Chapter 23

Chapter 23 < Declaration of Empire. >

 

Thick Chest was a member of the Lakhu tribe, which had joined the Creek tribe relatively recently.

 

The Lakhu tribe was a fairly large tribe with thousands of people, but like other tribes, they were absorbed by the overwhelming power of the Creek without much resistance.

 

After that, Thick Chest was assigned to a new village built along the river with his wife.

 

At first, he strongly resisted the system of the village where many different tribes lived together, but now he was living quite contentedly.

 

‘At least I don’t have to starve.’

 

If he worked hard, he was given enough food. He could also easily get various things he needed for his life with them.

 

And most importantly, he was free from the invasion of other tribes. He didn’t have to fight against scary wild animals either.

 

He had less to worry about losing his life. His quality of life had improved a lot.

 

He didn’t feel so bad about being incorporated into the Creek tribe now.

 

“Ugh! Uwek!”

 

“Ha ha! How many times is that kid throwing up?”

 

“That’s why you shouldn’t ride a boat for the first time, you country bumpkins.”

 

“…”

 

He heard the mocking words in Creek Standard Language. He had learned Creek Standard Language, Hangul, and numbers from the teachers at the elementary school he had recently entered.

 

So he understood their words very well. They must have known that those insults reached their ears, but they didn’t care.

 

‘They act like they’ve ridden this boat so many times.’

 

He wanted to say something back, but he held back. It wasn’t a day or two that they had been acting like that.

 

He just patted the back of the guy who was vomiting on the riverbank.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“Ugh… I’m, I’m okay.”

 

“If you feel sick, you should vomit more.”

 

Thud, thud, thud.

 

“Thanks… Ugh!”

 

Thick Chest patted his fellow villager’s back and looked at the scenery around him.

 

‘Such a big boat.’

 

It was a scale that his tribe, which had survived mainly on hunting and gathering until recently, couldn’t even imagine. There was even an old man who fainted when he saw this huge boat floating on the river.

 

Thick Chest was also amazed when he first saw this boat. He only got used to it after riding it a few times because of his cargo-related work.

 

‘It’s really amazing.’

 

The Creek tribe. No, now it was a country that was becoming an empire. He felt its power clearly.

 

The empire would be founded in two days. He was also going to see the spectacle and go to the great beginning.

 

Even now, there must be many ships sailing on the river toward the capital. In other words, this huge boat was only a small part of the empire’s power.

 

And he wasn’t far from arriving at the city, the capital of the empire, the great start.

 

‘I wonder what it looks like?’

 

He had never been to the great start city before. He had only heard stories about how amazing it was.

 

He often imagined what the great start looked like in his mind based on what he heard from others. He was very curious how different it would be from his expectations.

 

And soon after.

 

The boat finally arrived at the great start.

 

“Oh…”

 

First of all, the river looked different.

 

The huge river was well maintained with stones, and there were many boats moored there.

 

Even at this moment, there were a lot of boats coming and going.

 

And more shock followed after he stepped on land.

 

“Wow!”

 

“Huh…”

 

His companions kept exclaiming. Thick Chest was no exception.

 

He hadn’t even entered the city yet, but he was overwhelmed by the splendor of the city of the great start.

 

They were mesmerized and tried to enter the city.

 

“Hey, you guys over there! You have to line up! Where are you going without lining up?”

 

“A line?”

 

“Don’t you see the line here? Go behind that little one. You can’t just go in like that.”

 

“Oh, is that so?”

 

The group lined up for the first time at the man’s words.

 

‘Is this what they call order?’

 

It was amazing to experience what he had learned from his elementary school teacher firsthand.

 

He looked around at the scenery like an innocent child, and soon it was his turn to be checked.

 

“Where did you come from?”

 

“We came from Blue Field Village.”

 

“Blue Field… Ah! Here it is. Your purpose of visit is to watch the founding ceremony of the empire, right?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Thick Chest spoke nervously without loosening his tension.

 

After that, he could enter the great beginning only after getting a city entrance certificate.

 

“Phew. It’s so complicated. It’s a different dimension from our village.”

 

“Compare what you can compare. This is the capital of the empire.”

 

“That, that’s true.”

 

The guy still sounded nervous. Thick Chest chuckled and crossed the big road.

 

The road was paved with stones, and there were vehicles called carts passing by.

 

All the people walked in one direction in an orderly manner. It matched the brick houses that were evenly built around.

 

‘It’s so different.’

 

He had teased his fellow villager, but Thick Chest also had that thought in his head.

 

Although the paved roads were not very common yet, and there was a lot of construction going on, the sight was impressive enough.

 

The brick houses that were big and tall, unlike the mud huts, the people of the capital who wore strange but cool clothes and shoes.

 

The group unpacked their luggage at the inn and looked around the great beginning until the next day. 

 

They snacked at the big markets, watched the latest devices, and visited many factories where they were made.

 

This place was a truly dynamic city where everyone was busy.

 

‘I want to live in a place like this.’

 

Thick Chest was overwhelmed by the grandeur, splendor, and dynamism of the capital and felt such a desire.

 

It wasn’t just Thick Chest and his companions.

 

Many villagers who had set foot in the capital for the first time, and even the delegations of the great tribes that had not yet submitted to the empire.

 

This dazzling city seemed to never fade.

 

*

 

The new year dawned. 

 

Finally, the historic founding day of the empire came.

 

Kim Ki-woo dressed in the clothes he had worn when he came to this land ten years ago. The clothes and shoes he had brought from modern times.

 

At least for the coronation ceremony, he had to wear the clothes he had brought from the spirit world as a sacred spirit, according to the strong opinion of his staff.

