In this Great Nautical Age, the nature of the colonizers from any nation was essentially the same.

Although there was only a short window of six days at the end of each month and the beginning of the next, aside from the multinational colonial fleets, countless red-eyed adventurers had already plunged into the New World.

Especially the People of Castilia, who had ongoing disputes with the Barbary Pirates, were wary of being double-crossed by the Pirate King.

Even after arriving at the Fortress Bridgehead ahead of schedule, most did not rendezvous with the Ocean Throne but rather embarked on a mode of free exploration.

The Miracle adventure ship ’Thirteen Braves’ and its captain, ’Plunderer’ Francisco Pizarro, were naturally among them.

He did not go to the whaling grounds to scavenge leftovers. Instead, he bypassed the East Coast, swarming with Barbary Pirates and the colonial Allied Army, and headed straight for the West Coast, controlled by the Sun Empire.

His rationale was simple:

"Puppet King" Prince Louis, who is in charge of the pioneering effort, and the Legendary Adventurers questing from other directions to seize the Celestial Orbital Belt, were mostly tricked and diverted by the Pirate King, causing them to miss the window of opportunity. This also led to the People of Castilia missing out on the largest share of profits from the whaling grounds.

We Adventurers, whose Classes are at best Fourth Order, are merely at the tail end of the first echelon. We simply lack the qualifications to contest territories with the Pirate King. It’s better to temporarily abandon Whale Oil and rush to seize land, which is never a losing venture.

Of course, I suspect those hedonistic nobles back home are probably not very interested in revolutionary Whale Oil technology. Only gold, silver, and Spices—or, to put it another way, Wealth and Power—can drive them to madness.

Currently, the main source of wealth for nobility in the Old Continent is largely land-based—that is, the so-called Land Nobles.

These nobles, who seek positions within the Church, military, and government, consider engaging in Commerce or industrial ventures beneath their status and incompatible with the spirit of nobility.

Hence, as long as conditions allowed and basic dignity could be maintained, they would not stoop to such "lowly" industries.

Especially since the Castilian nobility shared a proud consensus:

"As long as we have money, let the Kingdom of Hightins produce those fibers as they please, let Netherland produce coins and striped cloth, let Peridot produce fabrics and Art, let the natives of the Bantaan Archipelago supply beaver pelts and llama wool, and let The Holy Silver Empire produce linen and brocade. This only means all these nations are training skilled workers to be employed by Castilia. We are the kings of the world; the entire world serves us, yet we serve no one!"

At least for the first seventy years of the Great Nautical Age, their philosophy was successful.

Using vast amounts of gold, silver, and Spices, they forged the world’s most formidable Invincible Fleet and Marines. Their overwhelming military might allowed them to gain even more gold, silver, Spices, and a rapidly soaring international stature.

The People of Castilia feasted lavishly, while other countries could only follow behind and sip the broth.

They also cultivated a massive noble interest group over these seventy years.

Other countries saw this as a once-in-a-millennium opportunity for latecomers, deciding to fully leverage the Whale Oil power revolution and attempt to overtake the frontrunners.

However, the current elite and Transcendent class of Castilia were simply too strong.

Yearly, their Treasure Fleet would transport massive amounts of gold and silver from the Bantaan Archipelago to their homeland. This had little to do with the lower classes, as the vast majority became feasts for the powerful.

Since the upper echelon still had a large portion of this bounty unconsumed, the national strategy of Castilia naturally diverged from that of other powers, and its approach became more conservative. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

They were more inclined to replicate their past successes on the West Coast rather than join the newcomers in pursuing new ventures on a different track.

Byron, observing these minute details and grasping the larger picture, became even more convinced that history is a cycle, and the patterns of rise and fall remain constant across millennia.

Take, for example, Mr. ’Plunderer’ Pizarro, who was preparing to make his mark and seize the position of the first Governor of the Southern Continent.

Although he did not steal the treasures of the Sun Empire, what he did was far more nefarious.

Using his unique transcendent abilities, he discovered that after the death of the Sun Empire’s previous ruler, Emperor Huayna Capac, a group of princes were vying for the throne.

The main contenders were four governors, each ruling one of the Empire’s Four Great Suyu (regions): Chinchasuyu, Antisuyu, Collasuyu, and Contisuyu.

Notably, Prince Atahualpa Capac of northern Chinchasuyu was the wealthiest.

Thus, ’Plunderer’ Pizarro led his crew, traveling day and night, to reach the Hot Spring City of Cahamaca, located in the mountains of northern Chinchasuyu.

Posing as envoys from the Kingdom of Castilia, they presented inexpensive clocks and firearms as gifts, inviting Atahualpa to their encampment with the promise that the Kingdom of Castilia would help him secure the throne.

That Atahualpa was quite hospitable. After accepting the invitation from these fair-skinned outsiders, he soon arrived at their camp with only a few attendants.

Up to this point, the plan was progressing smoothly.

Pizarro had already positioned a large number of his men in ambush, ready to give the signal by dropping a goblet. His intent was to capture the imperial Prince, then crush the central power of Chinchasuyu and, in the name of the ’Plunderer,’ seize everything in the region!