Chapter 969: Volume 31: Attempting to Cover the Sky with One Hand, - 13: Dawn of Civilization
The method of voting determined the outcome. With simultaneous signatures and voting, excluding the Sanjia Tribe, who chose not to participate, the stark result of ten to zero attested to the unique and skillful manipulation Komer exercised over the new alliance.
Although there had been continuous cursing and vows to resist to the end before, when that "sacred" vote was placed in the hands of these chiefs, for the first time they all felt the grave responsibility it carried.
If one were to cast a dissenting vote on behalf of their tribe while others voted in favor, what would happen then? It would mean that the decision would be executed regardless, but one would become the target of collective enmity, and Komer would certainly not miss any opportunity to suppress their tribe. One would inevitably become the sinner of their tribe, a burden that the once dominant tribal chiefs may have borne. But now, it might just be a precursor to their dismissal. These mortals would certainly not pass up such an opportunity to stir up dissatisfaction within the tribe and thus achieve their subversive goals.
The facts made all the chiefs feel sorrowful yet secretly relieved—relieved that they had not resisted the decision from that individual from the Caucasus as they had initially agreed to. This vote meant more than just an attitude towards the construction of the road through the Cordillera Wilderness; it was more importantly a clear indication to the chiefs of how their partners, including themselves, had long discarded the once-cherished tribal creed of faith and loyalty.
Karmani’s appearance in Ugru was perfectly timed. Whenever there was a major and challenging construction opportunity, the Laurent family was never one to lag behind. The news of the road being opened through the Cordillera Wilderness had already spread throughout Nicosia and Iberia, even exceeding the buzz created by the opening of the Catania Channel in the past.
The fact that Barbarians would agree to a road construction project that seemed almost inconceivable caused widespread disbelief in both Nicosia and the Southern Mediterranean Region. No one believed that the Barbarians could so quietly submit themselves to Komer’s feet.
In their eyes, Barbarians were unconquerable. The vast and complex terrain of the Cordillera Wilderness, the rebellious traditions spanning hundreds of years, the violent and fierce racial habits, and the closed and conservatively aggressive national temperament—all of these factors marked the group as unsuitable for Mortal Society. To claim that such openness of thought among Barbarians could be achieved without the experience of a real battle was utterly fanciful.
Komer did not expect people to believe all this. In fact, he did not wish for the special relationship between him and the Barbarians to be too thoroughly understood by others. It would in fact be counterproductive in maintaining the mystique of the Barbarians. A moderate sense of mystery could demonize the Barbarians to a significant extent, keeping them somewhat aloof from Mortal Society, which would be more convenient for his own manipulations in many future endeavors.