Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!
Chapter 1010 - 610: The Starting Point in 1489 AD, Columbus’s Choice

Chapter 1010: Chapter 610: The Starting Point in 1489 AD, Columbus’s Choice

The cold January wind blew through the broken gate, sending chills down everyone’s spine. The surrounding commoners, hearing the commotion, extinguished their lights and bolted their doors and windows. No one dared to show their face or ask any questions. The lonely starlight shone on the simple houses in the suburbs, as if at the end of the world.

"Ooh, ooh! Damn demon! Help! Sheriff, help!..."

"Columbus, stop shouting. The agreement you signed with your own hand means even if you call the sheriff, you still have to pay back the money! The merciful Almighty won’t allow any injustice!"

The Jewish merchant Eliyahu smiled as he pulled a parchment ledger from his thick linen robe. Then he opened the ledger, flipping from the last blank page forward. Soon, Eliyahu found the most recent records, pausing when he saw the transactions of spices, ivory, and gold ornaments, nodding in satisfaction, indifferent to the cries beneath him.

"Haha, goods from the Southern Continent! This price, just by transporting them to Venice and finding the City-State’s noble councilors, means double the profit! And if you can connect with the lavish bishops of Rome, that’s triple the profit!..."

Eliyahu reminisced for a moment, his eyes filled with mirth. In this deal, he used a manor mortgaged by a declining noble and a newly wealthy captain returning from a voyage to make a profitable transaction, essentially earning double. And such business could continue as long as the voyages did!

"Tsk tsk, the Moors of the Peninsula are about done. Their orchard farms will all fall into the hands of the Crusader knights of the South. Haha, knights who don’t understand arithmetic are the best to do business with!... However, these knights of Castile and Aragon are too fanatic; I need to find a local merchant to act on my behalf to acquire these spoils of war. The profits in there are substantial!"

"...Right! After the Holy War ends, a large batch of Crusader knights will be dismissed and will no longer receive salaries from the Kingdom. They have no Moors to loot, and many are already deep in debt from purchasing weapons, plate armor, and warhorses... At that time, there will be another wave of mortgaged manors and estates. However, collecting debts from these deadly knights will be quite troublesome. I can only rely on... the priests of the inquisition!"

Flipping through the ledger, in just a few breaths, two more money-making ideas emerged in Eliyahu’s mind. For him, making money was an innate skill, and the best ways to earn it came from the commoners of the towns and the mid-tier, low-ranking knights.

Over the decades, the Vatican had become increasingly corrupt, tightening its ties with various Jewish trading groups. When the bishops of the Holy See needed money, they would turn to these trading groups. In return for funding, the powerful priests at all levels provided other conveniences. In the end, if it weren’t for the vast influence of the Church backing the Jewish lending groups, they would have been torn apart by the nobility long ago. In fact, these trading groups themselves served as the white gloves of high-ranking priests and the Great Nobility of City-States.

The current Pope Innocent VIII lived in extreme luxury, with more than a dozen illegitimate children to support. He was often short of money, even secretly pawning the papal tiara and treasures of the Holy See to Jewish merchants in Rome. Of course, this information must not be leaked, or it would be a dead-end road!

Thinking of this, Eliyahu shivered, preferring not to know such deadly secrets.

"Compared to us who lend money and help the commoners, it is the corrupt Vatican that should truly go to the Hell of Fire!..."

A moment later, Eliyahu finally found Columbus’s loan record. Smiling, he read it to the captain, who was pressed to the ground with his face against the dirt.

"Columbus, eleven years ago, you borrowed 20 Ducat gold coins, deducting a 25% advance fee, with an annual interest rate of 48%. Five years ago, we settled an account, accumulating the interest into the principal, totaling 210 Ducat gold coins, 3 Grosso Silver Coins, and 16.5 Denarius copper coins. Then, unable to repay, you signed a new loan agreement, agreeing to a loan amount of 211 Ducats, and consenting that in case of default, the annual interest rate would increase by half."

With these words, Eliyahu fumbled for a moment, pulling out a fully documented loan agreement. He flashed a devilish smile, waving the paper around like a death warrant before putting it away. Then, coldly and without emotion, he continued.

"A loan of 211 Ducats, with an annual interest rate of 60%. With five years of interest accumulating into the principal, it amounts to..."

Eliyahu reached out, picked up the paper and pen on the table, and casually calculated on Columbus’s letter. 211 multiplied by 1.6 five times results in a daunting...

"2212 Ducat gold coins, 9 Grosso Silver Coins, 21.8 Denarius copper coins."

Eliyahu pronounced the sum with a mocking smile. He looked at Columbus, whose face turned pale in an instant, as if looking at a dead man.

"2000 Ducat gold coins?"

Columbus mumbled the terrifying number in despair. At that moment, it felt as if a heavy mountain lay on his back, or an endless abyss opened beneath his feet.

"...Eliyahu, you... you demon!"

Eliyahu remained indifferent. He gazed at the wooden table, glanced at the two old books, and then the unfolded map, not paying them any mind. His attention then fell upon the beer pitcher under the table, the small basket of bread in the corner, and the paper and ink for writing.

"Huh? Columbus, it seems like you’ve got some money?"

