PREVIOUSLY.
["Everything discussed and witnessed in these halls today constitutes a state secret of the highest order," I declared, my voice dropping to a cold, absolute tenor that brooked no argument. "The Xiuracan is the beating heart of our naval supremacy. Any leak regarding its existence, operation, or construction to foreign merchants or rival kingdoms will be deemed high treason… And you already know the kingdom's punishment for traitors: the absolute stripping of status and a lifetime of enslavement in our deepest mines. Guard this crystal with your lives, commanders."
No one dared to break the tension. With one final, collective nod, I adjourned the meeting, knowing full well that the Dawn Ocean had just grown a little smaller for us, and vastly more dangerous for our enemies.]
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Year 13 of the SuaChie Calendar, Fourth Month (June, 1495).
Dawn City (Cuba), Federal Region of the Floating Islands (FRFI).
The Chancellor's Office, House of the Council.
A month had passed since that intense summit with the research corps and naval commanders—time that my mind had devoured with numbers, projections, and the invisible weight of the future.
I stood in the Chancellor's office in Dawn City, a spacious, airy room within the House of the Council, where the scent of fresh ink and parchment mingled with the salt breeze drifting through the open bay windows.
By my side, moving like a silent shadow among the polished wooden shelves, was Zasaba. Before me, scattered across the great mahogany desk, lay dozens of meticulous reports detailing the state of the regions, specifically those delivered by the delegations of the regional governors.
For the past few weeks, my mind had known no rest; planning the imminent assembly with the governors required the precision of a surgeon.
Currently, the heartland of the kingdom—the most populous and technologically advanced continental zones of northern South Quyca (South America)—was divided into ten grand regions. They had been organized based on cultural affinity or linguistic roots, but I knew that was no longer enough.
I stared at the lines drawn on the maps and, for a moment, closed my eyes.
Memories of my past life flooded my mind: images of crumbling colonial empires, the artificial borders of Africa that had sparked bloody civil wars, the dissolution of Gran Colombia… straight lines drawn with rulers in European offices by men completely ignorant of the land's reality.
I refused to let that be my people's fate. I did not want, centuries after my inevitable departure from this world, the nation I had built with so much blood and sweat to fracture into sister republics torn apart by border disputes.
The solution was not rewritable political treaties; it had to be the barriers the gods themselves had carved into the earth.
"If we want the provinces to remain united when we are no longer here," I murmured to Zasaba, tracing a finger across the parchment, "we must redefine the borders using geography. Raging rivers, towering mountain ranges, impenetrable deserts... Natural barriers do not shift, Zasaba. If a region knows exactly where its soil ends because an abyss or an uncrossable river stands in the way, friction diminishes."
Zasaba approached, coming to a halt at the edge of the desk. His dark eyes scanned the new maps with his trademark analytical coldness. Just as I finished organizing the stack of reports, the Chancellor broke his silence.
"It is a pragmatic approach, Chuta," he said, using my name with a familiarity permitted only in the strict privacy of his study. "I was just reviewing the latest dispatches from our network. Does this new regional division tie into the intelligence the Shadows have been gathering on the governors?"
I nodded, leaning back in my high-backed chair.
"Yes, largely. Though I must admit… the report on Fagua surprised me. He is a governor of Muisca origin whom we ourselves imposed upon the southwest, a complex territory. Yet, reports indicate he has garnered fervent support not only in his province but in several neighboring regions as well. That unforeseen popularity will work in our favor; it will ease the cohesion when I present the border reforms to them."
Zasaba offered a subtle, almost imperceptible smile, clasping his hands behind his back.
"It is no coincidence, my Leader. Fagua is a capable man, but his success stems from the fact that we, the Shadows, have been feeding him privileged information under your directives. Knowing beforehand which local land disputes were about to erupt or which communities would face grain shortages, he was able to intervene opportunely. He resolved minor issues before they festered into crises, earning himself the reputation of a benevolent visionary in the eyes of the people."
