Aztec Eternals Chapter 467

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The sea breeze is blowing, and the moonlight is cold and dim. The clouds gathered in the sky, leaving only a few stars. Several petrels hovered in the night sky, looking down at the boundless sea, surrounded by three moored sailboats, like some kind of mysterious omen.

The flagship of the "San Cristobal", flying the flag of the Kingdom of Portugal, was docked between the two ships. As instructed by Captain Dias, expedition ships usually do not sail at night for safety of navigation. The night was quiet and deep, and dozens of crew members on the ship were crowded into the unpleasant cabin, and most of them had fallen asleep. On the wet deck, there were only a few sailors on duty, as well as the sea captain Pero de Arenkel.

Perrault stood with a sturdy figure and an old-fashioned face. He stood under the long mast, holding an iron compass and a wooden protractor. He raised his head, stared at the stars in the sky, and waited patiently for a long time. It wasn't until the clouds became a little clearer, revealing the shining four stars of the Southern Cross, that he moved quickly and nimbly climbed the mast.

After a while, Perot stood firmly on the lookout. He wrapped the mast-rope around his arm and looked closely at the bright Southern Cross gamma and a. Then, he imagined making a line, passing through the Southern Cross γ star and a star, and then continuing to extend southward until the length was about 4.5 times the distance between the two stars, leaving an imaginary point in the night sky. This point is the estimated location of the South Celestial Pole!

Then, Perot opened his eyes wide, raised his head motionless, did not dare to move an inch. He took out the measuring compass, and pointed one compass foot horizontally and the other to the imaginary south celestial pole. Afterwards, he fixed the compass, took out the protractor, and measured it carefully for a while. The angle measured at this time is the southern latitude where the fleet is located.

"About 32 degrees south latitude..."

Perot made a secret note of the number. Then, he raised the protractor again and measured several times, and the numbers were all between 31-33 degrees south latitude. After confirming the number, he didn't stay any longer. He just glanced at the east where the fleet was moored, the endless southern continent, and slid down from the mast.

It was late at night, and the deck was quiet. The sailors on duty bowed their heads respectfully when they saw Perrault, the navigator. Perrault nodded slightly, without saying a word.

In ocean voyages, the navigator is responsible for guiding the direction and determining the latitude, and his status is very important. And these methods of measuring orientation are by no means mastered by ordinary sailors. They must be literate and can count, and have received professional sailing training. In the Kingdom of Portugal, people who can serve as captains of navigating are usually from a navigating academy, or descendants of nautical nobles. Naturally, they are not the same as ordinary sailors from the bottom.

After a while, Perot was inspected by the guards and came to the captain's room at the stern. He knocked gently on the door a few times.

"Praise the Lord! Dear Captain, Seamaster Perrault greets you!"

"Hmm. Come in!"

Perot lowered his head, carefully pushed open the wooden door, and walked into the captain's room.

Captain Dias slept in his clothes and sat up from the bed. With a short knife in his hand and a short dagger hanging around his waist, he spoke calmly.

"How about it?"

"Dear Captain, I just measured the latitude and observed the weather. The fleet is located between 31-33 degrees south latitude, and the wind direction is southwest. There are clouds gathering in the night sky, there may be wind and rain..."

"31-33 degrees south latitude..."

Hearing this, Dias pondered silently, thinking in his heart. After a while, he asked in a low voice.

"How's the morale on the boat?"

"The morale of the sailors..."

Perrault hesitated for a moment, then spoke frankly.

"It's not very good. We've been floating at sea for two months since we set off from Cross Point, only occasionally going ashore to hunt seals and replenish fresh water. The southern continent to the east stretches endlessly, and for two months it has been a desolate desert, even I can't see the local natives... The crew secretly rumored that the deserts of the southern continent are endless, and I'm afraid they will never find an end in their lifetime!"

"Ok..."

Dias nodded, silently clenched the dagger, and asked seemingly calmly.

"Are there sailors in tandem? Is there anyone secretly gathering? The quartermaster in charge of weapons, is there anything unusual?"

