Chapter 76 The End of 1482 AD 3 King John's Kingdom

Chapter 76 The End of 1482 AD 3-King John’s Kingdom

Calavia sails upriver to explore this ancient continent that has not changed for millions of years. It represents Westerners' quest to rediscover and occupy the world. New geographical discoveries also mean new geographical possessions.

Bruno looked at both sides of the bank. There were endless dense rainforests on the banks. In the rain forest are hidden smoke, various novel plants and beasts, and overwhelming swarms of mosquitoes, with vaguely peeking eyes.

Most of the onlookers were wearing simple grass skirts, turbans of unknown meaning, and holding iron farm tools or weapons in their hands. They looked at the big ship and the white-skinned people on board curiously, not knowing what the arrival of these people meant.

The sailboat returned to the village by the river, where the indigenous warriors and indigenous warriors had dispersed. Paul looked at the village not far away with a fierce look on his face.

"Fodesse! The feathery warrior is gone. Brother Bruno, let's go ashore!"

His face was a little pale because he had a low-grade fever and chills for no reason recently. But a heart longing for a happy life is still eager to try cruelly.

"Paul, please take a rest first. Half of the sailors on the ship are not feeling well recently. There are only 20 of us in total now, so it is better to be cautious."

Bunoru shook his head. The disparity in strength was the only thing stopping them from taking action.

"Fodesse! Tenho saudades!" Paul looked helplessly at the village by the river, where there were many attractive golden lights that could be seen but not touched. He was melancholy.

The boat continued to move forward. After another two days, the terrain gradually rose up, and the upper reaches seemed to be a plateau. The jungles on both sides of the strait are slightly sparse, and the villages are denser. Black natives in simple clothes are working casually in the fields. As soon as noon arrives, many people hide in the woods and riversides to avoid the hot sun and eat insects, bananas and other tropical fruits with their hands.

The big boat on the river also attracted the attention of more tribal warriors. They followed the boat upstream and shouted at the white-skinned people on the boat. Without receiving any response, the elite indigenous warriors pulled up their single bows and fired iron arrows in vain at the ship a few hundred meters away.

The Karavel sailing ship may have broken into an important place. There were more and more tribal warriors on the river bank. Bunoru counted, there were two to three hundred young warriors with wooden shields and iron spears, and there were more than forty senior warriors wearing chicken feathers on their heads.

Looking at the hundreds of soldiers gathered on the river bank, a flash of iron cold light, Paul shuddered violently. His body is now a little weak and he has a headache. The natives in front of him have already exceeded the expedition team's ability to deal with them.

Soon, a dozen boats appeared on the upper reaches of the river. The small boats were a quarter of the height of a caravor, and each carried five or six warriors. These ships pose little threat to the Caravelle, unless too many small boats besiege it, causing the sailboat to lose speed and be forced to fight alongside.

Bruno remained cautious and careful. He sent out the Fon interpreter and one of the most knowledgeable sailors in a small boat, and asked them to bring gifts of glass beads to express the explorers' goodwill.

Soon, the boat returned with the translator and sailors, and also brought back an indigenous warrior in bright clothes. He wears a bright red turban, a gorgeous yellow robe, a string of rubies around his neck, and a staggered "X"-shaped blue tie on his chest, which symbolizes dignity. His hands were empty as a gesture of goodwill, and he carried a large bow, two iron javelins, and an iron dagger at his waist.

Bruno's eyes were immediately attracted by the ruby ​​necklace. He quickly calculated that the string of gems was equivalent to a country estate or a large house in Lisbon. With enough wealth, he could return to high society and enjoy a comfortable life of fine banquets, docile servants, and hunting on horseback.

"Friendly foreigners, ahead is the sacred residence of Mwene Kongo, the descendant of the god of heaven. You cannot continue forward. If you want to see the great Mwene Kongo, you must abandon the ship and walk under the guidance of the warriors!" The noble indigenous warrior announced loudly, and the Feng tribe interpreter was struggling to translate beside him.

Bunoru thought for a moment and then took Paul and the ten most skilled sailors. Let the remaining nine people drive the sailboat and stay at the widest spot on the river, just in case.

