"boom!..."

The deafening roar suddenly exploded, and the caravel sailboat was shaking violently! The majestic waves swept across the deck, pressing the entire sailboat into the bottom of the water, leaving only three pointed masts. The two sailors who were cutting the rope were not fixed firmly, and they didn't even have time to hum when they were swept away by the waves in an instant.

Bruno was lightened, his whole body was submerged in the water, and he floated up from the deck again. He closed his eyes, held his breath, and gripped the cable so tightly that his nails sank into his flesh. The raging waves rolled over him several times, but failed to sweep him away. After more than ten seconds, the peak of Julang left with regret, letting out a terrible sigh.

"Boom... bang!"

The huge waves are cascading and endless. The caravel sailboat was like a toy in the hands of a giant. It was first pressed into the water, then lifted up by the waves, and finally the bow suddenly rose out of the water, and then fell down heavily, making a teeth-piercing buzz.

"... click!"

The waves and wind surged, and the stern mast of the sailboat was overstressed and broke suddenly! Subsequently, the broken aft mast with its sail was swept away by the tail tide of the huge wave. A sailor who was tied to the mast cable let out a half-desperate cry, and was swept away by the monstrous waves, and disappeared in an instant.

Under the majestic power of nature, mortals are just ants struggling in vain, desperately waiting for the merciless judgment of fate!

After the huge wave passed, Bruno slammed heavily on the deck, trembling all over, unable to straighten up. His hair was disheveled and he was in such a mess that even his captain's cap was swept away. After a while, he barely raised his head and looked around. It was just an unexpected huge wave, and there were three fewer sailors on board, and even the aft mast disappeared. And this is the beginning of the storm!

"Lord!...Kill...Killer waves!"

Bruenor trembled and moaned in pain, despairing of what was to come. Dim black clouds blocked the line of sight, and the rapid torrential rain turned into a curtain of water, making it difficult to see even the flagship within a few hundred meters. A moment later, amidst the roaring thunder, he regained some consciousness and shouted with all his strength.

"Leave the sails down! Quick! . . . "

Quartermaster Martim gritted his teeth and rushed out from the rear deck where he was hiding. He stepped on the splash of water on the deck and walked to the front of the mainmast in two steps. The huge wave has just passed, and it will take time for the next huge wave to form, so the hull remains flat for the time being.

"Shh!..."

Matim clenched his dagger tightly and slashed violently several times, finally cutting off the cable that tied the sail!

"boom!"

The huge sail was filled with water, and fell straight down, touching Martim's head, and hitting the wet deck with a "bang". Several sailors came at the same time, gathered the sail of the main mast, and tied it tightly to the ship. If the mainsail is lost, there is no spare on board. Soon, the sail of the foremast was lowered by Haroldo.

When all the sails were lowered, the caravel was a little more stable, no longer affected by the wind, but only heaving with the waves.

"call!"

Bruno let out a long breath. He knelt on the deck and raised his head. There were only layers of black clouds in front of him, and there was no light from the sky.

"O merciful Lord! I beseech you, bless your pious people, and grant me the light that illuminates my soul!  …"

After praying for a moment, the surrounding storm remained unchanged, as if the judgment of the doomsday seemed to never end. Not far away, there was another terrible sound of waves.

"Boom...boom!..."

Bruno looked up, and saw another terrifying huge wave rising in front of him, rising to a height of more than ten meters in a short while. The sailors on the ship were frightened and frantically tied themselves to the cables, then fell to the ground and hugged the board tightly.

"Ah!...Lord, please..."

"Boom... Boom!..."

The wind howled day and night, and the showers continued. The turbulent waves brought the Portuguese exploration fleet, shaking violently, while heading south unstoppably. Lightning bolts fell from time to time, illuminating the rising waves and outlining the scene of the end. And every time a huge wave floods the tiny sailboat, it means a test of life and death!

The terrible storm lasted nearly five days before it fell behind the fleet. Afterwards, the wind and waves temporarily slowed down, and everyone saved their lives. The stratus clouds unrolled slightly, revealing a little skylight.

Bruno Lu came out of the deck cabin where he was hiding, looking at the still raging storm more than a dozen miles away, his face was almost pale. During these five days, the boat bumped day and night, going up and down, left and right, and was submerged by big waves from time to time and pushed into the sea. Even an old sea dog like him vomited darkly and had no appetite at all.

