The Chieftain's Charisma Unlocks the Great Mother's Hidden Fetish and the Unification War Roadmap
“Is that true, Great Mother?”
The forbidden line had been crossed, and Sophia emerged from the central tent. A crowd of tribespeople had already gathered outside since morning, waiting for her. When she stood before them and delivered her words, the Gaia Tribe folk stared with wide eyes and asked again.
“It is true. Thanks to the chieftain’s consideration, I have become his woman and will remain here in the Gaia Tribe.”
The news that Great Mother Sophia would not leave but stay spread instantly.
“Thank you!! We truly thank you, Great Mother!! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for staying with our tribe!!”
“We’re so grateful, Great Mother! You have no idea how worried we were that you might leave!”
“Waaah! Such joyous news…! Thank you, Goddess Gaia…”
The moment her confirmation rang out, the Gaia Tribe erupted into chaos. Embracing one another in joy was only the beginning—more than half burst into tears. Many of the older tribesfolk dropped to their knees, raising their hands to the sky and offering thanks to the Goddess Gaia.
The Great Mother was akin to a saintess, a proxy of the Goddess Gaia whom the Mohican Tribe revered. Having such a figure in one’s tribe brought immense pride and happiness. Moreover, tribes rarely invaded one that housed a Great Mother. They had feared that the new chieftain, Geum Taeyang, might fail to win Sophia’s heart and send her away, but upon waking, a miracle had occurred. The chieftain had changed, yet the rest of their world remained the same.
‘Ah…!’
Watching the tribesfolk weep and cheer over the miracle, Sophia felt another set of eyes in her heart open wide.
‘I have been far too complacent as Great Mother…’
People cling more fiercely to what they lack. Because the tribesfolk had always poured their love upon her, Great Mother Sophia had never noticed the void. Only the memory of the young son she had painfully sent away had remained. The pain they had felt last night, fearing she might leave, could not be taken lightly. For the deeply empathetic Sophia, that suffering resonated vividly within her.
“Thank you for rejoicing so much. From now on, I will strive to be an even greater Great Mother who loves you all. Always, until the very end, this Great Mother Sophia Barbara will remain with the people of the Gaia Tribe.”
She smiled gently.
Sophia steeled her resolve, just as she had when she first became Great Mother twenty years ago.
“Great Mother!! Great Mother!!”
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
A swarm of tribal children came rushing over.
“Great Mother, are you really leaving our tribe?”
“Don’t go, Great Mother! Waaah! Where are you going and leaving us behind?!”
“You promised to go swimming with me this summer! Don’t leave, Great Mother!”
They had sensed the strange atmosphere among the adults upon waking and had come in a flock, clinging to Sophia, crying and begging her not to go. Some of the little ones even lay on the ground, throwing tantrums and wailing loudly.
“Who told you such a thing? That is wrong. Why would I ever leave the Gaia Tribe? I will live here for the rest of my life.”
“Really? So you’re not leaving us?”
“Of course not. This Great Mother must watch all of my precious children grow up beautiful and strong, after all. I’ve worked so hard for that—I could never leave and waste all that effort.”
“Waaah! I’m so happy! I love you so much, Great Mother!”
“Stay with us forever!”
Rub-rub-rub-rub!
“Oh my, my adorable little ones… I’m not leaving. I’ll be with you all forever…”
Pat-pat-pat…
Sophia smoothly lied, pretending she had never even considered leaving. The children, overjoyed by that kind falsehood, clung to her legs and nuzzled their faces against her in delight. Sophia stroked the heads of those lovely little angels and whispered in a tender voice.
“You are truly remarkable, Chieftain. It feels as though the Goddess Gaia’s blessing has descended upon our tribe last night.”
From afar, Chieftain Geum Taeyang and High Priest Gandalf watched the scene. Gandalf nodded repeatedly, offering lavish praise for the tribal unification Geum Taeyang had achieved.
“As Athena said, even I thought it would be difficult to break the Great Mother’s stubbornness. Yet the new chieftain accomplished it, and the effect is truly dynamic.”
“The Great Mother simply made a big decision.”
“Your humility knows no bounds. Hahaha!”
