Chapter Forty-Four: A Web of Intricacies (Part Two)

“I am the envoy of King Bimon,” the female Smai spoke straightforwardly. “King Bimon wishes to know how many tribes remaining on the Old Continent still honor the royal family of old.”

Antaioks quickly exchanged a glance with High Priest Ganiseiga. These two represented the orcish royal authority and the religious power.

Antaioks shifted slightly and calmly replied, “King Bimon is the mightiest warrior among us orcs. Naturally, we respect him.”

King Rhein’s words sounded pleasant, but even someone like Wei Wuji would have caught the implication. Indira asked if they still revered the Bimon royal line, yet Antaioks answered with respect for the warrior, meaning they regarded the Bimon clan as warriors, not as royalty.

Yet, Indira of the Smai was not angered. She lifted her gracefully elegant neck—so pure and refined it tempted one to kiss it—and held her head high. “I understand your meaning. Then I must make a second inquiry on behalf of King Bimon: Are the orcs of the Old Continent willing to cooperate with us?”

Antaioks was surprised that Indira showed no anger. His eyes flickered with astonishment; he had not expected her to propose cooperation instead.

“Cooperation? What sort of cooperation?” he asked.

“We intend to return and reclaim all that was lost,” Indira answered.

Her words shocked every orc in the throne hall. No matter how they imagined it, none expected Indira’s answer to be so bold. The orc tribes, having fled to the New Continent after the great defeat, now planned to return to this land and wage war to regain what was lost.

Antaioks frowned immediately and after a long pause said, “I believe that regarding King Bimon’s proposal, we need time to consider. What do you think, High Priest Ganiseiga?”

“This will rekindle an all-out war between orcs and humans, potentially dragging in the northern spirits, the dwarves beneath the earth, and other races,” the elderly priest warned cautiously. “Esteemed King, I believe we must seek guidance from the divine sanctum—our patron deity Odin.”

Antaioks nodded slightly and said to Indira, “Perhaps you should rest for now. We will discuss and respond to you later.”

“Very well, respected Antaioks,” Indira said with a deep bow. She, too, refrained from addressing him as Your Majesty.

With a graceful stride, Indira left the orc king’s hall, though the shock she left behind had not yet faded.

Once her silhouette vanished completely, the orcs voiced their opinions on Indira’s proposal.

“What do you all think of the envoy from King Bimon and her suggestion?” Antaioks asked with a smile, lightly tapping the armrest of his throne.

“I believe Your Majesty Antaioks has handled this well. The era of King Bimon is over. Now, the eight tribes govern jointly. Each king is chosen by all eight tribes and blessed by the gods. There is no need to return to the old ways of King Bimon. And I admit, though King Bimon was the fiercest warrior among us, the orcs led by him were ultimately defeated,” Broka, chieftain of the Haus tribe, said, tapping the ground with his left forehoof, emphasizing his point.

“Broka makes a valid point. We need not heed this envoy of King Bimon,” growled a deep voice. The speaker’s face resembled a human’s, but two sturdy curved horns crowned his head. He represented the Kau tribe stationed in the capital. Although the orcs were governed by eight tribes, their territories varied, and leaders could not always remain in the capital. For example, the Wolf tribe was based at Iron Fist Fortress in the Northern Ktesibios Mountains, while the Monk and Peer tribes mainly resided in the Southern Ktesibios Mountains. Tribes often scattered, but orcs typically stayed within their ancestral lands unless, like the Kates under Lekman, they sought to build cities and gathered diverse tribes, causing disorder. Thus, each tribe generally stationed envoys in the capital. These envoys had different ranks; this Kau representative was the chieftain’s brother, so his stance largely represented the Kau tribe’s view. Representatives from the Peers and Monks only maintained communication between the capital and their tribes, lacking authority on major matters.

“High Priest, does your earlier statement represent the Ford tribe’s view?” Antaioks asked Ganiseiga.

The elderly Ford High Priest nodded gently. “Yes, but I do not yet know the divine will. I will pray to Odin immediately, hoping for divine guidance.”

“I also agree that King Bimon should no longer lead us. The current eight-tribe co-governance is good. Returning to the past would be a step backward,” said an Orphen elephant orc. Though the Orphen were not one of the eight tribes, they remained a powerful orc tribe with fewer numbers, allowed to attend council meetings but without the chance to contend for the orc throne.

After the great defeat and King Bimon’s departure, the orcs sought to rebuild order through a shared governance among the eight tribes. Tribal chieftaincies could be hereditary, but the orc kingship was no longer hereditary—it was elected collectively. Certain conditions applied: the orc king must hail from one of the eight tribes, the strongest and most populous orc groups, ensuring the king was recognized by all eight. This mutual recognition exchanged power among the tribes, ensuring the king could only come from them. Powerful but isolated tribes like Orphen or Katir were excluded. Furthermore, the king had to be both brave and wise—the former proven through victory in the candidates’ martial contests, limited to candidates from the eight tribes, hence excluding elephant orcs. Wisdom was essential to lead the people, a challenge for tribes like Peer and Kau, who were not famed for intelligence.

These conditions meant that since the establishment of the eight-tribe governance, the orc king came only from Rhein or Taigo. Though the Wolf tribe also possessed courage and cunning, in one-on-one contests they usually lost to Rhein or Taigo warriors. The Ford tribe was intelligent and held spiritual power, but this brought them closer to religious authority rather than royal power, leaving priests to merely envy and comment. Tribes like Kau and Peer were valiant but lacked the ability to lead comprehensively.

Additionally, a third condition required the blessing of the war god Odin, which was reliably granted to kings elected by the eight tribes.

“My dear Caesar, you have yet to speak,” Antaioks said, gazing intently at the leader of the Taigo tribe. Taigo’s status among orcs rivaled Rhein’s, a fact unchanged by Antaioks’ ascension. For Antaioks to become orc king, he had to sever all ties to Rhein and become king of all eight tribes and the entire orc people. Every action he took in the orcs’ name would be supported by all tribes, even if he commanded every orc to jump into the sea. However, if he favored only Rhein, the other tribes would oppose him and depose him.

“I agree we need not heed King Bimon, but regarding the proposal brought by the young Smai woman, if we cooperate, perhaps we can seize the opportunity to break through the human fortress of the Ktesibios Mountains,” Prince Caesar said, his eyes burning with barely concealed desire.

The orcs voiced differing opinions loudly, debating fiercely. Antaioks rested his chin on his hands and finally decided, “Then let us wait until High Priest Ganiseiga receives divine guidance from Odin before making a decision.”