Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1503 - 1050: Thirty Pounds of Gold Coins, A Rabbit Walks Into a Wolf’s Den, Capture Them Alive!

Chapter 1503: Chapter 1050: Thirty Pounds of Gold Coins, A Rabbit Walks Into a Wolf’s Den, Capture Them Alive!

"Haha! Chief Divine bears witness! Chieftain of the Large Ship, exchange this largest stallion for me! I’ll give you ten gold coins, take them!..."

"Hmm? What’s with that expression? Not speaking, just staring with wide eyes, not moving at all? Is it not enough?... Then I’ll give you ten more!..."

"Oh! Chieftain of the Large Ship, your eyes are red! Still not agreeing? Then all these remaining ten coins are yours! This entire bag of thirty gold coins, all yours! Yes, all yours!... Haha! I only want that stallion!..."

In front of the camp in the snow, pieces of gold coins, shimmering with the most tempting golden light, formed a small pile. They seemed like the most generous gift from Buddha, like golden fruits produced by a Bodhi Tree! That dazzling golden light entered the eyes of the Wa people, shaking their spirits as if redeeming their souls!

Faced with a full thirty pounds of gold coins, Murakami Kitamichi, the Shipwright, felt a surge of emotions without being able to speak. These full thirty pounds of gold laid before him, though just a small pile, amounted to a massive fortune of 2400 kan in his heart! And if such a huge wealth were turned into rice, it would be more than 3400 koku, enough to feed the two or three thousand Wa people of southern Ezo land for a year!...

"Buddha! A full thirty pounds of gold!... If I could take it back to Victory Mountain Manor... Ah! Then the Family Head Lord Nobuhiro’s reward!..."

Murakami Kitamichi stared with reddened eyes, reflecting the dazzling golden light, with thoughts racing in his mind. Even at this moment, he was thinking about offering this gold to the Family Head, to exchange for a higher family rank and reward! The stubborn notion of Samurai loyalty and the inescapable subordinate-superior relationship in Wa society was evident here.

Monk Soldier Watanabe Masumi stood aside, gazing at the dazzling gold, his mind stirring with unease. However, the color of gold was too dazzling, too captivating, confusing people’s minds... He didn’t notice the source of his unease for a while, his mind filled with the desire and contemplation for this unexpected wealth.

"Hachiman Mahasattva bears witness! If I had such a large sum of gold... I could return to the Ryuzoji Clan, regain the House Elders’ support!... And at the worst, I could rally a group of pirates to reestablish my foothold in Kyushu!..."

"Chief Divine bears witness! Chieftain of the Large Ship, these thirty gold coins are my utmost sincerity! So, will you exchange or not?... Not exchanging? Then I’ll take them back..."

Exploration Captain Zuwaro smiled patiently, waiting a moment. Then, he signaled the Kingdom’s Warriors beside him to collect the gold coins laid on the snow. But upon seeing this scene, Murakami Kitamichi, the Shipwright, and Monk Soldier Watanabe Masumi couldn’t help but reach out, softly murmuring.

"No!... Don’t take them!"

The two exchanged glances for a few moments, Murakami Kitamichi’s face darkened, eyes reddened, as he rebuked Watanabe Masumi.

"Watanabe-kun! Buddha bears witness, this is the Family Head’s Jurchen Stallion! Even if it’s used to exchange for the Tribe’s Chieftain’s gold, that would still be Kaozaki Family’s gold!..."

"...Hmm."

Watanabe Masumi pursed his lips, thinking of the eight or nine Kaozaki Family Warriors under Murakami Kitamichi, and the eight or nine Korean sailors under himself... He paused for a moment, lightly nodding, and took two steps back.

"Murakami-kun, you’re right... Decide for yourself!..."

Murakami Kitamichi’s expression finally eased. He looked towards the simple yet strong Rokube Chieftain, hesitating for a moment, until the other party expressed displeasure and asked again, only then did he reluctantly nod.

"Sukeichiro, go bring that Jurchen Stallion over!... Sukeichiro! Sukeichiro!!"

"Uh! Ah?... Yes! Yes! Murakami!"

Murakami Kitamichi called out thrice, and Horse Breeder Sukeichiro finally snapped back to his senses. Reluctantly, he tore his gaze away from the heap of golden coins and then, casting backward glances, went to the stables to get the horse. But it wasn’t just him; nearly the entire camp of Wa Warriors and Korean sailors had their eyes glued to the pile of gold on the snow, their attention caught as if by the fragrance of a sundew plant.

"Bodhisattva’s protection! Bodhisattva’s protection!... The nobles are dazed by the gold!... But after all, they are the Barbarians from the far north, who arrived on reindeer, people eaters!"

Behind the crowd, the Shipwright Kim Sun-su crouched among a group of Korean sailors, his face revealing undeniable concern as he watched the proceedings. In his opinion, as long as these Rokube do not kill, anything they want should be given, to quickly get rid of them. Yet now, with the Rokube producing a pile of gold to buy a horse, it seemed as though the Ocean Shielding Ship’s crew was getting the better end of the deal, but something felt amiss.

