Evolution

In the other world within Tonatiuh's vision, tens of thousands of tiny glowing specks gathered toward his eyes and flowed into them.

These were the Trolls' spiritual faith, made tangible and drawn into his eyes, becoming the power of faith.

He closed his eyes, then opened them again.

His vision returned to the real world.

He was standing atop City Hall, the tallest building in Zutona, looking down over the city below.

Zutona was not very large yet, roughly the size of a small town back when he had still been an Earthling in China, but its population was clearly insufficient. Even after more than a year of recuperation and growth, the number of Trolls had yet to exceed 15,000—and that was with a large number of Troll babies being born over the past year.

After the Sandblood Tribe migrated here, abundant food, a safe environment, and the increased fertility brought by the radiance of the [Eternal Statue] had resulted in more than two thousand newborns within a year...

Un'Goro Crater was far too dangerous at night. Even Trolls who went out to work would retreat back to Zutona, and there was little to do after dark. The only activity Troll couples had was making little Trolls.

Trolls who were too young could not provide much power of faith. On the other hand, the Trolls of Zutona who could provide it had witnessed too many of Tonatiuh's "miracles" over the past year. They had long since become utterly devoted believers in the two supreme Loa gods. Faith in the god Tona and the god Tiu was branded into the hearts of every Troll in Zutona, providing an enormous amount of power of faith.

Tonatiuh's retina displayed the status panel manifested by the system:

[Tonatiuh Aztec]

[Race: Troll · Zutona Troll]

[Class: Warrior]

[Level: Level 10 Great Warrior]

[Talent 1: **Berserk!** A Troll racial talent. For a period after activation, attack speed, movement speed, and strength increase!]

[Talent 2: **Regeneration!** So long as no fatal injury is sustained, consuming large amounts of food and magic power can rapidly restore the body!]

[Talent 3: **Totem!** You are now the spiritual leader of the Zutona Trolls. Wherever you appear, the morale of Zutona Trolls will not decline due to any factor!]

[Power of Faith: 3856.9527]

...

Over the past year, Tonatiuh had not simply stayed inside the city. He led the Trolls in constant assaults on their surroundings, and nearly every dangerous, aggressive beast and dinosaur pack had been driven out of Zutona's sphere of influence.

It could be said that he had been fighting all along.

The Trolls had been fighting as well, and battle constantly tempered those Troll warriors. Naturally, it also tempered their chieftain, who always took the lead. His strength had risen from a level 9 Great Warrior when he first arrived here to a level 10 Great Warrior.

A level 10 professional in the world of Azeroth was already considered a backbone figure among the various races, comparable to a general. One level higher, they would be a major figure at the leader level. Above level 20, they would be legends, the kind capable of influencing the course of the world's history.

The Trolls of Zutona had also improved rapidly. There were now more than 500 Troll Paladins like Kezra—Loa divine warriors. There were even 800 Voodoo Archers like his younger sister Dezla, forming the backbone of Zutona's army, especially when it came to hunting.

The rest consisted of 1,500 Tonatiuh Berserkers and nearly 200 Witch Doctors. Tiny Zutona possessed an elite Troll force of more than 3,000.

All the remaining Trolls were ordinary Trolls engaged in production. Tonatiuh followed a policy of elite troops; he had no need to turn the entire Troll population into a war machine or make every citizen a soldier. Still, it was only because Trolls generally possessed such excellent physical constitutions that a population of over 15,000, including many infants, could field such a large army.

The reason they had so many troops, and such generally elite ones at that, was not only because the Trolls had developed powerful physiques under good food, good living conditions, and the special radiance of evolution. Their current strength also came from Tonatiuh expending a massive amount of power of faith over the past year to level them up.

Now, the Trolls of Zutona were basically all fanatics, providing him with nearly 200 units of power of faith every day. In terms of power of faith, he was no longer the pauper he had once been.

Even the [Eternal Statue], the core of Zutona and the sacred relic in the Trolls' hearts, had been upgraded once by Tonatiuh. It could now cover an area of roughly fifty square kilometers. Both the Bloodpetals and the Stone Guardians benefited from it, bathed in that miraculous radiance capable of making living beings evolve.

Speaking of the Bloodpetals and Stone Guardians.

These two native races of the Evolving Garden had now become the Trolls' most loyal allies. When he had first arrived, the system had triggered quests related to them. Tonatiuh had entered alone and, through negotiation and persuasion, successfully signed contracts with both races.

The Bloodpetals were actually tropical insect-eating flowers found in most forests across Azeroth. In the energy-rich environment of Un'Goro Crater, they had evolved on their own and gained intelligence, though it was somewhat primitive, much like that of beasts.

Tonatiuh promised to help them evolve better and protect them. At the same time, he let those beastlike flowers experience the wonder of the radiance of evolution, ultimately reaching an agreement.

As for the Stone Guardians.

Their origins were a long story. Tonatiuh suspected they were descendants of enforcers, guards, or assistants left behind by the Titans in this Titan laboratory known as Un'Goro Crater. After a long period of degeneration, they had lost their civilization and power. However, they had good tempers and also yearned to evolve. Using the same terms he had offered the Bloodpetals, Tonatiuh won over this group of honest stone people.

Even the Bloodpetals and Stone Guardians could benefit from the radiance of evolution, much less the Trolls whom Tonatiuh deliberately looked after. The original Sandblood Tribe had merely been a branch of ordinary desert Trolls, with the dry brown-blue, brown-black, brown-white, or brown-gray skin tones of desert Trolls. Yet within a year, most of the Trolls' skin had begun transitioning toward a light sky blue, while their once-distinctive large noses and great tusks were gradually shrinking bit by bit.

The most conspicuous changes were in the male Trolls. Because of their bone structure, most of them had once walked bent at the waist, hunched over. Among the entire Troll race, only the Zandalari Trolls could stand fully upright without compromising their strength. But now, the Trolls of Zutona were gradually approaching the Zandalari in physique.

Although the Trolls of Zutona still looked like Trolls now, one could imagine that as long as the radiance of evolution did not vanish, one day they would become utterly unrecognizable from what they were now...

And among them.

As Zutona's spiritual leader and greatest fighting force, Chieftain Tonatiuh stood at the very forefront of evolution.

The tusk-broken Tonatiuh's greatest change over the past year was that he had grown much taller. He had previously been at most 2.8 meters tall, but now he was close to three meters, about the height of an ordinary adult Tauren.

Beyond that.

There was also his appearance.

Tonatiuh touched his face. Just as he was about to find a mirror to take another look at himself, he heard Zangar's incomparably respectful voice behind him.

"Your Majesty... the representatives of those little green-skins have arrived."