Zukora leaned back in her chair, observing Toka, her knuckles tapping the armrest with a steady rhythm that was unsettling.
"You are the first envoy to come in the name of Italk," she spoke first, her tone flat, "That place was once Matos's holy land; if there were an envoy, it should only be His priest. Yet, in just a few years, it's you who has come."
Toka nodded, "We also didn't expect to get this far."
"Neither did I," Zukora paused, "However, I admit, you have achieved many things once thought impossible."
"A ruin that lost the protection of a loa, rising, rebuilding, and expanding within half a year, with even merchant caravans actively going there… Honestly, many people find it hard not to 'suspect' the deity behind you."
Toka did not directly respond, merely saying, "Everything we do is for survival. Regardless of whether a loa favors us, survival is what truly matters."
Zukora gave a soft snort, "If those old geezers heard that, they'd surely curse you for being blasphemous. And, when you say that, you sound like a politician, not a warrior."
"I am not a warrior," Toka shrugged, "I'm just an on-call attendant, sent to deliver a message."
He cursed Skala a few times in his heart.
"But you don't look like an attendant either," Zukora looked directly at him, "We both know why you're here."
This reminded Toka.
He took out the letter Skala had given him from his bag and handed it to Zukora.
"This is the letter Lord Skala entrusted me to bring."
Zukora took the letter, but did not open it, simply placing it beside her.
She lowered her head and took a sip of the hot soup on the table, inviting, "Would you like a bowl?"
Toka shook his head.
"Then let's continue with our business," Zukora, having been refused, smiled instead, "You've come to form an alliance with us, haven't you?"
"It's to 'continue' the alliance," Toka looked up, calmly meeting her gaze, "Lord Skala has already agreed to your request and will hold Gray Tooth Valley to the death."
"But we can't see your objective," Zukora's voice grew colder, "You say you want to jointly resist Frost Howl, but what you've established isn't a tribe; it's something new we've never seen before."
Toka did not deny it.
Zukora leaned back in her chair, her gaze momentarily drifting, "I am not hostile towards your loa… In fact, I envy you."
Toka was startled.
"I envy your unity. You are composed of different tribes, yet you have a unified command, a unified will, a unified symbol."
"And us—" Zukora raised her hand, clenching it loosely in the air, "This Resistance Alliance is held together by fear. Wherever Frost Howl strikes, people flock to the Alliance, and I painstakingly piece together a net, but it's full of holes."
She paused, her voice low:
"And now, even fear is starting to fail."
Toka frowned.
Zukora continued, "Conflicts constantly arise between the various tribes. From the distribution of supplies and troop assignments to minor details like armor styles, they can argue endlessly. Each tribe also has its own rules and beliefs."
"But as far as I know, everyone worships those few loa."
"Yes," Zukora nodded, "But those old witch doctors and old priests, they have their own unique teachings for their tribes… To put it plainly, that is their authority, and it's impossible for them to easily hand it over to others."
"Furthermore," Zukora said as if mentioning it casually, but Toka knew this was the key point, "They despise your new loa. Do you know what they call you? Heretics."
Toka lowered his eyes, not refuting.
Zukora sighed, "They say you are 'ghosts of a godless land,' altering totems, desecrating rituals, and that you will surely bring disaster."
Her gaze sharpened, "But I don't believe it."
"So that's why you're willing to see me?"
"That's why I'm willing to 'listen to you,'" Zukora's tone became steady again, "But I also have to ask: how does your loa—how does He view us?"
Toka was silent for a moment before speaking, "He has His own rules, but He does not reject rational people."
Zukora pursed her lips, "Rational people… Do you think I count?"
Toka did not answer immediately, instead placing his hand on his chest, gently touching the divine emblem hidden beneath his leather armor.
A moment later, he looked up, his voice low:
"Before I answer that question, I have a question for you."
This question was both for Skala and a long-standing doubt in Toka's own mind.
"That is, what exactly are the loa thinking? This war between followers, so many lives lost, do they not care?"
Then Toka saw Zukora smile; it was the first time she had truly smiled in front of him, "I thought I misjudged you; your composed demeanor really doesn't seem like a young person's."
The smile quickly faded, and she said seriously, "However, I do have the answer you seek. And that is, the loa do not care. No matter who wins or loses, we are still Their followers."
She emphasized, "We can only be Their followers."
At that moment, Toka felt a strange sense of oppression emanating from that sentence, not fear, but a calm and profound sorrow.
"So, in the eyes of the loa, we are just tools?" Toka continued to ask.
Zukora did not answer directly, but stood up, walked to the window, and pulled back a corner of the curtain.
The howling wind and snow outside rushed in, dispelling the warmth from the brazier.
"Tools or followers, we have no choice," she said, her back to Toka, her voice cold and hard, "But you in Italk are different; you have a 'new' path."
"That's why I need to confirm His attitude."
Toka gripped the divine emblem tightly.
"He gave you a choice, didn't He?" Zukora finally turned around, her eyes sharp, "So, do I count as… a rational person?"
"Only He can answer that question," Toka dared not speak presumptuously.
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