How to Survive in the Roanoke Colony-Chapter 169: A Tractor in Virginia, A Letter From Florida (2)

The Queen trembled, realizing that the shock she had received was greater than she thought.

She recalls when Manteo first entered the court in London, how he looked around at various cultural artifacts with wide, round eyes.

Honestly, she thought it was a bit funny then. She even felt superior when he asked if England's cultural artifacts were really made by humans, not crafted by gods.

But now... she could understand him.

There's no way such a thing could have been crafted by human hands.

She couldn't even imagine how such a machine could be rolling around in a land without a proper palace or a huge city.

"Your Majesty? Are you alright?"

Looking up, Raleigh kindly wiped the cold sweat that had formed on her forehead. The Queen nodded vaguely, got back on her horse, and said.

"I'm fine, but... I need to rest for a moment."

"There's a sandy beach nearby, let's rest there for a while. You've been through a lot."

So the two strolled along the coast for a while. Then the Queen pointed to a corner in the distance and said.

"Why are there so many broken planks?"

"...Pardon?"

At her words, Raleigh stepped out to the shore and looked around.

Then, strangely, many debris of something caught their eye.

Thinking it might be traces of a naval battle fought in the past... the two soon discover something.

The French royal flag.

"Has a ship... been wrecked nearby?"

As the Queen muttered with curiosity and looked towards Raleigh, his expression was unusual.

He seemed to be having some ominous imagination.

==

BOOM BOOM BOOM!

As the port side cannons all roared at once, the sailors also let out cheers. As the targeted enemy ship staggered and quickly turned, its side was exposed again.

Without missing that moment, the captain ordered to reload. The Spaniards on the ship moved urgently, reloading and firing the cannons.

BOOM!

As the shell directly hit the mast, cheers continued. The enemy ship, with its sail broken, had now lost both its ability to move and its fighting spirit. And then...

KABOOM!

BANG!

"..."

"..."

"..."

An explosion occurred from inside the ship, splitting the hull. Sailors who were on the enemy ship scrambled and jumped into the sea.

It seemed that a shell had reached the powder magazine, causing a chain explosion.

As the targeted ship completely exploded, at that moment, sailors and the captain alike could only helplessly watch the rising flames.

They had just lost the most valuable looting item and trophy, the 'ship.'

"Ca-Captain, what should we do now..."

"...Now that we've eliminated the escort ship, let's focus on capturing other merchant ships. For now, that alone would be a significant achievement."

After looting all the other French merchant ships nearby, the vessel returned to the port of San Agustin.

The captain immediately headed to the governor's office in Santa Elena to report, and the clerks of the governor's office organized the data and talked among themselves.

"Is this all we report to the colonial government and the council?"

"Yes. Since the first stage of the blockade is already being realized, we'll move on to the next stage..."

Creak.

As the door opened, a pale-faced man in priestly garb passed by them.

"...Who came in here?"

"Ah, it's Father Alonso Garcia. He works under Bishop Sebastian and seems to have come for diocesan business..."

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Alonso stored their conversation neatly in his mind and left the governor's building. Then he waited in his quarters until nightfall and...

After midnight, he went outside. Some people were following him.

"Father Alonso... I..."

"Shh. You must trust the people we agreed to meet here."

"But, wouldn't it be dangerous to take a ship?"

"Recently, the pace of Florida's development has accelerated, so even if I evacuate you to a safe place, you might be caught again. It would be faster to escape by sea..."

"Here."

At the voice that suddenly rang out, Alonso and the slave family following him held their breath. A small lamp flickered, focusing their attention.

"Are you Alonso Garcia who contacted the organization?"

"...Yes. Are you the organization's... 'bishop'? The one who sends slaves to Virginia?"

"That's right. This isn't a trap, is it?"

"In the name of the Lord, it is not."

At those words, the man called 'bishop' slowly revealed himself, holding the lamp. His face was covered with cloth.

"These days, the Lord's name has become like a joke. It's hard to believe..."

"..."

"You might be under surveillance from our side for a few days, so keep that in mind."

At the 'bishop's' words, Alonso nodded and gave a signal to the families following him. They quickly rushed into a warehouse-like building the 'bishop' pointed to.

"They now..."

"Now, they will board a ship disguised as a French merchant vessel, mixed among various goods. And head to Virginia."

"...What did you say? A French merchant ship?"

At the 'bishop's' words, Alonso recalls the conversation he eavesdropped on at the governor's office.

"Be, be careful. They're planning to blockade Virginia. To avoid Spanish privateers..."

"Spanish privateers? Surely Spain and France have signed a peace treaty?"

"In this vast Atlantic, how can one confirm whether it's pirates or privateers rampaging? Moreover, they mentioned something like 'the next stage'..."

"I understand. I'll relay it. Thank you for your hard work."

"Wa-wait! At least your name..."

"Teyan."

As 'Bishop' Teyan gestured, the disciples beside him blindfolded Alonso and took him far from the meeting place.

Teyan also quietly entered the warehouse building where the slaves had just gone, then gave instructions to the Spaniards and Africans there.

"Can one more letter be loaded?"

"Of course. The letter is where..."

"Here, I'll give you paper, so write it down now. This information will be delivered directly to 'Him.'"

Teyan left a letter detailing the information he had gathered as comprehensively as possible. He was soon loaded onto the 'French merchant ship' leaving San Agustin and headed to sea.

And that ship, which seemed to be crossing the Atlantic...

"Turn the direction! We're heading to the land of the Nameless One!"

Quietly headed for Virginia.

Thus, liberated slaves and a letter reached Virginia.

More precisely.

"Nameless One, a report from Florida."

"...Leave it."

To Kin Issei.