Over the past five years, Rostislav has flourished, and Lev's endeavors have also thrived, showing no signs of weakness.
Ever since witnessing Rostislav's pioneering efforts in the wilderness and his formidable military presence, the sorcerer Lev realized that if he wanted to contend with the Prince's government, he would have to do things he neither wanted nor was willing to do.
In Lev's view, if he were to do those things, he would be walking on Rostislav's path, and while any method could be used to defeat demons, it still tested his conscience.
But the truth was that cruel, and Lev had to accept it.
The sorcerer first found a sufficiently safe and secluded base, and he knew just such a place: the pagan holy site, Veles Valley, located behind a hidden cliff.
For many years, this holy site was accessible only to the pagan sorcerers of Northeast Rus'; it was a place where many sorcerers' knowledge was passed down, where the chosen learned, and where immortals and totems were carved in service to the gods.
Sorcerers would also gather here to exchange knowledge and news they had acquired.
This land was very fertile; within the cliffs was a lake teeming with fish, and the soil was rich, making cultivation easy—crops would grow vigorously on their own simply by scattering seeds.
The ascetic sorcerers had always been self-sufficient here; Lev himself came here to study under his teacher's guidance, and after completing his studies, he traveled extensively before finally returning to his homeland.
Previous generations of sorcerers chose this land because of its strategic importance, and Lev also recognized its strategic value; it was easy to defend, difficult to attack, well-hidden, and had a long history of pagan customs—what better place for a headquarters?
Lev was initially unwilling to do this, as it was their ancient holy site, but after seeing the powerful influence of the Moscow Prince, he realized he had no other choice.
All available resources had to be utilized, and those things he was once unwilling to do, he now had to…
However, to do this, widespread approval was necessary, so Lev first convened a grand assembly of all sorcerers from Northeast Rus' to persuade them to agree to his decision.
Gathering so many sorcerers was not easy; it took Lev a full year to assemble the scattered sorcerers from various regions, as many sorcerers lived in very remote areas, and many were accustomed to living alone and were unwilling to participate in such gatherings.
Lev's proposal naturally met with widespread opposition; to most, it was unprecedented, but Lev had prepared for this moment for a long time.
Then, at the assembly, Lev debated eloquently, refuting one opponent after another, gradually winning over the crowd to his views.
His qualifications and prestige also played a huge role, and with many present being influenced by Rostislav's construction of fortified settlements in the wilderness and his dispatch of Christian missionaries, most ultimately agreed to his decision.
At the same time, at this pagan assembly, Lev did something unprecedented in the history of the Gods' Sect: he established a hierarchy, clarifying the leadership relationships and responsibilities among the sorcerers.
This caused considerable opposition, with two-thirds of the attendees directly opposing it, and some even openly cursed, shouting that Lev was trying to become their Prince, a dictator, and no different from that damned Moscow Prince.
Of course, few took such words seriously, but they did demonstrate the anger of the crowd.
Each of them was a local strongman; how could they allow someone to ride roughshod over them? Couldn't they just be local bosses in their own territories? Why did they need to establish a superior?
As for the remaining one-third of supporters, either they had a strong sense of impending crisis, or the threat of Christian forces was already imminent, and their respective territorial powers were under immense threat.
Therefore, they chose to obey; Lev was their only choice now, and only under his leadership could they hope to resist.
However, for Lev, this was already a huge victory; he had been prepared for a complete breakdown, but he hadn't expected so many supporters.
After gaining a group of pagan sorcerers as his subordinates, Lev's endeavors developed very rapidly; the sorcerers spread their influence throughout various regions, strengthened their guidance over village communities, routinely collected resources from them, and continuously absorbed devout believers, sending them to this valley.
In the valley, these devout believers would receive knowledge and combat training, which would have been absolutely impossible in the past, as the sorcerers' power in the countryside relied entirely on these secrets, but now that the situation concerned their very survival, they could no longer afford to be secretive.
These learning programs were all summarized by Lev; he had witnessed the learning methods of Christian priests and understood that this summary was crucial for their future.
Furthermore, Lev was integrating the worship of the gods, recording myths and scriptures, and constructing a complete and logical worldview—to contend with Christianity, the level of their religion had to be elevated.
All of this was so that they could serve as an organized force when the tide came—Lev firmly believed that the Moscow Prince would eventually bring about that day, and when it arrived, it would be their opportunity.
——
Let us turn our attention to the present; as Lev issued the command to gather everyone, after a bell rang, all the believers in the valley assembled at this sacrificial site of the gods.
Excitement was on everyone's faces, as the news of Rostislav's departure from Northeast Rus' had already spread, and all they needed was confirmation.
In the eyes of many, Rostislav's departure was the best moment for them to launch an uprising, so they were incredibly agitated, believing that Lev, the pagan leader of the Behind-the-Forest Land, thought the same, and that overthrowing the damned Prince was imminent.
Lev, however, calmly watched these excited faces, waiting for everyone to arrive.
The men and women gathered beneath the statue of veles; the great god silently watched everything below him, and once everyone was present, Lev went straight to the point, stating the theme of the meeting.
"Seeing you all so excited, I believe you understand why this meeting has been called. The Moscow Prince, Rostislav Vladimirovich, is about to leave the Behind-the-Forest Land; this has been confirmed."
Lev paused after saying this, allowing everyone to compose themselves. He looked at their even more excited faces, then continued.
"I know many of you are excited, believing this is an opportunity, a chance to launch an uprising. However, I must tell you that now is not the time. If we act rashly, we will fall into an irreversible predicament."
Lev's words were calm but carried immense significance; this undoubtedly struck a blow to all the warmongers, who had never expected the sorcerer to speak this way.
The hall immediately filled with whispers as people discussed the matter, but as Lev raised his hand, everyone quieted down. Although they had strong opinions about this decision, their obedience to Lev had never wavered.
Lev's prestige among the people was unshakeable; no matter what decision he made, people would still follow him, follow the leader who had created all of this.
"I know you all hate that damned Moscow Prince, and you all wish him dead, but I must tell you that our power is still insufficient to contend with the Prince. Do you remember our encounter with Yan Vishatich? Even with an internal traitor, we mobilized almost all our forces just to barely conceal our existence. Do you really think that with this level of organization, we can contend with the Moscow Prince?"
Lev's questioning was forceful and resounding; those who had been full of discontent earlier now fell silent, for they all knew that what Lev said was true—to contend with Rostislav's army with their current strength would be like throwing an egg against a rock.
"Moreover, the populace is not yet ready. Although the Moscow Prince's oppression is steadily spreading, most people still don't feel it much; more accurately, they believe these things are still within acceptable limits. For the common people, if something can be endured, then it is endured. Resistance is unlikely to bring them benefits."
Faced with Lev's words, everyone fell silent. Lev was now tearing open the bloody truth and showing it to them, and the entire atmosphere became somber.
"Then when can we rise up and resist?"
Someone asked at this point, and this was exactly what Lev had been waiting for; he knew he couldn't paint the future too darkly.
"Very soon, everyone, just a few more years at most, very soon, everyone."
A smile appeared on Lev's face, along with confidence, an incredibly firm confidence. He was very clear about the rulers' habits; sooner or later, they would inevitably impose the kind of oppression that would force everyone to rise up and resist.
——