In the meeting building.
"Simte, it's good to have you here. I was just going to ask someone to call you", I said in a cheerful tone.
"It's a pleasure to see you too, Son of Heaven", he said in a slow voice. These almost four years hadn't made him look any older, but he did look wiser.
"Are you preparing documents for tomorrow?", I asked, looking at the papers he was holding.
"Yes, they are the applications for membership from some of the neighboring villages", he said calmly, as if the peaceful annexation of people into our town was nothing, or something common.
"I see, are these the current ones? Or do they also include those from before?", I asked curiously.
"That's all of them", he replied, maintaining his calm tone. "After all, you didn't allow anyone to annex any village into our territory", he said, looking at me. "Hahaha… That's true, but we should stop growing because it could be harmful to our people", I said, my tone embarrassed at first, which turned serious due to the seriousness of what I was referring to.
"You are wise, Son of Heaven", he said, not doubting my words.
"Is that all you have on those papers?", I asked, trying to change the subject.
"I also have the figures from the last census", Simte said.
"Really?", I asked, surprised. "Tell me, how many of us are there now?", I continued happily.
"3.2 million people, Son of Heaven", Simte said calmly. "Most of that number are people under 20", he clarified with a smile.
"Our people are growing in number", I said happily, looking at Simte. He also seemed very happy about it; after all, the more people were born, the more believers our gods would have.
The next day, in the meeting room.
"Good morning to all the leaders and priests present. We will begin the annual leaders' meeting", an enthusiastic young priest said loudly. This would be the first time he would be the speaker at such an important meeting. "Now the Son of Heaven will speak", he said, giving me my place at the center of the stage as all the leaders stood with their right hands on their chests.
"Hello everyone, it is a pleasure to have you all here", I said with enthusiasm, although a little more subdued than the priest's. "First, we will begin by thanking the gods through the High Priest", I said, pointing at him.
When he began to pray, only his voice could be heard; no one dared to make a sound. Everyone was hanging on his words, hoping his prayers would bring us even more glory.
"Thank you, gods", I said solemnly as I stood at attention with my right hand on my chest.
"Now before we begin, I'd like to give you some good news that has to do with our guests", I said in a loud voice, hoping to get their attention. "Our people will begin to expand again, to bring greatness to the gods and our people", I announced after a moment of suspense.
"Good", "To the gods", "To our people", "Long live the Suaza", "We've waited a long time", they all said excitedly.
"So, to the envoys who had waited long enough, I apologize for not accepting you earlier", I said apologetically. "However, these were necessary measures to unite our people, so that you can now join a people even more prosperous than we were when you decided to join us", I told them excitedly.
"And speaking of a prosperous and strong people. At the previous meeting of the Chiefs, we made a very important decision that will change our entire future", I said, leading to some new news. "Given the size of our territory and the large number of people in it… We have decided to proclaim ourselves the Suaza Kingdom, all of us one people, who worship the gods, who care for our people, and who seek greatness. A kingdom that lives under the sun, but conquers the night", I announced with exaggeration.
"Wow!", "Are we a kingdom?", "Incredible!", "Long live the Suaza Kingdom!", "Forever!", "By the gods!", everyone celebrated in different ways; some didn't even react to the news and were still processing the information. Their shouts lasted a couple of minutes until the priest in charge of leading the meeting silenced them.
"The last thing I have to say before we continue with the meeting… Welcome to all the towns and villages that are joining the new Suaza Kingdom. Congratulations", I said kindly.
"Thank you, young Chuta", they all said in different languages or dialects.
"Thank you for your trust", I responded to each of them in their respective languages, once again surprising everyone with my wisdom. I gave way to the priest to lead the meeting.
"Now the Chief of the Central Mountain City will introduce himself", he said, almost shouting.
"Hello everyone, I will now present the progress our district and its settlements have made", he said, beginning his report. "However, I would like to clarify that this is written by an advisor, as I do not possess such writing skills", he said, slightly embarrassed, as he looked at me. I responded with a no-problem gesture, so he continued.
