Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

Chapter 1914 1386: The Treasure in the Hold and the Noble Scholar's Warning!

"Oh! Sailor Chief Haloduo... I... he... Deus abençoe! It's like this..."Faced with the sudden appearance of Sailor Chief Haloduo, Shushu was instantly startled. He nervously grasped the wood carving cross he wore, first praying to the Almighty in Portuguese, and within those few moments of delay, quickly thought of an explanation.

"Respected Sailor Chief, just now Capitao Silvira used the Thundering Magic Weapon! It's really frightening and powerful! Not only does the chieftain of the tribe fear and respect it, but even this tribe's militia is extremely in awe! So he asked me, what kind of Heavenly Divine could grant such great magical power to control thunder?"

"I told him that it was the merciful and powerful Cross God who bestowed this miraculous force! And this wooden cross is the Cross God's amulet... Then he was very eager and kept pulling me, asking for the amulet! But this was given to me by the Cross Shaman in the city, and I'm reluctant to give it up..."

"Hmm?... Fearful of our cannon, wanting the Lord's cross? Was this cross given to you by the Priest? Let me see... Haha! This is the most common wood carving cross in the city, the kind that costs a copper coin apiece!"

Hearing Shushu's reply, Sailor Chief Haloduo glanced at the cross and burst into laughter. He looked at Shushu's timid and reluctant expression, then at the tribe's militiaman who was bewildered and nervous, even clutching his stone spear—a complete image of foolishness!

These natives are really dumb, worshipping cannons as divine spirits, and treating a ragged wooden cross as a rare treasure!

"Haha! Shushu, you should give him this wooden cross! When we return to Lisbon, I'll buy you another one, ten if you want!... By the way! Help me ask about how much gold is left in the tribe. Damn Silvira took those 200 Ducats for himself and is unwilling to share a grain of sand gold with us!"

At this moment, the biases and superiority from the "civilized" world filled Haloduo with pride. He seemed to let go of the slight caution that had emerged earlier, his hand moving away from the scimitar.

Thinking about it, a meek and timid native believer and another ordinary tribe militiaman, what could they possibly say? With the native's ignorance and savagery, apart from some barbarian bravery, they are not worth mentioning on the level of civilization!

However, along with Haloduo's actions, unseen in the background, two warriors in leather armor lowered their half-drawn greatbows, silently observing.

"But, Holy Mother protect! Shushu, I just thought of a bottom ballast treasure thing! That thing is worth at least 20 Ducats, probably selling for 200 gold, and priced the same as that two-pound cannon, with all profits going to our flagship! That item is unique, a gift from King Joao... But first we must confirm if the natives can produce more gold, only then can I bring this matter to the captain! Quickly ask the tribe's militiaman if they still have gold left!"

"Huh? A bottom ballast treasure?... Deus abençoe! Almighty protect! Here... this cross amulet, I'll give it to you!"

Under Haloduo's gaze, the clever Shushu reluctantly removed the cross amulet from his neck and placed it on the neck of the ordinary militiaman.

As the evil demon's cross hung around his neck, the ordinary militiaman's mouth twitched for a moment, but it soon turned into an expression of delight and reverence. He held the wooden cross in his hand, mimicked Shushu's pronunciation, and repeated a phrase.

"Dasha... Bisun?"

"Deus abençoe!... It means Almighty protect!"

Shushu blinked and fluently prayed another sentence. Without this life-saving prayer, he would have long been gobbled up by the white-skinned tribe people. Then he looked at the expectant Haloduo and switched again to the Taino language.

"This... is the headman managing the sailors on the ship, very cunning and meticulous! He just said there's a bottom ballast treasure on the ship, seems to be given by some Great Chief... priced same as that two-pound cannon... he wants to inquire if there's any gold left in the tribe?"

"Hmm? A ballast treasure worth one and a half golden amulets? What's that?"

"I don't know. But I heard there's only one of it... Probably a weapon or armor..."

"Hmm... The tribe does have more gold... But you shouldn't get the answer from me. I'm just an 'ordinary militiaman', unlikely to know how much gold the tribe possesses... This is likely a test! Even if it's not a test, once he returns he will recall and doubt, interrogate you! And you may not withstand the torture... So, you should answer 'I don't know', then go ask the chieftain with the feather crown again!"

"Ah!"

The clever Shushu was startled, but his face showed disappointment and confusion. He sighed, reluctantly reaching out towards the militiaman's cross. Then, he turned his head towards the waiting Haloduo and shook his head.

"Boatswain, this militiaman knows nothing, let us ask the Chieftain! The Chieftain surely knows!..."

"Hmm? Indeed! How could an ordinary militiaman know how much the most precious gold in the tribe has? ... Ah! I was really dizzy with anxiety... Let's go! Let's go! Shushu, come with me to find the Chieftain now!"

