"Tattoo..."

The clatter of hooves rang out on the long bluestone road, drifting to the north. Dias rode a horse, stepping on the shallow winter snow of the Inberia Peninsula, with the bright sunshine on the coastline behind him. Beneath him, the carefully cultivated Lusitano warhorse was more than one meter six, making his figure extraordinarily tall. Beside him, the royal cavalry was silent, well-trained, and maintained a fixed formation even while running.

Fifty miles of good road, riding a horse, only takes an hour or two. After a few quarters of an hour, the surrounding villages gradually became sparse, the noble manor was faintly visible, and the ancient Sintra Palace was just a few miles away.

Only then did Dias come back to his senses from his contemplation. He quickened his horse a little, and was side by side with the two court knights who were leading the way.

"Praise the Lord! Respected court knight Eminio, I have just returned from a voyage. Is there anything major happening in the kingdom?"

Hearing this, the court knight Eminio's expression moved. He glanced at the royal steward who had lost a circle, and thought about how pleased His Majesty was when he received the letter from the steward yesterday, before answering with a smile.

"Blessed by Our Lady! Respected Royal Steward, Knight of Dias. His Majesty has been in a good mood these past few months. Prince Alfonso of the Kingdom, has officially engaged Princess Insabella. The Pope witnessed this The wedding is set for more than a year, next spring!"

"Oh? Prince Alfonso and Princess Insabella are already engaged? It's the blessing of Our Lady!"

Hearing the good news, Dias also smiled. Prince Alfonso is the only son and heir of His Majesty Joao. Princess Insabella is the eldest daughter of Queen Insabella of Castile.

This political marriage decided ten years ago is the only gain worth mentioning in the Kingdom of Portugal in the battle for the throne of Castile. At this moment, Princess Insabella lives on the land of the Kingdom of Portugal and is "guarded" by the knights of the royal family. And her marriage to the prince will continue to give their descendants a claim to the throne of the Kingdom of Castile.

In fact, the relationship between His Majesty Joao II and Queen Insabella is very complicated. The two are rivals and respect each other. In Queen Insabella's mouth, another word is often used to refer to Her Majesty Joao, and that is "ohomem", "that man"!

Dias pondered for a while, returned from the imaginative scandal, and said to the two with a smile.

"Blessed by Our Lady! Two royal knights, I came back from the Southern Continent this time and brought some ancient relics, which may be leftovers from Elder John's country. If you two are free, you might as well come and watch one or two on weekends. Let’s explore the enlightenment of our Lord together!”

Hearing this, the court knight Eminio was slightly startled. Afterwards, he looked at his teammates' gestured eyes, and when he thought of the richness of the Southern Continent, he immediately understood. He replied with a smile.

"It is the duty of every devout believer to observe the holy relics and seek the enlightenment of the Lord! Respected royal steward, I am very happy to come and visit. Praise the Lord! Praise the blessed you!"

"Haha! Praise the merciful Lord!"

Soon, the riding team moved forward in silence again. The crisp sound of hooves went all the way north, beyond the Sintra Palace. More than a dozen royal guards held halberds and guarded outside the palace gate. On the high palace wall, there are heavy crossbows on guard, as well as new arquebuses.

The crowd dismounted here. Dias took off his gloves and hat, removed his weapon, and strode into the court of Sintra.

This palace, originally built by the Moors 700 years ago, is colorful, and after the addition of successive kings, it has become a magnificent example of the Western European court. In the palace, there are uniquely shaped domes, sacred and bright spires, and beautifully decorated square tops. The blending of different styles shows the relatively tolerant religious atmosphere of the Portuguese kingdom at this time.

Dias did not look sideways, and led the guards all the way to the main hall. After a brief glance, he knelt down on one knee, excitedly turned towards the king in the hall, and replied loudly.

"Your Majesty Joao! Your loyal royal steward, Dias, has returned from the voyages of the southern continent! With the blessing of the Lord and you, we have finally bypassed the edge of the southern continent and discovered the way to the east. Airway!"

"Good! The merciful Lord, bless the devout people! Dias, the Lord blesses you, blesses me, blesses the iris clan of the Cape!"

Joao II is thirty-four years old and in his prime. His face is slightly longer, his eyebrows are slender, and his facial features are very distinct, especially his nose is the most straight. Of course, the most impressive thing is his gleaming eyes. Exuberant ambition, vigorous fighting spirit, almost undisguised, projected from those eyes like a burning flame.

Seeing His Majesty's eyes, Dias lowered his head, his expression full of admiration. He couldn't help but admire in his heart.

