Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

Chapter 1916 1388: What a Beautiful Work of Art—A Pink Miracle! At Least 100 Gold Coins!

"Almighty! What is this? Such a huge colorful Pearl Clam? And inside is a pink Pearl?…""Mm… this Pearl looks about the size of a pigeon egg! Not exactly astonishing, but this enchanting pink? This is the first time I've seen it… Scholar Martin, have you ever heard of this kind of pink Pearl? Among the Nnobility, would it be well received?…"

"Yes, yes! Such a big Pearl, and in a pink shade no one's ever seen… how much could it sell for in the Lisbon market?…"

"All of you, quiet! Let me take a close look… let me see it properly!… Holy Mother! It really is beautiful!… This truly is a superb pearl gemstone, a jewel wrought by the Almighty at Creation! Kleinod!…"

The Sun dipped toward the Western sea, and golden light flickered from the clouds to the shore, finally condensing into that streak of breathtaking rose-red in Noble Scholar Martin's hand!

A full thirty-plus carats of Conk Pearl glittered between his two fingers. And the Queen Phoenix Conch that produced this pink Pearl was cupped in his other hand—an absolute specialty found only in the Caribbean Sea!

Yes, this was the "Conk Pearl" of the Caribbean Sea, famed in later generations of the jewelry world for its enchanting pink and its unique flame pattern! It is the only Pearl recognized as a "gemstone," as expensive as diamond yet far rarer than diamond. A Conk Pearl of this size, in the trading markets of later times, could easily fetch over a hundred thousand US dollars at auction. But in this era, this was the first time Europeans had seen this kind of natural "pearl gemstone," the first time they beheld that unique, splendid hue and the fire of the sea!

At this moment, Noble Scholar Martin stared, entranced, his eyes wide as he admired the unique flame pattern on that pink Pearl. He was shaken by this natural artistic beauty and could not help exclaiming from the bottom of his heart, even blurting out the German of his homeland.

"Schöne Kunst! Such beautiful art! This is a pink miracle, like a true diamond… even this pale pink sea conch itself conforms to the golden rectangle of Ancient Greece!… It's unimaginable that on such a deep-sea island, so far from the civilized world, there should exist a natural work of art like this!…"

"…Huh? Art? Golden rectangle?…"

The Sailors looked at one another, completely confused. Quartermaster Matim, impatient by nature, couldn't help grabbing Scholar Martin's hand and pressing him with questions.

"Is this Pearl worth money? How much can it sell for? One Ducat? Two?…"

Scholar Martin turned his head and gave Matim a cool glance, then forcefully pulled his arm free. He stretched his lips in a silent grin; though he didn't laugh aloud, the mocking flavor of it was obvious enough that even Shushu in the corner could see it.

"The Almighty be my witness! If you went to sell this Pearl, you could indeed only get one or two Gold Coins for it in the market… If Captain Bruno went to sell it, he might get a dozen or twenty-odd Gold Coins… But if I were the one selling, it could fetch this amount!…"

As he spoke, Scholar Martin lightly raised one middle finger and waved it in front of Matim. But this gesture was far too vulgar; in Ancient Greek its double meaning was "the finger connecting with the anus, also called sodomy"… Thinking of that, Scholar Martin quickly pulled back his middle finger and instead held up his little finger.

Matim was utterly baffled. As a man of Portugal, he didn't understand the meaning of these gestures; he only shouted in joyous disbelief.

"Holy Mother! This thing… this pink Pearl thing… can actually sell for a hundred Gold Coins?!…"

"That's how much I can sell it for—a hundred Ducats—while you could only get one!"

Scholar Martin turned around and looked at Captain Bruno, who was just as astonished. He pointed at the pink Pearl and the conch in his hand and smiled with confidence.

"Honorable Captain Bruno! A mysterious sea conch like this, from the distant the East… mm, or from the distant West. It comes bearing legends from the deep sea, it has splendid colors and the flame patterns of the ocean, and it is as rare as if it were unique…"

"A Treasure like this combines every precious element a collectible could have! Imagination and legend, mystery and rarity, vividness and beauty… It will be a perfect collectible that no Great Nobility can refuse, especially those noble ladies who pursue beauty! This Treasure is worthy of having the host take out a whole mealtime when honored guests visit, just to introduce it in detail, showing off his unique aesthetic taste and astounding Wealth…"

"It certainly can be sold for money, but I don't recommend selling it… A unique collectible like this is the best gift among the Nnobility, far surpassing the effect of giving a hundred Ducats! You can present it directly to some exalted person… for example, that 'Nuno Chief' you mention every day, who supports you. Or offer it directly to King Joao…"

Having said all this, Scholar Martin reluctantly gave the Conk Pearl and the conch one last look, then glanced around and handed this piece of "Treasure" back to its original "owner," Shushu in the corner. At once, dozens of greedy gazes fixed on him, startling Shushu so much that his hands and feet went numb, and he was almost scared into throwing the Pearl and conch away!

He had never imagined that the "Pearl Clam" that that "ordinary militiaman" had found for him would cause such a commotion aboard the ship! Of course, he also had no idea that this Queen Phoenix Conch was one of the largest snail species most commonly eaten by the Taino People and the Carib, that every village had piled up hundreds of empty shells and dozens of Pearls. And this kind of conch only produces Pearls at a rate of one in ten, and the Pearls are usually not large; the Taino Tribe merely treated them as "pretty pink Stones."

