Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1577 - 1116: Sea Breeze, Maple Sugar, and Jinxi
"Hey? Divine Buddha, the sea wind has changed again! From blowing towards 'A' position, it's now blowing towards 'E' position..."
"What, blowing towards E position? Doesn't that mean it's blowing directly east? If the ship sails east, then this time, it'll be a complete tailwind, and we can cover 300 li in a day!..."
"No, that's not right! Kim Sun-su, the wind is blowing east, but the coastline turns southeast, so the ship's bow must also veer south... So, we're still between a crosswind and a tailwind, leaning towards tailwind... I estimate we can cover around 230 to 240 li in a day, a bit faster..."
"Great! Park Sun-pan, go and inform Lord Priest Mi, it's still good news... Hmm? Wait! Look ahead! Is that a big rivermouth?"
"Hey? It truly is a big rivermouth! No, wait! The rivermouth is murky, the seaport is clear... this azure with a hint of green appearance should be a seaport!..."
"Oh! That's right! ... So ahead is the bay, surrounded by islands, not mainland... Wait! Lord Priest Mi said that the Gold Mountain's Jinxi Port is among a cluster of near-sea islands... Are we almost there?..."
"Kim, Park! Have the sailors adjust the sails, enter through the wide waterway ahead! ... Chief Divine protect us! The Kingdom's divine Jinxi Port is just over 100 li to the east, at the end of this narrow bay!..."
"Huh? Chief Divine protect us! Gold Mountain! Is the Gold Mountain promised by Lord Priest about to be reached?...
Under the ocean blue sky, there was a sky blue sea. In the clear mirror-like bay, the verdant vegetation of the islands on both sides was reflected, along with the undulating brown hills between the islands. These interlocking islands lacked the flatness of the sky and sea surface, looking instead like mountain stones split by the Heavenly Divine, shattering in highs and lows into a fragmented state between the bay.
A solitary sea ship was navigating through these island bays. The ship's three lateen sails frequently adjusted, skillfully sailing towards the eastern coast following the winding and rugged bay direction. Hundreds of li of continuous towering glaciers and snow mountains were the most prominent landmark of the distant coast!
"Chief Divine bear witness! The wind changes of the Far North Coast clearly have a seasonal pattern! From May to September, the sea wind blows along the Far North Coast, suitable for the return journey from the Northwest to the Southeast, returning from the Divine Revelation Continent. But from December to April, the sea wind blows against the coast, suited for the route from Southeast to Northwest..."
"But from December to April, though the wind direction is suitable, it is the freeze-over period of the Far North Coast. Only by late April, when thawing from south to north, can one sail north along the coast... Therefore, it's best to sail quickly at the end of April or the start of May, taking advantage of the still remaining northward breeze!"
"In general, the best arrangement for the Far North Coast route is to depart from Whale Harbor at the end of April, following the remnants of the south wind and sea current, to head north to the Divine Initiation Archipelago, reaching Divine Land Port by the end of June... And at the start of July, return from the Divine Initiation Archipelago, following the westward north wind south, to reach Whale Harbor by mid-August..."
"With this calculation, it only takes three and a half months to make a round trip of 6,000 li on the Far North Coast! Of course, to achieve such an astonishing speed, the longship must be modified to use the Wind God Sea Ship's lateen sails for a good wind catch! ... Chief Divine bear witness! Building lateen sail sea ships is indeed an urgent priority!"...
"Regarding the east-west exchanges of the 5,000 li Divine Initiation Archipelago, both oar-sailed longships and lateen sail sea ships can be used! Additionally, a dedicated fleet needs to be established to constantly transport during the navigable half-year. After all, the sea conditions of the Divine Initiation Archipelago are too complex and difficult, heavily relying on the experienced Unanga sailors familiar with local seas..." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢
"Chief Divine protect us! If there are two fleets of Wind God's lateen sail ships, one responsible for the Divine Initiation Archipelago and the other for the Far North Coast, and the easternmost Divine Land Port of the archipelago is expanded with storage camps... then this 10,000 li westward Divine Revelation route could be communicated once or twice a year, truly establishing a trade exchange passage!"
