abnabooks Chapter 164 The Beginning of an Era
Chapter 164 The Beginning of an Era
Chapter 164 The Beginning of an Era
In fact, the green-eyed person knows everything.
Not only the new gate city, but also the locations of the other two outposts, they had long since figured out the exact locations.
They could destroy these three towns at any time if they wanted to.
The reason they didn't do it wasn't because they couldn't, but because of other considerations.
These three outposts are located very close to the forest.
The green-eyed people call themselves natural people and believe that the forest is the mother of nature.
Therefore, they are very familiar with the forest and are good at fighting in the forest.
For the green-eyed children, lurking and surveilling in the forest is as easy as drinking water.
The green-eyed people knew in their hearts that the Easterners would not give up invading their land.
If all the settlements established by the East are destroyed, they will surely try to build new ones.
In that case, it would be better to leave a few settlements that are easy for them to monitor, so that the Easterners don't go to places that are out of their sight.
In this way, no matter what the Easterners do, the Green-Eyed People can know it all clearly.
Chris felt that the Green-Eyed People's decision made some sense, but they simply didn't understand the East at all.
Easterners are far more treacherous and cunning than they imagine: despicable, in fact, greedy.
The people of the East are not all of one mind; they are composed of diverse factions.
Even though they belong to a unified force, there are still many factions within it.
In order to maximize their own interests, they will inevitably break away from cooperation and attempt to monopolize the benefits, thus annexing the other party.
This means that Easterners will inevitably establish new settlements on the New World time and time again, one after another.
But that's a story for another time. At least for now, the Green-Eyed Man's strategy has achieved some success.
As far as Chris knew, apart from the three settlements known to the Green-Eyed People, the Easterners indeed had no other settlements in the New World.
They did indeed successfully monitor all the movements of those three outposts and directly or indirectly interfered with all attempts by the Easterners to explore the depths of the New World.
However, Chris was well aware that as the Easterners' focus on and urgency for developing the New World increased, more and more ships would arrive on the eastern coast of the New World.
At that time, new settlements will surely spread along the coast of the New World like weeds after spring.
Many talented people will also land on this land.
At that time, it would probably be beyond the capabilities of the green-eyed people.
But these are issues Chris doesn't need to worry about.
Although he was already considered half a green-eyed person,
He has been in the New World for more than half a year, during which time he has already gained a basic understanding of the Green-Eyed Language.
As he became more familiar with the language, he concluded that it must be very ancient, but that almost no one had tried to improve it throughout history.
It still retains a very primitive and simple structure, which makes it easy to use the language once you have mastered enough vocabulary.
However, being old-fashioned is not necessarily a good thing. In many cases, Green-Eyed Mandarin struggles to express something accurately and clearly.
This led to Chris encountering numerous setbacks in his attempts to communicate with these indigenous people.
Although it took a lot of extra effort, thankfully the matter was eventually clarified.
The tall, green-eyed man riding the deer was indeed the leader of a tribal confederation, and in their words...
He is called the Great Chief.
The chief's name was Passamakodi. He understood Chris's proposal and believed that Chris's words had some merit.
However, the Green-Eyed People tribe does not trust anyone outside the alliance, let alone the Easterners who have persecuted countless Green-Eyed People.
These indigenous chiefs clearly cared more about public opinion than the kingdom's king.
Passamakodi could not ignore the tribesmen's opposition and reached a cooperation agreement with Chris.
Unless, Chris is also a member of the tribe.
Passamacodi presents Chris with a choice: he must marry a green-eyed woman from the union.
If he didn't marry her, he wouldn't even be able to save his life, so Chris agreed to Passamacodi's proposal without any hesitation.
Passamacodi did not disappoint Chris, and married his sister to Chris.
The wedding proceeded quickly, and ignoring the lamentations of the young green-eyed man, Chris had his first wife since birth.
Judging from the sighs of these men, Chris knew that his wife was definitely the object of many tribesmen's affections.
However, Chris had absolutely no feelings for his wife.
This woman had a large bottom, thick and short legs, and very thick lips, but her torso was quite shapely.
