PREVIOUSLY.
["Next time, you shall be the unyielding wall," I added in a tone that brooked no argument.
Umzye murmured: "So it shall be, Young Chuta. Without a single fissure."
Zasaba bowed his head in silent approval, the palpable tension in their hunched shoulders finally beginning to slacken.
"This may be the perfect catalyst," I mused as I observed their downcast gestures. "I will drip-feed this knowledge of sanitation and nutrition into their realms, undermining their naval and civil primacy from within. While this will cause their lower classes to flourish and grow more robust—fostering fewer hardships in future explorations—our own kingdom shall stand as a benevolent patron before grateful multitudes."
The results thus far have been as expected. While the matters to be discussed in this meeting would be merely superficial, if the outcomes of these points proved favorable, I could already imagine what Umzye would report in our private audience.]
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Year 13 of the SuaChie Calendar, Third Month (May 1495).
Dawn City (Cuba), Federal Region of Floating Islands (FRFI).
Meeting Hall, House of the Council.
I leaned over the vast expanse of the map, a surface speckled with dried droplets and routes scrawled in black ink. My quill remained suspended. "Let us move to the cultures you encountered. I wish to know which kingdoms you found. Tell me in general terms… step by step, if you please."
Upon my request, the attendants of the European nobles entered the hall to deliver various parchments and scrolls. Umzye, for his part, was already prepared; he stepped toward the map created by the topographers sent on the expedition.
Umzye gripped the quill with a steady hand, tracing broad arcs that dripped slightly. "Our first contact was the Archipelago of the Three Great Islands (The Philippines). There, we encountered small, fragmented entities with terraced rice paddies and sharp-prowed vessels, though for the most part, they travel in great canoes."
"I see. Even across such distances, we find similarities… It is incredible," I remarked, looking at a crude representation of what I recognized as the Philippines. "What else did you find?"
"We found small kingdoms scattered across the three islands. They possess diverse cultures and maintain friendly relations with one another, but what most caught our attention…" Umzye paused as the others drew closer. "We found Islamic sultanates in the southwest. They are distinguished by their coastal fortresses and numerous navies. Most notably, a great empire called Brunei."
"Sultanates in the East?" I asked, genuinely surprised, as I glanced toward the European nobles—Columbus in particular.
In my previous life, world history had almost always been told through a Western lens; consequently, this kind of historical development surpassed what I had studied and known. The only things that bridged these gaps in my knowledge were games, but they are historically unreliable.
"Indeed, Young Chuta," Umzye replied, while Columbus added: "We ourselves were unaware of this information."
"I understand. Let us continue."
Norrington stepped forward, his index finger landing with precision upon a marked islet. "Later, we encountered the Ryukyu Kingdom on our voyage toward the north of the archipelago, situated south of Cipango. They serve as a feverish mercantile hub where the Ming from the mainland, the Joseon near the Ming, Cipango, and other empires anchor incessantly. We witnessed the bartering of silks for porcelain, spices, and many more wares."
"This kingdom, I do not recognize," I thought as I looked at the location they indicated. "To me, it is simply Okinawa."
"Is that all you learned of them?" I asked, looking at Umzye. He looked back at me, his eyes silently questioning whether he should reveal more.
"The Ryukyu Kingdom does not only trade with them; their contacts are far more extensive," he replied after my nod. "They also traded with other realms such as: Siam (Thailand), Malacca (Malaysia), Java and Sumatra (Indonesia), the Kingdom of Annam (Vietnam), Patani (Thailand), and Luzon (The Philippines)."
"Incredible!" I exclaimed with excitement as I watched Umzye point in the approximate direction of all these kingdoms. "And then you set sail for Cipango?"
Columbus's expression brightened at my question, his palms opening like sails filled with wind. "Indeed, Chuta… Our journey continued north, and we found them. Cipango is magnificent, dazzling with its towering temples and meticulous gardens. Its cultural soul is vibrant, yet they are quite litigious and prone to conflict."
"Is that so?" I asked, surprised once more.
Cortizos responded, complementing Columbus's account with a voice tempered by fatigue, pointing to curved coastlines. "It is… according to what we learned, they have been embroiled in internal conflicts and power struggles for several years. They are technically an empire, but power is held by the so-called Shogunates, leaving their Emperor as a mere ornament."