All the crew, every moment, is like suffering on the verge of hell! Even if he hid in the cabin, he couldn't feel at ease at all, let alone fall asleep. For, in such a dreadful tempest, if the ship capsizes, it is a dead end for anyone!

"Quick! Bail out all the water in the cabin!"

Brunolu didn't have time to sigh, and immediately called out the order. The sailors mustered up their remaining strength, like a whitish reincarnated corpse, struggling to carry the wooden barrels and scoop water from the cabin.

Yesterday afternoon, the side of the lower deck on the right side was hit violently by something, and then a big hole was opened. All the souls of the people on the boat trembled, and Ivo, the carpenter, threw himself on a plank while holding a piece of wood. He tried his best to block the gap, but the sea water was still pouring into the boat. Afterwards, everyone was in a hurry and worked anxiously all night before finally patching up the damaged gap.

"Fortunately, my boat is from Captain Diogo. It is made of solid fir, and it is not too old..."

Bruno Lu was very happy. He boarded the deck, stood up, and tried to find other ships under the dim sky. The waves in the past few days have been surging in one direction. As long as the sails are lowered, the boat will not drift too far.

Everyone looked at the gloomy sea and searched in vain for half a day, but found nothing. It wasn't until noon, when the sky light penetrated through the clouds and the field of vision was slightly widened, that a caravel sailboat suddenly appeared in front of Brunolu. And next to the caravel sailboat, there was a dilapidated square-sail supply ship.

"It's the flagship of the fleet, the 'San Cristovan'!...The supply ship is also there!"

Bruno Lu took a closer look, and found that the flagship was parked a few miles away, and it seemed to be in pretty good condition. All three masts remained intact and even the mainsail was not fully lowered, but kept close to the deck and kept at a very low height.

"This is..."

He was stunned, and then looked at the ups and downs of the flagship for a while, only then did he realize the key. It turned out that the mainsail was folded in half and lowered to a certain height, so that the ship could be lifted as much as possible in the stormy sea, so as not to be completely swallowed.

"Captain Dias' sailing skills are indeed... admirable...."

After a while, Brunolu sighed softly. Captain Dias was born in a noble family, so he must have the most precious nautical heritage, and he has been at sea for many years, with rich experience, which is by no means comparable to that of an illegitimate son of a nobleman. And these precious inheritances and experiences, at critical moments, determine your life and death!

"Boss, flagship, lean on... lean on!"

Harold watched for a moment, then hurried to Bruno Lu's side. His voice was hoarse, and he had lost a lot of weight, but he looked a little lean.

"Huh?...The flagship has played a semaphore!"

Hearing this, Bruno widened his eyes and looked at the approaching flagship.

"Raise the sails and continue south!"

"Raise the sails and continue south!"

"Foda-se! Crazy, crazy! Dias is the devil!"

Seeing the semaphore clearly, Bruno was furious instantly. He thumped on the deck angrily, roaring.

"Continue to go south?! We have just passed through a storm area, and then go south, but there is still a storm!"

However, flagships just give orders and don't give them a choice. Soon, the flagship stopped approaching, turned the bow again, and then raised the sails.

"Foda-se!"

Bruno moaned in despair. He turned to look north, and the storm he had passed through was still going on. He looked south again, and there was lightning in the new storm. Sandwiched between two storms, what choice does the fleet have? The newly promoted captain stretched out his hand helplessly and felt the still strong northwest wind, so he had to give another order.

"Raise the sails and keep heading south!...don't tie too fast, be ready to lower the sails!...God, devil, whoever it is, bless me...as long as I live , I will definitely offer sacrifices to you!..."

Of course, the last two sentences can only be heard by Bruno himself.

A day later, the three Portuguese expedition ships swelled their sails, and under the strong wind, they once again rushed into the southern storm. This time, the terrible storm lasted for seven days, and huge waves like mountains appeared one after another. When the fleet rushed out of the storm again, everyone was exhausted and collapsed on the deck like a dying salted fish. Compared with half a month ago, at least a quarter of the sailors on each ship disappeared!

"Foda-se!...Thirteen days, a hellish voyage, it lasted thirteen days!"

Bruno was sore all over, lying down on the deck, looking at the long-lost clear sky. The sun fell from the pure blue sky, shining on his pale face like a vampire, as if it was a gift from God...or maybe, a gift from the devil...