He paused briefly, adjusting his dark tunic before continuing.
"Something similar is unfolding in the east with your sister, Chuquy. Her intellect is weaving a web of loyalties so steadfast that…"
Before Zasaba could delve into the details of my sister's report, three sharp, rhythmic knocks rapped against the heavy wooden door. A council aide peeked his head in, offering a flawless bow.
"Leader, Chancellor... forgive the interruption. The Great Assembly Hall is fully prepared. All governors and regional delegates have taken their seats and await your presence."
I exchanged a glance with Zasaba. The time for planning in the shadows had passed; it was time to forge the very structure of the kingdom.
"It is time," I said, rising to my feet and adjusting my ceremonial robes.
The echo of our footsteps rang down the limestone corridors until the grand double doors of the main hall were thrown wide open.
The Great Hall of the House of the Council was an imposing structure, designed to cradle the destiny of millions of souls, though not quite as vast as the Government House in Central City. The air inside was thick with the murmur of hushed voices, the rustle of fine cotton mantles, the sway of ceremonial feathers, and the rich scent of aromatic woods.
The moment I crossed the threshold flanked by Zasaba, the murmuring ceased instantly. The synchronized sound of dozens of men and women rising to their feet tore through the silence. The wood of the heavy chairs groaned against the floor. The governors of the ten continental regions and the two federal regions, alongside their chief advisors, bowed their heads in deep reverence.
"Greetings, Leader Chuta!" a choral salute boomed, shaking the rafters.
I walked with a steady stride, reaching the head of the massive semicircular table, and took my seat. With a gentle wave of my hand, I signaled for them to do the same.
"Welcome to Dawn City," I declared, my voice clear and firm, carrying effortlessly across the vast room. "I thank you for the long journey many of you have made from the heart of the continent."
Before speaking, I took a deliberate minute to observe the assembly, analyzing their posture.
To my right, my sister Chuquy sat like a queen in her own right; her gaze fixed upon me was a blend of sisterly pride and sharp, intellectual scrutiny. To my left sat Foza, maintaining a rigid, attentive stance.
Further down the table, clustered toward the south and west sectors, was Fagua. He was surrounded by other regional leaders who subtly leaned toward him whenever he spoke, confirming Zasaba's reports of his growing influence. Near Chuquy, the veteran Xiua stroked his chin, his weather-beaten eyes locked on the closed documents at the center of the table.
"I have summoned you today because the Suaza Kingdom has reached a maturity that demands evolution," I announced, resting my hands flat upon the table. "We are going to implement profound structural changes to the drawing of our regional borders and the administration of the continental soil."
The effect of my words was instantaneous.
A wave of whispers swept through the hall like wind over a reed bed. I sharpened my focus on their faces. I detected no hostility or rebellion; what hovered in the air was intense anticipation—a burning desire to understand where I was leading them this time.
However, to my right, my sister Chuquy narrowed her eyes slightly and let out a barely audible sigh; her brilliant mind had already deduced that a reform of this magnitude meant an avalanche of administrative work for her region.
I waited patiently for the hum of conversation to die down, maintaining an absolute stillness that compelled them back into silence.
"I know this decision may seem arbitrary at this moment," I continued, measuring every word, "but it is a strict response to the drastic transformations occurring all around us. The outside world is moving, and we must anticipate it."
At that moment, Governor Xiua raised his hand firmly. Upon receiving my nod, he leaned forward.
"Leader..." Xiua began, his voice resonating with the gravity of a seafaring man. "When you speak of the transformations around us... do you refer to the movements of the 'allied' European kingdoms? Or does it have to do with the lands glimpsed beyond the great Sunset Ocean?"
The question sparked a fresh wave of murmurs, this time far more confused and agitated. I observed their reactions.
Xiua and a few governors whose provinces bordered the Sea of Floating Islands (the Caribbean) had caught scattered rumors of the shipyards and fleet movements.
