Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1633 - 1162: The Finale of Exploration, The Newly Appointed Commander De La Cosa!

"The merciful Almighty is watching over us! Now, I, De La Cosa, on behalf of the Queen, in my capacity as captain and acting Expedition Commander, order you!... "

"This maritime exploration ends here! Immediately, right away, at this moment, we return to the Bahamas Islands! After replenishing food and water, we shall return to Seville as soon as possible!... "

"Follow me! I will bring every one of you back alive! I will also secure a reward from the Royal Family for each of you, at least three years' salary! I swear in the name of the Almighty!!..."

"... Return... return home?!..."

For a moment, there was silence. The sailors' faces first showed surprise and confusion, then gradually turned into spreading joy. After experiencing so much danger and death, "going home alive" had long been everyone's common wish!

"Ah! Home! Back to Seville! ... Praise the Holy Mother!!"

Low murmurs gradually grew, transforming into smiles on everyone's faces, becoming an unplanned chorus of cheers! Finally, this cheer erupted from the entire ship, echoing in everyone's ears, reverberating in their hearts!

"Praise the Almighty! Praise Captain De La Cosa! Ending the exploration, going home alive!!..."

"Hahaha! Praise the Almighty, going home alive!!..."

De La Cosa laughed recklessly, tossed his hat into the sea, his hair flying in the sea wind! Then, he laughed as he picked up Columbus' Admiral's hat, examining it carefully for a moment.

"Tsk Tsk! The Queen is truly generous! This is indeed a fine hat!... It's a pity it's stained with blood..."

De La Cosa shook his head, carefully pulling out the Native Copper Arrow that was stuck in the hat, glanced at the pale blue arrowhead. Then, he took a deep breath and solemnly put the Admiral's hat on his own head. Meanwhile, the surrounding sailors were still cheering, turning a blind eye to everything the newly appointed captain commander was doing.

"Hmm, esteemed Columbus... boss... can you hear me? I really admire you, managing to find a new sea route to the East with an erroneous sea chart, amidst the incessant mutiny of sailors..."

Wearing the Admiral's hat, De La Cosa smiled as he crouched down beside Columbus. Columbus barely moved his eyes to look at De La Cosa's face, his mouth crookedly open, saliva uncontrollably flowing...

"Mer... you... dare... kill..."

"Kill? No no no! ... Columbus boss, Commander Columbus, I'm not like you, always shouting and clamoring for battle... I prefer to get things done quietly, take what needs to be taken, and hold it firmly..."

With a face full of smiles, De La Cosa remained amiable and kind. He removed Columbus's bloodied left hand, carefully inspected the arrow wound near his left ear. Then, he sighed, shaking his head, showing genuine fear on his face.

"On the undulating sea, to hit an ear from dozens of steps away, using a poison arrow no less... truly fearsome Xipangu Natives! If I were the Commander on the ship, I too would have died here this time!..."

"The fair Almighty grants wealth and opportunity, and also the test of life and death! Being the leader of this maritime fleet is no easy task; it takes the protection of the Goddess of Destiny... You see, the Pinzon brothers contended for this position and ended up beheaded by the Natives. You held this position and almost lost it several times... It seems your fate is somewhat tougher, more beloved by the Goddess..."

"So, rest assured, Commander Columbus! I won't kill you either. I devoutly believe in the Almighty, I never casually kill, I'm a good man who abides by the rules!... Especially since you were personally appointed by the Queen as Commander... as long as you behave and don't cause trouble!"

"I assure you! If you can survive the Natives' poison arrows and make it back to Seville alive, you will still be the Expedition Commander of the fleet!... After all, having lost two royal stewards, it will be up to you to report back to the Queen. And your reputation is great, coupled with the Queen's contract. Tsk tsk, those terms, I never dared to imagine them... so it's better for you to be alive, to secure rights for next maritime exploration, and also to showcase me... cough!"

Upon saying this, De La Cosa lightly coughed, closing his mouth, keeping a bit of caution even in such a situation. He glanced at the deliberately avoided sailors around, lightly touched the blood on Columbus's face, subtly smiled, writing three numbers "6" on his forehead.

"Witness of the Demon! Commander Columbus, as agreed in the hooked-nose oath, we will continue as secret society brothers! However, the conditions of the oath should be drawn by me, right? Of course, since you are older, you can be my elder brother. See, working with me is always safe. Even in the worst-case scenario, I won't harm your life..."

"Witness of the Almighty! To be honest, I'm not very ambitious. I just want control over the ship, return safely to the Kingdom of Castile, report to the Queen, and obtain a lasting honor and reward... After all, a captain has the right to execute crew members, and having you as my captain before was simply too unsafe!... Tsk tsk! Your emotions are too easily agitated! You see, agitated again now!"

De La Cosa smiled, extending his finger to wipe away Columbus's tears, then the blood. He glanced at Navigator Pedro, who kept his head down and dared not bandage, letting out a light laugh. Then, he personally took that piece of torn cloth, carefully bandaging Columbus's left ear. Yet, this bandaging seemed too tight, even covering Columbus's eyes, wrapping them in several layers. Darkness instantly covered, obscuring the azure sky, completely enveloping the wise and brilliant Expedition Commander...

"Mer...da... Juan... Minchi... uh! ... hmm... hmm..."

"Oh! I forgot, the mouth should be wrapped tightly too, lest it gets hurt..."

Moments later, De La Cosa wiped the blood off his hands, looked at the Expedition Commander showing only his nostrils, smilingly instructing.

"Pedro, take the Commander to the captain's cabin to rest! The Commander is severely hurt, it will take a long time to recover... Oh right, find a rope to bind his hands together too, to avoid injury..."

"Ah? Yes!..."

Navigator Pedro nodded reverently, hoisting Columbus up like he was hoisting some freshly unearthed mummy. Seeing this, De La Cosa shook his head again, kindly instructing.

"Be gentle! Don't bump the Commander, to avoid injury!..."

"Yes! Yes! I definitely won't let the Commander get hurt!..."

Pedro nodded repeatedly, hurriedly attempting to leave. But after taking a couple of steps with Columbus, he thought of something, carefully turning around to ask.

"Respected Captain De La Cosa... Commander... boss!"

"Hmm?..."

"Commander Columbus is severely hurt, how long do you think it will take for him to recover? Or will he never be able to recover..."

"No no! Properly treated, every effort must be made for him to recover!... As for when he will recover... hmm..." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The newly appointed Commander De La Cosa stroked his chin, glanced up at the ever-changing sky of the Caribbean Sea. It had just been clear skies, now suddenly overshadowed by clouds. Seeing as a maritime storm was once again approaching.

"Once the rain stops... once we set off from the Bahamas... reach the Peninsula..."

"Commander Columbus will recover, energic to meet the Queen! Wish the Almighty bless!..."

"Yes! Almighty bless! Commander! Boss!..."