"Foda-se! Tenhosaudades! I miss, that old home! ... If there is another storm, we will all go to hell!  …"

The new captain remained motionless, staring at the strange sky in a daze. Next to him lay the newly promoted boatswain Haroldo, quartermaster Matim, and carpenter Ivo. As the officers of the ship, the four exhausted all their strength, let alone the ordinary sailors.

Fortunately, Bruno's prophecy did not take effect. The fleet has passed through the most threatening storm zone. The storm subsided and the next few days were sunny. At this time, the wind turned to the west, and it whistled day and night, but it was the prevailing westerly wind.

The fleet has been adrift for too long in the storm. Dias was pale and grim. He stood on the deck, looking at the vast sea, although his face remained unchanged, his heart was full of confusion.

"This is where?"

Dias pondered for a long time. In this unknown sea area, he was still unable to see any reference and make an accurate judgment. But in any case, the first priority now is to dock as soon as possible and repair the severely damaged fleet.

After a few breaths, he stretched out his hand, felt the mighty west wind, and ordered sharply.

"Raise the sails and turn east!"

The will of the captain was not disobeyed. Because those who dared to defy turned into corpses in the sea. However, after experiencing such a terrible storm, undercurrents surged in everyone's hearts, becoming an unspeakable consensus. After finally surviving the storm, the feeling of surviving after a catastrophe makes people feel weak, and the nostalgia is accumulated like a tide, waiting for the day when it will explode.

On January 29, 1488, the Portuguese exploration fleet continued eastward, sailing overnight for three days with a strong westerly wind, covering at least 800 miles. However, the African continent, which was supposed to appear in the east, has not appeared for a long time. Navigator Perrault measured the latitude, which was between 37° and 39° north latitude.

Dias was puzzled at first, but after thinking about it, an unbelievable thought suddenly popped into his mind! He suppressed the conjecture in his heart and ordered again.

"Turn the sail so that the angle of the sail is 45 degrees to the westerly wind and 45 degrees to the hull! Turn the bow to the north!"

The broken Portuguese fleet then turned and sailed north at half speed with the help of the west wind. But two days later, on the afternoon of February 3, the long coastline reappeared. It's just that this time, the coastline of the southern continent is pointing horizontally!

"God bless! This, this land, turns out to be in the direction of east and west!"

Dias stood at the bow of the ship, staring at the coastline extending from east to west, he paused for a few breaths. Then, boundless ecstasy surged into his heart, making him tremble all over.

At this moment, he clearly understands that he has finally bypassed the southernmost part of the African continent, and the route to India and Seris is right in front of him!

"O merciful Lord! Thank you for your gift! You sent your angels to proclaim peace to the devout believers. With your peace, we have preserved our lives! ... Praise you, eternal savior! Thank you, Bless me and discover the route to the East!"

Dias wept with joy, knelt down on the deck, and prayed loudly.

He raised his head and looked at the clear blue sky, only feeling enveloped by the divine light. At this moment, he was absolutely convinced that the Lord had blessed him and the Portuguese as well. The will given by the pope, the royal decree promulgated by the king, and the unfulfilled wish of the old friend are destined to be realized in his hands! And he is about to be remembered by the world of God, and even canonized after death, engraved in history forever!

"Praise the Lord, grant me grace! Two thousand years after the Phoenicians circled Africa for the first time, I will lead the fleet again to the eastern land flowing with milk and honey, full of precious stones and spices! And The new trade routes will be in my hands~lightnovelpub.net~ and will also be in the hands of the Kingdom of Portugal!~~”

Dias' shout was like crazy, and it spread in the mighty sea wind. On the flagship "San Cristovan", the surviving crew members looked at each other in dismay, and some thoughts were hidden in their eye contact.

On the coast not far away, a low Khoisan man is herding a few lean cattle and grazing in the meadows near the sea. He heard the shout in the wind, climbed up the hill suspiciously, and looked at the sailboat on the southern sea. The oldest nation in Africa finally meets the youngest nation in Europe at this moment.

At this moment, the Khoisan herders do not know what is about to happen on the land that has been theirs for generations. He just looked at it in surprise for a moment, then sang softly with a smile.

"Mother of the Moon! Thank you for bringing me good luck! I saw a strange big ship with cross flowers... Where did this wizard come from, sitting on a ghostly plank, where do you want to go?. ..”

At the southernmost tip of Africa, on the splendid Sunshine Coast, the melodious voice of the desolate song echoes the Portuguese shouts on the opposite side. This is like a friendly greeting, telling the beautiful beginning of the story, and the subsequent death and blood and tears are hidden behind the sea~