Chapter 3: Embracing the Mistake

The Fox Queen no longer carried her usual calm and wise expression; only fatigue and desolation remained. Although Shami had not yet spoken, it was clear that the actions of the Ox and Sheep tribes had gone too far. Even if this wasn’t his approval, it meant that the strategies originally set by the Bimon Kingdom had failed.

Shami Tagore also appeared frustrated. Muni Ox’s decision to allow his vassal tribes, the Ox and Sheep, to invade Cilicia was a clear violation of his orders. Although the Wolf and Deer tribes had violated the laws first, this was still an unforgivable act. Muni’s actions were essentially a declaration to suspend the laws. What should he do?

“Kristina, it’s not that I don’t want to deal with this issue, but as you can see, its impact is widespread. Not only the Wolf and Deer tribes, but also the Ox and Sheep tribes are following suit. I suspect the Bear tribes might be involved too. Three of the six major royal families of our Bimon Kingdom are involved, along with their vassal tribes. With such a wide scope, how am I supposed to handle this?”

“Shami, this is our first step into human civilization. Laws and regulations are the foundation of a kingdom. If they aren’t enforced, everything we’ve done so far could be ruined. Everyone will doubt the validity of our promises and decisions. Our ability to enforce laws will be greatly reduced, or even resisted. Don’t you think this is a very dangerous sign?”

The Fox Queen’s words sounded angry, but they couldn’t hide her weakness. Shami Tagore could sense her helplessness, and he was also in a difficult position. The Fox and Wolf tribes had always been close, while the Ox and Bear tribes were his strong allies. It would be extremely difficult to punish all three.

“Kristina, what if we just embrace the mistake? Let’s go all out—go as far as we can. Whether it’s the Galians or the Cilicians, their scattered and weak armed forces are no match for us. Besides, with such a long border, even if they have many fortresses as bases, as long as they lack support, it’s only a matter of time before we take them down one by one,” Shami suggested tentatively. Kristina was recognized as a wise woman in the Bimon Kingdom, highly respected even by the high priest. Shami wasn’t a narrow-minded or stubborn person; he was willing to accept reasonable suggestions.

“Do you think the same?” Kristina trembled slightly as she stared at the tiger clan leader.
“Kristina, I know what you’re thinking, but things have come this far. If we deal with them, it will only lead to internal strife or even division within our Bimon kingdom. Is there anything worse than that?” Shamai sighed.
“Shamai, I didn’t expect you to see things the same way as them. Why did we work so hard to conquer Jazair? Just to covet some of the mortals’ wealth and land? If we all think like that, then why bother being cautious in Jazair?!”
“I’ve said it before—Bimon needs to learn from and adopt the advanced civilization of mortals. Only then can we escape the fate of wandering the Mogan Wasteland generation after generation. The lands and cities of the Nicocia kingdom mean nothing to us. What matters is having an environment that allows us to integrate—a good environment. And now Jazair has provided us with such a perfect environment. All we need now is time! Plenty of time to gradually integrate into advanced civilized society, to let our people learn and adapt to it—nothing else!”
“If we focus only on short-term gains and ignore our most fundamental needs, and miss this opportunity, we might suffer irreparable losses. Shamai, do you understand? Look at the way those mortals in our controlled areas look at us now—how much has changed compared to a few months ago? We’re losing the reputation and trust we’ve worked so hard to build. And do you know how much it will cost us to rebuild that trust?”
Kristina shouted almost hoarsely, her fiery red eyes glowing with an enchanting light.
Frustrated, Shamai punched his palm in defeat, speechless. He understood the reasoning all too well, but faced with the prospect of Bimon’s division, he had to weigh the pros and cons.
“Kristina, I’m afraid we have no choice now. Although I understand that we’ll lose a lot, I can’t focus on the unity of Bimon at the moment. As for the future, maybe we’ll have to wait and see.” Shamai shrugged helplessly. “Please understand my predicament.”

Zerin Storren’s expression was unpredictable, but the deep wrinkles on his forehead revealed his inner anxiety. The situation was unexpectedly bad—the orcs seemed to have been stimulated in some way and suddenly became active. From the initial wolf cavalry and deer light cavalry to the minotaurs, and now even heavily armored berserker warriors could be seen in the borderlands. Anyone could understand what this meant: three of the six major orc clans had already appeared, plus the never-before-seen serpent clan. Only the tiger and fox clans remained unseen.

The emergence of these forces already put Zerin in a difficult position. Although Galle’s military strength was fairly substantial, it was only comparable to that of other kingdom lords. Compared to the orcs’ massive and ferocious military forces, it was still far behind. The orcs were pouring in, and two fortresses in the northwest border region had already fallen. Though these fortresses weren’t particularly strong or strategically important, once the orcs infiltrated, they would always be the scapegoats.

The situation in Cilicia was just as bad. Nissa even considered seeking help from their side, which was utterly unbelievable. Had Cilicia also been attacked by those half-orcs? What should they do now? If they delayed any longer, they might collapse, with no one able to take control.