Chapter 45
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Translator: volt
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Conqueror King? (Revised)
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-‘All free and equal individuals of the Virginia Community have gathered here to establish a government in accordance with the Lord's will, to uphold justice, to guarantee everyone's rightful liberties, and to provide protection to those in need.
We shall offer goodwill and gifts to all who wish to join our community, and all who wish to join shall return the appropriate goodwill and gifts to the community.
Furthermore...’
This was the ‘Preamble to the Fundamental Orders of Virginia’.
To be precise, it was a copy that Nemo had made and handed to Bacon separately. Francis Bacon slowly read through each line, puffing on the tobacco he had learned to smoke from Manteo.
After the meeting concluded, Hewitt, Harriot, Raleigh, and the others had spent several days and nights drafting the Fundamental Orders, which contained all sorts of bizarre provisions.
There was a clause stating that the state would not impose taxes on individuals first, but would only give gifts and receive payment in return.
Such gifts included land to cultivate, food to eat, and homes to live in, so the government was obligated to provide these.
Since all individuals were equal before the Lord, a council where everyone could vote regardless of status or gender would be established to enact laws and resolve various issues.
‘...’
Much of it was still puzzling and hard to accept. The customs of the Algonquin people and European common sense had blended together, producing quite a few odd and unique provisions beyond the ‘gift system’.
For example, if someone died without a will, their property would be divided among all close kin regardless of gender.
This arose because, unlike Europe where patrilineal inheritance was the norm, many Algonquin followed matrilineal inheritance and even had women as chiefs. That was why women had voting rights too.
Religious freedom was also guaranteed. It was inevitable for Catholics, spirit worshippers, and Church of England followers to coexist.
There were various other contents, but since they had all been decided by council vote, they didn't seem alien in Bacon's eyes.
‘...’
Bacon set down the document for a moment and watched the people chattering in the distance.
Algonquins, Englishmen, and Spaniards were playing joke-for-joke games, mixing English and Algonquin in strange ways.
As they weeded, they chatted among themselves... then suddenly looked off into the distance and made the sign of the cross.
In the direction they gazed was the backhoe. It was digging up tree roots and smashing rocks again. Probably preparing fields to distribute to new settlers.
Bacon unconsciously made the sign of the cross along with them.
All were equal, all were free, and all had what they should possess.
Europe's philosophers and renowned scholars would surely declare that such a community couldn't last. Soon disorder, chaos, indulgence, and immorality would reign, turning people into beasts.
But... in Bacon's view,
this place was remarkably peaceful.
And prosperous.
That ‘Fundamental Orders of Virginia’ didn't operate on its own. Behind its articles stood another authority to oversee and support it.
Thus, this ‘utopia’-like community could continue. This prosperity could endure.
And... it could even grow.
When the angel occasionally explained His tools, if you listened carefully, they were undoubtedly designed based on great scientific knowledge unknown to mankind. Clearly crafted using technologies far superior to what humans could possess.
But would that last forever?
Could humans never create such things?
-“Someday, humans will be able to explain everything in the language of mathematics! Surely, it will happen!”
‘...’
Bacon recalled Harriot's words.
-“Ask questions, and you shall receive answers. Seek and seek again. Strive to know and enlighten. Ask questions. That is my second commandment to you.”
Bacon also recalled the angel's words to the apostles.
...Perhaps.
This small community might one day serve as a model for all humanity.
Someday, it might surpass any earthly kingdom, and the seeds of knowledge sown by Nemo could bear unbelievably precious fruit.
With such thoughts... Bacon absentmindedly jotted a note in his notebook.
‘New Atlantis.’
One of the pioneering utopian novels, to be published in 1628, was being written here and now.
On the eastern coast of America in February 1594, atop a certain hill.
“Waaaaah!”
Cheers erupted. As Bacon turned around, he saw in the distance a sail emblazoned with an angel holding a saw and lantern, fully unfurled.
A newly built ship was being launched.
“Behold!”
Raleigh grinned broadly and pointed at the freshly launched ship before me.
...A clipper.
A completed clipper. A swift transport vessel of enormous scale for this era, capable of carrying up to eight cannons.
The pinnacle of sailing ships, with its frame built from engineering plastics and 21st-century steel inside.
Now... for at least the next 200 years, no greater ship would appear.
With that, we could circumnavigate the Atlantic in just under a month. If handled well, maybe even reach China or India.
“The clipper is here! That magnificent vessel has finally been launched along Virginia's coast!”
Remembering all the hardships endured to build it, tears welled up in my eyes. Truly, with a few of those, we could transport just about any cargo.
The holds were equipped with urethane foam and various gear, so delivering fresh fruit wouldn't be hard either.
At last... we had achieved the grand feat of fully exporting (American) grapes to Europe.
