Subscriber of the Gods - Chapter 96: New Followers

Grand Horn was where their ancestors had lived.

Their Father, their father’s father, and even his father’s father had lived on this land.

This land was very prosperous.

There were countless fights with monsters, but with their sharp claws that could shred anything and teeth that could tear anything apart, they could achieve victory every day.

They thought this land would remain prosperous forever.

But as time passed, the land started drying up.

Food sources disappeared, the land lost its strength, and the power it had maintained started weakening.

Their golden power came from this Grand Horn land.

As the land weakened, their power could only weaken.

As their power weakened, they would lose the power to protect their kind and even lead them.

So a solution was needed. It looked difficult but the answer was simple.

Another land that was nourishing them.

The land occupied by the Mountain King White Tiger.

They just had to get that land.

That land they had visited before was still abundant and beautiful. Moreover, they heard it could eternally maintain that prosperity as it had the Goddess’ blessing.

So the Golden Wolves were determined to take that land.

They used a very trivial reason. They started attacking the Mountain King White Tiger claiming the entire land originally belonged to the wolves.

When the wolves who were once neighbors started attacking, the White Tiger was flustered but dealt with it firmly.

It knew their circumstances but this was the Goddess’ land.

Those who didn’t believe in the Goddess could never enter this land.

Time passed like that.

The wolves of the newer generations came to believe that the White Tiger’s land was originally theirs.

Of course, the leaders knew the truth but the truth wasn’t very important.

Their land was dying and they desperately needed the White Tiger’s land.

“A good offer? Does that mean you’ve decided to hand over that land?! Otherwise, I can’t consider it a good offer.”

The golden wolf bared his teeth as he growled. As he did, the other wolves got ready to charge at any moment.

It was the White Tiger’s first intrusion.

Since they had always fought in the White Tiger’s territory, they thought they might have the advantage of fighting in their own territory for once.

However, the White Tiger’s side didn’t show any intention to fight at all.

“That’s right.”

At the golden wolf’s words, Ethan nodded his head.

“…That’s right?”

It was the golden wolves who were flustered instead.

“I’m Ethan Whiskers.”

“…I’m Gorden.”

Gorden the golden wolf leader looked at the Mountain King instead of Ethan. Its eyes asked for an explanation of what this meant.

However, the White Tiger ignored that look.

“I don’t understand. Why aren’t you talking and he is? Human, do you have some kind of authority? Are you controlling the Mountain King?”

Gorden growled as he asked Ethan. For the White Tiger, it was quite insulting but for some reason, the White Tiger continued to remain silent.

But the other Golden Wolves were watching the White Tiger’s movements.

They knew very well from fighting it how strong it was.

“You may not know this but that land was originally ours to begin with. It’s currently occupied by that Mountain King but still. If you’re handing it over, the Mountain King should be the one to do it. If you’ve just come to joke around, I’ll tear you apart and kill you.”

As Gorden spoke like that, the wolves howled as if to agree, saying Awooo Awooo Awooo.

Ethan shuffled his feet a bit.

Thud-!

“Gorden.”

Ethan looked at Gorden.

“Your current land is dying, isn’t it?”

“…..”

Gorden flinched but didn’t show it.

“That’s probably why, right? You can’t keep living on a dying land so you’re after this land?”

“Nonsense. We only want to reclaim what is ours!”

“Then there’s no need to talk. Forget everything I just said. Just keep intruding and invading the White Tiger’s land, and keep losing every time.”

At those words, Gorden let out a loud growl.

“You’ve already intruded on our land! We won’t just let you go back!”

Ethan looked at Gorden growling and roaring.

[LV 75]

Although it was very high level, strangely, its weaknesses were much more apparent than those of the Blue Wolves.

‘Other wolves seem to be the same.’

Despite being monsters with higher levels and strength than the Blue Wolves, their weaknesses were clear and large when using Monsters’ Calamity.

‘It seems their strength is weakening.’

And that power clearly came from this land. Upon confirming with the Eye of Horus, it was evident that the power of this land itself was fading.

‘They are interconnected.’

That’s why they were aiming for the land of the White Tiger.

Ethan noticed that despite Gorden growling, it couldn’t properly charge. Normally, it would have charged anyway.

‘What I said is bothering them.’

When asked if he had come to hand over the land, it was probably very curious about Ethan’s response.

“Gorden, you know best that these Golden Wolves are weakening, right? As the strongest here, you would be weakening the fastest.”

At Ethan’s words, Gorden flinched again but stayed silent this time. This wasn’t something that could be revealed.

Ethan approached Gorden. The other Golden Wolves charged at him.

“It’s fine!”

