Aurora's Gambit: Defying Destiny

Chapter 18

Dealer

Aurora's POV

The world had yet to see what Rasmon was truly capable of.

Sa loob lang ng ilang linggo, marami na ang nagbago. Hindi lang sa Rasmon, ngunit pati na rin sa sarili ko. I have been rebuilding, restructuring, and erasing the past version of myself. I was no longer Kinara Psamathe de Fidellis, the girl who once had to navigate the twisted politics of Spuador. That name had burned away, the moment I stepped foot on Rasmon's frozen soil. It's not like I am her, anyways, because I am completely a different person.

I am now using the name Rasha Aurora Valentin, my original name before I have transmigrated into this novel.

People of Rasmon call me Supreme Commander Aurora

Now, I am the unseen ruler of a rising empire, a ghost whispered about in the underworld, a shadow that controls power without ever showing its face.

At sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon matapos ang mahabang panahon, nararamdaman kong hawak ko ang aking kapalaran. Kapalaran na hindi dinidiktahan ng kung sino man, kahit pa ng may-akda ng nobelang ito.

Ngunit sa kabila ng ginhawang naramdaman ko dahil sa wakas ay hawak ko na ang sariling kapalaran, sa kailaliman ng aking isipan, may namumuong takot at pangamba. Hanggang kailan ko ito mapapanatili?

I changed the course of the novel so much that it swerved into an unknown series of events. By changing the novel's plot, I wonder what the consequences will be.

I pushed the thought aside.

What matters most is the present day. Saka ko na iisipin ang parusa para sa hindi pagsunod sa daloy ng nobela. Saka na kapag napatunayan kong meron nga itong kaparusahan. Sa ngayon ay itutuon ko na muna ang atensyon sa pagpapalawak ng koneksyon at kapangyarihan ko sa pamamagitan ng pagpapaunlad sa Rasmon.

I will remind the world that Rasmon was no longer the weak and pushover country before. I will show them how powerful Rasmon can be, so that they won't dare mess with it.

Kasalukuyan akong nakatayo sa balcony dito sa tirahan ko sa Rasmon. Hawak hawak ko ang isang tasa ng mainit na tsaa. It's chamomile tea. Gusto ko sanang uminom ng kape kaso walang nagp-produce nun dito sa Rasmon. Coffee beans don't naturally grow in places with harsh winters like Rasmon. Coffee plants thrive in warm, tropical climates. They are sensitive to frost and can die in freezing temperatures kaya imposible ang magtanim ng kape dito.

Kaya din walang matatagpuang coffee seeds dito sa bansa.

But soon, we'll have coffee circulating in this country once we harvest what we have planted weeks ago sa ipinatayo kong heat-generating domes.

My gaze swept over the breathtaking expanse of frozen lakes, snow-draped forests, and jagged mountains piercing the sky.

"What a view," I whispered to myself, as I admired the beauty of nature in front of me.

The wind howled through the cliffs, carrying the whisper of a country that had endured too much for too long.

Rasmon had always been a land of survival.

For generations, the people of this country had endured brutal, unforgiving winters that could last for months. The climate was relentless. Blizzards can bury entire villages. The winds are so cold that they could peel the skin from your face, and the darkness where the sun barely touched the horizon lasts for weeks.

Before my arrival, Rasmon's economy had been crippled by its weather. Halos imposibleng magsaka, kaya napipilitan ang mga mamamayan na mag-ipon at mag-imbak ng supply sa maikling panahong hindi pa malala at nakakamatay ang klima.