"...Ship...Captain..."

Sweat oozes instantly from Captain Perot's head.

"I didn't see the sailors in tandem and the quartermaster was all right... On this voyage, we didn't go deep into the devil's land, few people were cursed... The water on board was very good, the sailors just had some complaints. .."

"Yes, Not Bad."

Dias nodded slightly, his expression a little slower.

Before this voyage, he carefully asked the crew members who participated in the previous expedition, and learned that the biggest incentive for the rebellion was that everyone went deep into the devil's land, contracted the devil's curse, and died of illness in large numbers.

Therefore, on this voyage, he did not stay long in the evil Congo Basin, but went directly south along the coast. Another supply ship with horizontal sails was filled with light wine, dry cheese, dry bread and salted fish that did not spoil easily. It now appears that the morale of the ship is not high, but it can be maintained.

"Perot, after a few hours, today is the Epiphany, isn't it?"

"Yes, Captain. Today is January 6, 1488, since the birth of our Lord **** Christ, celebrating the first appearance of the Lord to the Gentiles after His incarnation..."

"Very good. On the day of Epiphany, my Lord confessed for the first time that he was the incarnation of God. Let the priest on the ship preside over a grand and solemn prayer! Then, according to tradition, the fleet docked for a day to rest and distribute storage. Light wine and food, and a celebratory party!"

"Ah! Praise you, my captain! Your generosity and kindness are like the light of the Lord."

Navigator Perrault saluted respectfully. With this prayer and celebration, the crew's morale should be restored.

"Well. God bless us! We can definitely go to the East!"

"...God bless!"

In the early morning of the second day, Captain Dias called the crew and announced the good news for the celebration of the Epiphany. The sailors cheered and swarmed the nearby beach like wild horses off their reins.

"Bang! Bang!..."

The projectiles flew, flesh and blood flew, and the huge body crashed down. The elite sailors set up their arquebuses and showed no mercy at this time, hunting the strong elephant seals.

These elephant seals are almost all over the surrounding beaches, scattered everywhere. They are dominant on their native coasts and have not been threatened by predators for tens of thousands of years and do not know how to hide from humans.

Then, the sailors were adept, dismembering the seal carcass, skinning the flesh, and scraping out the grease. The piles of bonfires rose immediately, the fragrance of barbecue immediately dispersed, and the previously clear sea was also stained with blood red.

"Praise the Lord! He has given us meat and wine."

Dias sat on a dry rock, taking his time, sipping pale wine and tasting the roast seal meat offered by Bruno.

"Well...it tastes like venison, with a strong smell of blood...yes, Bruno, you've got your mind!"

Bruno stood there respectfully, bowing his head. Just now the crew hunted a seal, and he baked two pieces with his own hands, then hurriedly ran over to dedicate it to the respected royal knight, expedition leader Dias.

Gu "It's just a fly in the ointment, no spice added... If there's a little pepper, or a few slices of thyme, that taste, tsk tsk! …"

"Uh..."

Hearing this, Bruno lowered his head with a look of embarrassment on his face. These spices are almost worth gold in the kingdom, and there he, an ordinary noble knight, can afford it. The only time he ever tasted spices in his life was in the land of the devil, in the court of the king of Congo...

"Ha ha!"

Seeing Bruno's embarrassment, Dias laughed. He reached out and patted Bruno on the shoulder.

"Bruno, as long as our voyage goes well this time, we can discover the eastern route and the kingdom of Elder John, and when we return to the kingdom, every captain will be rewarded! Not only will you be able to improve your rank by one rank, but you will also have up to 1,000 dus. Carter's reward! At that time, you can eat a spice every day, and there is no problem at all!"

"1000 Ducats!"

Hearing this number, Bruno held his breath for a moment, his face showing strong greed and desire.

You know, one ducat is equivalent to one kingdom gold coin, which is about 3-4 grams. And 1000 ducats is 3-4 kilograms of gold, plus the premium of minting coins! This large sum of money is enough for him to buy a big house in the city of Lisbon, and from then on he is qualified to participate in the banquets of the nobles...

