Aztec Eternals

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"boom!!..."

The deafening roar suddenly exploded, and the Caravel sailboat was shaking violently! The majestic waves swept across the deck and pushed the entire sailboat to the bottom, leaving only three sprawling masts. The two sailors who cut the rope were not firmly fixed, and they were swept away by the waves in an instant before they could hum.

Bruno's body lightened, his whole body was submerged in the water, and he floated up from the deck again. He closed his eyes, held his breath, and grabbed the cable tightly, sinking his nails into his flesh. The turbulent waves swept him several times, but failed to sweep him away. After a full ten seconds, the peak of the giant wave left with regret and let out a terrifying sigh.

"Om...boom!"

Huge waves cascading, endless. The Caravel sailboat is like a toy in the hands of a giant. It is first pressed into the water, then lifted up by the waves, and finally the bow suddenly rises out of the water, and then smashes down heavily, making a sour hum.

"...crack!"

The waves were surging, and the stern mast of the sailboat was overstressed and suddenly snapped! Then, the broken stern mast, with its sails, was swept away by the wake of the huge wave. A sailor who tied the mast cable let out a half-desperate cry, and was washed away by the monstrous wave and disappeared in an instant.

Under the majestic power of nature, mortals are just ants struggling in vain, desperately waiting for the ruthless judgment of fate!

After the huge wave passed, Bruno slammed heavily on the deck, trembling all over his body, and he couldn't straighten up. His hair was disheveled, and he was in a state of disarray, and even the captain's hat was swept away. After a while, he reluctantly raised his head and looked around. It was just a huge wave that could not be missed, and there were three fewer sailors on board, and even the stern mast disappeared. And this is the beginning of the storm!

"Lord!...kill...kill waves!"

Bruenor shuddered and groaned in pain, despairing of what would come next. The dim black clouds blocked the line of sight, and the rapid torrential rain formed a curtain of water, making it difficult to see even the flagship within a few hundred meters. After a while, in the roar of thunder, he regained some consciousness and shouted with all his strength.

"Put down the sails! Quick!..."

Quartermaster Mattim gritted his teeth and rushed out of the rear deck where he was hiding. He stepped on the spray on the deck and took two steps to the mainmast. The huge wave has just passed, and the formation of the next huge wave will take time, and the hull remains flat for the time being.

"Bah!..."

Matim clenched the short knife and slashed several times, and finally cut off the cable tied to the sail!

"boom!"

The huge sail was full of water and fell straight down, against Matim's head, hitting the wet deck with a thud. Several sailors came at the same time, hoisted the mainmast sail, and tied it tightly to the boat. If the mainsail is lost, there is no spare on board. Soon the sails of the foremast were also lowered by Haroldo.

When all the sails were down, the Caravel was a little more stable, no longer affected by the wind, but just undulating with the waves.

"call!"

Bruno took a long breath. He knelt on the deck and raised his head, only the black clouds cascading in front of him, and he couldn't see any light from the sky.

"Merciful Lord! I beseech you, bless your pious people, and grant me the light that shines on my soul!  …"

After a moment of prayer, the surrounding storms remained unchanged, as if the judgment of the last days seemed to never end. Not far away, there was another terrifying sound of the tide.

"Om...boom!..."

Bruno looked up, and another terrifying giant wave was rising in front of him, rising to a height of more than ten meters in a moment. The sailors on the boat looked terrified, tied themselves to the ropes frantically, and then fell to the ground, holding the board tightly.

"Ah!... Lord, please..."

"Boom...boom!!..."

The wind roared day and night, and the showers continued. The turbulent waves took the Portuguese exploration fleet, shaking violently, while heading south. Lightning bolts fell from time to time, illuminating the rising waves, and also outlined the scene of doomsday. And every time a huge wave comes and drowns the tiny sailboat, it means a test of life and death!

The terrible storm lasted for nearly five days before it fell behind the fleet. Afterwards, the wind and waves slowed down temporarily, and everyone saved their lives. The stratus clouds rolled slightly, revealing a little skylight.

Bunolu came out of the deck cabin where he was hiding and looked at the storm that was still raging more than a dozen miles away, his face was almost blank. During these five days, the ship tossed day and night, up and down, left and right, and from time to time it was submerged by big waves and pushed into the sea. Even old fur seals like him vomited in the dark and had no appetite.