Geum Taeyang had simply fucked like mad, and whether it connected to his Fortuitous Encounters trait or not, things had worked out splendidly. ‘Okay, with this, I’ve raised internal support to the maximum before going to war with the outside world. The inside must be solid before I can confidently step out. Now I just need to get a little stronger and wait for the right timing.’
That would suffice. With that foundation, Geum Taeyang, chieftain of the Gaia Tribe, intended to shift into full gear for the conquest and unification of the Mohican tribes.
“I will serve as both chieftain and Tessadar.”
Geum Taeyang allowed the tribesfolk to bask in the joy of the Great Mother’s decision to stay throughout the day. Then, in the evening, he convened an official leadership meeting of the Gaia Tribe. It was his first official seating as chieftain. Before him sat all the existing leadership—except Conan Barbara—either cross-legged or kneeling.
“Athena Barbara, the former Tessadar, will take the position of deputy. I ask that you all cooperate with the deputy even more than before.”
The Gaia Tribe now had to prepare for a wartime system. Thus, Geum Taeyang declared he would stand at the forefront himself, entrusting Athena with the deputy role while he assumed the duties of Tessadar as well.
“When do you plan to announce the former chieftain’s death?”
At that moment, Darius, commander of the Gaia’s Shield, asked a rather important question. When a chieftain changed through legitimate means such as succession or a duel, the matter was announced to the outside world. Large tribes like the Gaia Tribe had smaller and medium-sized tribes that followed them, called subordinate or vassal tribes. However, following was not mandatory unless under special circumstances. Therefore, when a major issue such as a change in chieftain occurred, the subordinate tribes would hear the announcement from the leading tribe and decide their own path accordingly.
“I’ll discuss that later. I have something clearly in mind. Before that, I imagine you all have many questions about how I intend to lead this war.”
However, Geum Taeyang first held back his words.
“First of all, we have sufficient justification to wage a unification war.”
What Geum Taeyang brought up first was the justification for launching a conquest war. Of course, the barbaric approach of “the strongest becomes Great Khan, so what does it matter?” was possible, but that would breed resentment, and managing the aftermath after unification would take forever. A justification that even fools could accept, and preferably one built upon a delicious villain, was ideal.
“Several major tribes, including the Bacara Tribe, have broken Mohican tribal law by importing weapons from outside.”
And Geum Taeyang had already secured evidence of it.
“Is that true, Chieftain???”
“The Bacara Tribe???”
Darius, Gandalf, and the other meeting attendees all looked shocked. The act of the Mohican tribes importing weapons from outside was not inherently problematic. The core issue was that they had done so without informing the other tribes. Not informing them meant the following.
“We received confirmation from the Jasmine Merchant Guild. We’ve even secured video footage in Cassiopeia. The Jasmine Merchant Guild says the tribes they don’t visit are precisely the ones involved.”
“Oh my goodness… Does that mean the Bacara Tribe has been preparing for war all along?”
It meant they intended to go to war. When the Jasmine Merchant Guild first caught wind of it, it had only been a suspicion. Securing video evidence and reaching certainty had only happened after they began close exchanges with Geum Taeyang.
“Venom Bacara… He harbors a grudge over the noble warrior’s duel…”
Gandalf immediately grasped the intent of Venom Bacara, chieftain of the Bacara Tribe. The target was the Gaia Tribe. The reason was likely revenge against Conan Barbara. It stemmed from the grudge over Conan killing his father, Red-Eye Barbara, in the duel known as the Warrior’s Heart, the contest of the strongest.
“It’s surprising that other tribes are joining such a battle.”
However, within the Mohican tribes, using a formal duel as grounds for revenge was an unwritten rule. The only legitimate method of revenge was to request the same Warrior’s Heart duel and slay the enemy. Using war as a tool for revenge would normally make it difficult for the Bacara Tribe to rally the other tribes into a unified alliance.
“They say he swayed them with the vaccine. All those tribes were suffering greatly from livestock influenza.”
“Ah…!”
Geum Taeyang provided the reason it had been possible.
“As I’ve already told you all, the Tyrannos wearing Tudor’s skin is the link, and the massive kingdom of Memphis is supplying weapons and vaccines. Their ultimate goal, I believe, is Memphis’s takeover of Galatea.”
