The night in Lukare was always exceptionally quiet.
Toka had been here for two days.
During the day, he followed Fusar as she moved between the various military camps, attending meetings, understanding the war situation, and trying to commit every word to memory so he could report back.
At night, he stayed alone in a guest room near the center of the camp; no one specifically looked after him, nor did anyone make things difficult for him.
Ms. Zukora seemed to have fended off all contact or probing attempts on his behalf, which instead made Toka subtly uneasy.
It wasn't until the third morning that Fusar knocked on his door.
"Are you up yet?"
Toka pulled open the door and glanced at the sky: "It's not fully light yet."
"I know," Fusar said, wrapped in a cloak, with faint blue circles under her eyes, "Ms. Zukora has something to show you."
Toka didn't ask further; he put on his leather armor and followed.
The two walked through the camp and around to the edge of a warehouse at the bottom of a low slope.
This place was piled high with stones and firewood, seemingly unremarkable.
But Toka quickly noticed something unusual.
"There are no guards here."
"There are," Fusar pointed to the corner of the eaves, where an inconspicuous wooden carving was almost imperceptibly swaying, "They don't wear uniforms, and they won't easily show their faces."
She pushed open a disguised brick in the back wall of the storeroom, revealing a narrow passage.
"Let's go."
Toka said nothing more, bending to crawl inside.
This tunnel wasn't long, but its end was unexpected—a shrine.
A simple yet solemn shrine built for the Emberglow Dragon.
Unlike the large temple in Italk, which was still under expansion, there were no tall towers or corridors here, only an altar piled with frozen earth, with a half-human-tall obsidian dragon statue standing in the center, its scales faintly shimmering with golden light.
Fire pits burned birch wood and animal fat, and the air was filled with a faint scent of incense.
Zukora had been waiting here for a long time.
She wasn't wearing armor, but a deep blue ceremonial robe, with a silver divine emblem hanging from her waist, identical in style to the one Toka wore.
"Welcome, Toka."
Toka asked with some surprise, "Is this the shrine you've set up here?"
No wonder the topic had abruptly shifted to the expanding shrine that day, and Zukora had examined his divine emblem for a long time.
"Not 'you,' but 'us'," Zukora corrected him, her tone calm, "This shrine was organized and built by me privately, and only the most trusted few were informed."
"The reason, I presume you've already guessed."
Toka was silent for a moment: "Your priests are strongly opposed."
"They consider this heresy," Zukora said expressionlessly, "But I know better that this 'heresy' might very well be our only hope when we are frozen to death or defeated."
"Especially when this statue itself transformed, I have confirmed—He is a true being."
Verbal descriptions would inevitably have discrepancies, but this statue could even correct itself.
She turned to look at the statue, her voice lower: "I don't know how you pray. I didn't dare to act rashly, which is why I invited you here."
Toka gazed at this dim yet warm secret chamber, speechless for a long time.
He hadn't expected that the Resistance Alliance here had fallen into such a desperate situation.
So much so that it forced the wise Ms. Zukora to take such a risky action.
In Italk, the faith of the Emberglow Dragon was gradually taking root, but in Lukare, there were clearly different voices and forces contending.
Toka took a deep breath, walked to the statue, and examined it carefully.
The golden light on the scales was mysterious and elegant, filling him with reverence.
"I will teach you how to pray," Toka finally spoke, "May our Lord hear our voices and grant guidance."
Zukora nodded but did not step forward immediately.
He could see she was hesitating, not out of doubt about the divine, but out of concern for whether the ritual would be solemn and proper, and whether it would be compliant and legitimate.
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