The so-called "Age of Discovery" was not merely a chapter of maps redrawn and horizons expanded; it was the crucible in which modern global power structures were forged. Behind the heroic narratives of navigators braving uncharted seas lies a far more complex and often painful legacy—one marked by colonialism, exploitation, and relentless extraction. Vast territories were claimed in the name of crown and cross, their resources—gold, silver, spices, timber, and later rubber, oil, and minerals—systematically extracted to fuel the industrial ascent of distant metropoles.