Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1628 - 1158: Encounter! Seizing Ships and Captives, Offering Sacrifices to the Gods! (Part 2)

The night was deep, and black clouds drifted in from the East. On this night, to ensure safety, the Castilian Exploration Fleet left the coast twenty miles behind, anchoring in the deep sea. By the next morning, they once again hoisted their sails, taking advantage of the west wind to search for the southern coast.

The clouds on the horizon had not dispersed, and it looked like rain was imminent. The calls of the solitary thrush on the coast of Cuba were as clear and pleasant as the partridges from their Andalusian homeland.

"May the Almighty protect us! Drizzle is coming, the partridge calls—it's a good omen! We are bound to make a gain today!..."

Pinzon encouraged the crew's morale, gazing at the southern sea and skies. On the southern horizon, the desolate and green jungle coastline unfurled once more. The fleet followed the coast until they quickly found a wide river mouth, four or five miles across, which led to a seemingly endless lagoon—a fertile and vast bay!

"Captain! Fish! So many schools of fish!..."

"There are natives! Native fishing boats! Right in the big bay to the west!..."

Pinzon squinted his eyes, instructing the fleet to stop at the river mouth and carefully look towards the lagoon to the west. This bay's lagoon was very large, with dense reeds lining the shores, and seabirds swirling in the air, hunting for fish.

This kind of lagoon was an ideal spot where schools of fish would swim in during high tide and linger during low tide—a place abundant in fishery resources! And based on their previous experiences, where there was a fruitful lagoon, large native tribes were sure to be found!

"May the Almighty protect us! I wonder if the native tribes here are easy to deal with? If we come upon a large settlement, who knows how much gold and cotton they might have… Even if the natives are unwilling to trade, the fleet could catch a few nets of fat fish from the lagoon to replenish our supplies!" 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Pinzon pondered for a moment and then looked towards the native canoes in the lagoon. At the sight of the fleet, a few of the canoes fled in fear, but two remained motionless in the lagoon. The natives on those fishing boats were without clothes and, from hundreds of meters away, kept peering at the large ships.

"Huh! These two native canoes didn't flee?..."

Seeing this, Pinzon was somewhat surprised yet pleased. Could it be that the native tribes here had no hostility towards them? After a brief thought, Pinzon made a swift and courageous decision as always.

"May the Almighty guide us! Westward, sail into the river mouth!"

"Hail to those two native canoes, beckon them over! Give them some glass beads to inquire about the shore's conditions… Don't scare them away!"

The two Caravels lowered their sails halfway and sailed into the wide river mouth. The sailors aboard raised their arms, waving vibrant hats and loudly calling to the native canoes. Yet, the two native canoes seemed startled, darting away like terrified birds. After rowing some distance, the canoes paused again, their occupants continuing to gaze at the approaching large ships, much like sparrows drawn to grains, uncertain of what to make of it all.

"Hmm? Neither staying away nor approaching… These natives remain cautious! Forget them for now…"

"Boss! The Santa Maria is still behind. Should we wait a while and then look for the native tribes around here?..."

Pinzon eyed the native canoes for a moment and then shook his head indifferently. But the suggestion of the newly appointed Boatswain Qia Chu piqued his interest. Looking to the northern horizon, the slowly advancing Santa Maria was still untraceable, lagging by at least twenty miles.

This cumbersome Clark Sailing Ship was inherently slow, with deeper draught than the nimble Caravels. Navigating these unknown coastal waters, the Santa Maria had to be exceedingly cautious to avoid potentially hidden reefs.

"Haha! Columbus's ship, sluggish as a Catalonian tortoise, could never match our Andalusian flying birds!... Bah! If not for the Royal Family representative keeping an eye, I wouldn't bother waiting for him!… Oh! I'd love to see him captured by the natives, having that pesky tongue of his yanked out!…"

Recalling the disempowered Columbus, Pinzon disdainfully pursed his lips. Yet, as the "Commander" of the fleet, he couldn't just leave Columbus behind, nor abandon Captain De La Cosa. With that thought, he surveyed the fish-swimming bay and smiled as he gave the order.

"May the Almighty bless us! Drop the sails! Anchor on the inside of the river mouth!…"

"Cast the fishing nets! In this prime fishing spot of the natives, we'll catch a few more nets of fish and replenish the ship's food supply!..."

Following Pinzon's command, the two swift Caravels lowered their sails and anchored at the river mouth to fish. The waters were indeed teeming with fish, and within less than a quarter of an hour, the sailors of the Nina were cheering, having hauled in quite a few large fish.

"Praise the Holy Mother! Big fish! So many big white fish!..."

"Haha! We can have a feast tonight!..."

"Huh? A large ship, seems like a big ship is approaching?..."

"Fool! That's the Holy Maria, slowly emerging from the North Sea. We've already netted two catches of fish, and they're only just arriving!..."

"No! I'm talking about the East, there's a large ship from the east!..."

"What? From the East? Outside the river mouth?… Uh? So there is!…"

"Ah! Look, what a strange ship! That long shape, speedily rowing, feels like a Barbary pirate ship?…"

Upon hearing the sailors' shouts, Pinzon strode to the stern, gazing eastward. In the east, beyond the miles-wide lagoon's river mouth, connected by a vast stretch of gray-white beach and coastline, three bizarre-looking large ships, along with dozens of ant-sized canoes, were swiftly rowing towards the river mouth.

"Oh Holy Mother! What are these? Long-headed oar-sail ships… Viking longships from the North Sea? How could they be in Cipangu?…"

Pinzon furrowed his brows in amazement, staring at the incoming oar-sail fleet from the eastern horizon, as if witnessing some fantastical spectacle. But quickly, an alarm blared in his mind, and panic rose in his expression.

"No, no! The canoes behind… This is a native fleet! They might well be enemies!…"

"Ah! The natives even have large ships! And they're adept at coastal navigation with oar-sail large ships!…"

"Damn it! Our ships are in the lagoon! If the native fleet blocks us…"

At the thought of such dreadful consequences, a cold sweat broke on Pinzon's forehead, his voice trembling as he shouted.

"Quick! Quick! Raise the sails! Full sail!…"

"Turn east, quickly east, break through the river mouth!!"

"May the Holy Mother protect us! Please let these suddenly emerging native fleets not be enemies!…"

Pinzon trembled all over, anxiously watching the native fleet. The three oar-sail ships were remarkably fast, unconcerned with the wind's direction, clearly charging at full speed. Those oar-sail ships seemed laden with fully armed natives, the glint of weapons was dense like an ominous death ray...

"Ahaha! Praised be the Chief Divine! Waiting for three years, Puap has finally awaited this tremendous feat!…"

At the forefront of the lead flagship longship, Huitu Puapu stood at the bow, laughing heartily with his head held high. He was clad in meticulously crafted leather armor, with two bronze axes at his waist, a bow slung across his back, and an iron spear in his hand. The thirty Kingdom's Warriors aboard were similarly equipped with full armor and spears, their faces grim with murderous intent. Even the forty Taeno Oarsmen wore simple leather armor, with short, thick iron axes at their waists!

"Ahaha! Praise the Chief Divine! Praise Your Majesty!… Ah! Truly, white-skinned big beards, they look terrifying!… Ahaha! Such a big fish! So many white big fish!…"

"May the Chief Divine watch over us! Turkeys, follow me, block the river mouth!… Accelerate! Row with all your might! Charge!…

"Ahaha! They can't escape now! We're almost upon them!… Roar! Seize the ships, capture the enemies, behead the Evil Demon Leader, and sacrifice to the gods!…

"Roar! Seize the ships, capture the enemies, sacrifice to the gods!!…"