The rest of the continental governors—focused on agriculture, mining, and the unification of the mountain ranges and vast forests—wore expressions of absolute bewilderment. They had not been officially briefed on the latest transoceanic developments.
I decided it was time to open their eyes to the new global map.
"Governors of the realm," I declared, my tone slicing through the air like drawn steel. "The joint expedition we dispatched into the Sunset Ocean has returned to our shores. And the findings are definitive: beyond the waters we once believed infinite, our men have discovered vast landmasses and a staggering array of powerful, unknown kingdoms nestled in the west."
The impact of the revelation struck the room hard.
Some governors' eyes went wide with genuine shock, holding their breath at the sheer scale of what this meant. Others, however, simply nodded with a mix of resignation and pride.
I let my words settle. They knew perfectly well that, under my guidance, the Suaza Kingdom would never stagnate; the medical, agricultural, and military leaps of the past thirteen years were proof of that. Yet, what I was about to propose challenged the very bedrock of what we had built.
"I know this decision seems abrupt," I continued, shattering the quiet with a firm tone, pressing my hands against the grand polished wood where our maps rested. "I know the lack of prior consultation is unsettling. But the discovery of these formidable western kingdoms, coupled with the undeniable presence of the European crowns to the east, leaves us no room for hesitation. We are in a race against time… We continue to learn from them, absorbing their technology and tactics, but we cannot afford the luxury of bureaucratic sluggishness. The world is connecting, and if we do not move quickly, it will crush us."
I swept my gaze across the room, lingering on the faces of the regional leaders. I could see the fear of the unknown in their eyes, but also an unshakeable loyalty that I had earned since my childhood.
"This is no whim," I added, my expression softening a fraction. "The constant dialogues we have shared over these past few years, the detailed knowledge each of you has provided about your respective regions and our territory's geography, have led me to a mathematical conclusion. I know precisely which tracts of land, which rivers, and which mountain ranges best suit each new border delineation to optimize both defense and production."
At that moment, Kamui, the governor of the northeast region, leaned forward. He was a man of rugged features, draped in mantles that reflected the dignity of his station. His eyes gleamed with a feline sharpness as he studied the lines drawn on the central map.
"SuaChie Chuta," Kamui began, uttering my title with an almost religious reverence. "Will this restructuring definitively encompass the unification of the peoples and tribes inhabiting the great Amazon jungle and the lonely eastern mountains, the Guiana shields?"
"It will, Kamui," I replied, nodding solemnly. "The new regions we have planned are not a temporary fix; they account for the total expansion projected for the next ten years. We are going to consolidate the interior of the continent before others attempt to claim it."
I took the opportunity to look him dead in the eye, ensuring the assembly witnessed my acknowledgment of his work.
"And for this, the kingdom owes you a great debt. I deeply appreciate the lengths you went to build bridges of communication with the great Arawak tribes of the interior. Those men and women inhabited lands that many deemed inaccessible. Thanks to your diplomacy, they chose to join the kingdom peacefully upon seeing the amicable and advantageous terms we offered: fair trade, medical abundance, security, and an end to famine."
Kamui bowed his head immediately, pressing his hands over his chest in a gesture of profound humility that contrasted sharply with his imposing physical presence.
"It is all thanks to the kingdom's policies, Young Chuta," he replied, his voice quiet yet clear. "Policies of respect and prosperity that convinced my own people and me to rally beneath your banner years ago. We merely illuminated the path you had already paved."
A murmur of approval rippled down one side of the table, but the calm was short-lived. From the far end, one of the southern governors abruptly stood. The man was frowning, his arms crossed, projecting a clear internal resistance.
"Is such an aggressive restructuring of the kingdom truly necessary?" he challenged, raising his voice against the atmosphere of the hall. "Are these supposed western kingdoms and the crowns of Europe truly such an imminent threat? …We are prospering; our armies are strong. Why change what already works out of fear of transoceanic ghosts?"
