"Supreme Chief Divine! Cut hair, make vow! Blood Wine, face marking!... This is the blessing and protection of the Chief Divine, from the beginning of the Era to the end of the Era! None of the tribespeople shall be left out!..."

"Praise the Chief Divine! Huitzilopo... He will envelop the Northern Continent, bringing prosperity and light, like the blood-red and sunset, like the Sacred Fire and morning sun!..."

From sunset to sunrise, the blood-red conversion rite lasted the entire night. The priests sang until their voices became hoarse, and the Sacred Fire burned throughout the night. Compared to the daylight ceremonies, the night conversion rite carried much more mystery and fear. And fear is the most primordial and steadfast source of faith.

Of course, only the Yoeme Great Tribe, situated around the coal belt, could have nearly endless fuel to burn hundreds of Sacred Fires all night, illuminating the entire tribe's encampment!

"Utadori High Priest, all Yoeme tribespeople, a total of seven thousand five hundred and forty-two... have pledged their blood oath to convert!"

"Hmm. Are there any stubborn ones who refuse to convert?..."

"There are one or two hundred people, mostly the old clan elders, relatives of the Mountain Eagle Great Chieftain... They harbor doubts about the appearance of the Kingdom, even suspecting that we have long colluded with those suddenly appearing 'Mountain Tribes'..."

"Hmm..."

"Utadori High Priest, should we follow the past practice from Reagan Town towards the Yoreim Great Tribe... and send them on a ship back to the Kingdom's heartland?..."

"Hmm?..."

Upon hearing this, the Utadori Priest's eyebrows raised. He sat in the Great Mountain Eagle Chieftain's longhouse, calmly drinking a cup of floral tea to relieve the fatigue after the ritual. There was no doubt this conversion ceremony to establish faith was the most crucial step in controlling the Yoeme Great Tribe and the coal belt tribes of Aaki. Its greatest role was to identify allies and enemies.

Regardless of whether the converted Yoeme tribespeople were falsely faithful or truly devout, blindly following or fearing... they have already marked their bodies and minds with the indelible trace of faith! Such tribes that have changed beliefs can be recruited and strengthened, assimilated into a unified tribe of Gummy People. And as for those unwilling to change beliefs...

"Bee Eagle Priest, you are a native of the Yoeme tribe, familiar with the Book of Ama Colley... and the first to open the camp gate, bringing the Warriors of the Kingdom in... How do you think these stubborn old clan elders should be dealt with?"

"Respected Utadori High Priest! These clan elders, who hold power daily, often oppress the tribespeople... It might be better to enumerate their sins and sacrifice them, one by one, as a blood offering to the Chief Divine!"

The Bee Eagle Priest knelt on the ground, his voice very soft. But among the priests, his tone was the most resolute, his words the most ruthless.

"Witness by the Chief Divine! Aside from these one or two hundred who refuse to change faith, there are one or two hundred elder families who hold the power over the tribes, currently only pretending to change faith... In my humble opinion, the three or four hundred Mountain Eagle clans, elder families, possessing the prestige and capability to influence the tribespeople, should all be sacrificed, none left behind!"

"Very good! Bee Eagle Priest, your loyalty to the Chief Divine is indeed impeccable, like the purest cocoa bean!"

The Utadori High Priest slowly nodded, genuinely satisfied with the local priest's decisiveness and ruthlessness. And the priest's firm performance was unsurprising, making him the most suitable candidate for missionary retention.

Through continuous evangelism, the kingdom's priests have discovered that in tribes newly converted for a few years, a batch of truly devout and fearless zealots, as well as priest apprentices capable of firmly executing doctrines, often emerge in a burst. Many of these people come from the tribe's original bottom tier, exceptionally decisive in breaking old orders, sharp like the Obsidian Dagger! Of course, if the dagger is too sharp, it must be wrapped with animal skin and only drawn when most needed.

"Bee Eagle Priest, Your Majesty's Divine Revelation Scripture says, our most important task is to distinguish between enemies and friends..."

"For enemies who cannot cooperate, be as cold and ruthless as a divine disaster! For trustworthy friends of faith, be as warm as spring. And in between, strive to make friends, to multiply them as much as possible..."

"Conversion ceremonies and prayer rituals are the most basic requirements for believers. As long as they comply, even if it's false now, they can become true believers in the future... After all, no faith is achieved overnight. Faith is like a seed in the soil, slowly soaking into the heart to sprout..."

"However, if even sowing is refused, stubbornly unwilling to convert... witness by the Chief Divine! That makes them our uncompromising enemies!"

The Utadori High Priest set down the clay pot, its tea now drunk, leaving only dark red flower buds. He gazed at the prostrate Bee Eagle Priest with eagle-like eyes, speaking word by word.

"As priests of the Chief Divine, we are all farmer chiefs. Some fields grow seeds slowly, but they will eventually grow and need careful nurturing. Some fields not only have seedlings but also weeds, needing careful discernment, not hastily uprooting all... But some fields have no seeds at all, don't grow seedlings, only full of wild grass!... Such fields must be hoed clean! If not cleanly hoed, then burned with fire!"

"Second Level Preaching Priest Bee Eagle, Farmer Chief of the Yoeme Great Tribe, do you understand what I mean?…"

"Ah? Ah this!… High Priest sir, are you saying that I should be promoted to Second Level to take charge of the Yoeme Great Tribe's religious affairs?…"

At this moment, immense joy concentrated in the heart of Bee Eagle Priest. He incredulously raised his head, only to see the gentle smile on the face of Utadori High Priest. For a moment, he felt dazed, and found it hard to believe, with only the infinite light of the Chief Divine filling his heart!

