"Columbus, the King has decreed that you are released."

"Ahahaha! I, Columbus, have finally returned once more!..."

"Ahahaha! Thank you, Envoy of the Queen, for coming to get me out of prison, and bringing a four-wheeled carriage fit for nobility... Huh?! Why is it you?! Eliyahu, you wretch destined for the Hell of Fire!"

Columbus stood at the prison gate, having changed into the clothes that were originally confiscated from him. Though still tattered, at least now he looked like a respectable person. Beside him was Captain De La Cosa, looking haggard and frail, obviously tormented by the life in prison.

As for the other sailors of the Holy Maria, only eight remained, even the Navigator Pedro was missing, perhaps even dead from illness. As for these ordinary low-level sailors, the Portuguese say that if they died, they died; even if the Kingdom of Castile pursued the matter, at most they would compensate with dozens of silver coins...

At this moment, the Jewish merchant Eliyahu emerged with a smile from the luxurious four-wheeled carriage. He smiled warmly as he looked Columbus up and down before speaking with a grin.

"Of course it's me! Columbus, the prison meals were quite good these days, weren't they? All bought with my money!..."

"..."

Columbus pursed his lips, unable to curse as a man who has eaten humbles himself after being imprisoned for so long. He uncharacteristically refrained from swearing, just gave Eliyahu, dressed in Chinese clothes, a complex look and asked.

"The Holy Mother has truly opened her eyes! You stingy fellow, how come you are suddenly so generous?..."

"Haha! Columbus, after all, your status is not the same as before! Now you are a Great Navigator who discovered new trade routes, a captain who has been to India and Japan and back again... being imprisoned by the Kingdom of Portugal has only validated your exploration of new trade routes and enhanced your reputation... you know, your fame in Castile is now that of a 'navigator hero imprisoned by the Portuguese'! ... Entertaining a navigator hero with a few good meals is my honor..."

"I am really the navigation hero of the Castilians? Hmm... indeed, that is true!"

Upon hearing this, Columbus nodded confidently, looked around a bit, and then asked confidently.

"Praise the Almighty! So where is the Envoy the Queen sent for my release?"

"..."

Seeing the now even more confident Columbus, the Jewish merchant Eliyahu was somewhat speechless. He straightened his large beard and shook his head.

"For the past two months, no Castilian envoys have arrived in Lisbon. As for the news of your release, the Kingdom of Castile probably does not know yet..."

"What? No envoy to receive me? The Kingdom doesn't know yet?"

Upon hearing this, Columbus was jolted with a strong sense of crisis. If on the way back, the Portuguese decided to assassinate him, claiming some bandit or Crusader did it, where would he find justice? After all, he had offended the Portuguese King...

"Columbus, come, get in my carriage! I'll treat you to a meal at the port, then send you to the border..."

"Nonsense! Eliyahu, every time I run into you, there's no good to come of it! Who needs your hospitality?! Get out of my way!..."

"Hmm? This attitude? ... The two thousand gold ducats you owe me, the IOU is still in my hand!..."

Seeing Columbus' ingratitude, Eliyahu's expression turned cold as he retreated two steps, allowing two burly Slavs to step forward. Seeing this familiar scene, Columbus' knees weakened again. He looked at the haggard sailors behind him, bit his lip, hesitated for a moment, then bowed his head and conceded.

"Eliyahu, I'll repay the two thousand gold coins I owe you little by little in the future! I am also very grateful for your hospitality while I was in prison... But now the situation is urgent; the Portuguese are certainly looking to harm me!... I must quickly spread the news of my release, then gather some horses, donkeys, and mules and rush to Castile before the Portuguese develop murderous intent... Only by surviving can I continue to repay you!"

"...Danger? What danger? ... Columbus, you are too paranoid!"

Confused by these words, Eliyahu looked around. Besides a few Portuguese soldiers looking from a hill in the distance, he didn't see anything unusual.

