Central City, Command Office Meeting Hall.
"So, what am I going to do all this time?" asked Sogeking, dejected by the news of the delay in ship construction on the kingdom's western coast.
"Behave yourself, Captain Sogeking!" scolded Umzye, the naval general.
"Sorry!" replied Sogeking, standing at attention again.
"It's like they're putting on a comedy sketch in front of me," I thought, suppressing my laughter.
"I have the ideal mission for you, Sogeking… Something only a true sailor could accomplish," I said in a mysterious tone.
"What is Chu… young Chuta?" he asked, correcting himself at the last moment, glancing at the general's withering gaze.
"It's a journey beyond the limits I imposed on you," I replied vaguely, watching his reactions with amusement.
"Will I be able to go further north?" he asked excitedly.
"No," I shook my head.
"South?" he asked again.
"No," I shook my head again.
"Then… can I cross the sea to the east?" he asked excitedly, so much so that he almost climbed onto my desk.
"Captain!" Umzye shouted angrily, while some of the soldiers on guard held their knives ready to intervene at any moment.
"I'm sorry!" Sogeking shouted, standing at attention, although this time he was sweating from nervousness.
He had noticed out of the corner of his eye that several of the guards in the office looked ready to kill him, and he knew they would do it if it meant protecting me.
"Hahaha… Yes, it's a trip to the east," I said after laughing loudly while signaling the guards to calm down.
This time I hadn't been able to hold back my laughter because of the interactions between Sogeking and the General. I knew Sogeking wouldn't be capable of harming me. I'd known him for years, and I even suggested he join the navy when it was first founded. Besides, I think the guards would have intervened in case of real danger, or I could even defend myself.
"Everyone, stay calm," I said in a calm tone as I wiped a tear from my face.
"Sogeking, we've sent some newly built long-range ships eastward, and we've noticed that the necessary journey would take over a month to complete," I began to explain calmly, noticing that everyone in the office had calmed down and was now listening attentively.
"So far, we've made trial trips for 20 days there and back. There were plenty of provisions, and according to projections, they could last a few more months. Water isn't a real problem, but we're investigating options like alcohol to replace it in case of emergency. The entire trip may be safe, but..." I continued, leaving an intentional pause at the end.
"But?" the general asked curiously, immersed in the story.
"But the problems are the sudden storms and the sailors' moods," I replied to the general with a mocking look.
"I'm sorry, young Chuta," the general said quietly, realizing he had made the same mistake he had criticized Sogeking for. "Our men are very good sailors and warriors; there shouldn't be these kinds of problems," he commented proudly.
"Besides, with captains as good as me, those storms don't matter; I can handle them," Sogeking chimed in confidently.
"First, you should know that every person is different, so you don't know for sure how your men will act after three months at sea. Even some evil spirits could intervene and manipulate their minds," I commented seriously, alluding to the general's comment.
"As for your ability to navigate through storms, I have no doubt about it. However, the storms you'll encounter in those two months are different from the ones you encountered near the islands," I added with the same seriousness, looking at Sogeking, who now looked a little worried.
Everyone in the room fell silent. Their minds were now analyzing my words, fearing both the spirits and the great storms I was talking about. I knew that instilling these fears in their minds could be counterproductive, but I preferred cautious sailors to adventurous pirates.
"Well… To solve these problems, we've been making several trial trips with the Explorers Division, and we've gathered quite a bit of information about storm behavior," I commented in a cheerful tone, trying to dispel the concerns I had brought into the conversation.
"With this, we'll prevent accidents and we'll be able to travel safely across that great ocean."
"Excellent," they both chirped excitedly.
The general looked a little embarrassed to be stepping out of his serious warrior persona, while Sogeking smiled mockingly at him.
"I need you to call the general of the Northeast Army," I asked a guard.
"Right away."
"Now we'll wait for the general to plan these trips," I told them both.
"Trips?" Sogeking asked.
"Yes, or did you think you'd be the only one traveling across that vast ocean?" I asked him ironically.
"Well… I thought… I thought I'd be the only one," he replied, somewhat disappointed.
"I can't let you be the only one venturing across… In fact, on this first voyage, two more ships will be traveling with you," I clarified, his face showing even more disappointment.
"I see… Me," Sogeking was saying when a firm knock sounded at the door.
"Come in."
"Young Chuta, how may I help you?" Nygua asked respectfully, his forehead sweating slightly, showing that he had responded promptly to my summons.