Cortizos paused, but ultimately did not continue, casting a sidelong glance at Columbus, who remained stoic.
Their tales and expressions wove together in my mind. Norrington displayed the eyes and attitude suited to the desires of his realm: a genuine alliance. Columbus held something back behind pursed, reluctantly thin lips. Clearly, Columbus had to follow the orders of the Crowns of Castile and Aragon, but I knew their objectives were far removed from those shown by England.
On the other hand, Cortizos eluded details of Cipango with an evasive gaze. Even without asking Umzye or the Shadows sent on the expedition, I already knew what was happening: They are surely making their own plans that run contrary to the objectives of this expedition… If only they knew we had already accounted for that.
Zasaba tapped his nails against the table in a stealthy rhythm, synchronizing with my reflective pause. But the opacity in their expressions—the evasive postures, the measured silences—did not disturb me overmuch; it was predictable in mercantile partners.
"An excellent chronicle for your first expedition… I assume your encounters ended there, did they not?" I concluded, rolling up the map of East Asia with a sharp tug that dispelled the veil of reservation.
Umzye caught my hanging question regarding pending encounters, his face hardening in subtle reluctance. He knew what I was referring to: the peoples of Northern Quyca (North America).
In recent years, since the first maritime exploration through the Sea of the Floating Islands (Caribbean Sea), the Kingdom of Suaza had endeavored, under my guidance, to explore all the coasts of Great Quyca. However, due to the limitations of the western continental regions (Western Colombia, where establishing large settlements is exceedingly difficult), exploration along the western coasts of the continent had slowed.
While this had delayed progress, the experience gained from exploring the eastern coasts of Great Quyca had ensured that, once we undertook the first exploration of the west (Year 9), the advance was cleaner and without the setbacks of novices.
The explorations had turned northward, for I knew very well what lay to the south (The Inca Empire)—or at least south of the Kingdom's Southwest Region—and furthermore, the southernmost zone of the continent was already being explored via the Suaza Strait (Strait of Magellan). What we had found there far exceeded our expectations. There, we found…
"Young Chuta," Umzye began, his deep voice resonating against the stone walls of the Council House as he pulled out one of the maps from the kingdom's coastal explorations. "The return journey along the west coast of Northern Quyca brought us more than just storms; first, the Haida and the Salish in the northwest."
His index finger, calloused by ship's ropes, traced an irregular and misty bay.
"The Haida emerged from the fog like specters, rising in elongated red cedar canoes with prows curved like fangs, spears of bone and obsidian held high in their tattooed fists. They wore totemic masks of raven and orca covering faces painted in black ochre. They were hostile to the very marrow, denying us anchorage with guttural shouts that chilled the deck."
Norrington raised an eyebrow in vivid curiosity, still remembering the sight of warriors who endured the cold in simple furs; Columbus smiled with distant nostalgia, running his fingers through a salt-hardened beard, perhaps evoking the smoke of campfires on horizons he once believed virgin.
Umzye continued, his expression softening only slightly. "The Salish, in radical contrast, received us with open arms in their sheltered bay. We were able to exchange several goods necessary for the next leg of our return. Moreover, we encountered some Suaza ships trading with the peoples of the northwest."
Cortizos shifted in his seat, greedy eyes gleaming with visions of thick furs and walrus ivory in his coastal markets, murmuring in low Portuguese: "And do their furs truly withstand the polar cold?"
Umzye nodded. "They survive winters that freeze the very bone."
"South from that windswept anchorage," Umzye proceeded, his finger stabbing at arid plateaus marked with crosses, "we stopped with the Hopi in their villages carved into red cliffs. They received us one night in their smoky, circular kivas."
Columbus gestured animatedly, recalling details of the encounter. "Those granaries clinging to the crags—they looked like birds' nests!"
Zasaba crossed his arms in calculated stillness, catching my gaze fixed upon the European nobles: Norrington with eyebrows arched in pure fascination, and Columbus smiling with memories of dusty bartering.
"Did you encounter any trouble in those regions?" I asked, noting the nostalgic glint in Columbus's eyes as he turned his gaze to the map as if longing to return.
Umzye gave a firm shake of his head. "The trade was fluid, without a spear raised. The Zuni and the Hopi already know our banner; the same is true for the Salish."