Fifteen minutes after hugging Raleigh in joy, as the ship docked at the pier, Vicente approached with a bright smile.
“I-I mean, really, a ship like this is unprecedented! This great vessel will go down in history!”
Of course it would.
The first ship ever made with plastic.
“What shall we name the vessel?”
“...Enterprise.”
“A fine name! Enterprise—full of adventure!”
As I sorted through miscellaneous thoughts, a task came to mind.
“Walter.”
“Yes, Nemo.”
“How about testing that ship's performance by cruising around North America's coast?”
“An... expedition?”
“No, nothing that grand. Just follow the nearby coastline for now. And do you still have the map I gave you last time?”
“Of course I do! I still don't understand why it lacks border lines or major cities marked...”
Of course. I gave him a blank one. Imagine handing over a 21st-century world map with ‘Washington D.C.’ boldly printed and causing misunderstandings.
“...In the Lord's eyes, do the borders drawn by men matter?”
“Ah, indeed...!”
Being called an angel sure makes it easy to brush things off. I patted Raleigh's shoulder encouragingly.
“Anyway, it's good you have the map I gave you. Just lightly check how it differs from the current coastline. Don't take too long.”
“Of course! I'll return after a successful voyage!”
Incidentally, we could calibrate the differences between 21st-century and 16th-century coastlines and test the new clipper's performance.
After Raleigh departed north, we gathered for our regular meeting.
Everyone who had received tablets—excluding Raleigh and Vicente who were away on voyage—sat before me. Along with representatives from other settlements.
I laid out before them a terrain map enlarged to focus on North America, similar to the one given to Raleigh, and said,
“This is the map of this land.”
‘...’
‘...’
‘...’
Most of them didn't know the shape of the land they lived on. They stared at the map in wonder, passing it around among themselves.
Only after the brief commotion settled could I speak.
“Among you, who knows the geography of this area best?”
“That would be Manteo. He's moved around the most for exchanges with other tribes. He's also looked at things like this ‘map’ the most.”
“Good. Manteo?”
“Yes?”
As Manteo asked in surprise, I handed him a set of crayons.
“From now on, we're going to draw a power map of this region. We need to see how many powers surround us and how much territory our own power occupies in comparison.”
“...Hmm, I see. Such a map would be convenient.”
I handed the map back to Manteo, who had nodded.
“So, first color in our territory in blue, and draw the others in red, green, yellow, and so on.”
“Hmm... Understood.”
Our community's territory roughly covered Croatoan Island and the Chesapeake Bay area. Over 10,000 people lived there.
Now that we'd begun our gift offensive toward tribes everywhere, it was good to clearly map the surrounding powers' distributions. We'd need to send envoys to each, after all.
More than that, assessing our exact capabilities and surveying neighboring powers wouldn't hurt.
In any case, we needed a map marking each power's territory, whatever the purpose.
Since few Native Americans lived fully sedentary lives, the markings wouldn't be perfectly accurate, but still...
‘...’
‘...’
‘...’
“...Manteo?”
“Ah, yes.”
Why was he just sitting there?
“Are you pondering something? There's another map, so no worries about messing it up—just color away.”
“No... it's...”
Manteo frowned at the map, then turned to me and asked,
“Should I color the rivers and seas too?”
“No.”
“Got it. Then what's the criterion for ‘our territory’? And since each power has smaller tribes within, it's tricky deciding the scale for the power map.”
Ah, right. America had no fixed states or borders.
In other words, like drawing an early Three Kingdoms map—whether to color all of Chungcheong and Jeolla as Baekje territory or mark each vassal state separately.
To do it properly, I needed to set criteria.
I thought for a moment, then said,
“To our west lies the Powhatan Confederacy, right?”
“Yes, correct.”
“Color them as one color, and do ours the same.”
“Ah! Now I get it!”
Good. The map should be ready soon.
First, color Croatoan Island, then Chesapeake Bay. To the west...
Eh?
“Why the red circle there?”
“Ah, that's Powhatan territory.”
“We haven't even colored ours yet?”
“Ah, well...”
Scribble. Swipe.
‘...’
“Roughly speaking, isn't it areas that acknowledge our superiority and leadership?”
“Er... yes. Manteo, but...”
“Then, excluding that red circle, everything up to the great mountains in the west is our territory.”
Scribble-scribble.
Manteo spoke as he painted a vast area overlapping the red circle entirely blue.
“Whew! The map's so big, coloring it all was a bit laborious. How's it look?”
Manteo said proudly, his hands covered in blue crayon dust.
And I... uh...
“Uh... so the blue...”
“Yes. Our territory in blue!”
I looked at today's North Carolina and eastern Virginia entirely blue. Everything east of the Appalachians.
“All tribes in here, except Powhatan, recognize Nemo as Great Chief!”
...That area was larger than South Korea's de facto territory.
No wonder the incoming resources were enormous.