Chapter 2077: Chapter 1518: Europe’s "Sweet Party," Praise "White Sugar"! (Part 2)

"Almighty protect us! Perhaps, compared to these natives running wild in the jungle, these indigenous people backed by tribes... another kind of cheap product from the West Africa coast is more suitable for my Natal development... those truly useful, strong slaves! After all, from Sierra Leone in West Africa to this new continent port, a favorable wind only takes a month or even less! I could even bring the navy and do it myself..."

Upon thinking this, Bruno lowered his eyes, hiding these calculations unsuitable to confide in the priest, silently in his heart. Father Faria glanced at Bruno, frowned thoughtfully, and then spoke again.

"Baron Bruno, the exploration and development of this new continent colony seem to be much faster than the usual practice on the West Africa coast! And the royal family’s attitude, as well as yours, is so urgent?..."

"Ah?"

"Before I arrived, I heard that... the sacred King Joao is unwell, and has not attended mass at Lisbon Cathedral for several months!"

"..."

Bruno was silent for a moment, his thoughts returning from the glittering gold coins to reality. He wore a wry smile and nodded in agreement.

"Yes! Holy Mother protect us, His Majesty’s illness is indeed concerning... His Majesty hopes to quickly, quickly verify the southern route of the Atlantic New Route, to hear a definite good news... This is also the reason why upon arriving here, I immediately headed south for exploration! Alas, the southern coast of the new continent is just as desolate and vast as the southern coast of Africa, impossible to find the end..."

"As for me... I also hope to develop this colony early while having His Majesty’s support! After all, later on, if there is a new majesty... I don’t know what kind of attitude they will hold, whether they will give such full support..."

"Ah, I see! Baron Bruno, the royal family’s support is indeed crucial... of course, for a possible new continent, a vast new diocese, whether it’s the Lisbon Church or the Vatican, they would also be very excited and willing to provide ample support! It’s just that the Holy See needs to know first..."

Father Faiar pondered for a while, drew a cross, and asked meaningfully.

"Baron Bruno, before I came, Cardinal Costa, who is also the Archbishop of Lisbon, Jorge Da Costa, told me that the place I’m going to is a newly discovered overseas great island by the Kingdom of Portugal... It seems King Joao has not informed Archbishop Costa, nor has he notified the Vatican, that the kingdom has discovered a new continent?..."

"Uh..."

Bruno was momentarily speechless, hesitated for several moments, then managed a smile.

"Respected Father! Archbishop Costa is old, already nearly 90 years old... He is enjoying his later years at the Vatican, and King Joao perhaps didn’t want to trouble... trouble the Archbishop with concern... Moreover, King Joao is also unwell, perhaps he didn’t think to..."

"May the merciful Almighty protect King Joao!..."

With a few words, Father Faiar had already confirmed the attitude of the Portuguese royal family, and sensed the implicit hostility between Portugal and Castile. He pursed his lips and, after a moment of silence, sighed.

"Almighty witness! This jungle-like new continent is so vast, there is potential communication with the Atlantic New Route, it’s understandable that King Joao wants to monopolize and delay concealment..."

"It’s just... Quem semeia ventos, colhe tempestades! Those who sow the wind will reap the storm! His Majesty refused Pope Alexander’s mediation, still insisting on the 1479 Alcazovash Treaty, reluctant to accept the ’New Christian Meridian’ to clearly divide Atlantic ownership with the Dual Kings, even imprisoning Castilian captain Columbus for almost two years... This is truly, truly too dangerous!..."

Speaking of this, Father Faiar shook his head. The tense hostility between the West and Portugal, and the disapproval towards the Roman Church, made him, a priest of the Portuguese Church, truly anxious.

"His Majesty’s choice... refusing Pope Alexander’s mediation... this is also the will of the entire royal family..."

Reflecting on the Peninsula’s tense situation, Bruno was also somewhat silent. Last year, King Joao explicitly rejected Pope Alexander’s mediation, did not sign the ’Tordesillas Treaty’. Naturally, it was not rejecting the beneficial ’Christian Meridian shift westwards’ for Portugal, not rejecting the increase of ’Holy See-recognized Portuguese overseas territories’.

The crux of this dispute lies in King Joao’s insistence on retaining a ’Supplementary Treaty’ from the Alcazovash Treaty, namely ’Portugal gaining monopoly rights on the Africa coast and Atlantic waters, including future exploration and conquest!’. While the Dual Kings of Castile replied that this ’Supplementary Treaty’ must be abolished, the sides should directly, according to the new Christian Meridian, clearly divide world ownership...

In other words, with the news Columbus brought back, the Kingdom of Portugal changed its stance, firmly believing there exists an ’Atlantic New Route’. To retain nominal monopoly rights over this ’Atlantic New Route’, King Joao is willing to maintain antagonism with Castile, engage in Atlantic naval competition, even risking war... rather than accept ’settle for safety’, accept the Holy See’s new promise of ’270 leagues’, which is a complete division of Atlantic ownership with the ’New Christian Meridian’.

"Ay! Those poor, furious Castilians, those unrestrained dangerous mad dogs!..."

"Almighty! Let King Charles invade Italy, invade the Kingdom of Sicily soon! As long as France attacks the Kingdom of Sicily, the Kingdom of Aragon will certainly not resist joining the war! At that time, the Kingdom of Castile also will have to be involved in the Italian war, and we, the Kingdom of Portugal, can peacefully develop the new continent colony, seeking the new route west to Khitan and Seris!"

Thinking of this, Bruno extended his right hand, and together with Father Faria, devoutly drew a cross. Then he opened his eyes, gazing towards the vast Atlantic Ocean, towards the return route he would embark on in two months. He would return again in autumn, bringing more Portuguese immigrants, more naval fleets, perhaps even slaves from the West Africa coast...

It’s just, during that favorable wind season then, what will the Castilians do? Knowing that the diary-loving, full of crazy talk Genoese captain Columbus has long returned to the Kingdom of Castile, bringing news of ’discovering wealthy India and Cipangu’ to the ambitious yet indebted Castilian Dual Kings...

"Ah-choo! Who is cursing me? Damn! Could it be those Portuguese navigational scholars whose faces I slapped, brains filled with donkey dung? Or perhaps, it’s this lot of poor German mercenaries?..."

Far away in the Kingdom of Aragon, in a small town outside Barcelona, Columbus sneezed thunderously, wiping his reddened nose forcefully with the sleeve of his noble attire. He then sat on a Castilian warhorse 1.6 meters high, pulled on the reins with a contented smile, and proudly called out to the mercenary captain Reinhardt, who looked stunned.

"Reinhardt! I, Castilian Admiral, noble of the honored Kingdom of Castile, Queen’s most trusted navigational advisor, Great Navigator who discovered India and Cipangu, Don Christopher Columbus... have returned from India and Cipangu, coming to meet you again!..."

"Gottverdammt! This is crazy!..."

The mercenary captain Reinhardt swallowed saliva, his face extremely cautious, and his expression extremely tense. His gaze was fixed on the tall and strong Columbus... Behind, he saw a cavalry team of as many as two hundred, fully armed, hoisting the flag of the Castilian royal family, split into two teams in a charge formation, faintly surrounding his German mercenary group within!