However you look at it, this kind of appearance is absolutely not in line with the aesthetics of an Asian like Chris.
Even so, Chris still consummated his marriage with his wife that very night.
At least his wife was young, and compared to those old women, Chris found his wife quite attractive.
His wife is currently one month pregnant.
As a result, Passamacodi completely regarded Chris as one of his own.
But Chris's kindness was only superficial; he never truly considered them family.
Neither his wife nor the child in her womb.
Having a child with green eyes only made Chris feel that it was a stain on his reputation.
Chris just wanted to get back to the Kingdom of Giants as soon as possible, make a killing, and then use the gold he earned to party all night in the brothels.
Ha, if a prostitute gets pregnant as a result, he would even be more willing to admit that the bastard in her belly is his offspring.
Once he returns to his original world, he will never acknowledge this marriage agreement.
I don't have a wife, Chris thought; I only love gold.
Breaking a marriage vow and abandoning one's wife and children is an unforgivable sin.
After death, they will surely face the Lord's severe judgment.
But Chris had no faith; he didn't care about any damn God.
Moreover, he studied the book "The Guide to Destiny Interpretation," and to learn the methods for mastering destiny, one must first abandon all faith.
So even if Chris were to believe in something, it would only be fate.
Summer is approaching, and the shade in the woods is cool and dry.
Chris walked slowly along the forest path, escorted by a group of green-eyed men.
He rode on a stag with strong, slightly pointed antlers and extremely soft, reddish-brown hide.
Thinking back to when he was first captured by the green-eyed man, he felt that the difference in treatment was like night and day.
Did he still have a deer to ride back then? Being led around on the road, it was a miracle he didn't get beaten up.
He has now become a member of this tribe of green-eyed people, and is even the brother-in-law of the great chief.
There were six others riding deer in the group.
Suddenly, the tallest deer walked towards Chris, and sitting on its back was also the tallest green-eyed man.
Passamacodi spoke to Chris in his green-eyed language: "Ahead lies the settlement built by the natural destroyers of the apocalypse."
Chris responded, "Dance is the priest's bow."
Besides its literal meaning, this word also implies that "everyone has their own strengths." Chris uses it here to mean something like "leave it to me."
Chris also studied it for a long time before he grasped some of the essence of Green Eyes' words.
"Will it succeed?" Passamacodi asked.
Chris nodded: "I'm confident."
At this moment, they are approaching New Gate City.
The reason, as it was, was that Passamacodi followed Christopher's advice.
Chris explained to Passamacodi that intermittent harassment was not enough to hold onto their land.
Passamakodi initially dismissed this idea.
He said that although the green-eyed man was short in stature, his strength was no less than that of any Asian.
Chris reminded them that the East had strongmen they could hardly imagine.
Passamakodi also stated that their priests are able to invoke nature to advance and retreat with them.
Chris replied that the East possesses countless wonders and extraordinary abilities.
Passamakodi then went on to explain at length the reasons why the Green-Eyed People were not afraid of foreign invasion.
However, Chris refuted all of these claims with facts.
In the end, Chris refuted Passamacoti with just one sentence:
"But there is one thing they have that you do not have: weapons."
To resist, one must fight; to fight, one needs weapons.
Eastern iron weapons are dozens of times more lethal than the green-eyed human bone fragments.
If a real war were to break out, the Green-Eyed Man would have almost no chance of winning.
Passamaco should understand that Chris is right.
They had also captured many weapons from the East and were well aware of the vast disparity in weaponry between the two sides.
However, the technological gap in mining, iron smelting, and forging is not something that Green-Eyed People can learn or bridge in a short period of time.
There was no time for them to learn from scratch; a large number of Eastern ships would arrive within a few years.
After a long silence, Passamacodi asked Crete what suggestions he had.
Chris replied, "Trade!"
Trade—that was their reason for heading to Newgate City.
The daily lives of the Green-Eyed People are devoid of any metal, and naturally, they lack the gold, silver, and even copper that Easterners crave.
But Chris discovered that they possessed something more valuable than gold.
