Anerias didn't know what to say. He didn't know much about gods, so he couldn't tell if Frida was right or not. But if she was telling the truth, going to the southern continent would indeed be an incredible opportunity for Violina. He did not have the right to stand in her way.

However, to his surprise and Frida's, the one to say something was Zach. He started with a short chuckle.

"It seems more like you're the ones who need Violina, not the other way around. And you're mistaken if you think Violina won't be able to reach that level on her own," He said, pointing at the snowflake pattern on the table. It was delicately woven ice energy. But it wasn't just pretty. If Anerias could feel it, so could Zach.

The ice energy Frida had used to cover the table was powerful. It wasn't surprising that the ice wall had come down shortly after they joined the efforts.

It was more powerful than Violina's. There was no point arguing that. But Violina was far from reaching her limits. Like the rest of them, she was just getting started.

Frida narrowed her eyes as she turned away from Anerias and toward Zach. Every time he said something, he spoke with boundless confidence. She couldn't tell if he was bluffing, arrogant, or really just that confident.

"I guess we'll have to wait and see for her to wake up and choose, won't we?" Frida was confident that Violina would want to follow them after seeing the strength and purity of their ice energy. Anyone who was skilled enough to create such an ice wall would rejoice at the opportunity to become a follower of the Goddess of Ice.

Zach just shrugged. Anerias didn't say anything.

"Is that it, then? All you wanted was her?" Zach asked after a few moments of silence. They didn't even know Violina existed before they invaded, so he knew they hadn't come just for her. The way he still asked his question that way annoyed the Apostle, which was his goal.

"Of course not," Bartuk responded sharply before sighing and looking at Zach.

"We want to spread the teachings of our faiths."

Zach raised an eyebrow.

"I doubt it's something like spreading the joy of good food so that more can taste it." If it were because they wanted to share good things with more of the world, they wouldn't have tried to use force.

"You really don't have any gods on the other side of the tunnel, do you?" Bartuk asked in half disbelief. It was such a strange idea that he didn't quite grasp it. How did they live on the other side of the tunnel? What was life like without the blessings of gods to see them through hardship? What was the light at the end of the tunnel for them when they were struggling?

"Nope." Zach shrugged. Isuls was a being of the past. But Zach didn't want to talk about him. The only thing he knew about Isuls was that he was related to the Hydra. Talking about him could spread the information about the Hydra to the south, where Isuls most likely was.

He had a feeling that Isuls was the god that the Hydra wanted him to help kill. The less Isuls or his followers heard about people from the north knowing about him, the better.

There was also the god who cut off the Hydra's head of Domination a long time ago, but Zach didn't know much about that.

Then, of course, there was the Deity of Death behind him, too. But Zach didn't know what the difference between a deity and a god was yet. He didn't want to reveal to the people of the southern continent anything about himself or his familiars that could expose potential weaknesses.

It might also become a big mess if the difference between a deity and a god was minimal, and the people of the southern continent, who worshipped gods, found out he was using one as a familiar and a maid.

For that reason, Zach stayed silent. The less the people on the other side of the table knew, the better.

Bartuk looked at Zach for a moment before sighing.

"The short version is that more followers make for a stronger god. The more people who believe in our goddesses, the stronger they become. And the stronger the gods we follow, the stronger our divine energy becomes."

Zach did his best to control his expression. That sounded like bullshit.

They got stronger just by their gods acquiring more followers? They didn't have to do anything themselves?

However, Zach realized something. He realized several things.

That was why they were so eager to reach a new continent, one that hadn't been touched by the blessings of gods.

The southern continent already had a plethora of gods. Increasing the number of followers who believed in their gods was difficult, maybe even impossible. But on Gjula, everyone was a non-believer. That meant everyone could become a believer in their gods.

Just half a continent would already be a great boost to their gods. It was several million people.

Zach wasn't sure how the numbers worked, but he could already count at least five gods in the south. Considering there were gods of things like Rainfall, there were probably dozens or more of gods in the southern continent.

Assuming the southern continent was about the same size as Gjula, even half a continent would net the gods more followers than the biggest gods back home.

The Apostles, priests, priestesses, and paladins of the gods who managed to secure Gjula would naturally attain a strength befitting their gods' status and the appropriate strength for making such an achievement.

It was scary.

But at the same time, if the number of followers a god had determined the strength of the god and the followers, they would lose all their strength if they lost their followers.

Just like how the strength of the Apostle in front of him could rise by doing nothing, it could be ripped away, with him unable to do anything to stop it.

"Interesting."