And that "ordinary militiaman" had gone to extra trouble, picking and picking again from the tribes' stockpile until he found the largest "pink Pearl," stuffed it into a big sea conch, and handed it to him…

This is the Wealth of the New Continent! Even inconspicuous sea conchs and Pearls can be madly coveted and pursued by the Nnobility of the Old Continent! Worth exchanging for the cheap lives of countless commoner Sailors!…

"Shushu! Give me the conch and the Pearl!…"

Quartermaster Matim, not the least bit polite, was the first to stretch out his hand to "take" it. Sailor Chief Haloduo watched coldly from the side, who knew what he was calculating. It was the old carpenter Ivo who stepped forward, frowning, and blocked Matim.

"Matim! Are you still going to respect the rules on this ship or not?! Spoils of war gained privately by a crewman—half belong to the ship, and the other half to him personally!"

"Damn it! He's a Native! How can a Native be the same as us important crew members?…"

"Bullshit! He's a translator and a guide, the captain already recognized him long ago! Right now the captain hasn't spoken yet, what right do you have to take it?"

"…Fine, don't give it then! Have him hand over fifty Gold Coins! Otherwise I'll hack him to death!…"

"Hah? Fifty Gold Coins? What a thick skin! If you can sell this thing on the market for five Gold Coins… I'll put up a Wealth idol for you for free, and swap that little money-grubber dwarf's face for yours!…"

"You!!…"

Over how to handle the spoils of war, another quarrel broke out on the flagship. The main one to blame was Scholar Martin, who had gone on at length about some Nnoble art and put too high a price on this Pearl. And the one who actually possessed the Pearl was Guide Shushu, a Native with absolutely no "sailor rights," someone anyone felt they could reach out and fleece.

As for why the old carpenter Ivo stood up at this moment, on the one hand Shushu had always been following him, acting as his helper on woodwork jobs, so he counted as one of "his side." On the other hand, he was a technical hand on the ship, not high in Force, and he put more value on maintaining the ship's order and rules! If everyone settled things by Scimitar and fist, wouldn't that make them no different from pirates? When that happens, what say would an old man who only repairs ships like him still have?…

Bruno let the sailors argue for a while, then gave Sailor Chief Haloduo a meaningful look. Haloduo understood at once, then stepped forward with a smile to play the peacemaker.

"Enough, stop arguing! Everyone on this ship is a Brother, Shushu counts as one of us too!… The Almighty is our witness! Scholar Martin also said this is something for the Nnobility, only as a gift between nobles can it fetch that high a price… If you really try to sell it on the market, those sly Jewish merchants will eat you alive!…"

"The way I see it, Brothers like us can't sell this thing for any good price at all… But if Captain Bruno sells it, at best, maybe he can get 20 Gold Coins?… Why don't we just treat it as spoils of war worth 20 Gold Coins, and hand it over to the captain as collective loot!… Then, according to the captain's thirty-percent cut, he takes 6 Gold Coins from that, and hands 14 Gold Coins over to the ship!…"

"Out of these 14 Gold Coins… Shushu was the one who got the Pearl first. Even though he didn't recognize its value and his seniority is shallow… he can still get twenty percent, that's 3 Gold Coins! As for the remaining 11 Gold Coins, each important crew member takes 1 coin, and the leftover is split among the sailors!… What do you say?…"

Hearing this distribution plan, the several important crew members looked at each other, then looked at Captain Bruno, who was smiling. After a brief silence, they all nodded and stopped arguing. As for Shushu, to get 3 Gold Coins was already a result of the important crew members checking one another, and the captain being particularly fair and generous in order to get the Pearl into his own hands!

"Ha ha! The Almighty bless us! Everyone on this ship is a Brother, we should all get along!… This is just fine!…"

Bruno smiled as he looked at the Queen Phoenix Conch and the big pink Pearl that had ended up in his hands, and his mood soared. But fate's gifts always come one after another, like bountiful offerings from the Almighty.

Just when the fleet had been delayed for half a day and planned to leave at dusk, two Natives paddling a small boat suddenly brought a new surprise!

"What! In your Great Tribe you have Book from a Great Island to the west, the kind with square character we've been asking about all this time?… What? You even brought Book Pages?!"

"Oh Almighty! Quick! Quickly, let me have a look!…"

Bruno snatched up two sheets of yellow paper, and the rows of "Eastern Text" square characters on them made his heart blossom and his chest fill with wild joy! Right when they were about to sail back, he could actually receive such a gift from the Almighty! With these Eastern booklet as proof, he could report back to the King and wrap up the most critical part of his mission!

"Excellent! Excellent!… Why are there only two pages? Hurry, give me the whole Book!!…"

"What? You want to use this Book to trade with us for another piece of valuable equipment?… A Thundering Magic Weapon, or a perfect Armor like before?…"

"Damn it! There's only one set of Knight Plate Armor! As for the Two-pound Cannon… I still have to discuss it with the other ship!…"

"Hmm… No, absolutely not! A single Book isn't worth a Two-pound Cannon! You can trade for something else… What? You must have the Two-pound Cannon, but you can make up half the value in Gold?… Hmm… let me think…"

"I have one more condition! You have to give me a few more Sea Conch with pink Pearl!… What do they look like? Like this! This kind, shiny and pink! Huh? You don't have Pearl this big? Smaller ones are fine too, but you have to give more of them—no, ten of them!…"

"Good! Then it's settled! We trade tomorrow morning!… Eastern booklet, yellow sand gold, pink Pearl, for one Two-pound Cannon!… Yes! Tomorrow morning it is!…"