South Central Region, Central City, Chuta's House.
The next day, a ray of sun streamed through the window, infusing me with palpable energy.
I woke up much more energetic than the day before. The meetings had concluded successfully, and the rest of the paperwork and minor decisions would fall to the Minister of Commerce and his assistants, which allowed me to rest fully all afternoon.
I walked out of the room, went down to the kitchen looking for something to eat and found them there: my mother and Fiba cooking together. Both were animatedly discussing the creation of new dishes, while Nyia, Umza, and Turey listened attentively to one side, absorbed in curiosity.
The situation seemed unreal to me. Generally, there were a few occasions when we were all gathered in one place.
My mother dedicated a large part of her time to her inn and restaurant business; 'Za's Home', distributed throughout the Kingdom. With the recent trip to the Islands, she had even expanded some branches there. In addition, she spent a lot of time creating new dishes with my suggestions and taking care of my younger siblings.
Nyia usually spent her days in the painting rooms of the Simte Academy, teaching or simply creating in her studio at home.
Umza, true to her restless spirit, was always looking for something to do.
She would go to the Academy to joke with the Language teachers, wander through the shops of Central City looking for new things, or cling to me, asking me to play with her; all this was part of her daily routine. She also used to visit the Basilica to see Simte or talk with the Cardinal of the capital of the South-Central Region, who had been her teacher when she was little.
Fiba, generally, was in my office organizing paperwork or visiting the Government House for official matters. Seeing her in the kitchen, dedicating herself with such care to cooking, made me reflect: "It seems I don't really know the people around me."
Turey, in the few days she had been with us, had explored the surroundings in search of animals or discovered the city. The only problem was that, not being used to this type of settlement, she often got lost in the streets. In addition, her presence had attracted many birds around my house.
"Chuta, you're finally awake!", exclaimed Umza, throwing herself into my arms with joy.
"Good morning, Chuta," Nyia said, approaching, her cheeks tinged with a soft blush.
"Good morning, Young Chuta," Fiba said in her formal tone. "I did not wake him as you instructed yesterday."
"Good morning, Chuta, did you sleep well?", my mother greeted me with affection, hugging me. "You should just call him Chuta, Fiba. He's just a small child… Hahaha!", she corrected Fiba with a teasing tone, to which Fiba only nodded respectfully.
"Good morning, everyone," I greeted back, moved by the affection.
I was about to ask why they were all cooking together, but Turey caught my attention.
Turey had noticed our interaction, including the hugs, and didn't know how to react.
She looked at herself, then observed her arms. After a moment of hesitation, she raised her arms in my direction, expecting a hug. The situation would have been very tender if it weren't for her face looking distant and dreamy.
"Good morning, Turey," I said to her in Taino with a warm tone as I hugged her.
"Good morning, Chuta," she replied, hugging me awkwardly.
"What are you cooking? And why are you all gathered?", I asked after finishing the greetings.
"We are cooking a Curí with a tomato sauce brought from the islands, and also boiled potatoes," Fiba replied casually.
I glanced at Turey, worried about her reaction to mentioning the use of the animal in this dish, but she seemed unfazed, just observing the process with curious eyes.
"You must be careful, some tomatoes are too sweet," I warned them.
"We already checked, Young Chuta, the sauce is delicious. Now we are preparing the meat with honey, just like the Lady does in the Za's Home," Fiba commented with a touch of pride in her voice.
"Meat? … Honey?", Turey asked, confused, tilting her head sweetly.
"They are talking about meat cooked with honey," Umza explained to her in Taino.
"Sweet meat?", Turey asked, her eyes shining so brightly they seemed to illuminate the kitchen.
"Yes, sweet meat… It's the most delicious thing I've ever tasted, although I also really like tortillas," Umza replied, looking at the pot eagerly, a little saliva escaping from the corner of her mouth.
A month later, in the Government House meeting room.
"Young Chuta, we have the final data from the first commercial exchange with the Aztecs," the Minister of Commerce informed me.
"What was the result of this exchange?", I asked with curiosity.
"Our ceremonial liquors are of great value to the Aztecs, Young Chuta," the Minister explained to me. "They consider them sacred, and that helped us acquire many slaves, and a wide variety of native plants and animals that you requested."
"That's good news," I told him.
"Also, their nobles really like our unique foods, and our fabrics and wools are also highly sought after, especially for their ceremonial clothing," he added.
"And our bronze weapons?", I asked him.
"They have accepted them, Young Chuta, but their obsidian is what they use most," the Minister replied. "Although I must emphasize that General Moctezuma asked for the weapons for himself… I believe he saw a different strategic value than the rest of the nobles."