The sun gradually set in the west, and today's trade between the two sides has come to an end. Silvira, with a bag of gold sand, smugly strolled around the flagship, then returned to the vice ship. It was only after the other party left that Boatswain Haloduo quietly pulled Bruno aside and whispered to him.

"What?! Haloduo, you want me to sell the expensive full set of plate armor, the gift from Lord Joao to the 'Native Kingdom', to the Great Chief here?!"

"Boss! Keep your voice down!... I've already asked the natives' Chieftain! He said, if it's truly armor that is hard as can be, their Great Chief above the Chieftain would definitely be willing to take out his last stock of gold to trade with us! And it's the same price as that 2-pound cannon, which is a solid 200 Ducats!"

Boatswain Haloduo excitedly held onto Bruno, refusing to let go. The wealth of gold was indeed too tempting, enough to make one sell their soul. And the Portuguese long held the belief that everything could be sold. They were much more flexible than the conquer-hungry, ferocious Castilians!

In fact, among the gifts the Portuguese fleet gave to the King of Songhai, there was a full set of plate armor. In their current trade with Congo Prince Enzenga, they also sold quite a bit of Continental Heavy Armor. Even 70 years later, the Southern Barbarian Armor that Oda Nobunaga loved to wear came as gifts from Portuguese missionaries.

And the set of plate armor weighed down in the ship was specially authorized by Sintra Palace before sailing as a royal gift, meant to be given along with King Joao's personally written national letter to the "King of the 'Native Kingdom' that connects the eastern sea route."

"Boss! This is at least 200 Ducats! The captain gets a third, that's 60 gold in hand!... And when we return to the Kingdom, even if we don't report the loss... we can spend our own money to custom-make an identical set from the armor workshop to cover up this hole! That's only about 20 Ducats, the profit margin... that's a tenfold profit, tenfold!"

"Almighty! A tenfold profit! At least 60 gold earnings!"

After a moment of hesitation, the temptation of gold finally crushed the bottom line in Bruno's heart, making his eyes turn red. Just as Haloduo said, even if you don't report the "loss at sea," you could gather funds to fill the gap when you return to Lisbon. And the nine times pure profit in between are real earnings on the ship!

Thinking of this, Bruno finally gritted his teeth and spoke fiercely.

"Sell! As long as the Great Chief of the natives can produce gold, this set of plate armor will be sold to him!... Even the 8-pound cannon on board... as long as there is enough gold, it's not impossible to negotiate!"

"Cough!... Esteemed Captain Bruno, I didn't mean to overhear the conversation between you and the boatswain, but your voice was indeed too excited... And a qualified noble captain should remain calm at all times, not allowing personal desires to influence their judgment! Especially when facing the temptation of gold..."

The two looked towards the voice and saw Noble Scholar Martin leaning against the nearby ship's railing, not knowing how long he had been standing. He wore the only noble attire on the ship, a slanted hat with purple long feathers, and gracefully bowed. Then, he looked into Bruno's eyes, earnestly advising.

"Captain Bruno... There is no shortage of armor circulating in Lisbon, and there are many armor workshops. Quietly buying a set of plate armor to compensate for the loss on board is indeed not a big deal... However, selling an 8-pound cannon is entirely different! This is a large firearm strictly controlled by the Kingdom, which is not circulating in the market, and can only be manufactured in the capital's firearm workshop! Hence, it's very hard to replenish this cannon, ultimately having to report a 'loss at sea.' If such a new firearm were casually sold to the natives and lastly reported as a 'loss at sea'..."

"Holy Mother bless! Please think carefully about your future in the navy, and do not leave a handle that others can easily grasp!"

Noble Scholar Martin smiled slightly, impeccable in demeanor. As the only member on the whole ship who wasn't short of money and not lured by the charm of gold, he felt obliged to awaken this polite captain. Of course, this choice and future were not important to him. What he truly cared about and worried about was actually the hidden native threat and the threat to his own life!

After all, being a European noble captured on the battlefield in Europe, he could still enjoy good treatment and safety, waiting for family redemption. But if he encountered a native attack, his most proud identity would be completely useless!

"Witnessed by the Almighty! Moreover, Captain Bruno, I feel the need to step up and seriously remind you! You've been anchoring the fleet around this native tribe for a solid four days, four days! Tomorrow will be the fifth day..."

"And the position we are currently in is only a strait away from the western 'dangerously hostile, barbarically invading' native kingdom, which seems not too far, and probably only takes a few days of sailing..."

"I may not understand military, but this prolonged anchoring is like autumn hunting, where swans are attracted by bait fish and shrimps, falling from the sky that's hard to shoot onto broad grasslands... And at this time, whether it's noble's bow and arrow, poacher's crossbow, or manor lord's firearms, all greatly increase the chances of hitting them!"

"So, for the safety of the fleet, and for both noble captains' safety... perhaps we should choose to leave... And my suggestion is to set sail tomorrow morning!"