The gold candelabras, hanging on the four walls of the great hall, showcased the wealth of the Portuguese Royal Family. The candlelight flickered, illuminating the large oil painting of the Holy Mother, as if she had descended. The compassionate smile of the Holy Mother, with a human glow, gazed at the two people in the hall. This was the latest holy painting from the City-States of the Apennine Peninsula, completely breaking away from the traditional rigid and abstract holy icons, making the saints co to life!
Under the gaze of the Holy Mother, Dias bowed his head, carefully reading the precious letter in his hand. This letter took over half a year, traveling over eight thousand miles, to reach the court of Sintra, bringing valuable intelligence from the East.
"My respected Your Majesty, your loyal knight retainer, Pero da Covilha reports back... For the grace of the Lord and the glory of the kingdom, I am about to set off from Cairo to the most important holy land of the Crescent Moon, the place where the Holy Book first appeared... I have already learned many rumors about India and Seris from rchants coming and going, and there will be more detailed sea route information on the eastern coast..."
"Knight Pero da Covilha? It’s him!"
Upon reading this, Dias’s expression flickered, and he was thoughtful. He recalled a young face with Moorish features, both devout and fearless.
"Hmm. Young Pero is from the kingdom, a Beller, and once served the brother of the Duke of dina Sidonia. A few years ago, he beca my knight retainer, tending to my horses. Even though I have already knighted him, he still often regards himself as a retainer."
Saying this, Joao II smiled. It was young Pero’s loyalty that made him choose the latter as the envoy and spy for the Kingdom of Portugal.
"Young Pero’s ancestry has Moorish blood. His Arabic is proficient, and his appearance is also easily confused... Dias, two years ago, you sailed a sea ship from the Southern Continent around to the East, while young Pero went to Egypt and infiltrated Arab rchant caravans, seeking specific intelligence on India and Seris along the traditional Silk Road... Your discoveries are the kingdom’s top secrets!"
Upon hearing this, Dias slowly nodded. He showed an expression of anticipation and continued to read on.
"...The Mamluk Generals of Egypt, along with the troops of the Ottomans, just concluded a years-long campaign in Adana, north of the Syrian province. Tens of thousands of Mamluk forces mobilized massively, defeating two Ottoman legions and capturing their legion commander. The Ottomans’ ambition to expand into Syria has been temporarily repelled... As I write this letter, Cairo is celebrating the victory, distributing free bread..."
"However, the Egyptian generals are deeply conflicted, and internal fighting is frequent. This ancient land of Pharaohs seems to be filled with a sort of stale air... In contrast, the Sultan of the Ottomans is like lightning, with a daunting determination... Whew! There is no distinction of good or evil in the wars among the heathens, it is all a fight between demons, and among the two demons, I have more hope for the new one..."
Reading this, Dias furrowed his brow. Due to the fall of Constantinople, the citizens of the Lord generally both detest and fear the rapidly rising Ottomans. anwhile, the Mamluk Generals of the Southern Continent have long lost their aggressive spirit and no longer pose a threat to the Catholic World. In fact, the Kingdom of Portugal and the Mamluk Generals of Egypt even have secret trade dealings, and it is through such channels that this precious letter was transmitted back.
"...Your Majesty, during conversations with Egyptian rchants, I discovered the source of their spices and also heard more accurate information from the East. Their spices co from the southeast trade nodes of the Red Sea, connecting with the port city of Aden on the Southern Continent. There, one can find rchant ships traveling to and from India. And this heathen port city will be my next target!"
"The port city connecting the Southern Continent, Aden?"
Dias was slightly taken aback. He vaguely sensed so kind of premonition; it was the northernmost tip of the eastern side of the Southern Continent.
"...When I arrive in Aden, there are not only ships going to India but also ships heading to the eastern side of the Southern Continent. According to another rchant from Lower Egypt, from Aden all the way south, the entire eastern side of the Southern Continent is inhabited by tribes of the Black-skinned Tribe, who follow the Crescent Moon. And the fabled kingdom of King Solomon, the Gate of Alexander, and the Fountain of Youth, the land of Elder John, is surrounded by the Black-skinned Tribes of the Crescent Moon!"
"...Your Majesty, after my repeated calculations, the location of the land of Elder John is at the southernmost part of the Nile’s upper reaches, west of Aden’s port... sowhere between 15 degrees north latitude and the Equator!"
"Ah? Between 15 degrees north latitude and the Equator!"
Upon seeing this precise description, Dias was startled. He finally understood why the King inquired about the latitude of the voyage. It turned out, from the Cape of Good Hope eastward and northward, along the edge of the Southern Continent, one has to traverse as many as 40 degrees of latitude to find the land of Elder John!