Umzye finished speaking, and I remained silent for a moment, my eyes fixed on the map and my mind sliding over the names he had just released one after another, as if each territory were a door the kingdom had left ajar for far too long.
Four years.
That thought struck me with a dry discomfort, because I was not listening to the description of distant lands, but rather a reminder of bonds that already existed and which, even so, we had attended to only halfway.
My fingers tightened slightly on the edge of the table as I followed the imaginary trace of those regions across Great Quyca. In the back of the room, the murmur of the travelers sounded like a bated wind, waiting for me to say something, but my mind kept returning to the kingdom's meager presence in that zone.
The worst of it was that this was no small or accidental void: the kingdom had already brushed against these cultures for years, and I knew it. We had seen the edge of their world, but we had not yet finished understanding how much of that edge was already answering to us.
"In truth, the expansion of the kingdom has always concerned me," I thought, looking at those present—the actors of this new period in history. "Should I expand the realm even further?"
I let my gaze drop from their faces to the ink spread across the map of Western Northern Quyca.
Northwest Region.
Central Coast Region.
Southwest Region.
Great Basin and Plateau Region.
The names ordered themselves within my head with uncomfortable clarity, as if the kingdom itself were forcing me to see the true scale of what lay before me, and the variety of cultures inhabiting these regions.
Haida, Tlingit, Kwakiutl, and Salish in the Northwest—a region of extreme cold across many seasons, yet with an environment ripe for fishing and the hunting of great mammals, both terrestrial and aquatic.
Chumash, Pomo, Yokuts, and Miwok in the Central Coast—a region of warmer climates with cultures centered on sea and river fishing. Diverse populations and equally rich cultures.
The Hopi, Zuni, Taos, and then those newly sighted Apache and Navajo in the Southwest—an arid region where only peoples with centuries of agricultural experience managed to find the proper techniques to survive. With the exception of nomadic gatherer tribes like those last sighted.
Finally, the Shoshone, Paiute, and Ute of the Great Basin, and the Nez Perce and Modoc of the Plateau. Both regions distinct in geography and lifestyle, with the inhabitants of the plateau generally being sedentary, while those of the Great Basin were nomadic.
They were not just names on a list. They were zones of contact, possible routes, dormant alliances, and frontiers that could become either a path or a wall of rejection. I remembered how many times we had spoken of Great Quyca as if it were already measured, almost understood—as if the entire continent were the Suaza Kingdom—and yet every new name reopened the sensation of vastness.
The silence of the hall tightened around my thoughts while Zasaba remained still, attentive to my expression, as if he too were waiting to see what weight I would give to all of this.
"The world grows large… and yet small," I thought, looking at the European nobles, whose expressions were full of calculation as they heard the names of the cultures of Northern Quyca.
I looked back at Umzye and listened to the rest of the tale with a colder, more practical attention, while my mind recalled the process of approaching these regions.
The kingdom had approached from the south, step by step—first with useful dealings, then with real exchange, and in some cases, with settlements that could no longer be called simple waystations.
Hopi, Zuni, and Taos had been the first door to open, and that forced me to think of how a well-managed commercial bond could end up becoming something far deeper than a simple transaction.
With the Zuni and the Taos, the matter had grown to touch upon political possibilities: kingdom settlements in their own territories, a commercial and cultural presence in the region, coexistence, and an increasingly clear stance in favor of joining the kingdom as a federal region.
That kind of adhesion was not born of force; it was born of embedding oneself deeply enough in the daily lives of the people—in what they ate, in what they traded, in the way one learns to recognize that the other comes not to erase what is one's own, but to live alongside it. Even so, I did not let that idea drift too far; it was enough to see it clearly to understand its value.
I nodded slowly, barely moving my head, while Columbus's voice continued to float in the hall with that enthusiasm of his that sometimes seemed more like a memory than a report.
Beside me, Zasaba remained motionless, arms crossed, observing the Europeans with the serenity of one who has already measured their inclinations. Norrington was still leaning forward, truly fascinated, and Columbus was smiling with a nostalgia that softened the hardness of his face.
They were submerged in tales and memories of new cultures they did not understand, perhaps thinking of profits or simply treating it as a novelty. I, on the other hand, began to recall the progress of recent years and the stumble in the northernmost zone of this side of Northern Quyca.