Three and a half years, just three and a half years! Three and a half years ago, he was the poorest tribesperson of the Yoeme Tribe, summoned and ordered by the elders of the Mountain Eagle Tribe to work the most grueling tasks, doomed not to live past thirty. Even his parents had died early from illness and exhaustion. Everything was seemingly hopeless, like a destined fate. Until one day, while mining coal in the Firestone Belt, he unexpectedly encountered a Priest of the Chief Divine, received their teachings, and became one of the first covertly developed believers of the Chief Divine within the Yoeme Tribe…

From that point onward, his fate changed! Like the legendary frog in the tribe's myths that swallowed the Firestone, flames erupted from its body, bringing fire to the world's flora… He worshiped the Supreme Chief Divine, and vowed to bring the fire of blood and light to the entire tribe!…

In three and a half years, he continued to report tribal intelligence and diligently studied the Chief Divine's doctrines. He quickly became the first underground Priest Apprentice in the Yoeme Tribe, naming himself "Bee Eagle" in honor of the Chief Divine's Hummingbird and the tribe's Mountain Eagle. Subsequently, among the mining tribespeople, he developed tens to hundreds of devout believers, and was recognized by the Kingdom as a First Level Priest. It was precisely these poorest tribespeople who possessed the greatest action power! They not only became the Kingdom's eyes within the Yoeme Tribe but eventually aided the Warriors of the Kingdom, opening the tribe's gates and striking at their vital points…

And all of these sacrifices for the Chief Divine culminated today in giving him an unimaginable and never sought-after reward! The respected Utadori High Priest was about to promote him to Second Level Priest, to oversee the religious affairs of thousands of tribespeople of the Yoeme Tribe!…

"Chief Divine bear witness! I shall die for the Divine, and for you, respected Utadori High Priest!…"

A moment later, Bee Eagle Priest returned to his senses from the ecstasy and immediately offered a grand bow of worship. Utadori High Priest received the bow while seated, then stood without allowing him to bow further.

"Bee Eagle Priest, you are the first in the Yoeme Tribe to witness the Divine Light, and you are destined to lead the entire tribe toward the path of unity with the Gummy People!… You need not die for me, but you must offer everything for the Divine, to die for our ideals!…"

"Go! Take all the local Priest Apprentices, along with the trustworthy believer backbones, to sacrifice those stubborn ones who refuse to convert before the Sacred Fire! Let all the believer backbones get blood on their hands, becoming your most reliable support force!…"

"Then, evenly distribute the wealth of these stubborn ones among all believers who take action… You should even apportion part of it among all tribespeople…"

"Remember Your Majesty's teachings—to differentiate between enemies and fellow believers, cultivate reliable backbones, thereby spreading the Chief Divine's glory! North-land's future for the Kingdom ultimately depends on you all, relies on the Farmer Chiefs of each tribe's growth! And the perfect Divine Kingdom in the doctrine sometimes emerges not only after death but also manifests in the hands of a genuine priest within prosperous, devout tribes!…."

Hearing this, Utadori Priest straightened his spine, his eyes ablaze with fervent light. At this moment, his ardor and faith were not a shade lesser than that of the fervent Bee Eagle Priest, only adding a grand ideal and ambition.

"Chief Divine bear witness! The Yoeme Tribe is seated atop the Firestone Belt, with inexhaustible coal mines there, offering endless wealth to excavate! Not to mention the copper belt to the north, the gold belt to the east, and the southwest islands with endless Guano Rock…"

"With endless fuel and minerals, easily obtainable fertilizers… from Reagan Town in the south to Yoeme Tribe here and further to Guayil Department in the west… these hundreds of miles, even a thousand miles of West Bay Diocese is the fertile and abundant land promised by the Chief Divine!"

"In this West Bay Diocese, a land conquered by our priests faithfully… we do not need to compromise with any tribal chieftains, nor do we need to grant titles to any nobility!…

"The West Bay Diocese only requires the appointment of warriors directly under the Congregation! All manpower, material resources, all tribespeople believers, must be controlled by the Priesthood, just like the order established now in Reagan Town! All tribespeople handle different tasks under the allocation by priests, ensuring every person is well-fed!…"

"Chief Divine bear witness! Our West Bay Priesthood will personally establish the Chief Divine's beautiful Divine Kingdom. This Kingdom does not exist in the afterlife's heaven, but here on this fertile earth!…"

"Yes! Precisely so! The Chief Divine's Kingdom be blessed! The Congregation be blessed!…"

"Indeed! Only the Chief Divine's farmers treat fields fairly, allowing all corn to grow! Whereas greedy nobility, like the Cocoa Tree, would absorb overly much nutrients to expand their families!…"

"Yes! Only we who worship the Chief Divine can establish a true earthly Divine Kingdom! Infinite holy light, infinite wealth and beauty!…"

Listening to this grand political blueprint for the Divine Kingdom, Bee Eagle Priest was overwhelmed with excitement. The surrounding Kingdom Priests were also visibly invigorated, nodding in agreement. At this moment, they all held ideals of an earthly Divine Kingdom and the pure faith in the Chief Divine, longing for a new diocese where priests fair-handedly manage everything!

At this moment, everything seemed so radiant, when the Divine Light first descended, before ideals were ever tainted, everything brimmed with hope…