Congolese people are very friendly. Some natives drove a small boat and brought roasted beans and fresh bananas to the sailors on board. The sailors returned the favor with sparkling glass balls and small carved wooden crosses. The two sides get along very harmoniously.

"What is this cross?" The noble indigenous warrior looked at the small object in his hand curiously. He also saw a similar object around Bruno's neck, and it was also made of silver.

"This is the redemption of the Lord Christ! It is the cross carried by the holy Son of God to redeem His own people. It will save our souls. Belief in God is the only right way! We are also going to the East on this trip to look for those who believe in the Cross. Kingdom of John!”

Surrounded by hundreds of tribal warriors, Bunoru patiently explained the faith of the cross to the pagan warriors. The Feng clan translator scratched his head. He also had a wooden cross around his neck, and he tried to interpret it according to his own understanding.

"This is the magic weapon of the Cross Stone Pillar God! It is the soul magic weapon that the god's son refined with his own holy blood before he died. It can protect your voodoo soul and prevent it from being sucked away by the voodoo priest. The magic weapon of the Cross Stone Pillar God Boundless! We are also going to the east this time to find another tribe that believes in the Cross Stone God!"

It turns out to be a soul magic weapon! The noble indigenous warrior was immediately in awe, equating this cross with the skull artifact and voodoo doll in the hands of the voodoo priest. The fear of voodoo priests' spiritual power has long been deeply buried in the hearts of every Central and West African native.

The native warrior thought for a while, carefully stuffed the cross into the inner pocket of his clothes, and shut up and stopped talking.

Several days passed during the next trip, and Paul became even more listless. He had fever or chills from time to time, and he was obviously a little weak.

The group of people followed the road in the jungle and headed deep into the east. Finally one day, a tall flat-topped mountain appeared in the distance. From the bottom of the mountain to the top of the mountain, a huge city can be vaguely seen.

"Fodesse! What a devil's land!" The fever came again, and Paul wiped the sweat from his face. Even as strong as he is, it's a little unbearable now.

"Yeah, it's really hot." Bruno also wiped the sweat from his head. The sun in Central Africa was so hot that it almost cooked him. "Good thing we're finally here! Mbanza King Kong!"

Mbanza King Kong is such a huge city, with dense wooden buildings and caves carved out of the mountain all over the place. Residents come and go, wearing all kinds of bright clothes. Occasionally you can see tamed elephants. It is perhaps the largest town in subequatorial Africa.

Bruno made a rough estimate of the size of the city and estimated it to be around 30,000 people, which is half the size of Lisbon! With some amazement, he followed the noble indigenous warriors, passed through the bustling crowd, and arrived at the palace in the center of the city, where hundreds of strong indigenous warriors were stationed.

The Royal Palace is the tallest stone building in the city, located on the top of the mountain. Various strange patterns are carved on the stone walls, and twisted red and yellow square patterns are also painted on them. There are also skulls of various animals hanging on the top of the wall, especially the skulls of ligers and lions. This seems to be some way of promoting majesty.

Looking at the dense rows of animal skulls and empty eyes, Bruno and Paul shuddered together.

"Fodesse! It's really the land of the devil, a powerful tribe of devils!" Paul carefully cursed in a low voice, looked at the hundreds of chicken-feathered warriors in front of him, and shuddered again.

Bruno nodded in agreement. The two waited for a while, and the noble indigenous warrior finally came out again and guided the foreigners and indigenous translators inside. The king had already been informed of their arrival.

Entering the palace, Bruno and Paul's eyes were simultaneously attracted by a huge ruby ​​crown. They invariably ignored the middle-aged dark-skinned king under the crown.

The shape of the ruby ​​crown is like a huge upside-down conch, with layers stacked up on top of each other. Each layer has a silver base, gold as the edge, ruby ​​as the center, and dense malachite surrounding the edge. The tribes of Congo are the origin of green malachite, where emeralds can be seen everywhere, and rubies are even more noble.

This ruby ​​crown was completely beyond Bruno's understanding of the price. He didn't know how much it was worth, but it was certainly worth a fortune.

"Fodesse! Tenho saudades! It's such a rich indigenous tribe, but it's a pity that it's too powerful." This was the first time that Bruno, who was born into a noble family, uttered dirty words. His inner turmoil was unspeakable, and his face was full of shock.

