Aztec Eternals

"Ah! Boatswain Haroldo... I... He... Deus abenoe! It's like this..."

Faced with the sudden appearance of Boatswain Haroldo, Shushu was immediately startled. He nervously held the wooden cross he was wearing, and first prayed to God in Portuguese. In these few breaths of delay, he immediately thought of a speech.

"Respected boatswain, just now Silveira Capitan used the magic weapon of thunder! This is so scary and powerful! Not only the chief of the tribe is afraid and in awe, but even the tribal militia is in awe! So he asked me, what kind of god is this, who gave such powerful magic power that can control thunder?..."

"I told him that this is the magical power given by the kind and powerful Cross God! And this wooden cross is the amulet of the Cross God... Then, he was particularly eager and kept pulling me to ask me for this amulet!... But this was given to me by the Cross Shaman in the city, and I couldn't bear to give it to him..."

"Huh?... Afraid of our artillery, want the cross of the Lord? Did the priest give you this cross? Let me see... Haha! This is the most common wooden cross in the city, the kind that costs one copper coin!..."

Hearing Shushu's answer, Boatswain Haroldo looked at the cross and laughed out loud. He looked at Shushu's timid expression, and then at the native militia's bewilderment. He even nervously grasped the stone spear in his hand, looking completely stupid!

These natives are really stupid. They actually worship artillery as gods. And a broken wooden cross can be regarded as a rare treasure!

"Haha! Shushu, give him this wooden cross! When I return to Lisbon, I will buy you another one, even ten! ... By the way! Please ask for me, how much gold is left in this native tribe? The damn Silveira took the 200 gold ducats alone, and was unwilling to share a single gold dust with us! ..."

At this moment, the prejudice and superiority from the "civilized" world made Haroldo quite proud. He seemed to let go of the slight vigilance he had just developed, and his hand moved away from the scimitar.

Come to think of it, what can a meek and timid native believer say to another ordinary native militia? With the ignorance of these natives, apart from the bravery of some barbarians, they are not worth mentioning in terms of civilization! ...

However, along with Harold's actions, two warriors in leather armor behind him, who could not see them, also lowered their half-raised bows and just watched silently.

"But, bless you! Shushu, I just thought of a treasure from the ballast!... It's also worth 20 gold ducats, and I have to sell it for at least 200 gold, the same price as the 2-pound cannon, and all the proceeds belong to our flagship! That thing, there is only one, given by King Joao... But I must first make sure that the natives can take out gold, then I can talk to the captain about it!... You should ask the native militia if they have any gold?!"

"Ah? Treasure from the ballast?... Deus abenoe! God bless! This... this cross amulet, I'll give it to you!..."

Under Haroldo's gaze, the clever Shushu was reluctant to part with it, took off the cross amulet from his neck, and then put it on the neck of an ordinary militiaman.

The moment the devil's cross was hung on his neck, the ordinary militiaman's mouth twitched obviously, but then his face turned into a face full of surprise and awe. He held the wooden cross in his hand, imitated Shushu's pronunciation, and repeated it.

"Desa... Bisuen?..."

"Deus abenoe!... May God bless you!..."

Shushu blinked and prayed again skillfully. If it weren't for this life-saving prayer, he would have been eaten by the white-skinned tribes. Then, he looked at the expectant Haroldo and switched to Taino again.

"This... is the head of the sailors on the ship. He is very cunning and meticulous! He just said that there is a ballast treasure on the ship, which seems to be given by some great leader... The same price as the two-pound cannon... He wants to find out if there is any gold in the tribe?..."

"Hmm? Ballast treasure worth one and a half gold amulets? What is it?..."

"I don't know. But I heard there is only one... It is probably not a weapon or armor..."

"Well... There is indeed gold in the tribe... But you shouldn't get the answer from me. I am just an 'ordinary militia'. It is impossible for me to know how much gold the tribe has in reserve... This is probably a test! Even if it is not a test, when he goes back and remembers it, he will definitely be suspicious and torture you! And you may not be able to endure the torture... So, you should answer that I don't know, and then go to the headman wearing the feather crown and ask again!..."

"Ah!..."

The clever Shushu was startled, but his face was already showing loss and confusion. He sighed and reluctantly stretched out his hand to the militia's cross. Then, he turned to look at Haroldo who was waiting, and shook his head.

"Boatswain, this militiaman knows nothing, let's go ask the chief! The chief must know!..."

"Hmm? Indeed! How could an ordinary militiaman know how much of the most precious gold in the tribe there is?... Oh! I'm so anxious... Let's go! Let's go! Shushu, come with me to find the chief!..."

The sun gradually set, and the transaction between the two sides today also came to an end again. Silvera carried a bag of gold sand, swayed proudly on the flagship, and returned to the vice-ship again. It was not until the other party left that the boatswain Haroldo quietly pulled Bruno and whispered a few words.

