Chapter 457: The Threat of the Lord of Dawn

Ivan, the Lord of Dawn, did not keep Donald waiting long. The representative of this extremely benevolent god, who had remained silent since entering the Pantheon, finally spoke up.
“I believe it is necessary to campaign against the Totem Gods, but we must not fight blindly, as that would make us easy targets for our opponents. We need to establish rules first and then elect a decision-maker!”
These words sparked much discussion among the gods. Most of those who could become true gods were highly intelligent, so they naturally understood Ivan’s intentions.
Upon hearing this, Donald sneered inwardly.
“It seems this Lord of Dawn truly has an insatiable desire for power, constantly scheming to take control among the gods.”
His first step was to gain the support of all human true gods, and this conflict with the Totem Gods provided an excellent opportunity to showcase his strength and leadership skills to them.
At this thought, Donald suddenly recalled a famous novel he had read in his past life.
The five major sword sects gathered on Songshan Mountain to elect a leader for the Five Peaks Alliance. This assembly was instigated by Zuo Lengchan, the ambitious leader of Songshan Mountain. He could even be considered the central figure around which the entire plot of the novel revolved, with almost all major events stemming from his actions—though, of course, his ending was not very good.
Although it was not the same world now, the actions of this Lord of Dawn were quite similar to those of that leader of the Five Peaks Alliance!
Thinking of this, Donald couldn’t help but smile.
The Lord of Dawn, who had been observing the gods’ reactions after presenting his proposal, noticed Donald’s expression and spoke condescendingly, “Prince Donald, what are your thoughts on my proposal?”
Facing the Lord of Dawn’s question, all the gods turned their attention to the newly appointed Guardian of Gods, who was at the bottom of the Pantheon.
Originally, Donald did not want to get involved in this discussion. No matter what the gods thought, it wouldn’t affect his interests in the Totem Continent. But the Lord of Dawn’s overt display of power only stirred Donald’s desire to resist.

He stood up, first giving a slight bow to the gods, before speaking loudly, “It’s my first time meeting all of you, lords. It might not be appropriate to say these things, but since His Majesty, the Great Lord of Dawn, has asked, I’ll share my humble opinions. I hope you won’t find them amusing!”
Seeing Donald use this opportunity to follow the Lord of Dawn’s lead, many true gods found it interesting, especially those who were subtly dissatisfied with the Lord of Dawn’s domineering style—they even secretly applauded him in their hearts.
The Night Goddess, who was powerful enough to fear none even the Lord of Dawn, chuckled lightly. The others also smiled.
Ignoring the Lord of Dawn’s expressionless gaze, which was even more intimidating than a fierce look, Donald continued passionately, “In my opinion, if we’re to fight against the Totem Gods, there should indeed be rules. From what I know about them, their strength isn’t as weak and inept as those ignorant mortals imagine. Although a mortal with golden strength can attain the lowest rank of divinity, they still have their advantages—their territories are like their own divine kingdoms!”
“I believe all of you, lords, are already aware of these facts. But what I want to say is that the Totem Gods aren’t as weak as we think. I had the chance to meet White Mountain God, the lord of the snowy regions in the northern part of the Totem Continent, who is a neighbor of the United Kingdom of Celt and Ciri. In my humble judgment, although he is called a lower-tier god, his strength is almost on par with that of a mid-tier god—without even considering the powerful artifacts he wields. And White Mountain God is just one of many lower-tier Totem Gods on the Totem Continent, not to mention the two god-king-level figures above them. I doubt any of you would want to fight in a kingdom ruled by two such powerful gods, right?”
At this point, Donald looked around and saw that most of the gods were nodding, so he continued, “So, His Majesty Ivan’s proposal is indeed necessary. However, the number of Totem Gods is far greater compared to the gods in our main world. Therefore, one decision-maker alone cannot support the entire front line. After all, it’s probably not so easy for the powerful lords here to descend to the main world. Thus, it’s necessary to appoint multiple lords to oversee the battles. I think lords like Juliana, Eilwen, Rops, and Mora, who are interested in the new continent, would be suitable candidates!”

