Chapter 1 (1/2)

Chapter 001: Maltese Island

The Blue Mediterranean sea is like a supple silk, where countless stars dotted the sparkling water. The story is about to begin in Malta.

Year 1778.

Ninteen year old Napoleon graduated from the Le Royal Bank of Paris (TN: A military academy.) on the left bank of the Seine river. Napoleon entered the Rafael Group 1st Battalion of the 5th Regiment as a second lieutenant of the artillery, but at this moment, he returned to his native land, Corsica, to deal with their own major economic crisis. In the future, unbeknownst to him, he will find himself an emperor among the French peoples.

The same nineteen year old Arthur Wellesley exhausted his finances to buy a lieutenant rank in order to enter the British Army services, Wellesley was not aware that in the future he will become a dignified duke.

The Grand Duke of Austria is also studying in the palace, two years from now he will become a real soldier. Unknown to him, there would be a tough and resilient opponent waiting for him in the near future.

Thirty year old Nelson found himself a bit unlucky,  forced to leave the Navy because of the severe execution of the Maritime Act, which was exacerbated by England. Soon he would become a symbol of the Royal Navy.

And a forty three year old man Kutuzov was commanding troops with the Turks. He will not think of the future, he will be mixed in the future.

These futures leaders have begun or are ready to begin the peak of their life.

Maltese Island.

In the Malta island, an island within the Maltese archipelago, the scorching sun is at its peak, many of the island’s inhabitants opted to stay indoors under the humid and blistering heat while some elected to head to the beach side to cool themselves.

Under the shades of the coconut tree, eight year old Joshua had his eyes shut, his back leaning against the trunk, and face covered with a straw hat. The boy donned a silver-gray colored priest robe, the belt of the hemp rose loosely tied around his waist, and a pair of wooden slippers attached to his feet. The child looked like a dirty little mud monkey. Dirt and grime staining his body, but if looked carefully, the little monkey seemed to be a bit special. His nose not so prominent, the eye socket not so deep, cheekbones a bit higher than average, and the most significant aspect is his eyes, almond shaped with an epicanthic fold on the upper eyelids, an obvious difference with the other residents of the island. His looks seemed more oriental: black hair, dark chocolate eyes, and yellow pigmented skin.

Joshua’s appearance could be said to be unique on the island, he is neither the prominent knights, priests, mercenaries and inhabitants of the island, nor is he a Muslim with Turkic or Arab features. In his own way, Joshua is special.

Perhaps a hundred years from now, after the yellow race became a common occurrence on the island, inhabitants would not make too much of a fuss, but in the late 18th century, the yellow race are rarely found in the Maltese Islands and are even more scarce in London, Paris, Istanbul, and other well known cities at this time period .

So why is the little monkey residing in the Maltese Islands?

The reason is quite simple, he is an orphan. Eight years ago, an Armenian aristocrat, Clovis de Lubini, made an annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem, the Holy City, and carried a babe between his arms on the way back to Malta. The chief monks of Holy Sepulchre found the babe almost freezing to death at the front entrance of the building.