"What?! Haroldo, you want me to sell the expensive full set of plate armor that His Majesty Joao gave to the 'Turk Kingdom' as a gift to the big chief of the natives here?!..."

"Boss! Keep your voice down! ... I have already asked the leader of the natives! He said that if the armor is really extremely hard, then the chief above them will definitely be willing to take out the last gold in his inventory. Come and trade with us! And it’s the same price as that 2-pound cannon, which is a full 200 gold ducats!…”

Boatswain Haroldo was very excited and held Bruno tight. The wealth of gold is so tempting that it can make people sell their souls. The Portuguese have always held the attitude that anything can be sold. They are far more flexible than the Castilians who are eager to conquer and extremely vicious!

In fact, one of the gifts given by the Portuguese fleet to King Songhai was a complete set of plate armor. In their current trade with Prince Nzinga of the Congo, they also sold a lot of European heavy armor. Even more than 70 years later, the Nanban trousers that Oda Nobunaga loved to wear in Japan were gifts from Portuguese missionaries.

The set of plate armor used as ballast for the fleet was a gift from the king specially approved by the Sintra Palace before going to sea. It was to be given to those "connecting the Eastern Sea Route" together with the letter of credence written by King Joao. "King of the Native Kingdom"!

"Boss! This is at least 200 gold ducats! If the captain takes 30%, he will get 60 gold!... And when we return to the kingdom, even if we don't report the loss to the royal family... we will pay for it ourselves and customize a similar set from the armor workshop. Just plug this hole! It only costs more than 20 gold ducats, and the price difference... This is ten times the profit, ten times!

"O Lord! Ten times the profit! At least 60 gold shares!..."

After a moment of hesitation, the temptation from gold finally overwhelmed Bruno's bottom line, making his eyes red. As Haroldo said, even if you don't report "drifting", you can wait until you return to Lisbon and everyone can pay for it together. And the nine times the net profit in the middle are all real profits on the ship! …

Thinking of this, Bruno finally gritted his teeth and said harshly.

"Sell! As long as the chief of the natives can come up with gold, this set of plate armor will be sold to him!... Even the 8-pounder cannon on the ship... As long as there is enough gold, it is not impossible to negotiate!..."

"Ahem!... Dear Captain Bruno, I didn't mean to eavesdrop on the conversation between you and the boatswain, but your voice is really a little too excited... And a qualified noble captain should always remain calm and not be distracted by personal desires. , affecting your own judgment, especially when you face the temptation of gold..."

When the two heard the news, they saw Martin, the noble scholar, leaning on the side of the nearby ship. He had been standing there for an unknown amount of time. Wearing the only noble attire and a purple feathered slanted hat, he bowed elegantly. Then, he looked into Bruno's eyes and advised sincerely.

"Captain Bruno... There is a lot of armor circulation in Lisbon, and there are many armor workshops. It is really not a big deal to quietly buy a set of plate armor to make up for the losses on the ship... However, the nature of reselling 8-pound guns is completely different. ! This is a large long-barreled artillery that is strictly controlled by the kingdom. It is not circulated in the market at all, and only the artillery workshop in the capital can manufacture it. Therefore, it is difficult to repair this cannon, and it can only be reported as "floating". . If such a new type of artillery is sold to the natives at will, it will be reported as 'floating'..."

"Blessed Mother! Please think carefully about your future in the navy and don't leave such a fatal clue that can be easily manipulated!"

The aristocratic scholar Martin smiled slightly, his manners impeccable. As the only citizen of God on the entire ship who was not short of money and was not seduced by gold, he felt it was his duty to wake up this very polite captain. Of course, the other party's choices and future are not important to him. What he is most concerned about and worried about is actually the hidden threat from the natives, the threat to his own life!

After all, he was a noble from the European continent. He was captured on the battlefield in Europe and could still enjoy the good treatment of the nobles. His life was safe and he was waiting to be redeemed by his family. But if he is attacked by natives, the identity he is most proud of will have no effect at all! …

"Witness the Lord! In addition, Captain Bruno, I feel that I must stand up and remind you seriously! You have brought your fleet to anchor around this large native tribe for four days! Four days! Tomorrow, It’s the fifth day…”

"And where we are now, there is only a strait that doesn't seem too far away from the 'dangerous, hostile, and barbaric invasion' native kingdom to the west. It's probably only a few days' voyage..."

"Although I don't understand military affairs, this kind of long-term anchorage is like a swan attracted by bait fish and shrimp during autumn hunting. It falls from the sky that is difficult to shoot into the open grass... At this time, no matter whether it is the noble Bows and arrows, poachers’ crossbows, or manor owners’ muskets all greatly increase the chance of hitting them!”

"So, for the safety of the fleet and the safety of the two noble captains...perhaps we should choose to leave...and my proposal is to set sail early tomorrow morning!..."