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All the crew, every moment, seems to be suffering on the edge of hell! Even if he hides in the cabin, he can't feel at ease, let alone fall asleep. Because, in such a terrible storm, once the boat capsizes, everyone is dead!

"Quick! Scoop out all the water in the cabin!"

Bunuuru didn't have time to sigh, and immediately called out the order. The sailors mustered their remaining physical strength, like whitish corpses, struggling to carry wooden barrels and scooping water from the cabin.

Yesterday afternoon, the lower side of the ship on the right side was hit violently by something, and then a large mouth was split open. The souls of all the people on the boat were gone, and the carpenter Ivo, holding a wooden board, rushed up. He tried his best to block the crack, but the sea was still pouring into the boat. Afterwards, everyone was in a hurry and worked anxiously all night before finally reluctantly mending the broken crack.

"Fortunately, my boat is from Captain Diogo, made of sturdy fir, and it's not too old..."

Bruno was happy in his heart. He boarded the deck, stood up, and under the dim sky, tried to find other ships. The waves in the past few days are surging in one direction. As long as the sail is lowered, the boat will not drift too far.

Everyone looked at the drowsy sea and searched in vain for a long time, but found nothing. It was not until noon, when the sky light penetrated the clouds and the field of vision was slightly wider, a Caravel sailboat suddenly appeared in front of Bunolu's eyes. And beside the Caravel sailboat, there is a tattered cross-sail supply ship.

"It's the flagship of the fleet, the 'San Christovan'! ... The supply ship is actually there!"

Bunolu looked carefully, the flagship was parked a few miles away, and it seemed to be in good condition. All three masts remained intact, and not even the mainsail was fully lowered, but kept close to the deck at a very low height.

"This is..."

He was stunned for a while, then looked at the undulating flagship for a while, and then he realized the key. It turned out that the mainsail was folded in half and lowered to a certain height, so that the boat could be lifted as much as possible in rough seas, so as not to be completely engulfed.

"Captain Dias' sailing skills are indeed... admirable..."

After a long while, Bunolu sighed lowly. Captain Dias was born from a noble background, and must have the most precious maritime heritage. He has experienced many years at sea and has rich experience. And these precious inheritances and experiences will decide your life and death at a critical moment!

"Boss, flagship, rely on... come over!"

Harold looked for a moment, and hurried to Bunolu's side. His voice was hoarse, and the whole person lost weight, but instead looked a little lean.

"Huh?... The flagship signaled a semaphore!"

Hearing this, Bruno widened his eyes and looked at the approaching flagship.

"Raise the sails and continue south!!"

"Raise the sails and continue south!!"

"Foda-se! Crazy, crazy! Dias is the devil!"

Seeing the semaphore, Bruno was instantly furious. He thumped the deck angrily and roared.

"Continue to the south?! We have just passed through a storm area, and we are heading south, but it is still a storm!"

However, the flagships only give orders and do not give them a choice. Soon the flagship came to a halt, turned the bow again, and raised the sails.

"Foda-se!"

Bruno groaned in despair. He turned to look north, where the storm he had passed through was still going on. He looked south again, and the new storm shone with electric light. Caught between two storms, what choice does the fleet have? The new captain reached out his hand helplessly and felt the still strong northwest wind, so he had to order again.

"Raise the sails and keep going south!...Don't be too dead, be ready to lower your sails at any time!...God, devil, bless me whoever it is...as long as I survive , I will surely make sacrifices to You!"

Of course, the last two sentences can only be heard by Bruno himself.

A day later, three Portuguese expedition ships, with their sails full, slammed into the southern storm again with strong winds. This time, the terrifying storm lasted for a full seven days, and the mountain-like waves appeared one after another. When the fleet broke out of the storm again, everyone was exhausted and collapsed on the deck like dying salted fish. And the sailors on each boat have disappeared by at least a quarter compared to half a month ago!

"Foda-se!... Thirteen days, a hellish voyage that lasted thirteen days!"

Bruno was sore and lay down on the deck, looking at the long-lost clear sky. The sun fell from the pure blue sky, and shone on his vampire pale face, as if it was a gift from the Lord...or maybe, a gift from the devil...

"Foda-se! Tenhosaudades! I miss that old home! ... If there's another storm, we'll all go to hell! ..."