"I see. He must have learned some things from his visit to our city," I commented. "Were there any problems I should know about?", I asked him.
"Very small ones, Young Chuta," the Minister explained to me. "The gold they gave us was in small quantities as you requested. And once, we found a bit of bronze that wasn't as good mixed with the gold, or they didn't send the exact quantities of plants and animals. But we fixed it quickly."
"By the way, did any commercial request arrive from an Aztec noble named Nezahualpilli?", I asked him.
"That's right, Young Chuta. He directly approached the city being built in the north of the territory to request products for himself and his allies," the minister replied, his voice clear. "However, he informed us of Emperor Ahuízotl's desire to unite some free peoples near the territories ceded to our Kingdom," he added, with a tone full of subtle suspicion.
"Do you think he's warning us or threatening us?", I asked the Director of the Department of External Relations, noting the connotation in the minister's tone.
"Young Chuta, according to reports from the Explorer Division and the department's envoys, this noble is quite a benevolent leader, unlike the rest. His father was the leader of Texcoco and his mother a noble from Tenochtitlan. Although his loyalty lies with the alliance of the great cities, he has long sought independence from Tenochtitlan," the director replied in a measured voice.
"Understood… I want you to send a group of priests knowledgeable in their religion along with a group of guards. Their mission will be to teach them basic knowledge of our language and culture. Promote this as a commercial approach and offer them large quantities of food to foster friendship between our cultures," I ordered after a brief moment of reflection.
"It will be done as you order, Young Chuta," the director said, nodding.
"Furthermore, I want you to empty our warehouses of stone weapons and tools and sell them to these peoples the emperor wants to conquer, but do it discreetly and progressively," I continued with another directive.
"Understood," the Minister of Commerce replied.
"Finally, transit stations are already being established on the trade route with the Aztecs. I need you to coordinate with the other ministries and nearby governors the allocation of resources and personnel to maintain these stations. My goal is for them to become highly developed ports soon. You can use locals or even the new citizens bought from the Aztecs."
"Young Chuta, by 'new citizens,' do you mean the slaves?", the minister asked, seeking clarification.
"That's right. As I said at the beginning, they would be free. Only those convicted of proven serious crimes will remain slaves and be assigned to heavy labor. The rest will be able to live freely within our territory."
"Understood. I will communicate with the ministers and governors, but…"
"What's wrong?", I asked the minister, noticing his hesitation.
"Young Chuta, we have received important information from people belonging to the Mayans, located south of the Aztecs."
"What is it about?", I inquired, my interest piqued.
"They have requested commercial dealings from the department's envoys, they have even approached to get weapons," the minister explained.
"Are they asking for these weapons because of their internal conflicts?", I asked, sensing the reason.
"That's right, Young Chuta. They have been at war for many years. Their divine leader has tried to unite his people, but the ambitions of other leaders have perpetuated the conflict," the minister confirmed.
"We will approach them in the same way as with the Aztecs and Tarascans. We will form two trade routes: the first will cover the Eastern Mayans and Aztecs, and the second the Western Mayans and Tarascans. Coordinate with the General of the Southwest Zone Army to start commercial talks immediately," I ordered as I rose from my seat and looked at the meeting room map, visualizing the new connections.
The news of the Mayans approaching the kingdom surprised me.
When I discovered that I had been reborn on this earth, but in a different era, I tried to recall as many threats as possible that could affect my life.
The moment I discovered I was somewhere in the Andes, I tried to remember the peoples who ruled the nearby territories. However, the Mayans were not of great importance in my memories, or rather, in the era in which I studied history, they were not given a leading role.
They were, in my mind, just a lost civilization.
But as we interacted with them, I noticed that, although they did not have a centralized organization, their culture was still valid and quite powerful. To the point that the Aztecs never decided to invade their territories.
"This is an opportunity for the Kingdom," I commented, taking the minister by surprise.
"Do you want to conquer them, Young Chuta?", he asked me, surprised.
"No!", I vehemently denied. "Why do they always think I want to conquer everything?", I asked myself, with a hint of exasperation.
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[A/N: Hello everyone.
Chuta shows us how he acts on a normal day (something that is quite rare). In addition, we also get a breakdown of the local economy he will try to develop. Will there be similar economic treaties with European kingdoms?
Unnecessary Fact of the Day: The Mayans and Aztecs practiced human sacrifice. However, the Aztecs used war captives as sacrifices, usually a large number of them. On the other hand, the Mayans sacrificed captured high-ranking officers.
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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.]