Chapter 30 — The Foundations of the South
The Manila Proclamation
In the Year of Our Lord 1647, four years after the discovery of Santa Australis del Espíritu Santo, the imperial court gathered in the grand cathedral of Manila.
Sunlight streamed through the stained glass, painting the marble floor in red and gold.
Before the altar stood Emperor Leon I, crowned in the Eastern regalia — the golden sun of Aragon upon his chest, and the Cross of Saint James upon his cape.
The assembly of governors, bishops, and officers of the crown bowed deeply as he raised the imperial scepter.
"By divine providence," Leon declared, "the seas have yielded their mysteries, and Aragon's hand has reached the world's farthest shore.
Therefore, by my command and the blessing of the Holy Father, all lands beyond the equator — the isles of the southern winds and the continent of the Holy Spirit — shall be henceforth governed under the Viceroyalty of Las Islas Filipinas, seat of faith and empire in the East."
The cathedral thundered with acclamation:
"Viva León! Viva el Imperio de Aragón!"
The bells of Manila tolled for seven days, their echoes rolling across the bay — announcing to the known world that the Aragonese Empire had risen to span oceans.
The Crown Colonies of the South
By decree, the southern territories were divided into new crown provinces, each given a name sanctified by the Church:
Santa Gloria — the fertile coast of northern Borneo, rich in pearls and spice.
San Raimundo — the emerald highlands of New Guinea's north, famed for gold and rare timber.
Santa Catalina — the coral isles of the Pacific, where the sea burned turquoise under an endless sky.
Nueva Castilla — the islands of North Maluku and Sulawesi, reborn under Aragonese rule.
Santa Australis del Espíritu Santo — the southern continent itself, its shores endless and untamed.
Each was placed under the cross and the banner of Aragon — governed by a Council of the Indies of the East, seated in Intramuros, Manila.
The archbishop blessed the new lands, declaring:
"From this city of God, light shall spread to the ends of the earth.
From the faith of Aragon shall rise a new world, baptized in Christ's name."
The New Manila
The capital transformed almost overnight.
Where once stood a colonial port, now rose a city of marble plazas, academies, armories, and cathedrals crowned with domes of blue and gold.
Merchants from Mexico and Spain mingled with scholars from Catalonia and friars from Seville.
The Royal Arsenal of Manila launched the first steam-assisted galleons — hybrid ships powered by both sail and flame — symbols of the Aragonese Industrial Renaissance.
Within the halls of the Imperial College of San Isidro, Leon's engineers taught the art of metallurgy, navigation, and printing.
The first newspapers of the East began to circulate — La Voz del Imperio — chronicling the rise of a new age.
Leon's dream was no longer just conquest — it was civilization.
An empire baptized not only in blood, but in knowledge.
Voices of the Colonies
In Santa Gloria, settlers built towns along the pearl coast — Puerto de la Reina and San Miguel del Mar — guarded by stone forts and watchtowers.
Missionaries preached among the coastal tribes, teaching both scripture and the wheel, while local chieftains swore allegiance in exchange for peace and prosperity.
In San Raimundo, the jungles echoed with the clang of hammers as miners carved tunnels into gold-rich hills.
A friar wrote in his diary:
"We labor among the giants of the earth. The people here walk tall as trees and live as brothers.
They have no king — but they bow before the Cross."
Nueva Castilla, meanwhile, became the new frontier of spice and trade.
The clove caravans of Sulawesi filled the ports of Manila with scent and gold, while Aragonese shipwrights and local artisans built fleets together — an unbroken chain of labor and faith.
And in Santa Australis, the grandest vision took root.
Settlers from the Philippines and Mexico began founding the first cities — Nueva Zaragoza, Puerto León, and Santa María de la Cruz — each a cross upon the edge of the unknown.
They raised churches from the red earth, and upon the plains planted the imperial banner beside the Cross.
Leon's Dream
Standing upon the ramparts of Intramuros, Emperor Leon gazed southward.
The evening sky burned crimson, and ships from every colony dotted the horizon — sails bright with the golden sun of Aragon.
Queen Isabella approached beside him.
"You have made of faith an empire," she said softly. "But what of peace?"
Leon smiled faintly.
"Peace," he said, "is the fruit of order — and order the fruit of truth.
Let us give the world both — by the grace of God, and the light of Aragon."
And as the church bells rang for vespers, their voices seemed to join the waves themselves — a hymn carried by the wind, bound for every shore under the Cross.