GREED: ALL FOR WHAT?

Her health has increased, and it has become full for the first time in a long while. No longer is she in a downward spiral towards death, her lifespan has also increased from 230 to 251 years thanks to their blessing.

Access to Mana also caused her level to increase from 25 to 31. That is now on par with the young acolyte. That is just the short term benefit of their blessing on her. So they could imagine the kind of boost the young acolyte and the warrior would have achieved.

The warrior might just reach the limit of the orc race immediately if they had chosen him. But they have already made their choice, so there's no use regretting now. Besides, the potential for her race is 50, and the effect of mana is long-term. So she still has room to grow.

Anyway, they didn't choose her for her strength. So there's nothing to regret.

-Congratulations! Warshaw Shankings has become your Oracle. Her stats have been increased, and she has gained mana thanks to your Blessing.

They received more notifications.

(Oracle: Communicate to your believers through the selected Oracle)

(Description: An Oracle is the mouthpiece of the gods)

(Cost: ODE)

-You lost 1 DE for using Blessing.

-You have gained one believer. +1 Authority.

All of their Authority increased by 1, so now they have 2. This confirmed what their angel told them about Authority being equal to the number of believers they have. So the more believers they have, the stronger they will become.

Legion decided to strike while the iron was hot.

They said to her, "We have deemed you worthy, so you are allowed to make a shrine in our name."

She bowed and said, "Thank you, O great one, for this great favor. I will try my best to please you."

One of the clones spoke, "You can try, but we doubt whatever you can do will please us."

Another one continued, "But your sincerity might just touch us."

A third finished for them, "So show us the extent of your sincerity."

Their Oracle bowed deeper and scrambled to prepare their shrine. They felt slight amusement watching her go about doing something that they didn't ask her to do.

They didn't ask her to prepare a shrine for them, but she is going to do it, and she will do her best too. Fortunately, they happen to need a shrine, so they will acknowledge her efforts begrudgingly.

Warshaw called for her acolyte. She shouted his name, and he came running. He was surprised to find her up and about with as much speed and strength as him. She didn't let him be

surprised for long, though. She got him busy with tearing down the shrine in their encampment and begin building another one.

This was not an easy job at all. It took them hours to remove the ancestral shrine, which had been reinforced for hundreds of years. They had to tear down the whole building it was in and destroy the alter within it to remove every last trace of it.

It took them three times as long to prepare the new alter. It isn't as grand as the previous one, but it is new and has a better foundation because she used the best rocks, sturdiest bones, expensive fur, and exotic rug that she had been hoarding over the years to build it.

By the time they were done, it was already the morning of the following day. Only the finishing touches remained. Warshaw sent her acolyte to bring the best bull she was rearing. The confused boy almost snapped then. His legs wobbled and almost gave in at the idea of wrestling a bull into submission.

He was tired and hungry from working straight for hours, so he ought to complain about that. But he didn't complain because Warshaw did as much as he did, if not more, but she was still full of energy. If an old shaman wasn't complaining, then he shouldn't complain either.

He didn't complain about it, but he was certainly bewildered and perplexed. He was extra perplexed that they were tearing down the ancestral shrine, which had been passed down for the thousand years that the tribe had been established. Warshaw only explained that it was for the gods, so he didn't argue with her.

Unfortunately, that's where the leeway he was going to grant a senile old woman will end. The prize bull that will soon belong to him is about to be sacrificed to some unknown god that won't answer their prayers. He respects the gods, but he considers this sacrifice too much of a waste.

He said so too. "Don't you think this is too much for a sacrifice?"

Warshaw replied with a glare, "You either bring the bull or I will sacrifice you instead."

If she was the weak-hunched woman of yesterday morning, he might have taken his chances. But he is currently tired while she looks to be in top shape, so the odds are not in his favor. She might be able to overwhelm him and sacrifice him. So he went to bring the bull.

Things went better than the acolyte expected. He didn't have to force the bull to follow him. In fact, the bull sauttered after him into the encampment without fear.

The bull knew a little about the danger of entering a certain building since it has seen many cattle enter alive and none leave alive. But it also knows that it is not at any risk of that since only the young cattle are sacrificed. Besides, it is the strongest bull and used for siring, so it didn't bother to resist when it was brought into the shrine and laid on top of a stone platform.

It only became surprised when it saw a sacrificial blade swinging for its neck. It was too late by then. The spry Warshaw was full of strength and very experienced. The bull stood no chance. Its blood splashed everywhere in the shrine and all over the platform.