The Jewish merchant paused slightly before reaching out to pick up a delicate letter, made of fine parchment.

"...To the revered King of Castile-Leon, the holy, great, and generous Queen Isabella, commands the Castile Navigational Committee to grant Your Excellency a reward allowance... 14,000 maravedis (maravedis)..."

Upon reading this, Eliyahu’s expression shifted.

Venation Ducat gold coin is roughly 400 Castile Maravedi copper coins, and 14,000 maravedis are 35 Ducats. This is roughly equivalent to the annual income of an experienced sailor or a trading group assistant. It’s not a lot, but also not too little, enough for a living.

Thinking of this, Eliyahu extended his hand to pick up the letter drenched in ink.

"To the holy, esteemed, devout, wise, goddess-like beautiful... Queen Isabella?..."

Seeing this, Columbus struggled on the ground with all his might, like a fish flapping after being pulled ashore. That was his hard-won hope!

"Ah! Damn, you maggot crawling out of the Hell of Fire! Don’t rummage around!..."

"Hit his mouth!"

"Smack! Smack! Smack!"

The Slav attendant reached out his large hand, delivering three slaps, leaving Columbus dazed and unable to make another sound.

"What is this?"

Eliyahu held the letter, looking at the bruised and battered Columbus.

"Don’t lie. You only get one chance."

"... That is the reply for Queen Isabella of Castile. The Castile Maritime Committee just sent some money..."

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Eliyahu’s eyes lit up. He smiled and gestured to his Slavic follower to help Columbus up from the ground.

"Columbus, since you have money, we can talk properly again. Hand it over! You may not be able to pay the principal, but you should have enough for the interest of these dozens of gold coins, right?"

"... You!..."

Columbus trembled all over, looking at the amiable smiling Eliyahu. After a long moment, he bent down and fished out a jingling cloth bag from the linen lining of his leather coat.

"Hmm?"

Eliyahu took the cloth bag, weighed it in his hand, and frowned. He opened it and counted for a while, his expression turning cold.

"So little? Only twenty ducats!"

"... The Castile Maritime Committee sent 13,000 Maravedi coins. I used a portion, and this is all that’s left."

As for the 14,000 coins designated by the Queen, why only 13,000 were sent? No doubt, the fire tax and handling deductions exist both in the East and West.

"Columbus, this little money is not enough!"

Eliyahu shook his head. He smiled and said.

"I’ve heard from other sailors that you boasted last year about getting a young unmarried Castilian girl pregnant, and she bore you a son right in Cordova (Córdoba)... In the Sultan’s court in the East, there is always a need for obedient boys..."

"Ah! No, don’t! I beg you, Eliyahu... For the sake of all these years we’ve known each other, give me more time!"

Hearing about his newborn son, Columbus suddenly became weak. The Sultan’s courts do not lack boys, but lack eunuchs from the Catholic World. Since the castration process violates Crescent Moon doctrine, it was always done by Jews. Thus, Jewish merchants indeed have ties in the Sultan’s court.

"This, what Queen Isabella gave, is an annuity! I can receive it every year, and I can pay... thirty gold coins of interest every year."

"Annuity?"

Hearing this, Eliyahu was a bit surprised.

"Why? The Queen gave you an annuity, yet it’s so little? Your proposal for western navigation, wasn’t it always considered by the Castile Maritime Committee and never approved?"

"..."

Columbus pressed his lips tight and was silent for a moment. After receiving the Queen’s annuity, he was ecstatic for days and thought about this issue. Though reluctant to admit it, he was forced to respond.

"The Queen’s annuity is due to Portugal’s successful voyage... Two years ago, Diogo’s fleet brought back tokens from Prester John’s realm. This news has already spread among the seasoned captains and sailors! The Queen shows great interest in maritime exploration. She generously grants an annuity to every captain who submitted a proposal to the maritime committee..."

At this, Columbus paused slightly, his expression turning fervent. He excitedly shouted.

"But only I, only I am correct! Sailing westward will definitely lead to spice-rich India, and certainly to the heavenly prosperous Seris! I have compiled books, with Marco Polo’s travel routes and Ptolemy’s map of the earth!..."

"Mr. Christopher, I’m not interested in all that. I’m only interested in gold coins."

Eliyahu gave a faint smile, reaching out to weigh the jingling cloth bag again. Twenty Ducat gold coins, though a bit less, exceeded his expectations. Moreover, he could collect many times.

"Columbus, this is just the interest. I will come for you again when your annuity arrives. You’d better gather more money... or else..."

The Jewish merchant shook his head, adjusted his black round hat with his hand, then turned around, swaggered away with his two Slavic followers.

The cold wind of January blew through the humble hut. The broken wooden door constantly creaked and swayed. Winter’s snow and icy wind pierced through Columbus’s chest, sending a chill through his entire body.

Columbus touched his swollen, beaten cheeks, sat on the ground, and stared at the empty doorway, filled with grief and anger. After a while, he gritted his teeth, his heart hardened.

"Damn it... can’t stay any longer! There’s no hope in the Portuguese Court! The only one that might accept my navigation plan is..."

With this thought, the experienced, brave middle-aged captain suddenly stood up, looking eastward. The Royal Palace of Madrid lay just thirteen hundred miles away!