Rome Must Perish-Chapter 260 - 165 Worship of the Divine_2

After a period of time, we’ll release these captives back, and by then, the Segestica Tribe will certainly fall into chaos..."

"Good idea!" Maximus applauded. "Conflicts are bound to arise between the Old Leader and the New Leader, the Old Nobles and the New Nobles—it’s a clash of interests, inevitable! Just one thing... Are the tribal leaders and nobles under Segestica appointed by the Great Chief?"

"Usually, it’s inherited through generations and then submitted to the Great Chief for confirmation. But Andres is assertive and eager to open hostilities with us; he’ll likely directly assign heirs from the families of these captives to stabilize the tribe quickly and save time..." Emmerich explained.

"I see..." Maximus pondered for a moment, then said, "Akegu, go find Flanitnus immediately and tell him to halt the transfer of captives to Alde. Separate the Segestica tribal leaders and nobles among the captives for me and replace their count with ordinary captives... Later, I’ll explain the situation personally to Budocaribas. Off you go!"

"Understood!"

Emmerich, emboldened by seeing his suggestion accepted, added, "Leader, I have one more suggestion."

"Whatever suggestions you have, say them all at once—don’t drop them out piecemeal." Maximus joked.

"After the Skodisqi people became slaves, the Pannonians prohibited them from worshipping their Divine. Now that they’ve gained freedom, they’ve asked me to ask you, Leader, if they might be allowed to resume their worship?"

Maximus’s smile slightly froze but quickly returned to normal. His demeanor relaxed as he said, "Worshipping the Divine is a significant matter and cannot be handled carelessly. Right now, we’re all squeezed into this temporary camp with limited space. Since they haven’t worshipped in so many years, it doesn’t need to happen in this urgent moment. Once we’ve resolved the Segestica issue and moved eastward to the new camp, where everyone will have their own homes, they may worship then.

Moreover, our Political Affairs Hall will need time to deliberate on how tribesmen might worship their respective Divine and whether to build a temple for such purposes—you must be present for those discussions! For now, explain things to them well and ask for their patience."

Emmerich, having only tried to probe this young leader’s attitude toward local Divine, remained composed and replied, "Understood, I will persuade them properly."

Maximus watched him exit the tent, then paced back and forth within it. Suddenly, he stopped and posed a question: "Why do you think I refuse to agree to let the Skodisqi people worship their Divine after joining the tribe?"

Aside from himself, only a few young attendants were present in the tent; the question was evidently directed at them.

Maximus kept these youths by his side, not only to assign them clerical tasks or errands but also to let them observe how he handled affairs intimately. Occasionally, he posed questions that required thinking, truly nurturing them as potential future aides.

Typically, Maximus kept four attendants in his service. While Akegu and Casius were constant fixtures—mainly because he was most familiar and comfortable with them—the other two rotated every five days.

Currently, aside from Akegu, who had gone out on an errand, three attendants remained. After hearing Maximus’s query, Manas eagerly responded, "Our group has so many people, and everyone has their own Divine they worship. The majority worship Ares and Poseidon (since Illyrians primarily revere these Divine, and Maximus’s group has the most Illyrians). But they’ve never worshipped recklessly. If we permit these newly joined Skodisqi people to worship freely, the elders might feel dissatisfied, which could trigger conflict."

Manas finished enthusiastically and stared expectantly at Maximus.

This boy was outgoing and loved the spotlight... Maximus merely nodded slightly, offering neither affirmation nor criticism.

"The Skodisqi people have just joined us. If we allow them to worship their Divine now, it may deepen their ties to their original tribe and make it easier for them to form cliques. This would hinder their integration into our group, delaying their process of becoming one of us..." Casius offered carefully.

It was a reasonable answer, but Maximus wasn’t particularly impressed. Casius was meticulous, stable, and thoughtful; Maximus routinely entrusted him with more complex tasks, which he consistently completed well.

"Uh... um..." Finally, the last youth deliberated for a long while before saying, "I heard the Skodisqi people practice Druidism. If they are allowed to worship their Divine, might they then resume electing their own Druids?... I heard that, in the Skodisqi Tribe, Druids held very high status and wielded significant power..."

The final youth stole a glance at Maximus and softly added, "But we have a leader and subordinate groups among the Nine Divisions to manage everyone. We wouldn’t permit the newly joined Skodisqi people to follow Druids’ commands instead of our orders..."

Maximus was startled and recognized the boy—none other than Quintus’s grandson, Valles.

When Valles first joined the group, Maximus kept an eye on him for a while. The boy loved learning and excelled in school, though he was introverted and not fond of speaking. After he became an attendant recently, he buried himself in tasks and hadn’t taken the initiative to speak with Maximus. Had it not been for today’s question, which piqued Maximus’s curiosity, it might’ve taken even longer to discover this unpolished talent.

Nonetheless, Maximus revealed no reaction outwardly, instead praising all three attendants equally: "Your thoughts are all well-considered! Remember! Anyone joining our tribe should prioritize the tribe’s interests. They must never eat our bread yet act against the tribe!

We must also find ways to help these newly joined people quickly integrate into the tribe. Only when everyone contributes to the tribe can we grow stronger and develop faster. Do you agree with me?!"

"Yes!!"

........................

As the group moved through dense forests and reached the plains along the Sava River, Andres instructed Cabdes on a few matters before riding eastward with a group of guards.

The Sava River, a major tributary of the Danube, flows east year after year, carving out fertile plains.

After traveling east along the Sava River’s west bank for a day, Andres approached Gonami Lake in southern Segestica. He dismounted and boarded a ship, drifting south along the river. Within a day, he entered the territory of another Pannonian Tribe—the Brochi.

Andres continued eastward, passing various Brochi subordinate tribal patrols. After passing through the Brochi’s main camp, he turned northeast, leaving the plains behind and venturing into a hill region, officially entering the territory of the Mazi Tribe.

The Mazi Tribe lies at the center of the Pannoni Territory. Unlike the other six large tribes, half of its territory consists of mountain ranges. Hills and mountains surround a sizable basin where the Mazi’s main camp resides.

Upon entering the main camp, Andres, still dusty from travel, went straight to the Great Chief’s main house, only to be informed that the Great Chief of the Mazi was in the Tribal Alliance Hall—and several other Great Chiefs were also present.

Why were these individuals gathered here now?... Andres, puzzled, made his way to the Tribal Alliance Meeting Hall. frёewebnoѵēl.com

This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