Gorden then roared for them to stop. The Golden Wolves charging came to a halt where they were.

“There’s something the other wolves can’t know, huh? Let’s talk a bit, Gorden.”

“….What do you want to talk about?”

“What I said about handing over the land was the truth.”

“….Why? The White Tiger must have made many sacrifices to protect that land until now, right?”

“Because I’m the descendant of the owner of that land.”

“Th-the descendant of the Moon Goddess?”

Gorden looked at Ethan with an alarmed expression.

Ethan looked over Gorden and the Golden Wolves with a very solemn expression.

“The Goddess awaits you.”

“What is that…”

Gorden looked back at the Mountain King behind Ethan.

The Mountain King nodded firmly with a fierce look.

“If you believe in the goddess, I will give you the land. “The fertile soil and lakes you wanted.”

It had been a really long time.

“You seem to have practiced quite a lot.”

His father’s gaze had changed. It was a look he hadn’t seen since he stood still in front of the giant wall.

Expectation.

“Don’t get your hopes up.”

After the observation class yesterday, Mason had a brief conversation with his father, Duke Yeld.

Duke Yeld’s face seemed to be quite pleased with the content of the observation class.

The expressions of the two brothers were also very satisfying. They tried not to even meet each other’s eyes, showing how shocking the class had been.

Mason was very pleased with that.

It was like stepping back into the succession battle that he thought was already over.

And there was something very important.

After Ethan’s provocation, Mason had promised himself to receive praise from Ethan.

“I did it.”

He had only experienced failures at the academy until now.

“This is the first success.”

And it was a very meaningful success.

“Now I have no choice but to trust.”

Those words of Ethan’s.

Mountain King White Tiger’s territory.

The wolves were very tense. They had never come this deep into the land before.

And to come here without fighting.

They even thought it might be a huge trap set by Mountain King White Tiger.

“Gorden.”

“Do you trust them?”

“All of this could be a trap. There’s no way its attitude changes so suddenly.”

The Golden Wolves advised Gorden, the leader. Gorden also doubted whether this was a trap or not.

No matter how one thought about it, it didn’t make sense for the White Tiger attitude to change so suddenly.

But before Gorden could make any decisions, they arrived at their destination.

It was the place they had always aimed for.

A beautiful green lake. It was a huge lake that could be considered the center of this land. Many living beings were living around this lake.

It was the fertile lake that the Golden Wolves desired.

The wolves stared blankly at the lake.

“There’s no need to fight. What you want is this land, right?”

Ethan said.

“Take it. Instead…”

Then the Mountain King roared loudly.

It was such a loud roar that many mountain birds were startled and flew away, making a fluttering sound at the same time.

“Trust in Moonforce.”

“Moonforce? Are you asking us to believe in the goddess of the moon, White Tiger?”

“Yeah, if you swear to become her followers, you can live together in this land with me. There will be no more fighting.”

At those words, Gorden hesitated no longer.

“How do we become followers?”

It was Ethan who answered.

“Just change your mindset from now on.”

To which Ethan replied.

“I’m not telling you to believe immediately. Just living here and slowly believing in the Moon Goddess is enough.”

How many could truly gain faith in a god if told to believe immediately?

Ethan said deciding to believe in the god was most important.

“Deciding in your heart is most important. If you keep believing after deciding to believe, you’ll come to believe.”

“…..”

Gorden looked at Ethan.

“I… believe.”

As Gorden howled those words, the other wolves also howled. Blue light suddenly wrapped around the wolves’ golden fur.

-The Golden Wolves have become new followers who believe in the Goddess!

-You have greatly influenced the wolves’ conversion!

-Moonforce the Moon Goddess praises you!

-Moonforce has named the old temple which received new followers Grand Horn.

-Moonforce’s Temple [Grand Horn] opens.

Shaaa-!

The surroundings started becoming dyed in blue light. Then with a sound coming from the lake, something started emerging.

“A temple?”

A temple was rising from it.

“The temple that was on the cliff…”

It had moved exactly here to the lake. A path leading to the temple was also created.

The wolves were stunned by the beautiful sight.

“Grand Horn Temple.”

Ethan spoke to the White Tiger and wolves.

“The temple granted by the Goddess.”

The wolves prostrated themselves where they were. The White Tiger also lowered its body below Ethan.

“Descendant.”

“Descendant!”

‘Is this what it feels like to be a cult leader?’

Of course, Moonforce was a real god, so the term ‘cult’ didn’t quite fit but still.

“The Goddess will bless you.”

Ethan definitively concluded.

-For creating new followers, the Goddess grants you a reward.

-Go to the Grand Horn Temple to receive your reward.

Author’s Thoughts

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