"Dias, young Pero told , the entire eastern side of the Southern Continent stretches for thousands of miles, all inhabited by the Black-skinned tribes who follow the Crescent Moon. There are many Crescent Moon rchant fleets there, especially caravans by the coastal Omanis. It is said that there is a Malik dynasty in the east of the Peninsula, near India!"
Upon saying this, Joao II’s expression beca solemn, and he spoke in a deep voice.
"These heathen rchant fleets control the spice trade of India. For the kingdom’s rchant fleets to head north, they must defeat them!"
"The Omanis?..."
Dias nodded, pondering silently. The kingdom’s explorer fleets had gone through great hardships, rounding the Southern Continent and heading north, only to end up clashing with the Crescent Moon heathen fleets!
"Therefore, the Kingdom must establish naval outposts along the Southern Continent, but should not be too aggressive. Do not advance too far before accumulating sufficient strength to attract the navy of heathens."
Joao II lowered his eyes and set a new mariti strategy. The route to East Africa is too distant, cut off by the storms of the Cape of Good Hope, and the enemy is too powerful. At this stage, it is still necessary to focus on consolidating the interests along the West African coast, building more fortresses and outposts, and controlling the coastal chiefdoms and gold mines."
Understanding the underlying aning of the King’s words, Dias felt a bit anxious. He earnestly spoke once more.
"Your Majesty! The route to India is just one step away! I am willing to lead the fleet and set sail again..."
Joao II extended his hand to stop the plea of the royal steward.
"Dias, do not rush. Continue reading. Young Pero will infiltrate the Omani fleet and follow them to India. Furthermore, he will record the latitudes and landmarks along the way, providing more accurate information for the Kingdom’s future voyages."
"...Yes."
Dias pressed his lips tightly, once more looking at the tattered letter in his hand. For the navigators of the Kingdom of Portugal, the East had never felt so close.
"Your Majesty, I learned from an Indian sailor that the lands once conquered by Alexander the Great are now occupied by the Kingdom of the Crescent Moon! The Crescent Moon Religion has already penetrated the prosperous India. The Mongol Khan, who once defeated the Ottoman people and controlled Persia and the northwestern India, has been dead for years. His empire has also shattered and divided..." "And in sopotamia, the Turkn’s White Sheep Dynasty is also mired in division and civil strife. All the threats to the east of the Ottoman people have vanished, and there is no longer any counterbalance..."
Seeing this, Dias’s expression beca solemn. He secretly sighed and looked again to the end of the letter.
"Almighty’s protection! Your Majesty, at the end of the letter, I have one last piece of good news! It is intelligence from the Seris, the silk country of the East!"
"Over fifty years ago, the Emperor of the Seris sent an extraordinarily large rchant fleet that reached the port of Aden! It is said that the fleet consisted of one or two hundred large Clark ships, with more than ten thousand sailors and soldiers, fully loaded with the East’s valuable silk and porcelain, coming from the southernmost parts of the Indian continent... The imnse wealth that fleet brought made the Omani rchant caravans rember it even half a century later!... "What! One or two hundred large Clark ships, more than ten thousand sailors and soldiers?"
Dias’s face was full of shock. A mont later, he shook his head and laughed. Such a vast navy, even larger than the combined total of the Western European countries at that ti, must surely be an exaggerated rumor! However, the silk and porcelain of the Seris...
Dias raised his head and looked at Joao II. In both their eyes, a deep longing sparkled! A light Byzantine silk short garnt was worth two hundred Venetian ducat gold coins, almost a hundred tis its own weight. And a real silk robe from the Seris, that value would drive the Kingdom’s nobility mad!
"The Seris of the East... a silk-rich country flowing with wealth..."
Dias gingerly held the letter, as if he were holding the exquisite and costly silk of the Seris. He eagerly looked towards the letter’s conclusion.
"Benevolent Almighty, shelter the Kingdom! Your Majesty, I am about to board the Omani rchant ship, head to the Crescent Moon Holy Land, then to the port of Aden, in search of the prosperous India and Seris!"
"I also purchased from the Omanis so paper of the Seris, it contains a thousand words poem composed of Seris characters, said to be learned by children for enlightennt. And the Kingdom’s future, if it wishes to trade with the Seris, must learn their script... May the Almighty bless , allowing to return safely!"
"A thousand enlightennt characters? A poem of the Seris?"
Dias looked at the King, curious in his eyes. The Seris have been glimpsed in ancient epics, enduring for thousands of years. All that they are, seems shrouded in mystery, apart from the silk and porcelain that symbolize wealth, it seems they also possess an ancient and splendid civilization."
"Hmm. The characters of the Seris, as recorded by Ancient Roman scholars, are peculiar block-like scripts that resemble mystical drawings..."
Joao II nodded, offering a faint smile.
"I have already asked the court envoys of the Royal Family to study it well... The Kingdom’s fleet continues its progress, and one day, we shall et the Seris and obtain the true wealth of the East!"
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