The blue sky is cloudless, and the sunny sun shines brightly, covering the sea in the South Atlantic with sparkling waves. The ocean is vast and the waves are vast, the sky is empty and boundless, and there are no people for thousands of miles.

The three Caravelle sailing ships of the Kingdom of Portugal, sailing just above the seas without ships, extend the ends of the known world. Between the scorching sun and the waves, they are chasing the path of the wind, looking for ethereal hope. The southern part of the African continent is so vast and desolate that it never seems to have borders.

The expedition sailed from the mouth of the Congo River, all the way to the south, south of the equator, and past the plateaus of Lower Guinea. At this time, they had sailed more than 4,000 miles to the desert of Namibia.

Schools of Namibian seals play freely along the coast, chasing shoals of delicious fish. It is here that the Benguela Current rises, forming a rare and fertile fishing ground in the "Blue Desert".

The plentiful food attracts huge beasts, and the huge blue whale floats up and down not far away. They swim freely in the vast sea, sometimes jumping to hit the waves, sometimes spraying water mist, and then making a shocking cry!

In this era, blue whales, the largest creatures in the world, have no natural enemies. Their singing came from afar, leisurely telling the loneliness of this sea for millions of years.

"Almighty Lord! I sincerely pray to Him, please protect us from the devour of sea monsters!"

Bruno stood in awe at the bow of the boat, praying devoutly to God. Beside him are a dozen sailors praying together. Everyone looked at the direction from which the whale song came from, and a figure as huge as a hill could be vaguely seen, like a giant beast in the deep sea in mythology.

The era of great voyages is in the ascendant, and the marine myths circulated in ancient Rome are still entrenched in people's hearts. In European tradition, the movement of waves causes animals to merge and form monstrous hybrid behemoths. Therefore, the deeper and farther the ocean is, the more hideous are the terrifying sea monsters, the terror that slumbers and destroys everything.

The chirping of the giant beast stopped temporarily after the prayer. The sailors praised the Lord aloud and settled down a little. Bruno rolled up his sleeves, flexibly climbed the mast, and stood on the observation deck more than ten meters high, looking for the edge of the southern continent. In his sight, the red sand dunes continued to rise and fall on the southern continent, extending beyond the sky, making people feel hopeless.

"Tenhosaudades! Our Lady of Mercy! Please give me divine revelation...Is there really the end of the southern continent? Can I go back to my hometown and see my wife again?"

Bruno stood on the high observation deck holding the cable. This was the place closer to the Lord, and he prayed again. The flag of the Portuguese royal family fluttered above his head, and it has survived countless storms and waves, but it has always remained intact.

White seagulls flew across the sky, attracted by sailboats they had never seen before. They circled up and down curiously, uttering loud "O, O" calls, and occasionally pecked at the bones hanging from the mast. Yes, after more than a month of tropical voyages, the bones are the last vestiges of sailor Diego.

Bruno finished his prayer, glanced at the bones lightly, and nimbly climbed down the mast. Then, he came to the door of the captain's room worriedly and knocked gently on the door.

"Praise the Lord! Dear Captain, the noble knight Bruno greets you!"

After a long time, a faint voice came.

"Cough...praise the Lord...please come in."

Bruno softly opened the cabin door and walked into the captain's room, facing an insoluble **** smell.

Diogo's eyes were open, his face was haggard, and there was not a trace of blood on his face. He was lying on the wooden bed, stretched out his dry arms, trying hard to get up, but he couldn't use his strength at all, so he could only look up with difficulty.

Bruno immediately closed the hatch and walked quickly to the captain's side. He carefully helped the captain up and touched the thinner and thinner body under the broad captain's robe, only to feel the other party's lightness.

"Like an ancient Egyptian papyrus full of symbols of death."

Bruno lowered his eyes and sighed in his heart.

On the banks of the Congo, the indefatigable Aedes mosquito brings the dreaded malaria and dengue fever. Although far away from the devil's land at this time, the cruel tropical disease has penetrated into the captain's bones, tormenting the debilitated "male lion" day and night. Alternate episodes of cold and fever, hemoptysis and vomiting together; severe pain in muscles and bones, continuous bleeding from nose, teeth and skin...

Diogo has exhausted all his vitality after being sick for just over two months. No matter how majestic physique, no matter how devout belief, no matter how strong the will of steel is, none of them can resist the laws of nature. At this point, he is no more than a dying pilgrim, chasing after the divine end, but prematurely heeding the call of God.

"How about it?"

Diogo opened his mouth with difficulty and asked three words.

Bruno shook his head silently.

"Respected captain, noble scholar Martin measured the latitude today. This is already south of the equator, 21-22 degrees. We have sailed southward from the Congo River for at least four thousand miles. The desert is still endless, with no boundaries in sight..."

Diogo was silent and slowly closed his eyes. After a while, he suddenly coughed violently, and unstoppable blood flowed from his mouth.

Seeing this scene, Bruno stood up in panic, not knowing what to do. He awkwardly took out a piece of cotton cloth and wiped the corner of the captain's mouth, but wiped blood everywhere. The smell of blood in the captain's room grew stronger.

After a while, Diogo's cough stopped. He was panting hard, his lungs making a watery noise. Then, Bruno was horrified to discover that, at some point, two lines of reddish blood were flowing from the captain's nose, dripping silently on the deck.

