Chapter 1214, Ranked by Contribution

Translator: Silavin

Every Chieftain in the room went still.

They looked at one another.

No one spoke for a long while.

“Our Tribe can truly become a city?” A Chieftain from one of the Small Tribes finally said. His voice was uncertain. “But our Tribe is barely half the size of the Flame Dragon Tribe.”

Most of the Chieftains present led Small Tribes. A handful led Medium ones. There were only two or three from Large Tribes, and even now those particular Chieftains carried themselves with some arrogance, as though joining the Flame Dragon Tribe was something they were doing as a favour.

“Shaman, if we are not providing anything, then is the Flame Dragon Tribe not losing out? Helping us develop and receiving nothing in return?” Another Chieftain asked, genuinely puzzled.

His Tribe had nothing exceptional to offer. They went out every day and hunted in the Hunting Ground and traded a little rare food and Animal Hide for what they needed. He was worried. He had nothing to make the Flame Dragon Tribe want him.

A murmur broke out across the room. Chieftains talking over one another in low voices, each sorting through their own thoughts. It was beginning to resemble a massive assembly.

“You heard correctly.” Su Bai continued. “Every Tribe can become a city. But your authority will not be absolute. Everything will ultimately answer to me.”

He would not scatter power too widely. If these Tribes joined and then were left to themselves, it would only create problems later. This way was safer. Their Tribes would prosper. And they would do so within a structure.

Had he proposed this from the very beginning, they would never have agreed. But he had been laying the groundwork for a long time. The net had been out long enough. Now was the moment to draw it in.

“Shaman, what do you mean?” A Chieftain asked, curious. He wanted to understand the boundaries. If they were reasonable, he could accept them. He was honest enough with himself to admit he could accept even unreasonable ones, given what was on offer. Every Chieftain wanted their Tribe to thrive.

“Once you join our kingdom and become part of it as a city, your title as Chieftain will change. You will become a City Lord. You will develop your city according to the direction I set. Beyond that, nothing excessive will be asked.” Su Bai said plainly.

He could not manage every city himself. It was right to give those below him some authority. And these Chieftains already held high positions. If a kingdom were formed and their power simply vanished, resentment would build over time.

“City Lord.” Another Chieftain said, turning the words over. “That is actually quite a nice title. If that is all that is required, we can agree without hesitation.”

“We are willing to join the Flame Dragon Tribe and become one of its cities.” A third Chieftain said at once, not wanting to be overlooked.

“Shaman, may I ask a question?” Another Chieftain raised his hand. They had been told at the start to raise their hands. Otherwise, the room would dissolve into noise.

“Go ahead.” Su Bai gestured with one hand.

“If our Tribe becomes a city, and the Flame Dragon Tribe also becomes a city, then by joining your Tribe are we not simply a city inside another city?”

“It does not work that way.” Su Bai said simply. “When you join us, you are joining a kingdom. A kingdom is larger than a city. A city is larger than a Tribe. Does that help?”

He needed them to understand clearly. They were becoming part of a kingdom, not a Tribe. The distinction mattered. It gave them more room.

“Understood. But how does the kingdom determine which city is the greatest? Is it by the original size of the Tribes?”

“From now on, the Flame Dragon Tribe will be this kingdom’s Capital. It will be the main city, greater than all others.” Su Bai straightened in his seat, his voice settling into something more serious. “As for the size and standing of the other cities, that will not be determined by how large a Tribe originally was. It will be determined by contribution.”

To rank cities by their former size as Tribes would be unfair. A capable Tribe that grew quickly deserved recognition for that growth. Su Bai wanted the most capable to rise to become a principal city, a great city, one that received every advantage first. A Large Tribe that merely had numbers but no particular strength should not be allowed to coast on that alone.

“We understand. We have no further questions.” One Chieftain looked around at the others.

He thought it simple enough. To be sheltered by the Flame Dragon Tribe. To grow alongside it. Whether or not they answered to someone else was not the point.

The Flame Dragon Tribe’s goods, its food, its security. Those things were enough to draw anyone in.

It had not happened all at once, of course. Su Bai had been setting the groundwork for a long time, since the very beginning, when the Flame Dragon Central Market first opened. Every Tribe that had ever visited had gone home carrying word of it. And slowly, steadily, the idea had taken hold.

“Good. You may all return for now. When there is news about how things will proceed, you will hear it from us.” Su Bai raised his hand in dismissal.

He let out a slow exhale. He had not expected it to go so smoothly. But then, patient groundwork had a way of making things smooth.