The new captain was motionless, staring absently at the unfamiliar sky. Beside him, there were the newly minted sailor Harold, the quartermaster Mattim, and the carpenter Ivo. As the officers of the ship, the four of them exhausted all their physical strength, not to mention the ordinary sailors.

Fortunately, Bruenor's prophecy did not take effect. The fleet has passed through the most threatening storm zone. The storm subsided, and the next few days were clear. The wind at this time turned due west, whistling day and night, but it was the prevailing westerly belt.

The fleet has been drifting for too long in the storm. Dias' face was pale and his expression solemn. Standing on the deck, he looked at the boundless sea. Although his face did not change, his heart was full of confusion.

"This is where?"

Dias pondered for a long time. In this unknown sea area, he could never see any reference and make an accurate judgment. But in any case, the first priority now is to dock as soon as possible to repair the severely damaged fleet.

After a few breaths, he stretched out his hand, felt the mighty west wind, and gave an order.

"Raise the sails and turn east!"

The captain's will was not defied. Because those who dared to disobey were turned into corpses in the sea. However, after experiencing such a terrifying storm, undercurrents surged in the hearts of everyone and became an unspeakable consensus. Finally, the feeling of surviving the storm and surviving the catastrophe made one's whole body weak, and the homesickness accumulated like a tide, waiting for the day when it broke out.

On January 29, 1488, the Portuguese exploration fleet continued eastward. With the strong west wind, they sailed for three days overnight and traveled at least 800 miles. However, the African continent, which should have appeared in the east, has not appeared for a long time. Nautical Captain Perot measures latitude, approximately between 37 and 39 degrees north latitude.

Dias was puzzled at first, but after thinking about it, an unbelievable thought suddenly came to his mind! He suppressed the conjecture in his heart and ordered again.

"Turn the sail so that the sail is 45 degrees to the west wind and 45 degrees to the hull! Turn the bow to the north!"

The broken Portuguese fleet then turned and sailed north at half speed with the help of the westerly wind. But two days later, on the afternoon of February 3, the long coastline reappeared. Only, this time, the coastline of the southern continent is pointing horizontally!

"God bless! This, this land, turned out to be the direction of east and west!"

Dias stood at the bow of the boat, looking at the coastline that stretched from east to west, sluggish for a few breaths. Then, boundless ecstasy came over him, making him shudder.

At this moment, he clearly understands that he has finally bypassed the southernmost part of the African continent, and the route to India and Sirius is right in front of him!

"Merciful Lord! Thank you for your gift! You have sent angels to announce peace to the devout believers, and with your peace you have preserved our lives! ... Praise you, eternal Savior! Thank you, Bless me, I found the route to the east!!"

Dias cried with joy, knelt down on the deck, and prayed loudly.

He raised his head and looked at the clear blue sky, only to feel shrouded in divine light. At this moment, he was very sure that the Lord blessed him and the Portuguese. The will given by the Pope, the decree issued by the king, and the unfulfilled wish of an old friend are destined to be realized in his hands! And he is about to be remembered by the world of God, or even canonized after his death, and will be engraved in history forever!

"Praise the Lord ~www.readwn.com~ for the grace to me! After the first time the Phoenicians circled Africa, exactly two thousand years later, I will lead the fleet again, to the flow of milk and honey, full of gems and The eastern land of spices! And the new trade route will be in my hands, as well as in the hands of the Portuguese kingdom!~~”

Dias's cry was maddened and spread in the mighty sea breeze. On the flagship "San Christovan", the surviving crew members looked at each other, and some thoughts were hidden in their eye contact.

Not far off the coast, a low Khoisan was grazing a few lean cows, grazing in the coastal meadows. He heard the cry in the wind, climbed up the hill in doubt, and looked at the sailboats on the southern sea. At this moment, the oldest nation in Africa finally meets the youngest nation in Europe.

At this moment, the Khoisan herdsmen do not know what will happen to this land that has belonged to them for generations. He just looked at it in surprise for a moment, and then sang in a low voice with a smile.

"Mother of the Moon! Thank you for bringing me good luck! I saw a strange ship with a cross on it... Where is this wizard from, sitting on a ghost board, where do you want to go?. ..”

At the southernmost tip of Africa, on the splendid Sunshine Coast, the melodious singing rang out, echoing the shouts of Portuguese on the opposite side. This is like a friendly greeting, telling the beautiful beginning of the story, and the subsequent death and blood and tears are hidden behind the sea and the sky~