Reincarnated As A Lion In Another World

"Our caste system is flawed?" Eidel asked. She had long developed a sense of superiority over most creatures and saw whatever Kael did as absolute. She was still subconsciously aware that Kael could be wrong about some things but hardly did it cross her mind.

"Yes," Kael said while looking around at the bone structures around him. Wolves and goats walked close to him without fear, his aura was suppressed but that didn't change that his appearance was not ordinary.

Sure, they had not seen a massive lion with golden fur before but they didn't react much. The rabbits, deers, and other herbivores only gave him a slight frown before going on their way.

The only way such a behavior was to be encouraged was if there was a significant amount of power acting as a deterrent against violence.

Kael spoke, "Look, at them, look at us, you can immediately tell that our caste system is too rigid. Almost no room for flexibility.

For now, the wolves have no choice but to be warriors and the foxes, merchants, the birds and snakes can only do what they are told.

Sure, we have introduced the sub-castes but even that is a temporary bandage.

But imagine when their numbers eventually reach the millions, how would you try to impose that all wolves must be warriors?

A million fox merchants would easily be too much economic power for one race. To impose the caste system is to assume that they all want to do what we say they should do.

No, that's not how it is to be done if we want to maintain our sovereignty as the lion royalty.

We must give them the power of choice, or the illusion that they have a choice, either works well.

Why must wolves be confined to the warrior's position when they could be merchants, logistics supervisors, trainers, bodyguards, tax collectors, hunters…

The wolves have to hunt their food, same with the foxes, the birds, the snakes, the goats, and the rabbits, they all have to eat.

Collecting all of them into one kingdom and giving them specialized roles can work in the short term, especially with his fast I want the foundations to be set. But in the long run, it would be disastrous.

Just imagine what would happen if a wolf is hungry and still has to work together with a rabbit just because the rabbit has a specialized role in the kingdom.

Am I supposed to create a law that would ban carnivores from hunting? Of course not, I can't and I won't. The natural state of things has to be preserved one way or the other.

In the creation of the caste system we have touched upon one of the pillars of the savage land and if care is not taken, it would come back to bite us.

Luckily, I realized this soon enough, and if my guess is correct, N'bayé should already see the flaws…" Kael paused, then turned this right to Chloe looking at him.

His words had not been private and even Chloe heard them, she didn't look surprised, just amused

"You also knew that the system was flawed?" Kael asked.

"Yes," Chloe answered honestly, "I noticed how the wolves all had designation and order while the foxes stayed away.

It was different from the vassals I had seen from other lion territories. There was order, but yours was too rigid.

It was like you had imposed the ideologies of a foreign civilization or an outdated concept."

Kael heard those words and nodded, indeed, he had done what she said. The specialized caste system was a result of his human thinking.

The caste system would have worked for a single species civilization like the humans, but for the empires governed by the lions where multiple species were vassals, the specialized caste system was a bad idea.

"So what do you suggest? How have the lions managed their own territories?" Kael asked. He did not imagine himself to be all-knowing even with the memories of the Primordials, he was willing to learn.

However, this mindset didn't change the fact that he still wanted to perform a bloody coup on the lions.

"Hmm, well, we lions use the caste system, it's just not specialized.

For example, instead of calling them Wolf Warrior Caste. Simply call them the Wolf Caste, period.

Then you can have the Fox Caste, Crocodile Caste, Rabbit Caste, Rat Caste, Eagle Caste, and so on.

The caste should not be based on specialization, it should be based on race. There should be no hierarchy among the castes, but there should be a hierarchy within the castes.

You will simplify your work this way as you will then be able to focus on managing them and collecting tributes.

You could give out a hunt order or mission and instead of just the wolves, all other castes could participate.

Birds, snakes, wolves, crocodiles, and sharks, will hunt down your enemies across different biomes without restriction.

It would be weird if you wanted to establish a marine force with just the wolf warriors, don't you think?

Commerce will not be restricted to one caste and multiple castes like the wolves and foxes will be able to trade among themselves and you wouldn't have to worry about monopoly.

In this system, the carnivorous caste will be able to hunt their prey and it will be none of your concern. A perfect society where might makes right.

Think of it like the ancient tribal settings of the ancient tigers, our cousins."

Eidel, Ruda, and Kael listened with rapt attention while following the dazed fiery rabbit around.

Chloe continued.

"The tribute collection will not be complicated for you if you follow this political blueprint.

You just have to request that a certain amount of their members be sacrificed to you, their sovereign, as a tribute.

It may seem absurd but every caste will eventually have people that they don't like. Weak, young, old, they will be sent to your pride as tribute.

Kings shouldn't hunt, by then, all you have to do is send out your lionesses to pick up the tributes.

Of course, you can occasionally give tribute-exempt status to some castes if they work for you almost all the time, like the wolves.

But there will be some that you just can't let go of. Among the lions, our favorite caste to keep close are the rats, even then, we still collect tributes from them.

The tributes you collect have to be backed by strength or an entire clan. This is how most lion Lords can manage entire continents without fear.

You could also use the tributes to enrich yourself and pay your more competent castes to work for you.

Collect tributes from rats, and use it as payment for the wolves who patrol your land, thereby having a militaristic hold over your territory.

Only then, can you create multiple safe zones like this one.

Lion politics has been refined for eons and I don't know everything about it, this is all I can tell you though."

Chloe finished, she made it clear that she was only suggesting and was not telling Kael what to do.

The way Eidel and Ruda looked at Chloe changed slightly. It wasn't a kind look, Justine of neutrality, one that Chloe noticed.

Kael himself listened, absorbed, and assimilated. He couldn't find any flaw in this way of governance, it was better than his own specialized caste system and far more practical.

If there were any flaws in Chloe's suggestion, he was not yet knowledgeable enough to notice it.

Alas, evolution affected everything, body, mind, and ideology.

Kael faced his front and continued his walk, "Thank you," he said.

Chloe nodded, what she didn't know was that she had just given Kael a reason not to kill her, at last not yet.

She had unknowingly prolonged her life.

Chloe noticed that the killing intent coming from the sisters had disappeared, it had been hidden. This surprised her, she didn't know that a little bit of knowledge could shift the opinion of these two.

Soon, the four of them had gotten close to the center of the settlement, a square populated by a lot of animals.

Many noises filled their ears, low roars and growls, the bleats of goats, and the cries of birds.

Kael noticed that the birds here did not dare to fly. They could stretch their wings but never did they flap it. The impulsive side of Kael wanted to flap his wings to test what would happen.

"Hey, what are the rules?" Kael asked the dazed rabbit in front of them.

The rabbit turned around, his eyes were unfocused and his ears twitched.

"No fighting, no killing, no flying, all must pay to enter the safe space. Any who defy the rules will suffer," The rabbit said in a monotone manner like a robot.

"And who made these laws?" Kael asked, he walked past the rabbit to see a bear and a wolf exchanging items with each other.

"The five great leaders," The rabbit instantly replied.

"Who are they?"

"Zed, Zod, Aeon, Harath, and…"

"Me!" A feminine voice entered their minds from behind them at this time, causing all of them to freeze.

Kael could feel it clearly, the person who had just spoken had a very heavy aura, heavy enough that Kael was sure that this person was stronger than him.

Only for him to turn around to see…a rabbit.