Those things emit an exceptionally wonderful fragrance; just a little bit can make food taste like it came from heaven.
Chris calls these kinds of things spices!
He had a premonition that a jar of spices might bring him a whole jar of silver coins, or even more!
And he, Christopher Gamma, will become the one who opened the spice trade, gloriously recorded in history, for posterity to worship and admire.
Chris was overjoyed at the thought of the upcoming moment.
Indeed, fate does exist.
Fate is either cyclical or ascending.
That earthenware pot symbolized the interruption of his destiny's cycle; he had already kicked it to pieces, and now all that awaited him was the ascent of fate!
However, Chris also understands that even if destiny is just ahead, he still cannot reach it if he does not actively move towards it.
So ever since he married Passamacodi's sister, Chris has not only been sowing seeds every night, but he has also asked Passamacodi to collect as many kinds of spices as possible.
Not long ago, Passamacodi brought him a twelfth spice, which Chris named Sichuan pepper.
If Chris continues to wait, he should be able to get more.
But opening up trade routes was equally important.
Moreover, he's already tired of Passamacodi's sister.
Although there were women among the green-eyed men who met his aesthetic standards, Chris dared not have any improper thoughts.
As long as he remains in the tribe, his life is in the hands of Passamakodi.
Chris could imagine his fate once his wife told his brother.
A bright future lies ahead, and he will not sacrifice the destiny he gained by trading his left ear for a mere inch or two of immediate pleasure.
Therefore, Chris must leave the tribe and the New World as soon as possible.
Once you return to the continent of Ancent, you'll have plenty of freedom and happiness.
Suddenly, Passamacodi waved his hand, and the entire procession stopped moving.
Chris asked, "What's wrong?"
"Beyond the forest lies the settlement of people from the East."
Passamacodi looked straight ahead when he spoke, and his towering figure even required Chris to look up at him.
How did a person with double pupils grow so tall? Chris couldn't help but wonder about his parents' height.
Perhaps his parents were not people with double pupils, but came from the eastern shore of the Sea of Despair.
But upon closer inspection, it seems unlikely.
Passamacodi was nearly forty years old, and the first person to discover a new continent was a navigator.
Even if the navigator is highly capable in that area, it's still not as good as being the father of the Passamacoti.
"Navigator is a pretty cool name," Chris said, curling one corner of his mouth. "He was the first to discover the New World, and I was the first to discover spices. Since his nickname is Navigator, then I should be called Scent Smeller."
Hmm, it feels a bit sleazy. Oh well, the title was given by someone else, he doesn't need to think about it.
Chris snapped out of his reverie and said to Passamacodi:
"Then let's keep going. We're here to negotiate."
Passamacodi gave a low order: "The white wolf won't eat every piece of the elk. The rest of you lie in ambush in the woods. Chris, the two of us will go alone."
Chris frowned upon hearing this. From his current standpoint, he was undoubtedly on the same side as these people.
So New Gate City is enemy territory, and the dangers of going there with just the two of them are unpredictable!
Furthermore, if any unexpected event occurs, it would be difficult for just two people to handle it calmly.
Chris quickly reminded him, "Hunting a boar requires eight spears."
"The maned lion never hunts alone."
Chris didn't understand Passamacodi's words, nor did he know their literal meaning or what he was trying to express in the current context.
But Chris knew he was definitely denying it.
Chris was about to continue persuading him when Passamacodi suddenly lowered his voice and said in a deep, loud voice:
"Shut up! I am the Great Chieftain!"
Chris dared not say any more. The chieftain was equivalent to the king of the tribal confederation, and arguing with the king would not end well.
The only way is to follow Passamacodi to the new gate city.
The other green-eyed people handed the twelve small pottery jars to Chris.
Inside were samples of the twelve spices that Chris had come into contact with so far.
Although the quantities were small, they were enough to demonstrate the value of the chips they held.
These twelve spices are:
White pepper, black pepper, horseradish, oregano, rosemary, sesame seeds, heavenly nut, cardamom, cloves, water pepper, tamarind, Sichuan peppercorns. [Note]
Soon, the two deer dragged the two adult men out of the forest.