The questioning acted like a spark to dry tinder. The whispers flared up once more, this time laced with concern and uncertainty. Heads turned; governors exchanged uneasy glances. I knew I had to nip this dissent in the bud before it spiraled into panic or division.
"Silence!" I commanded.
I did not shout, but I infused my voice with all the authority of the spiritual and military leader they saw in me. The room fell dead silent instantly. I held a calculated pause, letting the tension pool in the air, forcing them to hold their breath.
"Let us talk numbers," I said, relaxing my shoulders with calm deliberation. "With the new restructuring and the total integration of the continental territories, the Suaza Kingdom will reach an estimated population of twenty-one million people—though those figures will need revision in the coming years… A staggering number, is it not? A point of pride for us all."
Several governors nodded, chests swelling with pride. But I was not finished.
"Now, look to Europe," I continued, my voice turning cold and cutting. "According to the limited estimates of our intelligence services, corroborated by data from our frequent trade with Castille, Portugal, and England, the population of that continent is estimated at eighty million people. Eighty million. Nearly four times our number, crammed into a territory considerably smaller than the Suaza Kingdom. Imagine that starving mass, hungering for land, resources, and wealth."
The revelation hit the hall like a bucket of ice water. For the first time all meeting, surprise mutated into genuine dread. Though they had received constant briefings from the central government over the past three years regarding the existence and customs of the Europeans, hearing that exact figure—that four-to-one ratio—was a jarring, deeply alarming blow. Faces paled; the illusion of our absolute invulnerability had just cracked.
"And the West?" Chuquy's voice broke the collective trance. My older sister, Governor of the Eastern Region, watched me with intelligent, analytical eyes. She had not succumbed to the panic; her mind was already hunting for the next variable. "Is it the same case in the West, Leader Chuta? Those vast lands our expeditionaries crossed... are they just as populous?"
I looked at my sister, inwardly grateful for her mental sharpness.
"Yes, Governor Chuquy," I replied gravely. "They might be even more populous. To the west, we face empires with millennial dynasties and cities that house millions of souls in confined spaces."
Fagua, the governor of the southwest region, interjected then. As a member of the Shadows, the kingdom's covert espionage network, he wielded intelligence the others lacked, yet he had to keep up appearances before the rest of the council. His tone was measured, almost clinical.
"We know from the reports of the Explorers and the merchants that the Europeans possess advanced general knowledge," Fagua noted, casting a sidelong glance at the other governors. "They have the technical capacity to replicate our naval technology; it is only a matter of time before they build ships similar to our Tequendama IIs. But tell me, Leader Chuta... is the military and political might of these individual kingdoms comparable to our own?"
"If we consider a single European kingdom, such as England or Castille, the answer is no," I stated with absolute honesty, earning a collective sigh of relief. "Individually, our cohesion, resources, and technology give us the upper hand. But we must not be arrogant… If three or more of those kingdoms decide to forge a coalition against us, the reality changes. They have the numbers and the martial experience to give us an extraordinarily difficult fight. They could bleed the kingdom dry."
Xiua, the governor of the northwest region and father to my wife Nyia, nodded slowly, threading together the strategy I had been weaving in the shadows.
"Is that why you have embraced such a tight commercial alliance with them, Leader Chuta?" Xiua asked, realization lighting up his face. "To entangle our economies and ensure armed conflict is no longer a viable option for their monarchs?"
"Exactly, Xiua," I replied, offering a subtle smile of approval. "Those are the exact motives. By becoming their indispensable partners, by opening liberated trade routes to the west for them, we make them dependent on us. At the same time, keeping them close allows us to learn from them, study their weaknesses, and most importantly, monitor and constrain their every naval and political move."
Absolute comprehension washed over everyone in the room—even those who, like Chuquy or Fagua, were already privy to my long-term designs.
Since the dawn of my leadership, I had striven for transparency with my council, but hearing the strategic rationale in person, feeling the weight of my voice and the urgency of the global crisis, was a radically different experience than reading a cold report or an official letter in the privacy of their provinces.