"captain!..."

Diogo closed his eyes and lay down on the bed with difficulty. The nosebleed slowly regurgitated, and then oozes out from the corner of his mouth, unable to stop it at all.

The captain's cabin smelled of death. After a while, a weak voice sounded.

"Bru...lu...no..."

"Captain, I'm here!"

"Today...day, how many...days?"

Bruno was stunned, carefully calculating in his heart. After a while, he answered uncertainly.

"Today is December 27th? Ah! Christmas has just passed, and tomorrow is the Day of Martyrdom of the Infant."

"Hmm... the Holy Infant... Martyr... Day."

Diogo closed his eyes and responded in a low voice. The captain's room fell silent again.

In this era, Christmas inherited the tradition of Saturnus in ancient Rome, and existed more as a celebration. It is religiously important, but it is far less than Easter after Christ's victory over death. And December 28 is the day when Herod slaughtered the babies of Bethlehem in legend. Infants were martyred for Christ, so it was an ominous day.

Time passed in silence, and Diogo seemed to have fallen asleep. Bruenor was about to get up to leave when he heard a faint whisper.

"olive oil."

"what?"

"olive oil."

"Captain! You..."

Bruno stood still. He knew the meaning of this sentence, but it was a little difficult to accept it for a while.

"Go...ready...notify...call..."

Bruno's nose is a little sore. He silently bowed his head and walked out of the captain's room. Outside the captain's room, the sun was gradually falling, filling the sky with rays of light. The red sun sinks into the deep sea; the waves rise like the twilight of the gods.

When the sun is gone, the night rises from the sky, and the endless darkness swept in, swallowing all the light. A precious candle was quietly lit in the captain's room, illuminating the red-stained wooden bed.

With tears in his eyes, Bruno knelt beside the bed, holding a bottle of olive oil and a precious handwritten Bible beside him. Beside him are two noble captains with solemn expressions, Pero Arnes and Pero da Costa.

Diogo lay peacefully on the bed, his face showing an abnormal flush. He smiled gently, and even his words suddenly became smooth.

"God bless! Noble knight Pero da Costa, after I leave, the fleet will be handed over to you!"

"Bless the Lord! Dear Royal Knight, Captain Diogo Kang, please do not say that. The Holy Lord will perform miracles to heal His devout saints..."

The middle-aged nobleman Pero da Costa folded his hands and was about to pray for Diogo.

"Lord Witness! Old Perrault, after taking charge of the fleet, will you continue south?"

Diogo tilted his head hard and stared at the middle-aged aristocrat.

"Uh... Diogo, the fleet has less than a hundred sailors, food is in short supply, and there are many damages on the sailboat..."

Pero da Costa looked cramped. He bowed his head slightly, reluctant to look directly at the dying captain.

"really."

Diogo nodded slowly. He didn't ask any more, but continued to ask.

"Lord Witness! Noble knight Pero Arnes, please transcribe a copy of our chart and give it to my old friend, Sir Dias, on the way back."

"Lord testify! It will be as you wish."

Another young nobleman bowed his head.

"Little Perrault, this is my will and the seal of my royal knight. Please bring it to my eldest son."

Diogo stretched out his hand with difficulty, took out a cloth bag that had already been prepared, and handed it to Pero Anes.

"I swear by the honor of my family! It will be as you wish."

The young noble took the cloth bag and made a solemn oath. Diogo nodded and looked at Bruno who was kneeling.

"The noble knight Bruno, the flagship will be handed over to you."

"captain..."

"Lord testify! Take good care of Martin, the court advisor, and **** him back to the kingdom safely. This is my will."

"Lord witness! Follow your orders!"

Bruno knelt on the deck, silent tears in his eyes, mixed feelings in his heart.

Diogo thought for a while, and then ordered some sailing matters. Then he closed his eyes and stopped talking. Countless pictures flashed from his eyes, pulling him cordially and falling into a peaceful dreamland.

The crowd gathered around and waited patiently.

The candles slowly got shorter, and time passed silently. The waves of the ocean swayed the creaking sailboat, like a baby's cradle. Diogo in the cradle opened his eyes, and for the first time there was a bright smile on his face, as if he had returned to a pure childhood.

"I hear the call of the Lord. His light is so clear, it shines before my eyes. Listen, that voice, so clear..."

Seeing this scene, old Perrault quickly stretched out his finger, UU reading www. uukanshu.com dipped in olive oil and drew a cross on Diogo's forehead. Then he chanted in Latin and said his dying prayers.

"Peristamsan, iibi Dominusquidquiddeliquisti, Amen."

After reciting, he showed grief on his face, and was about to cry out, but suddenly stopped. Because Diogo's eyes are still open.

Diogo blinked silently, revealing a childish mischievous smile.

"Bruno, is it past midnight?"

"Ah, it's over! . . . Captain, today is the Day of Martyrdom of the Infant."

Bruno responded quickly, but didn't hear the captain's reply for a long time. He looked up, Diogo had closed his eyes, tilted his head, and fell asleep like a child.

"Ah! Diogo, my old friend..."

The cries finally came from the captain's room. Then more cries came in, on this distant sea, in this lonely sea breeze.