GREED: ALL FOR WHAT?

What Hogging said was reasonable by all accounts. Even Warshaw could agree with it. The chieftain of Orcs is not a position passed down by blood. Only the strongest can have it. He used to be strongest, but he was bitten by a large poisonous snake on his hunt 3 days ago. That event will cut his life short in his prime.

In the past, members of his tribe would have already challenged him and killed him to replace him. But orcs learned some chilvary and common decency after the establishment of the War Orc Empire. Now they are willing to wait for him to die. They haven't replaced him yet, but he is only a chief in name. He can't give them what she wants.

What he said is the truth. It was all reasonable, and it truly stopped the senile Warshaw from going off the rails. Everyone sighed in relief when she didn't shout or throw a tantrum.

But then they noticed her turning towards a position where no one stood again. She appeared to be listening to something or someone that only she could see. Her behavior didn't feel them with confidence.

One of the council members snickered and said to the others, "This is far from over."

It is indeed far from over. The clones were not going to give up. But things have become slightly difficult for them. They had to make a decision right now.

They don't like being pushed to do something, but they recognize that this is a great opportunity for them to display their might and convert a lot of people. All they have to do is heal this chief in front of everyone. They will gain the support of the people even if they don't have his support after.

So they decided to heal him. They don't have any healing arts, so they used one of their divine abilities that can work as an alternative.

-You have used Minor Miracle.

-Acquiring available miracles.

-Please choose one.

1. Heal the mortal completely. Cost: 47 DE.

2. Heal the mortal temporarily. Cost: 2 DE/Hour.

They saw the options and were disappointed. Both of them were too costly. They currently have 93 DE between all 9 of them. Half of it will have to be spent to heal the chief completely. Unfortunately, they can't do that even if they want to because one of them has to have at least 47 DE for them to use the first option. They don't have that. Each of them only has an average of 10 DE.

So they are left with only the second option. But if they choose the second option, the cost will be even higher.

The second option would be useful if they had a short-term use for the chief. Unfortunately, they don't.

So they asked the angel, "Why is it so expensive to heal an ordinary mortal?"

"Unless you have a domain that targets a certain aspect, any action that involves the use of a miracle on a mortal will be determined by their level. He is level 47, so it will cost 47 divine energy to heal him. It is not expensive at all. You just think it is expensive because you are currently weak and poor. You wouldn't think so when you have millions of believers. A single mortal's life will become insignificant then."

So they had a decision to make. They can invest a large amount of their Divine Energy to heal the chief temporarily and hopefully gain a return on their investment soon. Or they can let him die and spend less energy on the next chief.

The first option will bring a swift outcome, but it is expensive. The second outcome will take time, is uncertain, but cheaper.

They decided to go with the second option. It is because they couldn't bear to lose so much DE on a mortal. DE is too important to them right now. It is literally their life. They will die if they run out of it. They will also become helpless if something dangerous happens after they have given away half of their Divine Energy. The life of a mortal is not as important as their life.

The two options are gambles for them. But the first option is a gamble they cannot afford to lose. What if something happens that they desperately need divine energy for? They might be paranoid about danger appearing, but only those that are prepared for something have a chance at victory when it happens.

Sure, it will delay them, but they are willing to take this slow and steady. It might be because they are immortal, but a day or two for the chief to die doesn't seem like a long time for them. They are especially inclined to it since it will grant them stable development.

They made their decision known to Warshaw who proclaimed it to the world.

She said loudly, "The gods have spoken. You Hoggling are to die as long as you remain chief. Your destiny is to become guardian of the Oracle of the 9 crowns. If you refuse this destiny, then you will surely die."

Everyone looked at each other. What she said was not exactly what they expected. She was to attempt and fail to heal Hoggings or give excuses why she couldn't heal him. Then again, she is crazy, so her mind works in strange ways.

The chief nodded and continued to entertain her. "I am about to die. What use will I be as a guardian to you?" frёeωebɳovel.com

She replied with a glare, "It is not your right to question the will of the gods. What you should do is just obey."

Despite the pain and the weakness of his body, a smile tugged at his lips. But he resisted the feeling and instead asked solemnly, "So what should I do in obedience?"

Warshaw nodded in satisfaction. "Give up your position and come with me to stay in my enclosure. If you fight off your death for 3 days, you will have shown enough sincerity to the gods. They will save you, and you will have to live the rest of your life as my guardian."