"Our community has grown by 30 percent, we have increased our storage capacity by 20 percent, contributed 1,000 gold coins to the kingdom's treasury, improved rural roads, increased our iron production by 30 percent, and have seen a 40 percent increase in the number of young people pursuing advanced studies", he proudly presented.
"Excellent figures. Congratulations!", I said as he concluded his presentation. "As a thank you, I propose you take 300 gold coins for the benefit of your community", I added enthusiastically.
"I sincerely thank you for your generosity, young Chuta", he responded gratefully. "However, we have already decided to allocate a portion of the district's earnings for improvements. Full details of the income are included in the reports sent to the council of priests", he clarified, thus declining the additional gold.
"I think it's wonderful that you are taking the initiative on behalf of your people. Others should follow your example", I commented, impressed by this leader's altruistic actions. "However, the gold I am offering you will be considered a reward. Take half of this sum and distribute it among the leaders as you see fit; use the rest to increase funds to invest in your community", I suggested with a friendly smile.
"Thank you for your generosity, SuaChie Chuta", he replied, visibly grateful for the gesture.
"Now it's your turn to make requests or suggestions", the priest instructed the Chief.
"First, I would like to propose the construction of schools in the villages, as they lack access to education. I would also like to ask young Chuta for knowledge about food preservation. Our people would like to obtain produce from other districts or send ours to them, but this becomes impossible in times of scarcity", he first outlined his requests, while some leaders present nodded in support.
"We can always improve in the area of education. We can build those schools, although only for the basic level, as we do not have enough trained personnel for advanced teaching. However, we can establish supportive housing for those who wish to study in nearby towns or cities. This will benefit all the districts", I responded affirmatively, thus offering a comprehensive solution to his request.
"Thank you very much, young Chuta", everyone expressed gratitude.
"Regarding the food issue, the research and development office, under my responsibility, has developed a solution that can address that problem, although only for certain types of food", I reported.
"Thank you very much for your wisdom, young Chuta", everyone said in a tone of gratitude.
"Do you have any suggestions?", the priest asked the Chieftain.
"Yes, using the new members of our kingdom as an example, we have been fortunate enough to discover a safe passage through the mountains that connects us to some of their villages. Our proposal as a district is to create new settlements near these villages, using the new route as a guide. This could be a point of expansion to the east", he explained, suggesting his idea.
"It is an excellent proposal", I responded upon hearing his suggestion. "Now that we are beginning to expand, these ideas are welcome, though always with a focus on diplomacy. Although we have the best warriors, we must not waste them on trivial matters", I clarified before his desire for expansion clouded his judgment.
"Lesser priests, uncover the map", I ordered those at the back of the stage.
"Oh!", some exclaimed as they beheld the beauty of the map.
"This is the map of our territory and the sectors that have been explored by our Army Scout Division", I presented the map. "On it, I have marked the major cities and some of the most populated ones in our domain, as well as the divisions of the respective districts associated with each of those major cities", I clarified, referring to what was visible on the map.
"Now, I would like you to mark the exact location of the pass on the map", I asked the Chief.
"Where is the original eastern city?", he asked, trying to orient himself. "Here is the pass through the mountain range", he indicated after I showed him the location he needed as a reference.
"I understand… As you've seen, this map makes it very easy to navigate our territory, and it will also serve as a key element in advancing toward our next goals", I told everyone, emphasizing the importance of maps.
"We must advance with confidence. We must grow… For our Kingdom of Suaza… For the gods", I concluded solemnly.
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[A/N: CHAPTER COMPLETED
Hello everyone.
New chapter, thank you very much for the support.
Chuta (main character), one of the most important meetings begins. I must say that these types of informative chapters won't happen very often, as I don't know if you like them. I'm opting for summaries or just mentions of the progress or improvements in each district.
Unnecessary fact of the day: the language spoken by these people is Chibcha, specifically the Muisca dialect. This language was spoken by various people in the area and also in Central America. Some of the names that have already appeared are in this language; if you find them strange, that's why. I would find it strange for a native of South America to be named Richard, hahaha.
Read my other novel called The Walking Dead: Vision of the Future.
You can find it on my profile.]