"Respected royal knight, I will listen to you on this voyage!"

"Ok."

Seeing Bruno's expression, Dias nodded in satisfaction. Then, with a solemn expression, he asked in a deep voice.

"Bruno, what's the situation on your ship now?"

"Respected royal knights, everything is safe on my ship. This journey south, I just exhausted a few hard labor sailors who were caught. Without the curse of the devil, the morale of the official sailors is not bad!"

"Ah, very good!"

Dias's expression did not change. In the big voyages, the hard laborers are generally captured poor people, fishermen or indigenous people. They are not allowed to have weapons. They do the hardest work and are not human at all. Only an official sailor, who is constantly in contact with weapons, and who can launch a rebellion, can be considered to have reached the minimum standard of human beings...

"Come on, the priest's prayer is about to begin!"

The two asked and answered, and chatted for a while. Dias stood up and walked towards the priest not far away under the **** of the guards.

The priest with the boat tied two wooden sticks and erected a crude cross. Soon, a group of sailors gathered around the cross, and then, under the guidance of the priest, clasped their hands and bowed their heads.

The priest was the first to speak, praising him sincerely.

"Lord, please open my mouth!"

"My mouth will praise You!"

Everyone applauded.

"On this day, our Lord Christ was born for us... Please come and worship!"

The priest announced loudly, and Dias was the first to kneel down and worship the cross in front of him.

"Glory to You, Lord! As in the beginning, so today and forever! …"

Then, hundreds of sailors fell to their knees and worshipped.

"Glory to You, Lord!...for ever!..."

"From sunrise to sunset, let us sing to Christ... Thou hast existed before all ages, but was born for us in time..."

The priest raised his head, looked at the sun in the clouds, and sang hymns and chants. He has been trained by the church, his expression is solemn, his singing is low and gentle, and it is not until the final praise that he suddenly recites it aloud.

"...Praise thee, merciful Lord! May your name be exalted, may your kingdom come, and may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven!... Illuminate you with the true light of glory. Hearts of believers, redeem our sins! … I pray to the Lord that the Almighty may bless us, protect us from disasters, and lead us to a new route, amen! …”

"I pray to the Lord, may the Almighty Lord bless us, protect us from disaster, and lead us to a new route, amen!"

Everyone repeated in unison, with excited expressions and longing. Bruno raised his eyes and peeked, but saw that there were tears pouring out of the face of Captain Dias. He froze in his heart, lowered his head quickly, dipped a little saliva quietly, and wet the corners of his eyes.

After praying, the solemn atmosphere was relaxed. Dias wiped his tears, stood up, and looked around at everyone. His gaze stopped for a moment on Bruno's face, he nodded indistinctly, and then announced loudly.

"Praise the Lord! Take a day's rest today, no need to board and sail. Play the wooden flute, play the harmonica, distribute food and wine... Sing tonight!"

"Praise the Lord! Praise the Captain!"

The sailors roared with joy, and their faces beamed with joy. Soon, the melodious harmonica sounded in the crowd, and the crisp wooden flute fluttered between the shores. But after two or three glasses of water and wine, the sailors turned red and roared and sang the songs of their hometown.

"Dawn slept with harbour and love in arms,

The moonlight is gentle~www.mtlnovel.com~ caressing the dancing waves,

As the sun leaves its borders,

It's like we've left our distant homeland...

Bruno sang and danced, enjoying a moment of indulgence with quartermaster Mattim. Only at this moment, singing with the many sailors, can he feel truly relaxed and at ease.

Dias was still sitting high on the rock, cross-legged, watching the singing and dancing sailors. There was a smile on the corner of his mouth, and a faint longing appeared on his face, and then he was suppressed by a hard heart. After that, he didn't look much, just turned his head and looked at the sky in the south, looking for the unknown hope. In the distant sky, thick clouds gathered, like a dark curtain pressing down on the sky, which would not disperse for a long time.

"That is..."

Dias stood up suddenly. He stared at the sea and sky to the south, lost in thought.

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