The ties with the Central Coast were no longer a promise but an established custom. Thinking of it brought to mind the way we had learned to move among the Chumash and the Yokuts with a naturalness that once would have seemed impossible.
It was not just trade; it was a form of presence.
We had arrived respecting their customs and their territories, and that had changed the weight of our word. With the Pomo and the Miwok, the relationship had also grown closer, as if the trade routes had ultimately woven a web between everyone that was difficult to untangle.
I continued to look at the map while that thought ran through me, for I understood all too clearly that well-administered dependency could incline hearts faster than a sword.
If a visitor arrives without trampling upon what the other considers theirs, I thought, then the agreement ceases to feel like a concession and begins to look like a choice.
The idea sustained me for only a few moments before my brow furrowed of its own accord, remembering the setbacks we had suffered in the Northwest region.
There, nothing had been so clean. There, contact had been more irregular, more abrasive, with advances that later seemed to retreat and a mistrust that was difficult to tear out by the root.
I let out a breath through my nose without realizing it, as if the memory itself had physical weight, and I raised my gaze for a brief moment toward Zasaba.
He remained in silence, arms crossed, measuring the mood of the hall—and my own—without needing to say a word. The stillness of his posture confirmed that he, too, understood the difference between an alliance that is cultivated and one that is suffered. Therefore, I did not press that line of thought and forced myself back to the present, to the point that still needed to be addressed.
"Very well," I said, sensing that all eyes were still upon me. "Let us move to the point that brings us together now: the final commercial proposal for the exploration of the Sunset Ocean."
Zasaba barely looked up from the maps and, without uncrossing his arms, inclined his head toward the Europeans as if yielding the floor to them.
Norrington was the first to straighten up, resting a hand on the table.
"If the Suaza Kingdom guarantees free passage through the isthmus, England is prepared to uphold what was agreed," he said with a firmness that made me note the care in his tone.
Columbus nodded immediately, though his fingers drummed upon the wood. "Spain will also comply with the leases and the purchase of ships. What matters is that the route is not closed mid-voyage."
Cortizos took a little longer to speak; he glanced sidelong at the others, then at me. "Portugal shall have no objection as long as transit is secure and the terms remain clear," he finally said, with a respect that did not entirely hide his caution.
The deal presented by the kingdom more than a year ago invited the allied realms—Spain, England, and Portugal—to an expedition toward the East Indies, Spain's primary objective in Columbus's first voyage.
This deal did not only propose the expedition itself, but also what they would do in the future.
The intent of all was to obtain direct passage to the East Indies through Great Quyca (the Americas), but as there was none—or rather, since the Suaza Kingdom controlled the only 'secure' strait—it left the only option as passage by land.
Once this inland route was established—now called the Suaza Isthmus—and a maritime route found across the Sunset Ocean, the participating realms could engage in private or joint explorations, as their own crowns saw fit.
Furthermore, the Suaza Kingdom would offer two options regarding ships: purchase or lease.
Purchase was limited to two Tequendama I vessels, without cannons of any kind or crew. However, this was the most avoided option due to its high cost.
Leasing, on the other hand, had two branches: one for private explorations and another for joint ventures. For private explorations, up to four Tequendama I ships could be leased; for joint explorations with the Suaza Kingdom, there were no limits—even the possibility of leasing Tequendama II ships existed. However, cannons were limited for private explorations and had to be supplied by the leasing kingdom.
The most vital part of this treaty was that the Suaza Kingdom provided all these things and charged no transit taxes through the Suaza Isthmus or at any Suaza port for the products brought back.
This last point was something that could generate suspicion among the kings or high nobles of said realms. Anticipating this, I had requested the total removal of trade restrictions in European ports for Suaza ships, while also establishing the taxes applied to the Suaza Kingdom at the levels of friendly realms, without surcharges.
"Perhaps the kingdom should have acted more selfishly," I thought, recalling all the points and the speed with which the nobles had accepted the proposal.
I looked at those in the hall; all had agreed without hesitation to the terms laid out in the initial pact. However, I could observe Zasaba's furrowed brow. I knew he viewed this deal as something that did not favor the Kingdom in the slightest.
I nodded slowly, letting the silence return for a moment before continuing: "Then we are in agreement on the essentials: leases, ship purchases, and tax-free passage through Sunset Edge City and Dawn Edge City."
