"You're well-suited to be a leader."
After the tribal assembly concluded, in Riku room, Origami Tobiichi commented:
"In such a short time, you were able to stir your people's emotions and make them follow your words. Now I understand why your status within the tribe is so high."
"I hope you're genuinely praising me and not being sarcastic."
Riku, sitting in a chair and looking somewhat exhausted, shot her a glance:
"I'm just stating the truth. I didn't deceive them or anything."
"Don't misunderstand me, I'm not being sarcastic," Origami said calmly.
"Besides, this is the outcome I was hoping for. A tribe united under the chief's leadership is far better than a scattered mess."
Thanks to Riku motivational speech, the tribe had gradually begun to accept change.
Although they would still need a long time to adapt, a good start would make everything easier going forward.
"So, what's your plan for spreading the faith?"
Riku took a sip of water to soothe his dry throat.
"Let me be clear first—although we are now allies, I can't help you much with proselytizing. After all, I know almost nothing about your main God."
"I don't need you to help with preaching, but I will need your help in other areas," Origami acknowledged.
"Please hire several people in the tribe who have skills in stone and wood carving to help me craft statues of Mio Takamiya, the primary God of the Spiritrace. We'll let the tribe members first become familiar with her image."
"And after that?"
"After that, all we need to do is wait for your people to gradually uncover the power of the Crystal Remnantss."
Though the cost of using the Crystal Remnantss wasn't negligible, for humans, they were still a weapon that couldn't be ignored.
Once people realized that the value of the Crystal Remnantss far outweighed their cost, and stopped rejecting this power, they would naturally feel grateful to Mio Takamiya.
"How many people are willing to merge with the Crystal Remnantss now?" Origami asked.
"According to the statistics just submitted by Chloni, the first batch of people willing to merge with the Crystal Remnantss totals 122, most of them from the hunting and guard teams," Riku replied.
"They do the most dangerous jobs and understand the importance of strength, so even knowing the consequences, they aren't opposed."
"That's all thanks to you," Origami said.
"If you, the chief, hadn't been the first to merge with a Crystal Remnants and set an example, they wouldn't have accepted it so quickly."
"It's just something I was supposed to do."
Riku waved his hand, implying it was nothing major.
Getting involved in the God War might bring victory for humanity, but before that, there would undoubtedly be sacrifices.
Even though he had merged with a Crystal Remnants, as long as he controlled how often he used its power, the damage could be minimized.
This small cost was negligible compared to the potential sacrifices they might have to face in the future.
"Then I'll leave the task of producing the Crystal Remnantss to Schwi."
Having fulfilled her purpose in staying with the tribe, Origami stood up, preparing to leave:
"She has already mastered the entire process of making Crystal Remnantss. Even without my assistance, she can make them on her own, so I'll be taking my leave."
"Where are you going?" Riku asked, surprised.
"Isn't spreading the faith the most important thing for you right now?"
"Once the Crystal Remnantss are fully accepted, your people will naturally come to worship Mio Takamiya from the heart," Origami replied.
"Did you forget the Dwarfs are about to conduct a test explosion on this continent? I promised to stop them."
"You're going alone?" Riku frowned.
"I don't know how powerful you are, but I do know the Dwarfs are very troublesome—especially when they're equipped with the highest-grade magic devices. Even higher races have a hard time dealing with them."
"I have my own methods. You don't need to worry."
Summoning her angel, Origami left Riku with a final message before departing:
"Don't forget about the statues. When I return, I want to see a statue of Mio Takamiya in every household in this tribe."
Flügel Race Stronghold — Avant Heim
With a flash of light, Origami Tobiichi, who had been far away in the human tribe, returned in the blink of an eye to this city in the sky.
And as soon as she stepped foot in this floating city, she once again felt that familiar gaze from the void.
However, she had already made a pact with the God of War, Artosh, and knew that this gaze was not hostile.
So even under divine observation, she remained calm and unshaken.
Channeling her spirit energy, she flew toward The Council of Eighteen Wings, located in the center of the Flügel settlement.
Today, the city in the sky seemed much livelier than the last time she came.
Half a month ago, when she had been forcibly brought here by Jibril, she had seen very few Flügel individuals along the way.
It wasn't until later that she heard from Azril that the other members of The Council of Eighteen Wings had taken most of the Flügel race to go hunt the Dragonian race.
Soon, as she arrived in front of the council hall, she immediately understood why there were so many Flügel individuals today—
Because the hunt had ended.
Looking at the cheering Flügel girls gathered around the corpse of a massive Dragonian, Origami quickly spotted Jibril, who was standing atop the dragon's head, preparing to cut it off as a trophy.
At the same time, Jibril also noticed her.
"You came back at just the right time!"
In a flash, Jibril appeared in front of Origami, grinning as she pointed to the dragon's corpse like a child showing off a toy:
"This guy was quite strong among the Dragonian race. In its final desperate counterattack, it even took down two of our kin. But in the end, we still killed it."
"Mhm, that's impressive."
Origami couldn't relate at all to the Flügel's obsession with hunting.
But since she was considered one of them, she didn't act too indifferent and casually offered a few polite remarks.
Fortunately, Jibril didn't gloat for too long. After her excitement died down a bit, she asked:
"By the way, why are you back? Did you find the humans?"
"Yes, I found them."
"That's great! So the god-creation project has already begun?"
"Yes." Origami nodded.
"Is Azril here?"
"She is. The other members of The Council of Eighteen Wings are also inside," Jibril pointed to the council hall.
"Why are you looking for them?"
"I just want to ask them for a small favor."
Origami responded coolly:
"It's perfect that you all just returned from the hunt. The more people, the better. Come along too."