Night fell over César's village, but it did not bring silence. The air was thick with the scent of roasted Jade Pig meat —only those injured during the hunt— and Lepegis larvae. Everyone drank water or yak milk, while the atmosphere blended with the smell of molten metal from the forges the gnomes were already setting up.
César presided over the main table.
To his left sat Asia and Laura, both receiving special care due to their pregnancy, along with his mother, Luna, who rarely accompanied him, as she spent most of her time with his father, the former goblin king. To his right, the new addition, the gnome leader Brizna, devoured a leg of meat with an energy that made her chair tremble.
However, something felt off.
César had not touched his food. He frowned and, from time to time, glanced at the minotaurs led by Gorn and the newly arrived nomadic gnolls, who had also joined the feast.
"It seems the secrets of this continent run deeper than I thought," César murmured.
One of the reasons César was determined to fully control the minotaurs was to eliminate the village's instability. The other was to obtain more information about the continent.
Although he possessed knowledge from the novel, it focused on the future, not the present.
He had tried to extract information from Taurina, but she knew little. It seemed Gorn had kept her protected and away from such matters.
However, his decision proved correct. After gaining control over Gorn, he learned more.
The continent was ruled by a group of Supreme Tribes that dominated vast territories. Each controlled medium tribes, warrior tribes, and numerous minor tribes.
According to Gorn, César's village could be considered a combination of several minor tribes, as most of its races were low-ranking —excluding Asia and Luna—.
Gorn's tribe ranked slightly above a minor tribe, but below a medium tribe.
Even so, Gorn knew little beyond that. His village had been too insignificant to access such knowledge.
What he did know was that the leader of a rival village had married his daughter to a high-level man, which gave him the confidence to attack the minotaurs.
Lost in thought, César felt a light touch at his side. It was his mother, looking at him with concern.
"What is wrong, son? You should be happy. Two new races have joined our village, yet you seem troubled. You haven't even touched your food."
César frowned.
"Mother, what do you think about the pigman tyrant who tried to control the continent?"
Luna, though surprised, answered:
"He was very powerful. If it weren't for you and the protection of the Golden Eagle God, we would be lost."
Asia joined in:
"She's right. Without you, the continent would have fallen into chaos under his rule."
César sighed.
He had once thought the same.
But he remembered that in the novel, without his intervention, that pigman completed his ritual, consumed the fruit, and created an army of hybrids. Even then, he remained hidden until the protagonist appeared.
'He didn't hide from humans,' César thought coldly.
The conclusion was clear: the powers of this continent were far greater than he had imagined.
He couldn't help but glance at Asia and Luna.
According to Gorn, there were tribes of powerful lycanthropes and dark elves. That did not surprise him.
A race with an advanced system would hardly be weak.
Which meant one thing: the nearby tribes were weak.
That was why they had been easily destroyed or subjugated by the pigman tyrant. But that did not mean the rest of the continent was the same.
César narrowed his eyes.
Spreading his power system would inevitably draw the attention of those powerful races.
And they would not remain idle.
He sighed and pushed those thoughts aside. That was a problem for the future.
For now, he needed to strengthen his foundation.
He lifted his cup of yak milk and drank slowly.
Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw two pigmen fighting over a female.
His eyes narrowed.
That problem was not new.
Even though some now used terms like "wife," it was not a real rule. It was merely an idea imposed by him.
For the others, nothing had changed: the right to mate still belonged to the strongest.
Some used females and discarded them. Others, like pigmen and minotaurs, kept them. But the unspoken rule remained: the strong could take a female from the weak.
César had already tried to control this.
The murlocs used aquatic beasts, and the goblins reproduced with captured rats. He had even forbidden goblins from forcing the newly increased goblin females.
But it was no longer sustainable.
He had received reports that the rats were becoming more aggressive. One goblin had even been castrated during an attack.
César shuddered at the memory.
'It's time to change this,' he decided.
The next day, under the light of great bonfires, the village gathered before the temple.
Goblins, pigmen, murlocs, adaros, and the imposing minotaurs stood in expectant silence. The gnomes and gnolls watched from the shadows; they were still too new to participate, but César wanted them to witness this.
César stepped onto the stairs. His dark cloak seemed to absorb the light, and his presence radiated a cold calm.
"My people," he began, his voice amplified by Ether, resonating through everyone present. "The Great Bird of Enlightenment has spoken to me. Until now, union has been guided by instinct. That ends today."
He paused.
"To move forward, we must leave those traditions behind. From this moment on, there will be a new rule: family. It will no longer be a fleeting encounter. It will be an eternal union that endures even beyond death. This pact will be marriage."
A murmur spread among the minotaurs.
"Marriage is a bond of the soul that not even death can break. It is the promise to protect and provide," César continued. "And today, I will bless the first unions under the gaze of the Divine Bird God."
He gestured, and his three younger brothers stepped forward alongside three goblin females.
'Uf… who would have thought I'd end up officiating a wedding,' he thought.
After exchanging rings and completing the ceremony, the couples stepped aside.
Then he called forward pigmen, murlocs, and adaros. Among these races, the scarcity of females was a constant problem. By granting them partners under divine decree, he eliminated the need to fight.
César smiled as he saw the devotion in their faces.
'Now each of them has something of their own to protect: a wife and a home. They no longer fight only for me.'
He looked at the minotaurs, who would participate in the next round alongside gnolls and gnomes. He knew that while they did not value partners, they did value lineage, so the concept of family would be easier for them to accept.
The ceremony ended with cheers and the banging of shields.
César stepped down from the platform, meeting the gaze of his women.
He had planted the seed of a new social structure.
But he also realized something else.
He could not do this alone.
'I need a clergy,' he decided. 'A group that will maintain these rites and the faith in the Bird God...'