the protection I promised to provide you."
Origami reached into her pocket and pulled out a pitch-black crystal. "And this, is the power I promised you."
Seeing the strange object in Origami hand, Riku face filled with confusion.
He had never seen anything like it.
It didn't resemble a magic device, nor did it show signs of spirit activity. The flowing sinister purple energy within the dark crystal gave off an ominous feeling.
With Origami and Schwi explanations, Riku soon understood what it was.
"A Crystal Remnants…"
After hearing the explanation about the item, Riku eyes were filled with complex emotions as he looked at it.
Fear, doubt, excitement, anticipation…
With his experience, he could immediately tell how significant this tiny crystal could be for humanity.
Though he didn't know how powerful the Crystal Remnants truly was, didn't know what level a human could reach upon using it, and didn't know what the cost of such power might be—still, for a weaponless people, even a double-edged sword that might hurt its wielder was far better than using bare fists.
"My sincerity has been shown," Origami said calmly. "Now it's time for you to give your answer."
Riku took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and waged an intense inner battle.
If he refused, Origami would leave immediately, taking the Crystal Remnants with her to find another human tribe.
While Riku and his people could still live under Schwi protection, barely surviving and not participating in the cruel war of the gods—once Schwi completed her research and left their tribe, their fate would return to what it was before.
In this increasingly hopeless world, how many more millennia—how many more tens of thousands of years—could humanity endure?
If he agreed, they would not only gain the protection of the Spirit Race, but also access to true power that humans could actually wield.
Even though they might still be wiped out in the Great War, at least they wouldn't be helpless anymore.
After a fierce internal struggle, Riku eyes gradually turned resolute.
"I agree to your terms," Riku said solemnly, enunciating each word. "Tomorrow, I will officially announce our alliance with the Spirit Race to everyone."
"Very well, then let's proceed to discuss the details of our cooperation."
Origami expression remained unchanged, revealing no emotion.
But inwardly, she was secretly smiling.
As expected, nothing wins hearts better than a mix of threat and reward.