Suddenly, Foza, the governor of the FRFI, raised his hand, cutting through the geopolitical tension to steer the discussion back to internal administration.
"Young Chuta," Foza said, a pinch of anxiety in his voice, "will the federal regions, like the one I govern in the Sea of Floating Islands, or perhaps the Chibcha Federal Region, be affected or dissolved by this restructuring?"
"No, Governor Foza, rest easy," I assured him immediately. "The federal regions and the ancient cultural hubs will remain untouched. This reform is aimed exclusively at the interior continental regions—those that desperately require a more efficient military and administrative integration in the face of expansion."
I stood up, walking toward the map on the wall to trace the new borders I had personally designed using my knowledge of the future.
"The current continental regions will merge and expand inward into the jungle and the plains. To achieve maximum efficiency and avoid overlapping jurisdictions, we will streamline the administrative apparatus. From the current twelve regions, including the two federal ones, we will consolidate into just eight macro-regions."
A fresh murmur of surprise—this time laced with anticipation and ambition—rippled across the table. Reducing the number to eight meant that the continental governors who retained their seats would command colossal territories and unimaginable wealth.
The initial dread of eighty million Europeans began to transmute, tempered by the promise of unprecedented expansion beneath the banner of the Suaza Kingdom. The map of the world was changing, and we were the ones who would hold the pen.
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[A/N: CHAPTER COMPLETED
Hello everyone.
Thank you all for your support. Let's get straight to the chapter comments, and at the end I'll explain my absence (though they're pretty silly, to be honest).
CHAPTER COMMENTS
First, the chapter is rather long, but I reread some of the meetings that took place in previous years with the regional governors and noticed they're unrealistic. Perhaps I can excuse myself by saying that's how it looks from Chuta's perspective, but that doesn't excuse the lack of formality, tension, and, why not, dissent.
By the way, here we again mention some unusual characters who will soon become important in internal affairs. The idea is that there will be eight important figures in the Kingdom acting as leaders. Something like a council surrounding Chuta.
On another note, I'd just like to mention that the joint expedition had only recently arrived, which is why few people knew the results. It's not about hiding information. Furthermore, it is constantly mentioned that several governors attend religious festivities or Chuta's own birthday celebrations. And it is precisely at the latter where even Europeans and Africans participated.
AUTHOR'S COMMENTS
First, I sincerely apologize for my absence. I hope you have found some good novels during this time... I certainly have, and I will list the titles at the end of this section and at the beginning of the next chapter.
Let me tell you.
As I mentioned in the previous note, I was working with maps, and I found a way to obtain very detailed images, so that one could zoom in and even see the outline of islands.
It turns out that I programmed an image, and it weighed 300MB, and I thought, well, I'll work with that.
Well... it wouldn't open.
I downloaded GIMP, and it did open, but it turns out that after making some changes (without ever having used the program before) and clicking save...
My PC was practically smoking... It was on for 39 hours.
I was afraid of forcing a shutdown and getting a blue screen of death.
In short: I waited a long time, researched, it crashed again... I had to fix some drivers, and finally I got it done. It only took me two days to make the maps.
The project is 10GB and each image is about 400MB... And it turns out they're useless. I'd forgotten that I can only upload a few MB in the comments. Hahaha.
I want to bury myself alive! Hahaha. Anyway, I'll upload Drive links to Discord with the actual images and I'll upload excerpts to Webnovel.
On the other hand, I'm doing well. Now I can practically make detailed maps of any era, hahaha, although they don't turn out very pretty, hahaha.
THESE ARE THE RECOMMENDATIONS.
Forged in Blood and Steel
The Path of the Basileus
These are two incredible novels, but they really surprised me. I highly recommend them, and they're written by a Chilean, a fellow countryman.
And if you have any recommendations, feel free to leave them in the comments.
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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.]