Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

Chapter 1898 1371: Not India, but the New Continent!

"The Ancient Greek Epic 'Odyssey'? The immortal voyage of Odysseus?... Whew! This latest popular Ancient Greek epic truly left a deep impression on me..."Under the splendid Star Han, the galaxy lay like a ribbon. Scholar Martin Behaim stood at the bow, the wine-red long feather in his nobility cap waving in the fierce sea wind. He gazed at the vast expanse of the Forest Sea, and the scene from three months ago when he embarked on the sea ship through deceit seemed like a distant nightmare, no longer as clear.

Three months ago, he was tricked by a letter from the other party into going to a meeting alone. Then, a drink with added ingredients sent this noble-born scholar onto an exploration pirate ship of life and death. When he awoke in the unforgettable dim cabin, a knife was to his throat, and he was forced to write a letter stating he was voluntarily setting sail...

It's fair to say, whenever he recalls this experience of a noble scholar encountering a pirate navy, he's filled with unparalleled anger and remorse! Just a day before, he was living with his beautiful wife in a luxurious and exquisite nobility manor, lying on a soft cotton bed three meters wide. The next day, he was confined in a narrow cabin, sleeping on the damp and cold planks without even wool to wipe himself!

However, after sailing for three months and experiencing another life-and-death navigation, he finally reached this vast and new land, and his feelings indeed changed. More importantly, his life was still in the hands of this group of pirate navy! One must know when to let go when necessary!...

"Ah! Bruno, my old friend... This Atlantic ocean voyage is indeed thrilling, leaving me utterly shocked! I never imagined that merely two or three months of sailing would lead to the discovery of a truly vast and new continent in the once blank and deep southwestern ocean!"

"Haha! Venturing far from the continent and deep into the unsupported ocean is indeed shocking... Hmm? Wait a minute! Martin, what did you say?!..."

Bruno suddenly froze! He stood there, stunned, his jaw dropped in disbelief as he repeated.

"Did you just say... this is?... Here is?... a new... continent?!"

"That's right! I'm very sure this is a brand new continent!"

Noble scholar Martin nodded with certainty. His gaze was somewhat deep as he watched the boundless Forest Sea. Then, he took off the wine-red long feather on his hat, a gift from Sir Silvira to this Governor's son-in-law, given to win him over. Using the vibrant long feather, he pointed toward the southern jungle, speaking meaningfully.

"This is a tropical continent never recorded before! It doesn't look like India, much less could it be Seris! Many of the trees here I've never seen. The birds and beasts here also present a brand-new appearance..."

"More importantly! After observing by the edge of this jungle for about ten days, I couldn't spot a single large animal! No elephants, no hippos, no lions, and no tigers! And that strange long-nosed beast is something never recorded before!"

"A deep sea land that shouldn't exist, birds and beasts never seen before, a boundless forest sea devoid of human presence... As I pondered over this, excluding all impossible possibilities, there's only one unbelievable yet all-explaining answer! That is, this vast and untamed land is a new continent! It is a new continent never recorded in history, lying between the East and Europe!"

"Ah! The New Continent!!"

In that instant, Bruno felt as if he were struck by an invisible giant hammer, heavily. He staggered, leaning against the ship's rail, his eyes slightly dazed, murmuring lowly, yet starting to believe somewhat.

"Indeed! The new continent... This might very well be the new continent! A new land between the East and Europe! This news is bound to shock the entire Kingdom of Portugal and even the entire Catholic World!"

"In this way, the issue of longitudinal distance can be explained! And the Earth's circumference indeed aligns with scholars' calculations, with no contradictions whatsoever!"

"Based on the Earth's circumference of 40,000 kilometers, and the estimated 20,000-kilometer distance by scholars... the route from Europe to Seris is also 20,000 kilometers! No, no! If it's between the latitudes of 20-30 degrees north, then it's not 20,000 kilometers... probably only 15,000 kilometers?"

