Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!
Chapter 684 - 358: The End of 1485, The So-Called Redemption_2

Chapter 684: Chapter 358: The End of 1485, The So-Called Redemption_2

"Matim, my brother! Let’s talk this out! What do you want? All the plunder from this journey, I’ll give it to you! And you can be the head on this ship!... My fellow sailors, I, Sailor Chief Diego, have never wronged you!..."

Diego shook all over, lifting his hands in fear. He shouted with all his might, trying to persuade everyone on the ship. Behind him, four of his loyal men had just boarded the ship, only to be forced to surrender with raised hands. The rest of the sailors stayed on the small boat, watching the situation onboard with trepidation.

"Alas!"

Quartermaster Matim sighed. He slowly turned around, revealing a familiar face from behind. Only then did Sailor Chief Diego see that Noble Knight Bruno was holding a dagger, pressing it firmly against Matim’s back.

"Foda-se! Bruno! It was you!"

Diego was stunned for a second, then his eyes almost burst with rage as he roared angrily.

"Foda-se! Damn you! That night in the cabin, I should have chopped you into mincemeat!..."

Bruno’s eyes were cold and contemptuous as he glanced at Diego, like looking at a madly barking defeated dog. He gestured abruptly to the Armor-clad elite soldiers and ordered sharply.

"The captain has ordered! Sailor Chief Diego has incited mutiny, betraying the Kingdom! They are evil worshipers of the Demon! Seize them!"

At his command, ten elite soldiers looked simultaneously towards the stern captain’s quarters. Captain Diogo sat solemnly and calmly at the doorway to the cabin, nodding at the people on the deck. The soldiers surged forward from both sides, ready to capture Sailor Chief Diego and his loyal sailors.

"Foda-se! You are the guards from the other two ships! Foda-se! Diogo, you damned diarrheic dog!"

Upon seeing the captain emerge, Diego screamed in despair. He roared and wildly waved the curved blade in his hand.

"Fire!"

"Bang! Bang!"

On Bruno’s command, two musketeers pulled their triggers directly, and the ends of the matchlock guns ejected a puff of white smoke. Two lead bullets spun rapidly and shot out—one struck Diego in the knee, shattering the fragile patella joint, the other hit his arm, tearing the thick upper arm into a bloody blur.

"Ah!!"

Diego screamed miserably, the tremendous kinetic energy exploding within his body as he fell to the ground, soaked in blood. The elite soldiers wielded the iron handles of their short swords, knocking down the sailors behind them, then took out sturdy hemp ropes to tie up Diego and his sailors.

Seeing this, Matim could no longer stand. He fell to his knees on the deck with a "thud," hugging Bruno’s legs.

"Brother Bruno, I’ve never wronged you! You are a distinguished Knight, please spare my miserable life! From now on, I’ll be your dog, listening to everything you say!..."

Bruno frowned, kicked up a foot, and kicked Matim to the ground.

"Get out! The captain is in charge now! Matim, if you want to live, crawl and beg the captain!"

Then, Bruno hurried forward two steps, coming to where Diego lay writhing and wailing. He looked down at the other’s wretched state and laughed heartily.

"Ha-ha! Diego, how does it feel to be shot by a matchlock gun? Come on, let me give you a good inspection!"

With that, Bruno stepped on Diego’s knee, causing him to curl up in pain, resembling a cooked red shrimp.

"Tsk tsk, the knee is broken ah! Oh, the arm is broken too ah!... To be in such pain and yet not cry, you really are a tough guy!"

Bruno’s face sported the smile of a victor. Then his eyes flashed wickedly, he lifted his foot, and with all his might, stomped down on Diego’s lower body!

"Foda-se! That’s for coveting my wife!"

"Aaahhh!!"

The terrifying scream that wrenched from Diego’s lips was chilling to the bone. Nearly ten steps away, the head cook Haroldo shivered deeply as if he heard the sound of something cracking.

On the other side, Quartermaster Matim trembled all over. He crawled difficultly to the front of the captain’s cabin, lying on the ground a few steps away, abjectly pleading with the captain.

"Respected captain! Noble royal Knight! I beg you, in light of my faithful service of over ten years, please spare my life! Even if it’s as a laboring sailor..."

"Oh? Matim, how long have you been with me?"

Captain Diogo looked serene, with profound eyes. He stopped the guard next to him, gazing down at Matim at his feet.

"I... I have been with you thirteen years... starting as a sailor apprentice..."

Matim lay on the deck, his voice quivering.

"Yes, thirteen years and six months. That was the year 1472 after the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. At that time, I had just become a captain. We followed the respected Navigator Joao Santarem and discovered Annobón and Príncipe islands in the Gulf of Guinea..."

Diogo’s eyes lowered, he drifted into distant memories.

That year was generally calm throughout Europe. The Portuguese had explored the Gulf of Guinea and the Gold Coast; to the east, Moscow’s Grand Duke had married Sophia, the princess of the fallen Byzantium. And in the unknowable Celestial Empire of the East, a man of unparalleled wisdom was born, his name was Wang Shouren.

After some time, Diogo then smiled faintly, his expression showing the passage of years.

"Matim, the Almighty said not to test the loyalty of men with time, but to offer them a chance for redemption. Now, let the Almighty Himself decide your fate!"

With those words, Diogo pulled out a newly minted Portuguese Crusado coin. On the front of the coin was the crowned Portuguese coat of arms, and on the back, the holy Cross. He spoke gently to Matim.