Eren paused.
His eyes moved over the crowd, sharp and steady.
It was as if he could see their thoughts, feel their fear and confusion.
"Don't get me wrong," he said, voice steady. "I have nothing against gods asking their followers to die for a cause. But that cause should be meaningful. It should matter."
He lifted his hand, waving his smoke lazily in the air.
"People shouldn't die in sacrificial rituals. That's just an awful use of living resources. It's like throwing a good Stellar Sativa Stick in a campfire to inhale its smoke all at once. It doesn't make sense."
Another voice rose from the crowd. "So you won't ask us to die for you?"
Eren laughed softly.
"Who told you that?" he asked with a chuckle. "Of course I will. I ask all my subordinates to put their lives on the line all the time. I do the same myself."
His expression turned serious.