"The elders all say that suffering is a blessing, and one should live with patience... But now, the nobles are taking advantage of these fierce Barbarians... Merciful White-Robed Bodhisattva! Please let me return alive..."

Nevertheless, Kim Sun-su’s quiet prayers went unheard by Murakami Kitamichi. He was solely calculating in his heart, pondering how this massive wealth of 2400 kan could provide for more ship supplies for Victory Mountain Manor, and how many more warriors it could sustain for the Kaozaki Family!

"Buddha manifests! The Jurchen Stallion is gone, but next year we can trade for another batch from across Birch Tai, from the various Shandan tribes! But if this gold is missed, not even Buddha will tolerate it!"

Murakami Kitamichi, with reddened eyes, handed the reins of the Jurchen Stallion to Zuwaro with one hand and pointed to the gold coins on the ground with the other, letting two samurai of the Kaozaki Family safely take them.

Zuwaro’s eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded with a smile. He didn’t look at the gold coins on the ground, focusing intently on the Jurchen Stallion, which stood as tall as a person. The horse sneered at him with a sideways glance, snorted through its nose, and then neighed defiantly twice.

"Neigh! Neigh!"

"Uh..."

Just as Zuwaro was about to reach out to touch the horse’s back, the stallion snorted right in his face. He touched his nose, temporarily suppressing the urge to approach the horse, and turned to send a questioning glance to the Warrior Captain, Stonefirm. Stonefirm gave a slight nod as a positive response, allowing Zuwaro to proceed, leading the horse calmly behind the warriors.

"Chieftain of Rokube, wait! Wait! Stop! We have other goods to trade with you!"

Seeing Zuwaro turning with the horse, Murakami Kitamichi, who had been eyeing the gold, suddenly shouted to stop. Zuwaro’s heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained unchanged. He looked at Kitamichi with puzzled eyes, only to see the latter pat the samurai’s shaved head, making a gesture to wait.

Then, Murakami Kitamichi gave some instructions to Sukeichiro. The horse breeder, Sukeichiro, excitedly ran to the simple stable, returned with two sacks of forage, and jogged over in the snow to Zuwaro’s side. As he approached, the Jurchen Stallion softly neighed and eagerly moved its head closer.

"Chieftain of Rokube, there’s gold, great leader! This is horse feed, peas. This is also horse feed, soybeans! The Jurchen Stallion is picky and needs special feed... feed for horses! Our camp has it, and we can trade it all to you! Also, ironware and liquor..."

"Hmm? Praise the Chief Divine! Are these two bags of round beans the new crops from the New Continent mentioned in the prophecy?!"

Zuwaro handed over the reins to the hefty Big Bear. Then he took the two bags of beans, picked a few pieces from each, and examined them. One bag contained white, dry peas, the other yellow, dry soybeans. He didn’t know if they were raw or cooked, or if they could be planted...

With this thought, Zuwaro picked out two beans, and amidst the unhappy snorts of the Jurchen Stallion, he put them in his mouth to chew. Tasting the hard and raw flavor, his eyes lit up.

"Praise the Chief Divine! They’re raw beans, they should be plantable!"

"Uh... Chieftain of Rokube, these beans are for the horses to eat... of course, people can eat them too, but they need to be cooked with water first... What do you say? Do you have more gold? Want to trade?"

"Haha! Good, very good, blessed by the Chief Divine!"

Zuwaro laughed heartily, glancing at the two bags of beans in his hands and then at the hopeful horse breeder, Sukeichiro. This rare horse breeder had really "put the rabbit into the wolf’s mouth" by bringing the food to the doorstep, but that was fine—it saved trouble if a fight broke out, and they accidentally killed him...

"Chieftain of Rokube? Any thoughts?"

Sukeichiro looked expectantly at Zuwaro’s expression with wide eyes. Zuwaro smiled warmly, reaching into his chest to pull out another Golden Amulet! Then, with a congenial smile, he handed the Gold Talisman to Sukeichiro.

"Praise the Chief Divine! This one’s for you!"

"Ah! It’s gold! Really gold! What? You’re saying it’s for me? Ah! Buddha! Is this piece of gold mine?!"

Hearing this, Sukeichiro immediately widened his eyes, clutching the Chief Divine’s Golden Amulet in his right hand as if it were his lifeblood. He turned to glance at Murakami Kitamichi’s reaction and made a half-and-half gesture. Murakami pondered for a bit, lightly nodded, and both burst into smiles. As they laughed, their expressions suddenly changed to one of terror!

"Sukeichiro! Watch out for the Barbarians..."

"Murakami, look to the left!"

"Bang!!"

The spear shaft struck heavily, hitting the side of Sukeichiro’s neck with precision. His body convulsed in agony, his vision went black, and he collapsed onto the soft snow. Even as he fell, he clutched the Golden Amulet tightly in his right hand while a cold, incomprehensible command sounded in his ears like the chilling wind.

"Make a move! Capture them! Take them alive!!..."