Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

"Desiste o forte por saber calar, nem todo grito quer se mostrar."

"The one who knows silence is strong, not every shout needs to be broadcast."

"Se a vida arde, que arda em paz, como um fado que não se desfaz."

"If life burns, may it burn peacefully, like the song of fate that never fades away."

The night sonata floated into the moonlight, the stirred heartstrings could no longer find peace. Nuno Chief stood with his hands behind his back, in the shadow where moonlight could not reach, his face expressionless, only fading tear marks remained. And when the faint sound of horse hooves echoed from the distant street, he lowered his head, silently wiped his face, returned indoors, and sat in the dignified seat of honor.

"Master? Baron Bruno has arrived."

"Let him in!"

"Yes!"

Bruno dismounted, glanced at the horse hooves wrapped in linen, and walked nervously through the back entrance into the residence. Although he was not unfamiliar with Nuno Chief’s residence, tonight’s Nuno Chief gave him a very different feeling. Like a bowstring suddenly tightened, the always composed elder was now filled with a solemn murderous intent, like an arrow ready to be shot!

"..."

Bruno cautiously glanced at Nuno Chief, opened his mouth in a low voice. After several voyages, their interests intertwined deeply. Bruno’s address for the other changed to a more intimate, more Middle Ages-style...

"Mercê? Benefactor? Godfather?"

"Bruno, you’re here! Sit!... Yes! Sit next to me... closer!"

Nuno Chief smiled, his face rare with kindness. But this kindness, in Bruno’s eyes, was more unsettling than when the elder held a stern face. Bruno pursed his lips and sat closer. He waited a moment before glancing up, meeting the elder’s scrutinizing gaze, and respectfully asked.

"Godfather, you summoned me so late... is there something you need me to do?"

"Hmm. Originally, there was... now... there still is."

Nuno Chief nodded slightly, pondered for a moment, then smiled and asked.

"Are the five ships allocated by His Majesty ready to set sail?"

"Yes! Praise Your Majesty! All preparations for the five ships to sail are almost done and ready to depart at any moment! Five large Caravels, two 20-pound cannons to be transported to the port for installation, five 8-pound dual-use cannons, ten 4-pound onboard defense cannons, a hundred matchlock guns for armed immigrants... a hundred and fifty armed sailors, eighty elite soldiers, and over a hundred immigrants... when we reach the Sierra Leone Colony, with the decree given by His Majesty, we can recruit over a hundred strong slaves from there to transport to Natal Port for cultivation!"

Speaking of everything being prepared for the voyage, Bruno smiled, his expression becoming more respectful. As a nobility’s illegitimate child without background, had he not leaned on Nuno Chief’s sturdy thigh... he would never have been able to be promoted to Baron, nor could he lead a fleet of five large ships loaded with military supplies from the Kingdom to develop a colony in the New Continent! He knows very well, in the power center of this Kingdom of Portugal, in the court of Lisbon, only this Chief, a trusted confidant of the King, is his sole power base!

"Praise the Holy Mother! I owe this all to you! Honored Godfather, if not for your advocacy in front of His Majesty for these supports... truly, thank you!"

"Mm."

Seeing Bruno’s heartfelt gratitude, Nuno Chief smiled and nodded. He wanted to say something but hesitated after opening his mouth. Instead, he just looked at Bruno’s mature face and his firm, strong muscles; at his age of thirty-four, wasn’t he about the same age as Lord Joao. After a while, he sighed lowly and said.

"Young child! You are full of life and energy... good, very good!... Perhaps, just like Bishop Diogo said, only young vitality is the true blessing of the Almighty!..."

"Young?? Bishop?!..."

Hearing this, Bruno froze for a moment, then was startled, thinking of something. He sweated on his forehead and moved his seat uneasily, and his look at the Godfather became oddly tense.

"God... Godfather?... You called me, it’s about the Bishop?..."

"?..."

This reaction could not escape Nuno Chief’s eyes. He frowned a bit suspiciously, but only for a few seconds, he chuckled aloud. He didn’t reveal anything but squinted his eyes, watching Bruno’s reaction and asked.

"Bruno, how have I treated you?"

"Ah! This... Godfather, I genuinely consider you my birth father!"

"Mm. Very good, I also consider you my child! My child, now, is the time I need you to help me. And this will be very beneficial for your future!..."

"This... Me?... Godfather, whatever it is, just command me, and I will do it for you! As long as it’s not... the Bishop..."

Bruno sat uneasily, sweat trickling down from his back, his face striving to maintain respect and obedience. Nuno Chief watched him for a while before nodding his head. Then, his expression turned solemn, and he said deeply.

"Bruno! Out of the eighty soldiers you have, how many are reliable?"

"Ah? Reliable soldiers?"

"Almighty witnesses! Those who can act with you, regardless of who the opponent is! Don’t ask too much, I just ask how many!"

"!! Godfather, among those soldiers, only about thirty have been with me for a while and can act together to kill, no matter the target... but among the fleet sailors, I can pull out fifty good men! Yes, all are good hands who have killed natives on the Southern Coast and the New Continent coast!"

"Thirty soldiers, fifty sailors?... Mm, add the twenty armor-clad retainers in my residence, we can muster a Hundred-man Team, barely enough! You should go back and call them over, let them all wear armor, and take up crossbows, and matchlock guns ready for sea!..."

"?! This... Godfather, you mean to... kill whom?"

"I told you, don’t ask too many questions!"

Nuno Chief’s gaze turned fierce, he glanced at the fearfully anxious Bruno. But after a moment, he became silent for a brief time, yet he still explained.

"Bruno, when I asked you to bring your men, it’s not to kill someone, but to avoid being killed by others!..."

"Oh Almighty! Godfather, you are the Court Chief, one of the most trusted by His Majesty... who would dare touch you?"

"In ordinary times they indeed wouldn’t dare... but now... His Majesty he... sigh!..."

"Lord Joao?! His Majesty he?..."

"Holy Mother protect! His Majesty doesn’t have much time left. The Almighty is already calling his name."

Nuno Chief sighed, reached out his hand, patted Bruno’s shoulder, and said solemnly.

"Almighty witnesses! I haven’t decided which side to stand on yet. But regardless of choosing, I at least need some people around me... to be able to protect myself, so I won’t be eaten alive by others, to strive for even greater rewards!..."

"Rest assured! Bruno, I won’t treat you poorly. After I pass through this barrier, maybe, I’ll have a longer future, longer than I thought before! And you will also follow me, take one more step up... one more step, surpassing an entire generation’s efforts!..."

"Ah! Godfather?!..."

"Go! Under the cover of night, gather those men you trust and hide them well in my residence!..."("

"... Yes! Godfather!..."("

Bruno gritted his teeth, bowed his head, saluted, then hurriedly left. Nuno Chief stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the deep night, feeling the silent whirlpool rising in peaceful Lisbon City, the whirlpool at the very center of power.

Soon, the light sound of horse hooves resounded again, just like when he came. And this time, they walked away under the song of grievance playing again, stepping to the rhythm of fate, away under the moonlight, accompanied by twinkling stars.