Norrington responded immediately, as if that precision gave him peace of mind: "It is a treaty with a solid foundation for friendly realms such as ours. In the name of the House of Tudor and the Kingdom of England, I thank your Suaza Kingdom."
Columbus raised an eyebrow, looking at the spread map. "More than solid; it is fair for all. We also thank you, Leader Chuta."
"We shall comply with the agreed prices," Cortizos added, without showing the decorum of the previous two.
"Furthermore," I continued, paying no heed to their attitudes, unrolling the map once more and sliding a finger along the line of the route. "I would like to clarify the scope of the joint and private settlements, such as those already established in the Archipelago of the Three Islands… The Suaza Kingdom expects to follow this pattern in the future."
Norrington opened his hands with visible interest.
"That is exactly what we seek," he said. "A stable point where our ships can rest and trade without unnecessary tensions."
Columbus leaned forward with that mixture of enthusiasm and prudence I had seen in him from the start. "If they are built under shared rules, there will be no cause for dispute."
Cortizos, more reserved, looked first at Zasaba and then at me before speaking. "Portugal would look upon it favorably, provided each kingdom retains its share."
"This also comes with a treaty of cooperation and joint defense," I added, letting the European proposal rest clearly on the table.
For the first time, Norrington smiled openly. "That would give everyone true security."
Columbus followed the gesture with a slower nod. "In seas so vast, shared protection is only sensible."
Cortizos did not smile, but his voice came out less rigid. "We are in agreement, so long as the terms are just."
"It seems they were all worried we would advance on our own… perhaps even as enemies," I noted, seeing their instantaneous responses.
I let that exchange settle before closing the matter.
"The Suaza Kingdom accepts the proposal, adding the final points discussed," I said at last. "But the specific conversations and the details that depend upon each Crown must be spoken directly with your monarchs."
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[A/N: CHAPTER CCOMPLETED
Hi everyone.
First, I wanted to apologize for disappearing again, but some 'funny' things happened, as usual.
My computer, one I was given because the previous one burned out, started crashing with blue screens. I was able to fix it so it works, but it's not a permanent solution.
On another note, after fixing the computer, my Office license expired. So I had to install the MAS version, which might have a virus, hahaha.
Back to the novel.
Wow, the meeting continues, and we get to the most important part for me: the kingdoms they discovered, and I'm not referring to the ones they visited.
By the way, the chapters of The Destined Explorer specifically recount the journey, although now we learn that they also encountered cultures in western North America.
In this chapter, I try to show that the Suaza Kingdom has already explored the western coasts of America, although it has avoided the south due to the presence of the Inca Empire.
This isn't something I just came up with; it's something that was already being planned. In chapter 67 (I think), around year 8, Chuta talks with Sogeking about the westward expedition, and the near-discovery of the Strait of Magellan is also mentioned.
By the way, several maps are discussed in the chapter.
The Asian map from the meeting with the European nobles is a map designed jointly, but the Suaza version is much more complete.
As for the map of western North Quyca, it's a public version, not a detailed map as such.
So they aren't giving away information, just maintaining the appearance of allies.
Finally, a very important topic is addressed: the expansion of the Suaza Kingdom.
From the beginning, both I, as the author, and Chuta, as the protagonist, didn't want to expand the kingdom, for different reasons.
Personally, I find it tedious. The kingdom is already quite complex; it has extensive continental territory, island territories, and territory ceded by allied cultures or conquered at various points along the continent's coasts. If it expands further, it will be difficult to narrate.
Chuta, for his part, as we know, was a skilled RTS player, so he understands that an uncontrolled expansion is counterproductive. And we've already seen this throughout the novel; he has consolidated the kingdom on at least two occasions.
Moving beyond the novel.
The truth is, I would like Chuta to rule or reign over all of America, but it's impossible.
It's not realistic.
Furthermore, from the beginning, the idea was to have the existing cultures grow, evolve, and adapt to the coming changes.
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Read my other novels.
#The Walking Dead: Vision of the Future (Chapter 91) (ON HOLD)
#The Walking Dead: Emily's Metamorphosis (Chapter 34) (ON HOLD)
#The Walking Dead: Patient 0 - Lyra File (Chapter 14) (ON HOLD)
You can find them on my profile.]