Chapter 243: Uniting to Slay the God (1)

Based on what Donald learned from those three fishermen, the three human tribes on Fish Island— the Fish Tribe, the Bluefish Tribe, and the Thornbird Tribe—seemed to operate independently, each ruling itself. However, judging from the status and living conditions of the ordinary people on the island, it was clear that the most powerful Fish Tribe held dominion over the island.
The Bluefish Tribe had some influence and often oppressed the weaker Thornbird Tribe. Only the people of the Thornbird Tribe lived in the poorest land on the western side of the island. They fished in the waters off the western coast, far from the safe shallow waters near the inland areas. Those safe shallow waters were warm and rich in microorganisms, attracting fish and thus ensuring abundant catches.
In contrast, the three villages of the Thornbird Tribe faced constant cold winds in the western seas. Fish were scarce and unpredictable, with nets often coming up empty. Their land was infertile, making it impossible to grow large amounts of food. They could only cultivate root crops that required little soil, which barely sufficed to sustain them, making life extremely difficult.
“Our target is this Thornbird Tribe. It’s located in the most remote western part of the island, far from the other two tribes. If we act swiftly and decisively, we can capture the Thornbird God before the other totem gods arrive, thus avoiding the attention of those powerful gods on the mainland.”
“According to the memories of these three indigenous people, coastal tribes like theirs often face attacks from sea monsters. Some tribes have even been completely devoured by powerful sea beasts, along with their gods. Even if nearby tribes notice the situation, they won’t come to rescue them if the enemy is too strong. This gives us a great opportunity!”
Vincent and the others also added suggestions for the action plan. Eventually, they formulated a relatively comprehensive plan in response to possible changes, deciding to carry out the operation that very night.
To be honest, Donald hadn’t intended to share the advantages of this world in the Totem Continent with outsiders. But without his golden allies like Carlisle, he and Uther alone couldn’t overcome the golden totem god, who had the advantage of being at home. Though it was just the weakest among the earth machines, it still had the support of a tribe’s followers and the pressure from its own divine kingdom. Relying solely on his own golden strength, he wasn’t entirely confident he could defeat it without problems.

It’s a pity that the teacher, Kelthas, and Chris still have some time before they can reach the Golden rank, while Donald is in a hurry. Over the years, as the situation in the Storm Sea in the southern part of the continent has become increasingly intense, even Donald, who is in the northern part, has heard about it—indicating that the fusion between the two realms is accelerating. Perhaps one day this sole safe passage will lose its advantage. Therefore, Donald must advance as soon as possible; otherwise, if discovered by the Church of the Gods and other kingdom forces, as a distant noble lord from the north, he might not even have enough to eat. If he wants to compete with the Church of the Gods, he must at least grow to a demi-god level to have the strength! In this realm with different rules, the gods can descend in incarnations more easily than in the main world. Donald has just entered the Golden rank, and he’s not even close to reaching the Legendary level, let alone a demi-god level. Under ideal circumstances, if nothing goes wrong, it will take him about thirty to fifty years to reach Legendary status—something that seems impossible to others—but Donald is eager to leap straight to the top so he can monopolize the benefits of this world, the Totem Continent. Thus, bringing Carlisle and the others is the best choice at present. Even if they grow stronger, they are allies, and Donald isn’t stingy enough to give up this divine opportunity just because he can’t have it all to himself. The Thornbird Tribe’s village is located near the center of the island and is the home of the tribe’s chief. The totem of their guardian god is located in the valley behind the village. Early that morning, they learned that three people had gone missing while fishing—possibly eaten by sea monsters. So, the chief of the Thornbird Tribe quickly sent warriors to investigate, but found nothing unusual; perhaps the sea monster had passed by, eaten its fill, and left. By noon, the three unconscious fishermen finally woke up. Realizing they were lying on the beach, they immediately started screaming in panic. They only remembered going fishing with the villagers that morning and had no memory of anything after that. Now they were lying on the beach near the village, with their old fishing boat not far away. Confused, they went to push the boat to get home, as their families were waiting for news from them! When they turned the boat over, they found that the fish baskets underneath were filled with plump, fresh fish, all still lively and jumping around.

Surprised by their harvest, the three fishermen prayed devoutly to the God of Thorns, whom they worshipped, thanking him for ensuring their safe return and granting them these fresh fish. In reality, these were merely rewards given by Donald after extracting their memories. The three indigenous fishermen had provided them with a lot of basic information about this world; unfortunately, as mere ordinary fishermen, they knew little about deities, but even this information was enough to make their actions much smoother. It was night, with the sea breeze gently blowing and waves crashing against the shore, audible even in the fishing village. Seabirds had also returned to rest, occasionally emitting faint cries barely audible over the sea wind. In the most sacred site of the Thorn Tribe, the valley where the God of Thorns resided, there stood a totem pole seven or eight meters tall, carved from dark sea driftwood, on a rock altar. Sea driftwood refers to wood that has taken shape in the sea or been found submerged there. It is a hard-type wood that becomes carbonized naturally after dying, with a much higher density than ordinary wood, allowing it to sink to the bottom instead of floating. In Donald’s previous world, many aquarium enthusiasts liked to use driftwood at the bottom of their tanks as decoration. Such a large and well-preserved piece of sea driftwood was rare, and due to its transformed properties, it was an excellent material for magic. A totem pole of this size could be used to craft hundreds of wands, which could be sold in the main world for tens of thousands of gold sols without problem. However, Donald and his companions had no intention of regretting losing this piece of driftwood. At that moment, three people were gathered together, hidden within Donald’s concealment barrier, waiting for the best moment to act. Donald relied on the divine power released by the Book of Truth to shield the barrier, allowing him to infiltrate the territory of a terrestrial machine and approach the altar totem pole near its core. But like a divine shield, this barrier consumed a drop of divine power every fifteen minutes. Donald couldn’t sustain it for too long, so they could only set up an ambush about half an hour in advance. Since they didn’t know the exact abilities of this totem god, their plan was to divide into two groups: the weakest of the three Sword Saints, along with Donald’s subordinate Uther, would distract the enemy on the nearby coast, while the remaining three would attack the enemy’s totem once they left their lair.

The Thorned Bird God will surely return instantly upon sensing that its core totem is under attack. With Donald and the other two strongest individuals here, even if the Thorned Bird God realizes the situation is bad and tries to flee with its totem, they will have enough strength to hold it back. Moreover, the Female Sword Saint and the other can also arrive quickly to intercept it.
Although the plan is… somewhat simple, merely a tactic to lure the enemy away, the simpler the plan, the less likely there are to be mistakes. And since their side has an absolute advantage in strength, as long as they don’t cause too much commotion, there’s no need to make it complicated.