 

‘I never thought modern clothes would be formal wear for the coronation ceremony.’

 

Kim Ki-woo was not only an emperor, but also a pope of a native religion.

 

He had worn them for a long time before he got his clothes ready, so they were quite worn out, but they had a unique charm of modernity.

 

He felt nostalgic when he wore the clothes he had worn when he first came to this place.

 

He had much less than what he had then, but now he had improved a lot in that aspect.

 

He felt rewarded for his hard work over the years.

 

‘From today on, I’m an emperor.’

 

He had really made it. He was an elite class who graduated from a good university in modern times, but it was incomparable to being an emperor.

 

‘But I can’t be complacent.’

 

A country with less than 2 million people is an empire?

 

It still has a small territory and population. It also needs to develop its civilization more.

 

He couldn’t be satisfied with the present.

 

‘But let’s enjoy today.’

 

It was a once-in-a-lifetime coronation ceremony. Kim Ki-woo shook off his pessimistic feelings.

 

“Your Excellency. No, Your Majesty. It’s time for you to go up on stage.”

 

“Ha ha. It feels awkward to be called Your Majesty.”

 

“You have to keep your dignity from now on.”

 

“Ahem. Are you already doing that?”

 

“You have to do that from now on.”

 

Straight Tree was very firm unlike usual. He didn’t seem to take jokes well.

 

Kim Ki-woo lightly patted his shoulder with a serious look on his face.

 

“Thank you for helping me so well. I couldn’t have done it without you. You also contributed to this empire, so enjoy today as much as you can.”

 

“…!”

 

Straight Tree’s eyes widened. Kim Ki-woo didn’t usually say such embarrassing things.

 

His face turned red with emotion. His eyes welled up with tears. Kim Ki-woo pretended not to notice and passed by him.

 

“Let’s go. Empress.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Deep Lake, who became empress today, smiled brightly and followed Kim Ki-woo.

 

Kim Ki-woo climbed up to the stage at the top floor of the administrative building. His smile had disappeared from his face long ago.

 

As soon as he went outside, he was greeted by a wide open view and a huge crowd filling up the square.

 

“Woahhhhh!”

 

“Woo! Woo! Woo!”

 

“Woo! Woo! Woo!”

 

“Woo! Woo! Woo!”

 

Boom! Boom! Boom!

 

A huge cheer, a warrior’s shout, and a footstep that sounded like an earthquake tore through the air as Kim Ki-woo came out.

 

Kim Ki-woo scanned his subjects with a solemn eye without changing his expression.

 

The cheers and shouts continued. Kim Ki-woo waited until they had enough time to cheer, then

 

Clap!

 

“Everyone stop!”

 

“Stop!”

 

He raised his right hand. As soon as he did, the square became quiet as a mouse with the help of the security guards.

 

Kim Ki-woo gathered all his strength from his lower abdomen and started his speech loudly.

 

“From this moment on! The Creek tribe has transcended its tribal status and declared itself as the Wakan Tanka Empire here!”

 

As the founding of the Wakan Tanka Empire was declared, the same scene unfolded as before. Kim Ki-woo silenced their cheers again.

 

“With only 30,000 people under my command, we have grown into an empire with 500,000 people in just ten years! But our real journey begins today! The Wakan Tanka Empire will not stop until it dominates this continent completely, beyond its narrow river region!

 

My people, are you ready to walk with me on that great journey?”

 

“Yes!!!”

 

“Woahhhhh!”

 

“Woo! Woo! Woo!”

 

Boom! Boom! Boom!

 

“Then let’s go for it! Until we reach the promised glorious future!”

 

*

 

Kim Ki-woo didn’t intend to drag out the declaration of the empire itself.

 

Short and thick. Of course, many of his staff opposed it, but Kim Ki-woo pushed it through his way.

 

After that, Kim Ki-woo and Deep Lake’s wedding ceremony was held.

 

After all the ceremonies were completed, a week-long founding festival was held and the history of the empire officially began.

 

The empire was declared and many policies were announced simultaneously.

 

The most important thing was the imperial constitution.

 

There were many clauses, but the most important ones were summarized as follows:

 

-All power comes from the emperor.

 

-All citizens of the empire are equal under the emperor.

 

-If a tribe is on the same continent, it becomes eligible to be an equal citizen of the empire as soon as it submits to the empire.

 

-The empire is a rule of law society.

 

-The territory of the empire is all the land of ‘Wakan Tanka Continent’.

 

-The land belongs to the empire. Individual land ownership is not recognized.

 

-The citizens of the empire have the right to be protected in their property and personal safety.

 

-The citizens of the empire have the duty of national defense, taxation, education, and labor.

 

These were the main constitutions.

 

Kim Ki-woo dreamed of a highly centralized state centered on the emperor. He also stated that they were equal in order not to discriminate against the people he would accept in the future.

 

Wakan Tanka Continent was modern South, Central, and North America. It was a declaration that showed his ambition.

 

‘I have to eat at least one continent if I want to grow like crazy.’

 

Even if he couldn’t do that, he didn’t want to set a limit from now on.

 

The land issue had always been based on communal ownership, so he didn’t bother to recognize individual ownership.

 

He didn’t want to create unnecessary social problems because of things like land price inflation and land monopoly by rich farmers later on.

 

All residential areas and land were obtained by a certain period of use rights.

 

And the rights and duties of imperial citizens.

 

With this, the outline was completed.

 

Now it was time to color it. 

 

Of course, the difficulty of coloring was very high.

 

But when all the coloring was done.

 

The Wakan Tanka Empire would be the greatest country on Earth. 

 

Kim Ki-woo believed this without a doubt.

 

< Declaration of Empire. > The end