Havana, the Kingdom of Castile's royal colony and the largest island in the eastern Bantaan Archipelago, covered an area of 110,000 square kilometers.
Inside the luxuriously decorated and majestic Governor's Mansion,
Governor Diego Velázquez unfolded the urgent letter in his hands and couldn't help but tremble, shattering the exquisite teacup on the table.
Native Queen? The Skinners' Church? Thousand-faced Snake Hydra? And the Golden Code? Jagger King Vessel? Beak-faced Plague Doctor? Wild Hunt Knight? The utterly vicious curse of the living dead? Resurrection of the Bone Gnawing God... And in the end, Cortes and Beatrice are both dead?
He had been eagerly anticipating good news from the front lines. Yet, the shocking news on this piece of paper exploded in his mind like bombs, leaving him dizzy.
In fact, even though he had a very close personal relationship with him as "fellows in spirit," Velázquez knew little about the plan of his brother-in-law, the Conqueror Cortes. He was only aware that Cortes was risking persecution by the Church, using forbidden knowledge to unleash a plague and massacre the entire Tenor People on Yucatan Island. This was to facilitate his own subsequent mobilization of the Kingdom's power to seize the entire Native Empire. He had absolutely no clue that Cortes and Beatrice had concealed such a monumental affair from him and all the higher-ups in the Kingdom.
Establishing a Golden Law independent of the centuries-old Silver Code, creating a Sacred Golden Empire not restricted by the Church? And crowning yourself with a Kingly Title, making Beatrice the Queen? You two are aiming to soar to the heavens, to sit on equal footing with the creator! Audacious, truly audacious!
The gray-haired Governor stood up and paced the room restlessly. The expressions flickering across his face—anger, pity, regret—were more dramatic than those of any stage actor.
He was frustrated that the Kingdom's path to expansion had struck a formidable obstacle. He also deeply lamented the loss of the stunning beauty, the Versatile Enchantress Beatrice, who had captivated him and with whom he had spent many delightful nights…
But what he found utterly unacceptable was that the bastard Cortes intended to hoard all the benefits, even to the point of casting him aside to establish his own kingship, not even sharing a single drop with him.
Too outrageous! Not even including me! What happened to sharing the good fortune? Where are my benefits? If you become vice-king, what about me? Bastard, truly a black-hearted bastard. Ungrateful wretch!
Governor Velázquez felt a burning anger, but since Cortes, the main culprit, was already dead, he had nowhere to vent his wrath.
As for The Mad Hunt mentioned in the intelligence, his feelings were exceptionally complicated. If acting purely from a sense of public duty, he naturally harbored enmity, even hatred, for this impediment to the Kingdom's colonial ambitions. But if personal considerations were involved, he felt a strange sense of relief.
That conflicted state of mind—both fearing his kinsman's success and fearing his kinsman succeeding alone—perfectly depicted his current feelings. It was better that nobody got their hands on it than one kinsman hogging it all.
However, his private thoughts did not prevent him from exercising his gubernatorial powers. He shook the silver bell on the table.
A young civil officer entered and bowed respectfully. "Your Excellency, the Governor, please give your orders."
Velázquez briskly wrote an order, handed it to him, and instructed gravely, "The dignity of the Kingdom of Castile must not be violated. Issue a warrant across the entire Bantaan Archipelago for The Mad Hunt. Classify him as a Level 1 Wanted Criminal and offer a reward of 48,000 pounds!
"State that he colluded with the wicked Aztec natives to conduct a large-scale blood sacrifice, creating the plague-spreading Beak-faced Plague Doctor. Our Naval Commodore, the Conqueror Cortes, bravely sacrificed himself attempting to stop him. The Kingdom of Castile has always been the upholder of order in the Bantaan Archipelago and will show no mercy to dangerous elements that challenge regional security."
When Harkins People faced a problem, their usual practice was to seek help from the Church, their powerful backer, whereas the affluent People of Castilia preferred to turn to money.
[Low Sequence]: First Order Servant, Third-Rate Wanted Criminals, 0-3,000 pounds; Second Order professionals, Second Grade Wanted Criminals, 3,000-10,000 pounds.
[Middle Sequence]: Third Order elites, Level 1 Wanted Criminals, 10,000 to 50,000 pounds; Tier 4 Hero, special-grade Wanted Criminals, over 50,000 pounds.
The independent bounty issued by Castilia alone met the standard for a Level 1 Wanted Criminal. If the earlier bounty from the Kingdom of Hightens was added, the price on the name 'The Mad Hunt' already rivaled that of a special-grade Wanted Criminal. Landing on the kill lists of two powerful maritime nations almost guaranteed him the title of number one Wanted Criminal.
No doubt, many from the Navy, numerous Bounty Hunters, and Great Pirates would take a keen interest in his head. Of course, before that, the renown of 'The Mad Hunt' would inevitably spread through the grey areas of the Bantaan Archipelago with this warrant, experiencing a surge.
But upon hearing his words, his young subordinate looked troubled. "Your Excellency, the Governor, but... our intelligence reports say many people witnessed what happened. Who knows how many spies from other powers in the Anti-Aztec Alliance were present? Surely it won't be easy to pin the blame on him?"
Diego Velázquez, having regained his composure, poured himself a glass of red wine. Swirling it thoughtfully, he spoke with deep implication, "On these seas, our rules are the law! Send the orders. And by the way, gather all our generals—our time, and the Aztecs', is running short."