Sinister or Not

Many of the tribe's policies had always depended on the witch doctors' planning; now the rules were simply more clearly defined, with no real short-term impact.

Moreover, the chieftain's own authority would be confirmed. Even with term limits added, few chieftains throughout history had met a good end. Looked at from another angle, this too was a form of protection.

With all these prerequisites in place, negotiations with the chieftain went as smoothly as expected.

Once the chieftain gave his approval, the witch doctors' "policy deliberations" at the meeting officially began.

They established the framework of the Rune Council, supplementing it with several "committees," each responsible for related affairs in a particular field.

For instance, the "Education Committee" would include a "Basic Education Committee" and a "Literacy Committee."

Its purpose was to implement tribal education while gradually changing the tribe's current value system of "strength and courage above all else."

The committee's foremost task was to compile new teaching materials. They were to highlight the hardships endured by the ancestors while focusing on the striving of the present day, emphasizing the importance of wisdom.

"The dark forest and the ancestors hacking through brambles; primitive settlements and infants crying to be fed; savage prey and valiant warriors; Magic Beasts that destroy villages and witch doctors who turn them to dust with awakened spells; famine and grievously wounded warriors who leave of their own accord; unfamiliar forests laden with fruit and aged warriors dropping to their knees, weeping with joy; witch doctors in meditation, and the brand-new life brought by runic magic."

"All of that can go in. We want to stress 'wisdom' and highlight 'witch doctors,' but qualities such as 'courage' and 'self-sacrifice' cannot be neglected either."

Blade Tusk made these demands regarding the compilation of the new teaching materials.

The committee would also shoulder the initial work related to "legal development," sifting through the tribe's existing customs to discard the dross and preserve the essence. A number of excellent traditions would be selected as "seed statutes," in hopes that they could one day grow into laws suited to tribal culture.

With this as a foundation, and with cooperation between witch doctors and warriors likely to become the norm in the future, the tribe's former state—where everyone was a soldier, yet no one truly was—finally had a basis to be broken apart.

Therefore, to adapt to future changes in the form of warfare, as well as to divide up the "overly enormous warrior collective," among other considerations—

The current concept of "warrior" would be inherited by warriors who were completely removed from other work; the remaining populace would be divided into new categories such as "hunters" and "craftsmen," taking turns undergoing "semi-full-time" militia training.

The "Training Committee" would lead this construction. The number of "warriors" might not be large, but they would be enough to serve as the seeds of tactics.

Furthermore, trolls possessed high elemental resistance. Wartime magic would inevitably focus on enhancement spells and spells that dealt physical damage, and a group would need to be assigned to conduct targeted development.

The "Witch-War Integration Committee" was established for precisely this purpose.

In addition, the tribe's dwellings were far too crude and haphazard. Though trolls could adapt to fairly harsh environments, infrastructure would also become a key project for the sake of beauty and civilization.

Thus, the "Civil Engineering Development Committee" stepped onto the stage.

Beyond those institutions that would immediately begin work, there were also bodies such as the "Foreign Affairs Committee" and the "Material Support Committee." They had been shelved for lack of manpower, but only temporarily.

After the various committees were established, all literate members of the tribe above subadult age were selected and required to sit in on meetings during their free time and assist with administrative tasks, accumulating experience.

When the House of Commons was formed in the future, barring any surprises, its first batch of representatives would emerge from among them.

The tribe was changing day by day, but not all of those changes were obvious.

Educational work seeped in silently like rain moistening things without a sound, while military projects reached only a small segment of the population.

At this stage, only the "Civil Engineering Development Committee" was about to affect the people's lives in the most direct way.

Blade Tusk had hesitated several times over the tribe's infrastructure, for there were simply too many choices.

Whether it was the grandeur of the "Pantheon" and the "Parthenon"; the lofty elegance of the Far East, refined amid its soaring scale; or the unfathomable mystery of ancient Egypt—

All those memories from his previous life could be recreated through magic.

After wavering several times, however, he merely laid down basic requirements such as sanitation and aesthetics, then handed the design work to the other witch doctors, telling them to study an architectural style truly suited to trolls.

Yet what he had not expected was that the witch doctors did not directly undertake the task. Instead, they subcontracted it once more to all the people, asking the entire tribe to use their imaginations and consider, "What kind of environment do I want to live in someday?"

Thus, "Have you designed one yet?" became the tribe's hottest topic over the past half year.

Were they trying to slack off? Or did they truly believe it should be decided by the entire populace?

Whatever considerations lay behind the witch doctors' actions, the final result was indeed excellent.

When the months-long "proposal collection period" ended, bizarre and fantastical "house sketches" had piled up until they filled the warehouses.

Among those proposals, the witch doctors eliminated designs that simply could not be realized—for instance, one troll's "house in the clouds."

Taking into account factors such as sanitation, aesthetics, and resemblance, they arrived at nearly a hundred different options.

Then they began to worry.

Amid the witch doctors' complaints of "no time" and "we're too busy," Blade Tusk slapped his forehead and came up with a brilliant idea.

He gathered nearly every literate troll and instructed them to choose the proposal they found most satisfactory, then spend the next month persuading more of the populace.

The requirements were simple: no resorting to force, no underhanded schemes. They had to begin with practicality, future prospects, and similar considerations, using words to seek out or create supporters.

As for the outcome... to be honest, several witch doctors were not optimistic.

Everyone understood that at their current level, the tribal populace simply could not manage an "orderly selection." It would be heaven's blessing if it did not turn into an all-out brawl.

At a meeting discussing the matter, the Head Witch Doctor voiced his dissatisfaction and said, "What is the point of this? Creating an unnecessary conflict?"

"It is necessary."

Under the puzzled gazes of the attending trolls, Blade Tusk slowly revealed his purpose.

"The Rune Council and its subordinate committees currently exist in substance but lack a name. Yet as the earlier meeting concluded, we need that 'name.'"

"This..." The Head Witch Doctor understood what Blade Tusk was getting at, and hesitation appeared on his face.

"I believe this is an excellent opportunity. The people will have a chance to realize that their own reason is still insufficient to bear the future of the entire tribe."

"When that time comes, it will be the moment to formally establish the Rune Council and confirm its guiding position."

"Of course, if they pass this test, that would not be a bad thing for the tribe either. Preparations for the House of Commons could be put on the agenda, and we could take things a little easier too, couldn't we?"

"Isn't that a little too sinister?"