The king on the throne looked at the shocked faces of the foreigners with satisfaction. Mwene Congo was the master of the vast land, and no one dared to question his majesty.

After a while, Bruno finally woke up from the shock, and he looked at the king opposite.

The king has dark skin, sharp eyes, is in his thirties or forties, and is wearing a luxurious Phoenician purple robe. On the king's arms were two golden armlets set with precious stones, and on his legs as well. He holds a spear encrusted with gems and has an exquisite sword at his waist. Hundreds of elite warriors lined up around him.

Seeing the swords, spears and warriors, Bruno finally came to his senses. He put one hand on his chest, bent down, and performed the noble etiquette respectfully.

“By the grace of Almighty God, and in the name of the upright and good João II, the great King of Portugal and the Algarve, I, Bruno Con, son of a royal nobleman, express my condolences to the great King of the Congo, powerful and possessor of wealth. You salute!”

The Feng clan translator nodded. He had already been preparing to meet the chief. There was also an interpreter who was familiar with Feng language opposite, and the two interpreters saluted each other. They were the first bridge of communication between the Kingdom of Portugal and the Kingdom of Congo.

“Under the protection of the god of the Cross Pillar, in the name of the son of João, the great chief of Porto, the owner of the land rich in wine in the ice-free harbor and the lover of guests, I, Bruno Kahn, who has a noble mother, pay my respects to Mu, the beloved of the god. Wene Kongo, the owner of 100,000 square kilometers of land and the leader of 100 warriors, Chief Nziga Nkuwu expresses his sincere surrender and respectfully offers tribute!"

At this time, the Congo tribes still had strong matrilineal remnants, and the status of women was very noble. They served as priests, chiefs, and even co-ruling queens, just like Nziga Nkuwu's mother and wife.

Later, the Fon interpreter presented Bruno's gift to the king. A set of exquisite half-armor, a sharp noble sword, a small glass mirror, and an exquisite woolen blanket. This was prepared by the Portuguese royal family in advance for the powerful indigenous people, just as they first met with the Songhai Kingdom.

King Nziga Nkuvu of Congo looked at these gifts with interest.

He tested the sturdiness of the armor and the sharpness of the sword, and nodded in satisfaction. Then he looked at his face in the glass mirror, showing admiration and surprise. As for the wool blanket, the king in the tropics didn't quite understand it, but it was really soft to the touch.

Of course, the woolen blankets here were not intentionally contaminated with smallpox, as would be the case with future Western explorers in the Americas. Smallpox originated in Africa, and the king himself had already experienced the baptism of smallpox when he was young.

King Nziga Nkuvu of Congo nodded with satisfaction. He ordered the foreign warriors who came to him to kneel down, and then asked for generous gifts in return.

Upon hearing the king's order relayed by the interpreter, Bruno and Paul looked at each other. They looked at the hundreds of elite warriors around them holding spears and blades. After hesitating for a moment, they knelt down and saluted. Soon, the guards rewarded the foreigners with white ivory and green malachite on behalf of the king. Seeing the expensive return gift, the two of them instantly forgot the humiliation they felt when they were forced to kneel down.

“By decree of the great Vicar of Christ, Pope Sixtus IV of Rome and the King of Portugal, we look to the east for our brother who also believes in God, the rich country of Prester John, with its Gate of Alexander and the fountain of youth, Come and fight against the evil and powerful Ottomans who obey the new moon!"

Bunoru then stated the purpose of his trip, to find the kingdom of King John.

"The descendant of the God of the Cross Pillar, the grandson of the son of the high priest Situs of the riverside city, and the chief of Porto, gave the tribal warriors an order. They were going to the east to find another tribe that believed in the God of the Cross Pillar, the high priest Chief John The land with its stone gates and warm spring water, come together to fight against the powerful tribe of the Moon God, the Ottomans!”

King Nziga Nkuwu was lost in thought.

He shook his head at first, because the tribe of the Moon God was obviously stronger than the tribe of the Cross Pillar God. Go north along the tributaries of the Congo River, and walk overland for several days at the end, and then follow the river again until you reach the basin of Lake Chad, where you will find tribes of moon gods everywhere. Going eastward along the main trunk of the Congo River, going ashore at the Great Lake, passing through rift valleys and mountains, through jungles to the coast, they are still the tribe of the Moon God.