Ahead was a flat path, and at the end of the path was a town surrounded by sharp wooden stakes.
The wooden fence begins at one end of the coastline, enclosing a large area of land before returning to the coast.
A dozen or so men were carrying cut stones to one end of the wall, seemingly preparing to reinforce the wall with stone.
In the very center of the wall stands a tall watchtower.
The moment Chris and Passamacodi stepped out of the tower, the people there rang the bell.
Then the city gates were opened, and dozens of men in plate armor rushed toward Chris.
Soon, Chris was surrounded by their iron-headed spears.
To avoid being accidentally injured, Chris quickly shouted:
"Don't attack! We're here to negotiate!"
Upon hearing this, no one in front of him remained unmoved.
Chris certainly remembered that this was an outpost established by people from the Far East.
However, the majority of the population speaks the Kingdom language, so Chris believes that there must be people in Newgate who speak the Kingdom language, since the city frequently receives ships from the continent of Ancent.
A small discussion quickly broke out among the soldiers, who deduced from their language and appearance that Chris was likely a Kingdom person, or at least not a green-eyed person.
The soldiers did not harm Chris and Passamacodi, but they still drove the two off the deer and, pointing their weapons at them, sent them into the city.
The two were locked in a stone house.
On the street leading to this building, Chris had only seen wooden houses, but this house was different because of the different building materials used, indicating that the function of the house required a certain type of building materials.
Chris could only think of one type of building: a prison. He felt very uneasy, worried that the people there didn't care about him at all.
Fortunately, not long after, someone came to see them, surrounded by many guards.
Upon meeting, the man inquired in the Kingdom Language:
"Who are you people?"
Negotiations are only meaningful when they involve the person in charge, Chris replied.
"I only speak to the owner of this outpost."
"I am the governor of Newgate City," the man replied. "What do you want to say to me?"
"A deal," Chris said.
"trade?"
The man, who called himself the governor, put on a smiling face with great interest.
"You should be a citizen of the Kingdom, but you're missing an eye and an ear, and your appearance makes you unreliable. As for the man next to you, just by looking at his eyes, I know he's a native of this continent."
"Regardless of why you two came together, just based on your identities alone, would I dare to make a deal with you?"
Chris is never afraid to communicate, especially in his native language, which he is fluent in:
"Being timid and hesitant makes it difficult to make a profit; moreover, judging people by their appearance is not a good thing."
"Impulsiveness makes people foolish, and appearance can also reflect a person's experience."
“To rashly refuse is also an impulse,” Chris replied, “and a person’s experience does not exist in another person’s imagination.”
Upon hearing this, the governor narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Chris's body. After seemingly scrutinizing Chris for a moment, the governor said:
"You should be glad you lack eyes and ears, but not a mouth, which is a very eloquent mouth."
Chris thought so too: "Thank you for the compliment, Your Excellency, but I am not here to boast. I am here to make a deal with you."
"But I'm still worried about you, especially seeing you walking with the Green-Eyed People," the governor said, spreading his right hand. "You should know that the destruction of these outposts is likely related to the Green-Eyed People."
“Even though I have many reasons to argue, sir, I don’t think there’s any need to explain, and you don’t want to hear it,” Chris said. “All I can say is that it was fate that brought us together.”
"destiny?"
“Yes, fate, and fate has arranged for me to meet you here, sir,” Chris nodded. “Fate is a great hand that holds the future of everyone. I believe that our conversation today will affect the future of countless people, and even influence the course of the world.”
"Haha," the governor laughed heartily, "Men should sometimes learn to be more humble."
“I’ve been humble enough,” Chris said. “I’m with this green-eyed man because of mutual benefit. If you heard about the benefits of this deal, I believe you would definitely choose to go down the same path as us.”
The governor's expression calmed down: "Then tell me."
"Sir, your men have taken our deer away. One of the deer has twelve jars hanging on its back. Please send someone to bring them back."
The governor considered for a few seconds, but decided to have the jar brought over.
