Decision 

The ant got right to the point. "There's no reason why an ordinary Mortal like me shouldn't help a practitioner of the Divine Journey. And I wouldn't gain anything by lying to you."

"Do you gain anything by telling the truth?" Maximilian asked curiously.

"Certainly. Not earning the enmity of a group led by a Sovereign is enough to leave a Mortal in a good position." Strin commented before adding. "As much as many natives of Zocarro dislike space explorers, and some will try to make trouble for you, the vast majority don't dare to risk themselves against practitioners of the Divine Journey.

The Divine Journey is long, and there are different levels of power. But the weakest practitioner of it still has enough to terrorize entire tribes of Mortals.

In Zocarro, the highest law is the law of the strong. The weak must obey and help the strong whenever possible or necessary. I just do what I have to do and help my tribe stay out of trouble."