"We must embark on a massive westward movent to seize everything!"
At this point, the baseline mission of destroying the Aztec Empire could be considered barely accomplished. While doing their utmost to whitewash the situation and find a fig leaf to cover their sha, they also had to organize personnel to continue their advance toward Yucatan Island, where a smallpox epidemic was imminent. The People of Castilia did not need to fight desperately against those natives. All they had to do was wait for the remaining 10,000,000 Aztecs to slowly succumb to the disease, and then they could take over their lands.
As "Conqueror" Cortes said: the People of Castilia all suffered from a heart condition. Only land, gold mines, silver mines, and endless forests of spices could cure their ailnt. If one were to ask the required dosage of this "dicine," the answer could only be... infinite! Every mariti overlord in this world was the sa, almost without exception.
Of course, it would also be best to deal with that elusive Bone Gnawing God. As for whether the subsequent phases of their plan would unfold as expected, especially after the hitches in the initial part, probably only the gods knew.
Just as his confidant was about to turn and leave, the Governor suddenly called him back. He added with utmost seriousness, "Right, don't forget to inform Madam Cortes at Cortes's estate. Tonight, I will... personally go and console her."
"Yes, Your Excellency, as you wish."
「...」
Moving through the rainforest was much slower than the flight speed of a seagull ssenger. It was not until three days later, at the edge of Yucatan Island, that a cluster of mangroves rustled, startling a few red crabs the size of millstones. A thousand pirates and natives, with greasy hair and ragged clothes, burst out from a path nearly reclaid by the jungle. Their faces were streaked with sweat and gri, exuding an exhaustion that ca from deep within.
Upon seeing the vast sea before them again, and the pirate ships flying their own flags on its surface, they finally mustered their last reserves of strength to erupt into fervent cheers:
"Hoorah, we survived!"
"Thank God! The Bone Gnawing God didn't pursue our contingent. It's a miracle! Praise the Lord for His protection!"
"We should be thanking the Captain! It must have been his courage, when he stepped forward to confront that Curse Spirit, that awed the monster."
Byron, impeccably clean with not a single hair out of place, lightly tapped the treetops with his toes and floated down gently to the front of the group like a falling leaf. He, too, let out a sigh of relief.
I used the Golden Code and my identity as the heir to the Empire to drive it away twice. If I hadn't had this on , it would have been dangerous this ti.
Due to the sudden interference of the Curse Spirit, Hightins' expeditionary force had no choice but to take the spoils of Traskopan City and scatter from the shores of Lake Texcoco. With a behemoth like the Bone Gnawing God hunting them, none of the major powers that had ventured into the heart of the Aztec Empire dared to move in large, assembled forces anymore. Byron's contingent was already one of the most substantial among them.
The Pioneer Navigation Colonization Company initially had only 6 ships and a detachnt of 180 elite Marines. After absorbing the 400 n under Hook's command and the natives from Chichen Itza City in the Taya Empire, their numbers surged to 1,000. Their military strength also instantly soared to 16 Privateer Ships. Even though the largest ship was just an ordinary three-masted sailing vessel, if put to sea, they could proudly claim to be a Privateer Fleet.
However, one final step remained incomplete. Byron turned to several of his trusted subordinates and ordered, "'Blood Red Whiskey' Alfred, you take charge of Hook's original flagship, the Iron Hook. Bruh, you go to the second ship; Gus, you to the third. We'll reorganize as we go. By the ti we reach the Taman Archipelago, I want these ships to be completely free of any discordant voices."
Although most of Hook's n were new recruits who had only joined a month prior, Hook, like them, had left so of his most loyal crew mbers onboard before going ashore to ensure his line of retreat was secure. Now, these n had beco an unstable elent within the Privateer Fleet. If they were willing to submit, all was well. If not, then they'll each receive a one-way ticket to the seabed.
"No problem."
"Rest assured, Captain."
Several of the most combat-capable and loyal Transcendents patted their chests and led their n onto their respective Privateer Ships. Byron, anwhile, returned to the long-missed The Golden Deer. He turned his head for a final glance at the dense jungles of Yucatan Island.
It's all up to you now, "Conqueror" Cortes, the nominal new emperor of the Aztecs...
The plague had not killed everyone in the Imperial City. However, with a death rate as high as 70%, it had shattered the entire political system and order of production there. At this critical juncture, Montezuma II's nephew, Quetzalcoatl, who had narrowly escaped the disaster, was hastily enthroned and crowned. He was the closest royal blood relation, as the previous Emperor and Empress Beatrice had not produced any offspring. Moreover, the most important reason for his ascension was his immunity, having survived smallpox.
Barring any accidents, the remaining tens of thousands of able-bodied Aztecs might have followed him to stage a truly epic and tragic story, one that would have put a definitive end to their war against the foreign invaders.
However, an accident quietly befell him on the very night he beca emperor. Number Two, "Bizarre·Wild Hunt Servant," who was the forr Conqueror Cortes, possessed his body and replaced the new emperor. Cortes had finally achieved his desire and ascended to the position of "Viceroy." With Byron's inheritance rights from the Golden Code in mysticism, and Quetzalcoatl's physical form in reality, the two combined made him the true Emperor Aztec!
Aside from the three core city-states that had suffered imnse losses, it was hard to say how many of the remaining 368 city-states would be willing to support him. But the tragic fate of the Anti-Aztec Alliance had thoroughly exposed the vile nature of the People of Castilia to the indigenous people. Relying on "Conqueror" Cortes's own outstanding abilities, raising an ard force to oppose his old masters was definitely not an issue. A future confrontation between these "brothers-in-law" was bound to be spectacular.
In short, the fall of the Aztec Empire had acted like a lit fuse. A series of chain reactions had thrown the entire Bantaan Archipelago into turmoil.
Byron, however, was pleased by this developnt.
Chaos is good. The more chaotic the situation, the murkier the waters, the better my chances to fish in troubled waters and develop discreetly.
With a grand wave of his hand, he commanded, "Weigh anchor, set sail!"
The wind stirred by his hand did not dissipate. Instead, it acted as an extrely faint variable, coincidentally altering the surrounding atmospheric system. In a chain reaction, it seed as if a powerful storm, heralding the new year, began to brew over the entire Bantaan Archipelago.
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