Then he told his men to open the jar.
In an instant, the room was filled with fragrance, and the governor sneezed.
The man asked, "What is this?"
"Spice!" Chris replied, "a magical crop that makes food delicious with just a little bit."
The governor asked, puzzled, "What's the use of this?"
"I already said it, it makes food taste better," Chris explained. "You won't believe how effective it is. Let me put it this way, food made with it will taste better than any meal you've ever had."
"Hmph!" the governor scoffed. "How do you know exactly how much good food I've eaten?"
"No matter how well you eat, it's all the same, I'm very confident about that," Chris said, placing his right hand on his chest. "Even the finest delicacies enjoyed by kings cannot compare to this."
After he finished speaking, the governor fell silent.
But Chris's words contained no lies, even though he was a habitual liar and fraudster.
The governor scooped out a few white, round grains from the small jar; those were white peppercorns.
However, when he let go, the pepper rolled back into the jar.
He sniffed his hands, then sneezed again.
Even with just a brief contact, the pepper must have already imbued his hands with its fragrance.
Chris saw the governor's eyes widen slightly, as if he had realized the magic of the spices.
The governor suddenly looked up and warned Chris:
"Since you've come to me to discuss a deal, you should tell me about the potential returns."
Chris nodded: "This kind of thing, after crossing the ocean to the east side of the Sea of Despair, is definitely not something that ordinary people can afford. It will be very expensive and rare."
"But I bet those nobles who indulge in pleasure and are used to comparing themselves to others will become addicted to the deliciousness of spices after tasting them, and will try to purchase and sell them regardless of the high price."
"In this way, the price of spices will be driven up to an extremely high level. Just imagine, Your Excellency, the price of spices might be higher than silver—no, higher than gold!"
After Chris finished speaking, he keenly noticed a faint smile appear on the governor's face.
He understood that the governor had been persuaded.
After a moment of silence, the governor asked:
"So what does this have to do with the green-eyed person next to me?"
"Only they knew where the spices were distributed and how they were harvested," Chris said. "This trade revolution..."
The green-eyed people's help was indispensable.
"Are they willing to let go of their hatred?"
"How can you do business with emotions in mind? They need weapons," Chris said. "For that, they're willing to provide spices from the north." "Ha!" the governor sneered. "You want me to provide them with weapons to use against us?"
D
"You're trading iron for gold," Chris replied calmly. "With gold, you can buy more weapons."
The governor then asked, "And you, what do you want?"
"Money," Chris replied calmly.
"Hmph!" the governor laughed. "If it weren't for this, I could immediately tell you're lying—so, what do you want me to do?"
"The ship, the trade license, and the perpetual right to use the new gate port."
The governor nodded: "The price isn't high—"
A smile appeared on Chris's face: "Then—"
"—But I refuse."
The governor interrupted Chris, then walked past the guards behind him toward the door.
Chris asked, "Why?"
After opening the door, the governor turned half his head and said to Chris:
"Your suggestion is absolutely appealing, and you have indeed found me something great. New Gate City has been established for so many years, and I have never heard of anything so good before."
"If that's the case," Chris said, "why disagree?"
The governor answered calmly and unhurriedly:
"Your needs for me are naturally in my own hands. The Green-Eyed Man knows the distribution of spices, but I have already obtained spice samples, and I can find their distribution myself."
"As for your role, Mr. One-Eyed Dragon, I see no value in you other than providing intelligence, and you have already explained all the intelligence clearly."
Chris quickly replied, "I also have other important information that I haven't revealed."
"But at least for now, there's nothing I particularly want to know," the governor said. "You may be eloquent, yes, that's how I've described you, but it's absolutely from the bottom of my heart."
"But you are by no means a businessman, at least not a good one. A good businessman would never reveal his bottom line to his trading partner from the outset."
Chris couldn't refute it; he was just a fraud. He might have played the role of a businessman, but he had never been a real businessman.
After saying those words, the governor left the prison.
His guards followed behind him and locked the cell door again.
Chris slumped to the ground, knowing that the negotiations had failed.