“Th-then, doesn’t that mean other tribes could also be swayed? If all the tribes go over to the Bacara side…!”
In that case, it would essentially become the Gaia Tribe versus the rest of the tribes.
“Do not worry. We have the vaccine as well. The people from the Jasmine Merchant Guild are already working on swaying them on our behalf.”
“The Jasmine Merchant Guild!”
Then, Geum Taeyang’s magic wand, his all-purpose key—Nadia Jasmine, princess of the Grace Kingdom who had been thoroughly scratched for failing to catch his eye—emerged at this crucial moment as well.
“They say the Bacara Tribe has been quite tyrannical with the vaccine. So while the tribes are in need, many harbor resentment. Since the justification lies with us, if we offer favorable conditions, they will all come over.”
The Bacara Tribe had revealed their true nature once they held overwhelming dominance, and that had worked in Geum Taeyang’s favor.
“But… can we trust the Jasmine Merchant Guild? They’ve been an enormous help so far, but helping us even with matters of war…”
Darius trailed off slightly. Still, suspicion was natural. After all, the Jasmine Merchant Guild were outsiders.
“Guild Master Nadia is one of the Grace Kingdom’s prominent nobles, and the Grace Kingdom and Memphis are bitter enemies. They cannot simply stand by and watch Memphis devour Galatea. Even if they don’t intervene directly, they have sufficient justification to supply materials.”
Of course, he couldn’t say it was because she had been scratched by him. Geum Taeyang explained using the actual power dynamics between kingdoms. That justification was not entirely absent either.
“And above all, trust me, not the Jasmine Merchant Guild.”
Furthermore, Geum Taeyang radiated the charisma of a barbarian tribe chieftain.
“Understood, Chieftain! Blood follows the chieftain!”
“Blood follows the chieftain!”
Stirred by the charisma of the new chieftain Geum Taeyang, the gathered leaders shouted their loyalty toward him with fervor.
“The deputy and commanders, do your utmost to raise the military’s strength. Great Mother, focus all your efforts on securing sufficient supplies.”
“Yes, understood, Chieftain.”
Before long, the meeting entered its closing phase.
“By the way, what should we do with the former chieftain’s body? We can’t just keep preserving it forever, can we?”
Then Darius brought up the former chieftain’s corpse. Athena and Sophia froze at those words. They had already thought the body of Conan Barbara had been buried somewhere in the Cargo Forest. That was the custom of the Mohican Tribe for handling the loser who had been defeated for the chieftain’s position—erasing him from history and memory. Yet Geum Taeyang had instructed Darius to preserve the former chieftain’s body so it would not decay.
“We will hold a funeral.”
It was the cruel winner-takes-all chieftain duel. Nevertheless, Geum Taeyang thought differently.
“A funeral for the one defeated in the chieftain duel???”
Upon hearing Geum Taeyang’s words, Gandalf and Darius’s eyes widened, and Sophia and Athena also stared at Geum Taeyang with round eyes.
“It was a fair match. But it makes no sense to deny the loser proper respect simply because power was at stake. While calling the duel a legitimate succession, no less. I will hold a funeral for Conan Barbara. Furthermore, I will record his history. I will also publicly declare that I am the new chieftain who succeeded him.”
Geum Taeyang found it unjust. Treating Conan’s death that way while calling it a legitimate succession was clearly contradictory. In the end, it was about obtaining authority through fear and force, which was no different from an unjust coup.
“I will not accept objections. Prepare within two days.”
Step, step, step.
Geum Taeyang drove the point home firmly and walked out of the central tent with the overwhelming charisma and dignity of a leader.
‘Hah! So that’s how it was?’
A notification window appeared before him.
Heroine Sophia’s Second Fetish — Pure Love — has been opened.
The second fetish of Sophia—her pure love fetish—had been unlocked, triggered by the sight of him cherishing her husband, Conan.
“Oh?”
The next day, Geum Taeyang contacted the Jasmine Merchant Guild’s communication post and received the documents. After reading through them, Geum Taeyang grinned.
“Leona, you fucking bitch, you’re dead. I’ll fuck you like a dog.”
He wore a triumphant smile.