The tribes of the Moon God are so numerous and powerful! As in voodoo belief, the physical object of the moon is far greater than the physical object of the wooden cross. How can the tribe of the Cross Pillar God defeat them!

The king then nodded again, because he had indeed heard the high priest talk about the tribe of the Cross Pillar God. Head east along the Congo River, land at the Great Lakes, pass through the Rift Valley, and turn to the White Nile. In just ten days, after landing to the east, you can reach the edge of the Cross Pillar God's tribe. But if you continue north along the river, you will find the tribe of the extremely powerful gods descended from the Moon God.

"Mwene Kongo, beloved by the gods, knows about the cross-stone pillar god tribe in the far east, where there are stone buildings, warm springs, and the descendants of the moon god tribe!" the king's translator relayed respectfully.

"The great King of the Congo knows about Priest John's country, where there is the Gate of Alexander and the Fountain of Youth, as well as the evil and powerful Ottomans!" the Feng priest also relayed respectfully.

Bunoru opened his mouth in surprise, happiness came so suddenly and unexpectedly. The dark-skinned earth king actually knows the kingdom of King John! Starting from Prince Enrique, it took decades and generations of exploration. They finally completed the Pope's instructions today, and maybe they will be canonized because of this great discovery! They finally completed the king's order, and they will be knighted and rewarded for it!

Bruno's eyes filled with excitement. He suppressed the heat in his heart and carefully asked the king if there was any token that he could take back to his life.

King Nziga Nkuwu nodded, he was quite touched by the loyalty of the alien tribe warriors. He thought for a moment, this kind of remote magic weapon could only be found by the Voodoo High Priest. He also heard news about various tribes on the mainland from the voodoo high priest when he was a child.

"My warrior, you go to the Voodoo High Priest to ask for the magic weapon of the Cross Pillar God." The king ordered. The warrior who obeyed the order trembled, his eyes full of fear, but he went anyway.

Thinking of the Voodoo High Priest, the king couldn't help but tremble in his heart. That skinny old woman has lived too long. She was alive when her grandfather was born. Her grandfather died, but she was still alive. Her father died, but she was still alive. Maybe, when he dies, she will still be alive.

The people of the kingdom are so in awe of this old voodoo high priest. Legend has it that she can use powerful magic weapons to absorb people's vitality and soul voodoo to maintain their eternal life. The high priest and the twelve priests of Voodoo are also like an unshakable mountain, firmly suppressing the king's power.

The high priest of Voodoo lives in a jungle far away from the city, and it takes two days for the envoy to go back and forth.

Bruno lived in a side hall of the palace, continuing his talks with the powerful king and preaching the power and mercy of God. He sent a sailor to inform the sailboat. Others stayed here for two days, which also allowed the unwell Paul and several sailors to have a good rest.

"You mean, in your tribe, the chiefs are all men, and they can pass their titles to their sons and grandsons from generation to generation?" King Nziga Nkuwu asked in surprise in the stone hall. .

After listening to the translator, Bruno nodded. Most of the feudal thrones are passed on to male descendants.

"You also said that in your Cross Pillar tribe, the high priest cannot control the affairs of the tribe, and the chief does not need to be voted by the priests?" The king was still surprised and couldn't believe it.

Bruno continued to nod. The tribes here are still using the long-abandoned democratic electoral system of elders and have not embraced the powerful centralized kingship. They are really barbaric and backward tribes.

King Nziga Nkuwu's eyes flickered. He was thinking about the teachings of the Cross Pillar God. He felt that compared to the voodoo awe of object worship, the Cross Pillar God seemed to be much more benevolent.

At this time, a little boy in Chinese clothes ran over. The boy has dark skin and is extremely lively. He has a pair of smart eyes, with strong curiosity shining in them. King Nziga Nkuwu put his hand on his head lovingly.

"Father, I heard that there are some fair-skinned foreigners here today?! Yeah, so white!"

The little boy looked at Bruno's flour-like skin in surprise and was about to reach out and touch it.