Upon seeing this, Passamacodi inquired about the current situation in the green-eyed language.
Chris had no choice but to tell the truth.
He had considered the possibility of failure, but he never imagined he would lose so decisively.
The governor squeezed almost all of Chris's value out of him.
After hearing this, Passamacodi angrily cursed and kicked Chris.
But he could only let Passamacodi vent his anger; he was indeed in the wrong and couldn't beat Passamacodi.
He didn't even know how to escape from prison and get out of his current predicament.
Ultimately, it was his carelessness that caused the problem.
He thought everything would go smoothly, leading him to the pinnacle of his destiny.
After all, he has broken the cycle of fate, and this is what he deserves!
However, the result was completely the opposite.
Is fate wrong?
Do not!
impossible!
Otherwise, what has he been pursuing all along?
Moreover, everything that fate foretold has been accurately fulfilled, so fate cannot be wrong.
What exactly is the reason? Oh, right. —·
His destiny continues to unfold; a new cycle must have begun on his path to advancement.
"If that's the case," Chris thought. "I must predict the new future!"
Just then, Chris suddenly heard a sound.
"Thump—"
"Knock knock—"
Chris turned his head and realized that the voice was coming from Passamacodi.
Passamacodi sat cross-legged on the ground, his eyes closed, his breathing even, as if he were meditating.
The sound was like a heartbeat, yes, a heartbeat. Chris saw Passamacodi's chest vibrating in rhythm with the sound.
Chris raised an eyebrow; he found the heartbeat very strange.
It's not just that it's too loud, but its rhythm:
"Thump, thump thump thump, thump, thump thump—"
It sounds intermittently, like some kind of sound signal.
Just as he was thinking this, Passamacodi suddenly opened his eyes.
Then he placed his hands on the ground, and after a moment, unknown plants began to sprout from the ground around him.
Passamacodi gave Chris a look, signaling him to come over.
Seeing this, Chris walked over without thinking.
The next moment, the buds suddenly grew into tall plants, enveloping Chris and Passamacodi.
My vision was plunged into darkness.
Chris didn't dare to move or make a sound.
When light returned to his field of vision, he was already in the woods.
Beside him were the men that Passamacodi had left in the woods.
Chris suddenly realized that these people were Passamacodi's backup plan, designed to rescue them in this situation.
Passamacodi also started questioning Chris via the green phone, demanding an explanation.
He has already failed, how else can you explain it?
Despite his dejected thoughts, he knew that Passamacodi wouldn't let him off easily.
Even though he is now considered Passamacodi's brother-in-law.
Passamakodi, and indeed the entire tribal confederation, had been busy for months working on Chris's proposal.
Ultimately, however, he suffered such a complete defeat, which Passamakodi probably cannot accept and will find it difficult to explain to his people.
Therefore, for Chris, his crisis is not over yet.
But what can we do now?
Passamakodi's goal was to acquire weapons, which were only found in the East.
To reach the East, one must use the port and ships of Newgate City.
Of course, there are two other outposts where he can try his luck.
However, after this experience, Chris also realized that these governors were all old foxes, skilled at manipulating power, people's hearts, and tactics, and were much more difficult to deal with than those pirate leaders.
Even Chris wasn't entirely confident he could win.
Chris couldn't imagine what would happen if he failed all three times.
Chris urged her to figure out what to do.
His goal was actually very clear: to deliver the spices to the other side of the sea.
But to achieve this goal, one must rely on no, not necessarily! Chris's right eye suddenly shone brightly again.
There are other ways, ways that don't rely on those decent people.
The sea routes of despair are not limited to the three routes controlled by righteous people, nor are the ships they possess.
Since they were unwilling to cooperate, Chris told Passamacodi and the others, "This time, we're not going to listen to anyone!"
This time, Chris thought, I will surely reach the ascent of destiny.
And I will lead the Green-Eyed People across the ocean, leading the world into a new era.
An era known as the age of spices.
Note: These spices are not necessarily native to the Americas; for example, rosemary is a herb native to Europe. However, in this book, all spices are from the New World.