In the captain's cabin at the stern of the Ocean Shielding Ship, Scholar Miki held a charcoal pencil, carefully writing the navigation log while looking at the unfolded Divine Revelation Sea Chart. Nearby, the white bear Gavua sat holding a tree-bark-covered wooden jar, using a small wooden spoon to eat the syrup inside.
"Oh, have a taste... so sweet!"
"Hmm, I don't eat it. White Bear, slow down... We only traded for these two jars of maple syrup at the Eyak people's Purple Bay tribe, and the journey is still long!"
"Hmm? But aren't there other ports ahead? Is making this sweet and tasty syrup difficult?"
"Uh... I've seen the local tribes' method for making this maple syrup; it's not particularly complex, but it's time-consuming and requires sugar maple trees that produce sweet sap... Honestly, this is indeed a specialty of the Far North Coast, alongside fur, it's a rare trade good that can be brought back to the Kingdom!"
Upon hearing Gavua's inquiry, Scholar Miki pondered briefly, then opened the small wooden window of the captain's cabin, looking towards the undulating mountain islands on both sides. Soon, he saw a large grey-barked forest 20 meters tall, with crowns adorned with green palm leaves, which was indeed one of the sugar maples commonly seen on the Far North Coast.
"Gavua, look, these are sugar maple trees! These trees only grow on the Far North Coast and the northern tip of the Western Sea Coast, where winters are very cold, and summers are relatively warm... Whether the Eyak, Tlingit, or Tsimshian... these northwestern coastal tribes will cut open the sugar maple's bark at the end of winter, early spring in March, when it's still cold, inserting a wooden tube to collect slightly sweet sap..."
"Then, the collected sap is left to freeze in the cold snow. As it freezes, the sap forms ice, separating into two layers... The ice layer floating on top is not sweet and can be removed directly. The layer at the bottom becomes sweeter... after several repetitions of freezing, most of the ice is removed, leaving only a shallow golden-brown syrup layer. This syrup is like... like honey! It can even solidify into blocks, becoming rare maple sugar!"
"And it takes two months of collecting sweet sap from one maple tree just to fill a large wooden barrel. Once this large barrel of sweet sap is repeatedly frozen to remove ice, it yields only a small wooden jar of syrup... just like the small jar you're eating now!"
"Ah?! This fist-sized wooden jar, the syrup inside, needs two whole months of collection?"
Hearing this, White Bear Gavua blinked at the wooden jar in her hand, her eyes reflecting the amber honey color. She then licked the wooden spoon and carefully held the wooden jar in her arms, reluctant to eat another bite.
"Yes. Gavua, actually collecting sweet sap isn't troublesome, the tricky part is freezing to remove ice... This must be done at the end of winter, quicksilver in March or April, to use the cold weather to naturally form syrup. In the current summer, any sweet sap collected spoils within two days unless a lot of firewood is used to boil it down..."
"But for all the tribes, fuel is the most precious necessity; it can't be wasted on such things easily? ... Even the fuel for boiling salt is in short supply!"
"Huh? But isn't it cold and icy during October to January of fall and winter? You could freeze delicious syrup..."
"No, you can't! Only by collecting sap at the end of winter and start of spring does it not harm the trees... If you extract sap in late fall or early winter, the sugar maples won't survive the winter without it, and by next year, there won't be any sap left..."
"Ah, I see! ... Oh! You know so much, just like an aged Shaman! But your hair isn't white..."
"Haha! Gavua, if you stay with me... you'll see the day my hair turns white..."
Scholar Miki smiled slightly, holding his wife's hand. Then, he took long strides out of the captain's cabin, looking at the rugged mountain islands on both sides, and gazing at the green bay ahead. And at the bay's end, against the distant backdrop of pristine white snow mountains, was a vaguely visible island, shimmering with golden light in the westward slanting sunset.
"Praise the Chief Divine! At the end of the bay, beneath the snow mountain's foot, is the Kingdom's divine Jinxi Port!"
"Chief Divine protect us! This glistening bay, this lush sparse island, merging with the upstream converging streams... And beneath these streams of sparkling golden light is the extension of the Divine Revelation Gold Mountain, the Chief Divine's bestowed Jinxi mineral vein!"