"And the distance we've covered in our voyage might not even be 7,000 kilometers, not even completing half the distance, and we've already reached this massively unknown new continent... Moreover, further west from this new continent, reaching the new route to the East... requires at least another half, at least three to four more months!"

Lamenting on this string of unresolved questions, Bruno's mind felt like a tangled ball of yarn, impossible to unravel. Nor did he possess the wisdom to decisively cut through the confusion and see all mysteries clearly!

At this moment, he furrowed his brows, pondering repeatedly for a long time, unable to ascertain whether his inference was true or false? Much less hastily writing a voyage report to Lord Joao. To make everything certain, he needed to sail further, see more, and hear additional native information!

"Chief! Captain! We found out!"

"Mm, found out what?.."

"We extracted intelligence from the captive!"

Just then, Sailor Chief Haloduo approached Bruno with a wide grin, accompanied by the ominous-looking Quartermaster Matim. They exchanged glances, and Matim gestured for the more talkative Haloduo to speak first.

"The Almighty bless! It's incredible... The native guide 'Ashu' whom Columbus captured from the Bahamas Islands, could unexpectedly have a barely comprehensible conversation with the native captured in this southern rainforest!"

"Exactly! Captain, if Columbus's interrogation result is truthful... then it means the Bahamas natives at 25 degrees north latitude unexpectedly have a very similar tribal language to the rainforest natives at 8 degrees north? Given the distance of several thousand li between them, it doesn't seem like they should have any connection..."

"Indeed, indeed! Chief... the newly captured native prisoner couldn't withstand the interrogation and confessed while crying out! They call themselves 'Lokono People' (Lokono), always living in the forest, never visiting any islands! Their tribe isn't far, just a few days' distance hidden in the southern side of the rainforest. Their tribes and the surrounding tribes are very small, usually only ten palms to thirty palms, fifty to one or two hundred people?"

"Yes! Captain, we can be sure! There's indeed no powerful Great Tribe backing this tribe! They've never seen ironware, only using wooden and stone weapons, nothing like armor. As long as we find their village, it's easy to defeat them!... However, they're already extremely poor with nothing of value, not even clothes to mention shining gold... Well, women could bring short enjoyment, but we can't bring them on the ship, making it not worth running so far in the jungle..."

"Indeed! Chief, I repeatedly questioned this prisoner! He's never heard of any Devil's Curse, nor heard of symptoms of fever leading to death! They don't have any Devil Priest, only some wizards communicating with grass, wood, and stones, sounding like they hold no mana... these natives don't seem to have experienced the Southern Continent's Devil's Curse? It's very strange indeed! I wonder if they're lying to us..."

"That's it!... Captain, this prisoner said they never thought of attacking us. They secretly approached just to see if we were actually the fearsome 'Carib'?... Reportedly, those are a rowing and fierce group of Wild Men, running amok 'whizz whizz' on the western coast and northern islands, 'crack crack' plundering!"

Sailor Chief Haloduo and Quartermaster Matim took turns speaking, vividly depicting a scene of wild man tribes in the forest, painting a primitive picture before Bruno's eyes. After hearing this description, Bruno pondered quietly for a long time, capturing two key points.

"The rowing plundering 'Carib' are extremely fierce and dangerous? Is this fierce tribe spoken of by the captive the same as Columbus's 'Cipangu Natives' rowing for attacks? If so, then we must stay vigilant throughout the subsequent voyages, keeping the eight-pound cannon and iron bullets ready!"

"Northern islands? Is he saying there are non-continental islands in the northern sea? Where are these islands, and how large are they? What relation do they have with the native islands Columbus reached? Are they not far apart, located side by side?"

"Go! Take me to the lower deck of the cabin! I want to interrogate this native prisoner personally, having Ashu obediently and carefully translate each sentence! Translate well, and I'll reward him with meat, with uses for him in the future!... Mm, he's indeed valuable! Even if food shortages arise again, do not entertain thoughts about this guide!"

"The Holy Mother bless! I have a strong premonition that those mighty 'Cipangu Natives' and the 'Native Kingdom' linked to the East are just before us!"