"We're talking about exploring the eastern ocean."
"Is it about the south?"
"No."
"Then, the north?"
"No."
"We'll finally cross the ocean… That's great news, Young Chuta," the general said excitedly.
"That's right. I know we talked about this voyage a few years ago, and it's only now that we have the capabilities to take on this great challenge… I'm eagerly awaiting the outcome of this first expedition," I said, responding to his excitement in kind.
"How will we proceed?" he asked.
"Before we comment on this… The Explorers division found a rather interesting phenomenon in two different areas of the ocean," I told them all.
"As you all know, we've noticed on our maps a point that indicates the highest angle of the sun, which we call 'Half the World.' This point represents the exact half of our planet."
"We know, Young Chuta."
"What the Explorers found is related to this point," I said, pointing to an incomplete map of the coasts that have been explored.
"South of this point, there is an ocean current that comes from the interior, runs along the coasts we haven't yet mapped, and then returns inland. Similarly, north of this point, another current moves from the interior, ascends the northern coasts Sogeking had previously explored, and then returns inland again."
"Ah! Now I understand why I felt the coast constantly moving further away as I sailed north," Sogeking commented.
"With this in mind, I propose to carry out three exploratory expeditions."
"The first, to be led by Captain Sogeking, will sail between these two great currents, in an area the Explorers have discovered, with the goal of advancing directly to the other side of the ocean… if there is an opposite side," I declared firmly, though I mentioned the last part ironically, as I knew what they would find, but they didn't.
"Leave this in my hands, Chu… I mean, Young Chuta," Sogeking replied confidently. "The other two expeditions will dedicate themselves to each of the currents in an attempt to reach Point 5 North on the other side of the ocean. Afterward, depending on the conditions they encounter on each mission, they will attempt to rejoin each other or return using the same routes or currents."
"Who will lead the other two expeditions?" Nygua asked.
"One will be under your command, and the other will be led by someone Umzye will appoint… I'm sorry I can't leave you in charge of the other mission, Umzye, but I need someone I trust to protect our coasts," I replied to Nygua, then looked at Umzye with a guilty tone.
"There's no reason for you to feel guilty, Young Chuta. I can surely be useful in the future," he said seriously.
The three people accompanying me, Sogeking, Umzye, and Nygua, were all keen sailors.
Years ago, when explorers began exploring inland rivers, they were part of that exploration.
When it came time to navigate the coasts, they were the ones who took the lead, sailing between the Taino and Caribes islands, exploring the coasts of what would later be known as Venezuela, and even reaching the Yucatán Peninsula.
All of these voyages were made with the first generation of low-tonnage ships and with few useful navigational tools.
Umzye and Nygua are the most responsible members of this group, so they decided, thanks to a bit of my "influence," to take on the role of fleet generals in each ocean.
However, they chose this role because I promised them that the people they trained could take their positions within a couple of years, allowing them to navigate uncharted seas.
On the other hand, Sogeking shied away from the responsibilities I was giving him and opted to be just a captain.
As a result of not having acceded to my 'influence,' I decided to force Sogeking to sail through the northern waters, with no possibility of returning to the kingdom for several months, claiming he was on a scouting mission.
However, this backfired, as, thanks to his natural talent for navigation, he was able to complete this 'mission' without incident and even reached the shores of what would later be known as Florida.
"We've come a long way," I thought as I looked at the map of the already explored shores. "But it's still not enough."
I turned and looked at the faces of the three men who were looking at me expectantly.
I took a deep breath and declared, "It's time to begin the exploration phase of our kingdom."
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[A/N: CHAPTER COMPLETED
Hello everyone.
First, I want to say that I forgot to clarify in the author's note about the new calendar. It starts from the moment of Chuta's birth.
If you want, I can tell you what year we are in according to the Gregorian calendar.
Chuta plans the voyage across the Eastern Ocean (Atlantic), but he's betting all the cards he has, making not one, but three voyages at the same time. They will use the maritime currents currently known as the North and South Equatorial currents.
Unnecessary fact of the day: The aforementioned currents were used by the Portuguese and Spanish. The currents favor them in exploring the central part of the American continent due to the current directions. However, taking these routes from America ends up in northwestern Europe or southern Africa.
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Read my other novels.
#The Walking Dead: Vision of the Future.
#The Walking Dead: Emily's Metamorphosis from Visions of Future Saga.
You can find them on my profile.]