Boiling Beast Bloodline-Chapter 813 - 179: Grand Ambitions_3

"Fool! What can a princess mean in the eyes of His Majesty the King?" Lord Mourinho chuckled, "Your political sense is far too shallow. Has His Majesty ever genuinely launched a large campaign simply for a princess? Not all Desert People can be bandits, right? There are good and bad people everywhere, and the downright scoundrels who turn to banditry are, after all, just a minority. His Majesty’s grand military expedition is about expanding the territory and increasing his own strength and prestige, isn’t it? The Aegean Humans, despite their constant warfare amongst themselves, can still unite against the Bimon Kingdom. Such a foe is tough to bite into, so they have to turn to the Desert People instead, who cannot be expected to band together like the Aegean nations when waging war against the Bimon Kingdom."

"What about the princess, then?" Liu Zhenhan sneered coldly, "Could it be that she just..."

"Being born into royalty has its own difficulties. Any king who cannot let go of personal sentiment for his children will never be a successful monarch," Lord Mourinho paused before adding, "I have this flaw in my character, but it seems I will never be able to change it."

"Then, my lord, what are your life’s aspirations? And what exactly is going on with the Medusa Badge?" Liu Zhenhan smiled as he spoke, "You don’t have to answer this question; I’m just curious."

"Why not tell you?" Lord Mourinho burst into hearty laughter, his eyes shining with an unyielding and bold spirit: "The Smey Clan is a hereditary lord of the four great clans of Bimon, and currently, the Bimon Kingdom is nothing more than ruled by the Beast Race Overlord. Looking over the entire kingdom, which noble family can boast having three vassal clans like us Smey? What’s one more Medusa to us!"

"Are you thinking of seceding and starting your own faction?" Liu Zhenhan cut to the chase plainly.

"Ever heard of the Joint Council?" Mourinho countered Liu Zhenhan’s question.

"That was the political structure of the ancient Bimon Kingdom, where the Insect Queen Bee, the Beast Race chieftain, the Bird Clan Swan, and the Aquatic Race Medusa, the four clan chieftains, formed the Joint Council. Together with His Majesty the King, they would deliberate on state affairs, similar to the current Council of Elders," Liu Zhenhan certainly knew what the "Joint Council" was.

"Before the great war between gods and demons, the four great clans of Bimon were all equals, but the excessively brutal war caused us to lose most of the Bimon race. As you know, today’s Bimon Kingdom is basically under the dominion of the Beast Race," Lord Mourinho squinted his eyes as he chewed on a cigar, looking at Liu Zhenhan and stating, "The every-ten-year competition for the king’s Thorn Crown has essentially become a game between the Rhine and the Taige Tribes, the two clans whose strength is quite close. Because of this, a very helpless situation arises... No matter if the Tiger Clan is in charge or the Lionman leads, the other party may not be satisfied! And the temple, once unaffected by worldly disputes, has now become an instrument for the Council of Elders to balance power. Such a thing would never have happened during the era of the four great clan leaders’ Joint Council. The temple is the temple and should never get involved in secular affairs. Don’t be fooled by how eloquently Lord Bog Camp speaks; if five years from now the Taige Tribe wins the king’s Thorn Crown and throne, then the position of the red-robed high priest will inevitably be held by a Rhine Tribe Lionman, and it certainly won’t fall to me."

"Even with the status of a Bode Tribe chieftain, you can’t seize it?" Liu Zhenhan smacked his lips. "There really isn’t anyone better than you in the kingdom’s religious rites now! Neither Rhine nor Taige has a priest more outstanding than you!"

"Each Medusa Badge we priests cast incorporates Star Gold Ore. However, to unlock the Hibernation Dimensional Space, one must perform a blessing with a single use of the ’Sleeping Natasha... Hibernation Boundary Song.’ Do you know who can perform this high priest level war song in the kingdom now?" Lord Mourinho pointed to his nose and said, "Apart from me, only Milu, among the twelve principal priests, is capable. None of the currently crafted priest badges come from the hands of Brut Neera."

"I didn’t know before, but now that you’ve told me, I understand," Liu Zhenhan laughed.

"Without support from one’s own kin, one goes unheard," the Swan High Priest sighed. "During the Tennessee aerial battle, if our Bode Tribe still had even one Goliath Harpy, I don’t think we’d find ourselves in such a wretched state now. As the head of the clan, I safeguard the Southwest Borderlands, yet my vassal clan, the Ostrit Ostrich People, are relegated to the Northwest Borderlands! What meaning and value do my so-called three great vassals hold then?"

"What about Medusa? They were once a hereditary nobility, the hereditary leaders of the Aquatic Race! Now, although they’re returning under your command, if the king and the Council of Elders acknowledge their status, what will you do?" Liu Zhenhan spat the chewed bamboo sliver on the ground.

"The Aquatic Race is slightly better off than us Bode; at least they have a remaining Zodanu Frogmen and a clan of Turtle People from the Mote Tribe. There are also a handful of Water Mink People from the Minte Tribe and a few Bay Crocodile People from Cardiel. But now, the two clans that are intact already belong to us Smey. Even if the Medusa return, at most they could be granted a few inconsequential Bimon minor clans, as neither the Council of Elders nor the king want to disrupt the existing hierarchy. Thus, Medusa will ultimately have to subtlety rely on a major noble family," Mourinho raised his elegant eyebrows and continued, "I know you’ve been beating around the bush, asking where these Medusa came from. I won’t deceive you; these Medusa were not just recently discovered. They pledged allegiance to me long ago; when I discovered Cui Beixi as a mere snake egg years ago, I also found these Medusa."