74. The New Crisis.
When Gavin chose his professions, far away in the Statue Tribe, dawn broke once again. However, the usual sense of peace was absent.
The totem had left.
Though it had left behind a ritual to protect the tribe from enemies up to the Golden Rank, the tribe members still felt lost. Protection was one thing—but the totem's presence had been their foundation. It had given them guidance, wisdom, and a sense of security. Now, without it, the future of the tribe seemed uncertain.
Among them stood the envoy of the Nine Lakes Tribe, his eyes scanning the weary faces around him.
He had been sent with an edict from the Eyed-Council, yet he had hesitated to deliver it. Yesterday, he delayed, unsure of how to approach the tribe during such a turbulent moment. But another day had passed, and he couldn't afford to wait any longer.
"I have to give them the command, no matter what," he thought.
With that, he made his way to the center of the tribe.
As he walked, his gaze fell upon a statue—a masterpiece sculpted by the totem before its departure. It felt alive. Watching him.
Ever since the ritual was completed, he had felt an eerie sensation—as though someone unseen was observing him. And now, standing before the statue, that sensation intensified.
"Could it be? Is the totem still watching over the tribe from afar?"
Shaking off the unease, he strode forward and knocked on the elder's door.
A moment later, the tribe's elder, Jion, opened it, a polite smile on his face. But the envoy wasn't fooled—the smile was a mask, a brave front for his people.
As Jion looked at the envoy, he recalled their brief meeting the day before. The envoy had mentioned he bore a command from the Eyed-Council, but with everything that had happened, Jion had forgotten to ask about it. The envoy, too, must not have found the right time to bring it up.
Jion greeted him, his voice steady. "Envoy, good morning. What brings you here?"
The envoy wasted no time.
"I have come to deliver the command of the Eyed-Council."
Jion nodded. "I see. What is it?"
The envoy unfastened a scroll from his belt and handed it over. "This."
Jion took the scroll, untied the binding, and carefully unrolled it. As his eyes scanned the text, his expression grew serious.
---
Meanwhile, Gavin, having received the inheritance of the Life Sculptor and Crimson Oracle, was about to begin his studies on how to officially become a Life Sculptor when he felt a signal from his clone in the Statue Tribe.
Currently, he had two active clones—one was the Earth Wolf, and the other was the statue standing in the center of the tribe. With his Golden Rank spiritual strength, he could remain connected to both.
He had already known from his Earth Wolf clone's conversation with the envoy—shortly after killing the Ice Wyvern—that the Nine Lakes envoy had come with a command from the Eyed-Council. However, after Valerie broke his seal, the events of the day had moved too fast for him to pay attention.
Now, while he no longer had a spiritual field covering the tribe, the ritual magic he left behind functioned in a similar way.
As Jion read the scroll, Gavin read it as well.
---
The Eyed-Council's decree contained two main commands:
1. Build and reinforce a barricade at the passage connecting WinterMoon Forest and the human encampment. Out of the three existing passages, the council wanted them to barricade the second one—the one formed by a river.
2. Begin the promotion ceremony for the tribe's advancement to a middle-rank tribe. The council had already acknowledged their strength as equivalent to a middle-rank tribe, and they were instructed to complete the formal promotion as soon as possible.
---
Gavin, still linked to his statue clone, listened as Jion finished reading and turned to the envoy with a frown.
"Do we really need to barricade the passages?" Jion asked. "We've fought humans before. They're stronger than us, but not so strong that we need to block the paths entirely."
The envoy shook his head.
"The humans you fought in the past belonged to only two noble families. Their strength was about the same as a newly promoted middle-rank tribe. Plus, those two families didn't get along, which worked in your favor."
The envoy's tone turned grim. "But according to our spies, more such families are arriving at the human encampment. When they come, the balance will tip, and the danger will rise significantly. After much discussion, the council agreed that blocking the passage is our safest option."
Jion nodded thoughtfully before addressing the second concern.
"Our totem has left. Can we still be promoted to a middle-rank tribe?"
The envoy nodded. "Yes. Your tribe meets the requirements. To qualify, a tribe must have at least one Bronze Rank warrior. You have the Earth Wolf Lycan, who was the totem's servant, and you also have at least ten warriors with power equivalent to a Great Shaman. In fact, your tribe has more than thirty of them. The conditions are fulfilled."
Jion exhaled. "Then how do we complete the promotion?"
The envoy handed Jion another, smaller scroll.
"Gather all tribe members and perform a ritual to summon the divine object of our people. If the review is successful, your tribe will be promoted."
Gavin stopped paying attention after this, allowing Jion to proceed with preparations for the ritual. His primary concern was the increasing number of humans arriving in the region.
A few hours ago, he had observed the human camp and noted that it had been completely transformed into a fortress—one capable of housing over 10,000 people. More importantly, he had noticed new family banners alongside those of the Wright and William families. This confirmed that additional human forces had already begun arriving. Based on their movements, he estimated they would start expanding southward in the coming days.
Gavin quickly divided his thoughts:
- One part of his mind began reading through the instructions on how to officially become a Life Sculptor.
- The other part continued monitoring the tribe, ensuring he remained aware of any changes.
He also recalled that after a tribe's promotion to a middle-rank tribe, they would receive a gift from the council—a cultivation method specifically for the tribe's totem. This was a powerful incentive for many beasts to willingly become totems for the Three-Eyed People's tribes. The cultivation method was especially valuable because it allowed advancement without the typical bloodline constraints.
Gavin, however, was only mildly curious about this method. He didn't need it himself. The real beneficiary would have been his Earth Wolf clone, but he had already found an alternative path for it.
Instead of following the traditional cultivation method, his Earth Wolf clone had begun the transformation into a semi-elemental lifeform. Currently, its transformation was at 2%, but once it reached 100%, it would automatically advance to a Silver Rank magic beast.
The finer details of its cultivation could be considered later—for now, the priority was reaching Silver Rank first.
---
Gavin's thoughts shifted as the part of his mind reading the Life Sculptor inheritance finished processing the information.
To become a Life Sculptor, he needed to perform a ritual dedicated to the Blood Ancestor, who would then bestow upon him a Life Seed. This Life Seed would act as the foundation for his new profession.
The ritual itself was simple—something that any Blood Race member could perform.
Without hesitation, Gavin pricked his thumb, allowing a single drop of blood to fall, and then began drawing the ritual circle on the floor.
Once the intricate markings were complete, he stepped into the center of the formation.
Taking a deep breath, he activated the ceremony.