“Furthermore, as guardians of nature, large-scale wars among gods would inevitably bring disaster to the main world. According to the gods’ pact, such a situation should not be allowed, right? I believe His Majesty Ivan, one of the most powerful true gods on the side of justice, would agree with this!”
Donald, a newly arrived god who dared to challenge a powerful higher god as soon as he entered the Pantheon, was likely the first in its history to do so! Many true gods were worried about this newcomer!
Yet Donald continued as if it were a trivial matter: “Therefore, it’s necessary to limit the scale of this conflict. As I know, the lower-tier totem god, Wind God, who holds multiple territories in the southern part of the Totem Continent, has never been popular among the totem gods. Moreover, he is the main culprit for shamelessly attacking the followers of His Majesty Ivan. If we target him first, it will undoubtedly prevent a large-scale conflict. The totem gods will then fight desperately out of fear, and the vast lands in the southern part of the new continent will give His Majesties and the kingdoms of the main world enough time to deal with them!”
“As for the rest of the lands, aside from force, we can also gradually take them through other means. The Kingdom of Celt is a good example. In this campaign, our side lost no more than a hundred men yet seized lands equivalent to an entire kingdom. Although half of them belong to indigenous tribes, their totem gods are now my vassal gods, so the benefits from these lands and populations will eventually belong to me, His Majesty Charlie, and the entire Kingdom of Celt!”
After saying this, Donald bowed slightly in all directions before sitting back down casually, leaving many true gods pondering his words.
He felt no fear in defying the Lord of Dawn; instead, he was filled with joy.
Although one should be flexible, he had already offended the Lord of Dawn many times. If he continued to back down, it would only allow the other party to oppress him even more recklessly. It was better to stand firm and confront him, earning the approval of the gods while staying true to his own principles.
“His Majesty Donald’s wisdom is admirable. His words truly make me reflect deeply!”
The God of Knowledge exclaimed from his seat in the second tier.
These words completely ruled out the Lord of Dawn’s intentions, and there was nothing wrong with them, putting the Lord of Dawn at a disadvantage whether he retorted or not.

At this moment, as one of the most powerful neutral higher gods, the Goddess of Magic, Julianne, spoke up.
“Your Highnesses, I believe Lord Donald’s perspective is highly insightful. Perhaps we should follow his proposal regarding the battle against the Totem Gods?”
A large group of neutral true gods, led by the Goddess of Agriculture, immediately agreed.
Donald’s proposal was beneficial to them all. They could see that choosing only the Lord of Dawn as the decision-maker would likely have many negative effects on the existing balance of power among the gods.
Even Elsa, the Goddess of Night who was usually at odds with the Goddess of Magic, agreed, and Benson, the God of Intrigue, was also eager to strike at his long-time rival, the Lord of Dawn.
As for Jerome, the God of Justice and Warriors, a loyal ally of the Lord of Dawn, this god of order and justice wanted to support his ally Ivan, but seeing the situation, he realized that opposing it would be futile, so he chose neither to agree nor to disagree.
Most of the higher gods from the main world factions expressed support, and the resolution was finalized. The next step was to put it into action. Seven human higher gods, along with Morra, the dwarf god, made up the eight leaders of this battle against the Totem Gods!
Although the Lord of Dawn remained expressionless, as if his heart lay in the depths, he gave Donald a meaningful look as he left the Pantheon.
The true gods who knew well this extremely kind-hearted god understood that the Lord of Dawn had remembered Donald, a true god who dared to challenge him. Even Pross, the God of the Underworld, who had initially wanted to cause trouble for this new god, nodded in approval of Donald.
Donald showed no reaction to the Lord of Dawn’s attitude. Those who had become true gods could generally control their emotions under normal circumstances, unless influenced by their divine attributes.
He smiled in response to each of the true gods who showed him goodwill, then walked alongside the Goddess of Agriculture, Eilien, and the King of the North. With Eilien’s introduction, he officially met these like-minded neutral true gods.
After exchanging pleasantries, the most powerful among the gods, the Goddess of Magic, stood up and said to everyone, “I believe Your Highnesses have already met the young and wise Lord Donald. Even I am very interested in his experiences!”
Pompey, the God of Poetry, said with a smile:

“I heard that His Highness Donald ventured into the Abyss before the Divine Flame was even kindled, where he slew two major demi-god Abyssal Lords. Such an experience is good enough to be turned into material for an epic!”
The Goddess of Agriculture interjected, “Donald didn’t just venture into the Abyss and defeat those two Abyssal Lords; he was also an avatar sent by the Destroyer Monarch. In the end, he perished in the Dark Lands and never returned, and at that time he had just reached the legendary rank!”
These words once again caused astonishment among the neutral gods.