It was just dawn, and the braziers in the corner had just been rekindled, their faint flames illuminating the wall corners, and the air was filled with a faint scent of charcoal smoke and leather.
However, this was just a small meeting, so the four seated trolls were dressed casually, and their demeanor was relatively relaxed.
After Skala briefly explained the situation, he turned his head to his two confidantes: "That's the situation. What do you think?"
Gulen sat crookedly on the animal hide cushion, pretending to be casual as he spoke: "I think the simplest way is for you to just marry Zukora."
"If we and Lukare directly merge into one tribe, won't the problem be solved?"
Skala glared at him, saying nothing, but Toka coughed lightly, suppressing a smile.
"I'm serious," Gulen said, holding up two fingers, "Her prestige in Lukare is off the charts; the elders and priests are completely suppressed by her. That place is hers to command now!"
"If you marry her, we'll be family. Besides, doesn't she believe in the Dragon God now too? What a great idea!"
"Stop spouting nonsense!" Siye glared at Gulen, annoyed.
She closed the animal hide scroll in her hand, her gaze falling on Skala, her tone steady:
"Even if we were to merge, it shouldn't be through a childish method like marriage."
She paused, then continued, "The immediate problem is that we ourselves haven't even found stable footing yet."
"After the great victory at Gray Tooth Valley, the entire church was pushed to move forward."
"That victory caused believers to flock in like crazy, and newly built shrines, churches, and prayer houses sprang up everywhere."
"Now, many remote village shrines have only one priest and one apprentice, yet they have to manage the faith of hundreds of people."
"Headquarters is also extremely short-handed; let alone sending guidance teams to standardize the prayer rituals of local churches, we can't even spare people for daily inspections."
The organizational form of the Dragon God Church was already vastly different from the primitive worship of the Loa. Siye and the others could only grope their way forward, relying on the Dragon God's vague divine revelations and their own experience.
"In short, even our side is still undergoing drastic changes. Rashly incorporating a completely different tribe would be tantamount to seeking our own demise."
"I think we are not ready yet."
A brief silence fell in the room.
Gulen finally sat up straighter, shedding his playful demeanor, his tone becoming serious: "My view is pretty much the same. We can't swallow Lukare in one bite right now. If we're going to do it, it has to be at least a two-step process."
He held up one finger: "First step, let them get moving themselves. Zukora needs to implement drastic reforms—it's simple: whoever believes in the Dragon God can enter their inner circle and hold power; those who don't will slowly be sidelined."
"At the same time, the faith in the Dragon God must take root among the people of Lukare."
He turned to Siye, "We can't send people to preach in their territory; we don't have the manpower, and in their eyes, we're outsiders."
"They can only do it internally. Have Zukora send a few trustworthy and willing-to-learn people to Ital'ruk."
Siye nodded: "Manpower is tight, but there are always resources for training new people."
Gulen then held up a second finger: "Once this step is completed, our situation here should also be pretty much stabilized. It won't be too late to consider merging then."
"Your idea is correct," Skala affirmed Gulen with a nod, "The matter of merging will be put on hold for now; externally, we'll just say it's an alliance. That's settled."
He looked around, his gaze finally returning to Siye: "How are the preparations for today's collective ritual coming along?"
"Everything is arranged," Siye replied, "The priests are in position, and the plaza is also being set up."
"What ritual?" Toka finally had a chance to ask this question.
Siye smiled mysteriously, "You'll know tonight. For now, you need to come with me for a quick lesson, otherwise you'll definitely make a fool of yourself tonight."
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