Aztec Eternals

The sea and sky are magnificent blue, with no water plants or clouds to be seen. Groups of angel fish swim in the sea, showing their elegant swimming posture and bright beauty. Dozens of shearwaters swim in the sea and sky. These amphibious "flying ducks" are seabirds that are good at migrating and can fly tens of thousands of kilometers a year. They will follow whales in the sea and catch fish disturbed by whales... At this moment, they are surrounding three anchored Castilian ships, obviously mistaking these "behemoths" on the water for whales.

"The Lord is a witness! Columbus, since you have said so much, and the three captains also nodded... Then everyone will sail westward for another five days!... If we have not seen land after five days, then the fleet must Return immediately!…”

".Okay! The Lord witnesses! We have sailed four to five thousand kilometers and reached the waters of ancient Japan in Sipan! Believe me, within five days of going west, we will definitely see land or a big island!..."

"Ha! Columbus, no matter how nice you say it, we will only sail for five more days! After five days, if you don't want to return... Ha!..."

"Uh! I, Columbus, the commander of the expeditionary force, have sworn to the Lord and the Holy Mother! If I don't see land for five days, I will return!..."

On the deck of the flagship Santa Maria, a long and dangerous crew meeting finally came to a conclusion after half a day of discussion.

The captain of the three ships, Dracosa was neutral and silent, and he was too experienced to show off. The Pinson brothers were neutral on the surface, but they were biased towards Columbus in their words. After all, their brothers and their whole family went to battle just to fight for a rich future!

As for the respected status of the two royal representatives, they actually value safety more and hope to return. But they were unwilling to assume the responsibility of returning home and abandoning the exploration of new routes in front of the Queen. The sailor representatives of the three ships continued to argue, and finally, under the "broad money path" described by Columbus, they reluctantly agreed to continue sailing for five days to search for traces of land...

"Hoo! Holy Mother! Thank you for your protection!..."

Seeing the scimitars put away by the sailors, Columbus took a long breath and felt a little weak all over. His back was already soaked, and his hair was sticky with sweat. Until this moment, he was convinced that he really survived and narrowly escaped from a terrible sailor riot!

"Praise be to you! Merciful Lord..."

"etc!…"

"Ah?! What's wrong?..."

Columbus put down his praying hands and raised his head nervously. At a glance, he saw the sharp-eyed boatswain Bartolome and the calm-looking goldsmith Carlo next to him.

"Columbus! Did you just say that today's incident will never be held accountable, nor will the nobles of the kingdom be brought to justice?"

"Yes! I have sworn to the Lord and Our Lady, and the clerk Rodrigo also notarized it..."

"No! This is not enough!... The Lord and the Holy Mother always look at their servants first! But we, the people, are speechless in front of the Lord's servants... You must follow our rules and follow the rules on the ship. Sailors behave themselves!…”

Hearing this, Columbus was startled and quickly reacted. He was born as a commoner in a commercial city-state, and after traveling around various countries for so long, he was naturally familiar with the rules at the bottom of society. In the poor alleys of commercial city-states, in the wilderness where robbers roam, or like now in the terrifying deep sea far away from the Lord, these are actually places that cannot be covered by the church's faith and the laws of the kingdom!

In these places, among the most ferocious and low-level people in society, it is impossible to act according to laws that favor the nobility, or dogma that favors the church. If everyone wants to trust each other, they must rely on established "rules" and various "mysterious rituals" ostensibly performed in the name of the Lord to establish a "soul contract."

"Okay! Bartolome, do you want me to make a 'bird's beak' oath, or do you want me to hold a 'gold test' ceremony?..."

"Dr. Sanchez did not attend today. We cannot trust him on this matter... The goldsmith Carlo is here, so of course it is a 'gold verification' ceremony!"

"Gold verification? Okay! Come on then!..."

"Good! Praise the Lord! Praise the immortal gold! This gold is good, it carries the light of heaven and never changes color! He is the beloved of the Lord, witnesses us, and establishes a golden contract!..."

Carlo, the goldsmith, took out a copper plate from his arms and carefully sprinkled a few grams of golden powder on it. His face felt painful. He chanted the name of the Lord and said a specious prayer. Then he sang strange songs about gold, just like a wizard in the countryside.

"...Gold looks at you two, and your souls are filled with light! Carve your name and swear an oath, it is as true as gold!...If anyone dares to violate it, he will be poor and hungry for life, and will become an undead after death. He will be redeemed forever and ever. No!…”

The terrifying whisper, uttered from the mouth of the goldsmith Carlo, made all the sailors tremble with horror and feel sincere awe in their hearts. On this ocean ship, goldsmiths and doctors both have a very special and transcendent status!

This is not only because goldsmiths can repair weapons and doctors can cure diseases and save people, but also because goldsmiths have the function of exorcising evil spirits, while doctors also work part-time to dispel plague! In Christian culture, golden gold is more than just currency and wealth. They are naturally covered with a layer of divinity, have a revered status in faith, and are the raw materials for mana in various mysterious rituals...

“Columbus, engrave your name on a copper plate!…”

The goldsmith Carlo chanted for a moment, then took out his carving knife and handed it to Columbus's hand. The latter trembled nervously, and then started to speak in silence with a solemn expression, even more serious than when he prayed to the Lord...

Of course, there is no doubt that this is not "witchcraft" explicitly prohibited by the church, but is also one of the rituals of worshiping the Lord. The Lord himself said it in the Bible, “Gold is good”, “The first river in the Garden of Eden surrounds Hawila, which produces gold”, “Gold is a noble thing in Christianity”…

"Huh! These despicable witches and customs who pretend to be the name of the Lord!..."

Seeing Columbus and Bartolome who were checking the gold and swearing an oath, the clerk Rodrigo curled his lips in disdain, with disdain in his eyes. He was born in a church college and had always dealt with the nobles of the kingdom. Naturally, he was insensitive to these "evil things" from the bottom of society.

And Columbus, a civilian "commander" from a commercial city-state, actually entered into such an unflattering "witchcraft contract" with low-level sailors... If the church of the Kingdom of Castile knew about it, it would probably be difficult for him to be punished. Accepted and entered the upper class society of the kingdom. Of course, Archbishop Talavera gave Columbus a chance before. Since the other party refused to accept it for some reason, he probably won't get a second chance...

"Good friend, tell the truth!...Is the oath true?"

"...More real than real gold!..."

"Good friend, obey the rules! Will it change after today?"

“.Like gold that remains unchanged!…”

"Okay! The oath has been fulfilled and the gold verification is valid!..."

Seeing Columbus complete the "gold verification" ceremony, the sailors who participated in the riot breathed a sigh of relief. At this moment, the way they looked at Columbus became much gentler, and they even felt somewhat inexplicably close to him.

And Columbus was relieved. He tugged on his sweaty collar, waved his hands tiredly, and comforted the sailors.

"Okay! Let's all disperse!...Merda! Raise the sails and continue to the west!...Sipangu! Japan! It's really close before your eyes!..."