Bruno's heart moved. He looked at the little boy's delicate face and clothes, smiled sincerely, stretched out his big white hand, and took the other's small dark hand in his hand in a friendly way.

"Who is this little angel?"

"This is my favorite eldest son and the future heir of the country, Mbemba Nzinga!" The king also had a sincere smile on his face. He loved his eldest son and longed for him to successfully inherit the throne.

Bruno felt enlightened. He gritted his teeth and reluctantly took off the silver cross necklace from his neck. He looked at the king who smiled and nodded, and then wrapped the silver cross necklace around Mbemba Nzinga's neck.

"Blessed Mother of Mercy!" Bruno drew a prayer cross on his chest, "This child will definitely become a great, merciful and holy king in the future!"

The king looked at the silver cross and smiled meaningfully. The little boy looked at the silver cross on his neck curiously, and he also smiled happily.

"Mbemba Nzinga." Bruno chanted this name in his heart. He didn't know why, but he thought of the deceased former King of Portugal, Alfonso.

Two more days passed, and Bruno was taking care of three sailors who had become completely ill in the side palace of the King of Congo. After two days of torture, Paul, the once fierce sailor, had become completely sick.

Paul was lying on the bed in extreme pain, tossing and groaning, and his whole body was twitching unconsciously. His face was red, his breathing was short, he had a fever for five hours, and herpes appeared on his lips and nose, but his right hand was still trying to protect the skirt of his chest.

In Paul's mouth, he kept murmuring: "Fodesse! Terra do diabo! Devil's land! Water, water, give me water!"

Bruno sighed and tried to pour some water into Paul's mouth. He knew that soon Paul would vomit all the water, so that the king's palace would have servants to clean it up.

At this moment, the Feng clan translator came over. The translator glanced at Paul. He was very familiar with this curse. It was the threshold of life and death that every black African must go through. It was the choice of the ancestral god. Looking at the intensity of this curse, it was far more severe than what I had suffered when I was a child.

He shook his head and looked at Bruno carefully.

"Sir, the king is looking for you, saying that he got the token of King John's kingdom from the Voodoo High Priest."

After hearing the good news, Bruno finally cheered up. He nodded and hurried to meet the king.

"This is the cross artifact that the Voodoo High Priest asked to bring over. It comes from the Cross Stone Pillar Tribe in the East." The king asked someone to hand an ancient stone cross to Bruno.

Bruno looked at the cross carefully. The shape of this cross was obviously different from that of the Orthodox Church. It had complicated patterns and sharp corners. It looked like a large cross with four small crosses on the four corners. The middle is carved with tangled lines, like the leaves of a flower. On the stone pillars of the cross, there is also a line of Gez letters carved that Bruno cannot recognize.

Bruno was so excited that he held the ancient cross in his hand tightly, and his eyes filled with tears. After a long voyage and fighting, boundless rainforest and disease, he finally found traces of King John's kingdom in the land shrouded by the devil!

"Dear Captain Diogo Con, we finally found traces of King John's kingdom! Our Lady of Mercy bless us!"

When this news reaches the Kingdom of Portugal, the rogue Columbus in the commercial city-state can completely get out. This thought inexplicably flashed through Bruno's mind.

Of course, Bruno did not know at this time that in the far east, waiting for them and generations of successors to continue to search, the powerful kingdom of King John and the brothers who believed in God were the Ethiopians on the plateau!

That was the Solomonic dynasty that ruled the Ethiopian plateau, a direct descendant of King Solomon of Israel and the Queen of Sheba. The only cross in the Crescent Sea, an eternal dynasty that lasted for two thousand years!

King Nziga Nkuwu nodded, not paying much attention to Bruno's reaction. He hesitated for a moment, considered it repeatedly, and finally did not dare to disobey the request of the Voodoo High Priest.

"The elder and respected Voodoo High Priest who rules over souls heard about your arrival, and she invites you to come over and meet!"

The king looked at these foreigners who believed in strange gods and sighed slightly.

I am a little disappointed. I failed in this PK. I won't recommend it next week. Maybe foreign history is still a niche. If possible, I hope you can help promote it. Thank you. I wrote late today, so I posted it a little late. I will return to the protagonist tomorrow.