Besides, Lisbon was his stronghold. As the manager of the Venetian Company, he had been operating there for many years; which local soldier, jailer, or patrol hadn't received his money? If anything were amiss, surely someone he bribed would inform him!

"Strange! This Jewish merchant we're supposed to apprehend, how did he end up involved with Columbus?"

From a distant hill, Bruno, dressed in a military uniform with a long hat, frowned as he watched the meeting between the Jewish merchant and Columbus. The surrounding spear-bearing soldiers were all from the Portuguese Navy and had nothing to do with the local patrols.

To capture such a big fish, Chief Nuno naturally would not use those corrupted local soldiers. He directly deployed the navy's manpower, collaborating with the Church's Inquisition, ensuring that the opposite party wouldn't receive any information beforehand or slip away...

"Wait! Why is Columbus going west instead of east? What's to the west? The port? What's he going to do at the port? That Jewish merchant is also heading west with him?..."

"Boss, should we follow them?"

"Yes, follow them! Keep a distance; don't let that Jew notice us!"

Soon, noticing the movement of Columbus and his group, Bruno frowned harder, sensing something amiss. When he and his men finally arrived at the port after making a detour, the scene before him combined with the shouting of Columbus in his raspy voice made him burst with anger and raise his blood pressure!

Columbus stood on a pile of goods on the jetty at the port, waving a sailor's hat he somehow obtained, and, in Portuguese and Italian, he confidently and passionately shouted toward the hundreds of onlookers, towards the many nobles and merchants!

"Witness by the Almighty! I am Don Christopher Columbus, the Great Navigator personally appointed by the Queen of Castile! With unparalleled courage and devout fearlessness, I sailed west across the depth of the Atlantic Ocean to reach the East's Cipangu and India, and returned alive with news of new trade routes! It was for these new routes that the Portuguese King imprisoned me for a year and a half!"

"Blessed by the Holy Mother! I am a Castilian noble, a navigation hero, a Great Navigator who discovered new trade routes! And now, released from prison, the Portuguese have robbed me of my ship and belongings, leaving me without a single copper coin!"

"But, I know the new routes to the East! To the gold-rich Japan, to the spice-abundant India, to Seris overflowing with silk and porcelain! This is the real road to wealth, capable of making everyone prosperous! The Portuguese have also learned of the new route, but they will never share it with you... But I, the Great Navigator Columbus, will generously choose to share!"

"Witness by the Almighty again! Simply sponsor me, the Great Navigator Columbus, with one horse, mule, or donkey! I'll share the locations of Cipangu and India with them! Share the wealth-bearing routes with them! Just think, a donkey, horse, or mule, in exchange for a ship full of spices, porcelain, and silk! What a great deal this business is!... What? A scam? I, Columbus, pledge with my honor, absolutely no deception! If I'm lying, let me descend to Hell!"

"Wonderful, wonderful! This great merchant... uh? It's you again?... Great merchant Eliyahu has already sponsored me a donkey! Are there others? I only need ten mounts total; miss out on this chance, and you will never have the golden wealth of the East again!"

"Ahem! Commander Columbus, we still lack food, also a couple of decent noble outfits, and preferably some money too..."

Among hundreds of onlookers, the noble descendant De La Cosa, with his hand over his forehead, was overwhelmed with shame. The eight sailors behind him were also dumbfounded, never having seen such a way to beg for money. But after calculating, De La Cosa, still whispered a reminder to the "begging" Commander Columbus. Soon, Columbus, once again standing tall and confident, updated the "begging" list loudly.

"Merciful Holy Mother! For just a donkey, horse, mule! One Chinese clothes! Or a gold ducat! Or a basket of food... you can head east and collect gold, spices, porcelain, and silk scattered everywhere! What a rare opportunity this is!... Missing the chance to get rich going east, even the Almighty would weep in sorrow!"

"Great! Great! Thanks to this great merchant... cough... to this merchant for sponsoring bread and wine! ... Any others? Who else wants to join?"