"Your Majesty is like a high-spirited lion, standing on the top of Sintra. All the great nobles of the kingdom surrender at his feet! What kind of blow can knock him down?...Ah, I can't imagine."

The ruler and the minister chatted for a while, and then quickly got to the point. Joao II spoke decisively and carefully asked about the route to the east. Dias answered every question, detailing his voyage to the southern continent, right up to that unforgettable storm.

"...The monstrous waves, with a height of ten or twenty meters, are hitting continuously! The sky is dizzy, with wind, rain and thunder and lightning, as if the end is coming. Our sailing boat, time and time again, is pressed into the bottom of the sea by the huge waves, and it is difficult. Surfaced... It wasn't until thirteen days later that we sailed out of the storm. Then, the fleet turned east, then north again, and after a few days, we saw the east-west continent again! Blessed Mother! ..."

Having said that, Dias's eyes are still full of the season of near death. He prayed silently, then bowed his head respectfully, and bowed to his majesty.

"...I then know that this is the gift of the Lord, have mercy on his believers! She will use my hand to inform the great you of the route to India and Seris!"

"Praise the Lord! A new route to India and Sirius!"

John II suddenly stood up. Although yesterday afternoon, he already knew the news of the new route in advance from Dias's letter. But at this moment, when he really heard the answer from the royal general manager, he was still so excited that he couldn't help himself!

"The new route, the new Silk Road! What a great road of wealth, and what a devout road of faith!  … merciful Lord! Praise you, bless the Kingdom of Portugal, bless The clan of irises, bestow such grace!..."

The low voice of prayers echoed in the magnificent hall. After a while, Joao II calmed down his ups and downs. He sat back on the throne, thought for a moment, and asked.

"Dias, you said you were at the southernmost tip of the southern continent, and you have met the local indigenous people? Are they believers of the Cross, or believers of Xingyue? Are they a powerful kingdom or a loose tribe?"

"Exactly! Your Majesty, we landed on land and saw the villages of the indigenous tribes. We also took a few prisoners, but their languages, so different from the tribes on the west side, could not communicate at all. In their villages, I Neither the holy relics of the cross nor the evil things of the stars and moon have been seen, only some filthy witchcraft totems, all of which have been purified by the flame of the Lord!"

Dias thought for a moment and answered carefully. As for what the sailors did in the village, there is no need to say.

"The tribes there are very loose, and the population in the villages is very small. Their weapons are very simple. They live in thatched houses. They are all stone weapons, and there are very few iron weapons... According to my estimation, it should be There are no powerful native kingdoms. As long as a hundred armored kingdom soldiers can establish a solid stronghold!"

Speaking of which, Dias held the silver cross on his chest and bowed his head again.

"Your Majesty, the Cape of Storms on the edge of the southern continent is too violent. This time, the expedition fleet can pass through smoothly, it is indeed the blessing of the Lord! In order to completely open up this section of the route, the kingdom must be at both ends of the Cape of Storms. Establish a solid port base, which can supply food and water, and repair damaged ships. Otherwise, this route will be a nightmare for the merchant fleet!  …”

"Well... Dias, I trust your judgment."

Joao II's eyes flashed and he nodded. Then, he smiled and said confidently.

"However, this cape is a blessing from the Lord! It should not be called Cape Storm, but... Cape of Good Hope!"

"The Cape of Good Hope? Praise the Lord! Your majesty, your pride is the precious wealth of the kingdom, and I admire it with all my heart, just as I admire it, King Alfonso the Conqueror!"

"Haha! Dias, my royal steward, only you understand my aspirations!"

Hearing such a compliment, Joao II laughed out loud and nodded in satisfaction. King Alfonso here is the founder of the Kingdom of Portugal, Alfonso I more than 300 years ago. In the heart of Joao II, he often takes the great ancestor as an example~lightnovelpub.net~ The two kings and ministers laughed happily. After a while, Joao II returned to calm and asked seriously.

"Dias, what's the farthest location you've reached, what is the southern latitude?"

Hearing this, Dias thought back for a while, recalling the measurement that night, the Southern Cross rotating in the sky, answered affirmatively.

"Your Majesty, I finally stopped at an extremely wide estuary... The location there should be between 33 and 34 degrees south latitude!"

"33 degrees to 34 degrees south latitude? It's so far away?!"

Hearing this, Joao II rubbed the armrest of the throne and was silent. After a while, he took out a crumpled letter from the stack of books on the desk. The letter is worn and even slightly yellowed. What is even more surprising is that there are several lines of Arabic written on the surface of the letter,

"Dias, come, look at this letter! The exact location of the country of Elder John is inside!"

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