Free Web NovelChapter 2072: Chapter 1514: What Is That?! In Brazil...
February 1495, 6 degrees south, RioPotengi, Brazil.
The Potengi River in the early morning glistens under the golden sunlight, flowing gently toward the vast Atlantic Ocean. This great river in northeastern Brazil extends more than four hundred li from west to east, with numerous tributaries. Along the river are dense mangrove forests, teeming with various tropical flying birds. These four hundred li of dense woodland form a rare fertile alluvial plain between the arid and barren northern Brazil Plateau and the stormy and perilous Atlantic Ocean.
The river brings life, and the fertile woodland nurtures prey and supports the local Tupi tribes. The villages of the Tupi, quietly hidden in the dense forest, are not far from the river. The thatched round longhouses (malocas) are scattered throughout the village, most hosting several dozen to hundreds of people in small-scale communities. Thick smoke rises gently from the campfires, wafting among the tree crowns, serving as visible guideposts from afar. Tupi tribespeople, bare-chested and wearing grass skirts, paddle their canoes across the river, busily fishing. Outside the village, small fields cleared by slash-and-burn agriculture grow common crops like cassava, corn, and sweet potatoes, essential across the South American Continent.
"Ygapó ará ybype, heta abá oĩ. Ah Mo, a group of tribes has appeared on the land east of the river!"
"East? A group of tribes appeared by the seaside?..."
"Yes! I saw from afar; it’s very strange, very strange!..."
"Ah? Strange?..."
"Yes! They are ’Karaí,’ ’a group of mysterious outsiders’! Their faces seem very white, their ship seems very large, their voices also very loud! ’Boom, boom!’, like thunder!"
"?!"
The Tupi hunter Ah Mo blinked, his simple face full of curiosity. As an indigenous resident of the Brazilian rainforest, he has copper-brown skin, high cheekbones, and a very flat and wide nose, typical characteristics of tropical natives.
His hair is black, very short and straight, his eyes are also black, very small, yet spirited. He has a strong bare chest, engraved with black and red tattoos... oh, that’s a tattoo of ebony juice, extending from his neck to his chest, depicting an abstract tapir and several abstract birds, symbolizing his status as a seasoned hunter.
"Ah Mo! Where are you going?..."
"Sweet potato peel, I’m going to look to the east... to take a look from afar at those incoming Karaí!"...
"..."
Hunter Ah Mo put on the toucan feather headdress, donned the amulet of spiritual teeth, and tied a long grass-woven belt. In this tribal hunter’s belt, he carries dried cassava powder, blowgun darts, a small knife, ropes, and some small survival tools for the wild.
He slung a blowpipe over his back, and took ten blowgun darts without poison. The long spear in his hand is his source of courage, even in the face of the mightiest Jaguar in the jungle!... Well, the Jaguar is still too formidable, and he’s not confident about spotting such a dangerous predator. Once detected by it first, not even his naked bravery or tribal totem can protect him from the jaguar’s sharp claws. What? Armor, you say? What is armor?...
"Arakaĩ ygapó ará, following the river east... Té upé guaíba, until the sea at the end..."
Hunter Ah Mo moved lightly, walking east along the Potengi River. He traveled by day, crossing dense mangrove forests. At night, he climbed trees, spending safe nights atop tall mahoganies. Along the way, foraging and hunting provided him fresh food.
This is his homeland, the land where Tupi people have lived for thousands of generations. He is familiar with this rainforest, familiar with its rivers, and familiar with each tribe he encounters. Just by seeing those tribes’ tattoos, he can understand everything. They are the "language" of the various Tupi tribes, written on the body...
"Whew! That salty taste... finally arrived, nearing the seaside!..."
The fresh sea breeze brought a salty and damp scent, Rio Potengi grows wider, the woodland also begins to thin out. When hunter Ah Mo finally exited the forest onto the vast coast, he suddenly opened his eyes wide!
"Icuru upé?... What is that?!..."
There were four very, very large ships anchored in the rivermouth harbor. Nearby, a rudimentary wooden fence enclosed a not insignificant camp. In the center of the camp stood a stone pillar and two strange wooden frames forming an inexplicable "cross." Scattered throughout the camp were wooden huts, some half-built, some completed.
Currently, many red and yellow logs were piled on the other side of the camp, forming stacks of timber. A group of the White-skinned Tribe, dressed in strange clothing, bustled before the timber piles, wielding shiny axes, chopping with constant "thud thud crack" sounds...
"Are they the foreign Karaí? Oh, ancient forest! They have cut down so many good trees!... What are they holding... Oh no, have they seen me?!"...
At this moment, at the mouth of the Rio Potengi in Brazil, an honest hunter of the Tupi tribe encounters the colonial fleet of the Portuguese for the first time. Unbeknownst to him, this seaside land, inherited by the Tupi tribe, has already been marked by the Portuguese with the symbolic "stone pillar" of occupation, marked by the Almighty’s "Cross"! This newly established colonial exploration camp has also been given a "sacred" name by the Portuguese, Natal Port (Natal), the "Christmas Port," commemorating the birth of Divine Son Jesus!
"Almighty! Look there! There’s a brown-skinned, black-haired native!"
"He’s carrying a bow and arrow, and a long spear! He’s an enemy!"
"Quick, light the fire! Shoot him with the matchlock gun!..."
"Almighty bless us! Aim! Fire!"
Hunter Ah Mo widened his eyes in surprise, staring at the strange Karaí outsiders, pointing and shouting as if he had discovered some dangerous prey. Then, from a distance of several tens of steps, a few outsiders raised those black "blowpipes"? aiming at his position... freeweɓnovel.cøm
"Ah?!..."
Hunter Ah Mo instantly felt a strong threat, more terrifying than a jaguar! He immediately turned around, intending to escape into the dense jungle. However, a dreadful thunderbolt suddenly sounded, pouring into his ears and heart, making his whole body tremble, his knees weak, and he fell to the ground with a thud!
"Bang! Bang bang!..."
"That native fell, grab him!..."
"Kill him!..."
"No! Don’t act! Almighty bless us, put away your scimitars!..."
The fierce sailors brandished their scimitars, grinning ferociously, and pounced on the fallen Hunter Ah Mo. However, a priest, dressed in a black robe and wearing a silver cross, had already heard the matchlock gunfire and rushed out of the largest wood house. He shouted loudly, stopping all the sailors until he reached the trembling Ah Mo. Then, he squatted down, gazing into Ah Mo’s frightened eyes, and drew a pious cross.
"Louvado seja Deus! Praise be to the Almighty!..."
"Ah, I have already received the Almighty’s revelation! On this new continent of the endless forest sea, He has sent the first believer..."
"Put away the scimitars, all of you, put away your knives!..."
The priest gave a sharp look around at the Portuguese sailors. As the manager of the Natal Port camp, and the only formal priest in the fleet, his status was unquestionable, second only to Commander Bruno!
"Yes! At your word, Father Faria!"
The sailors exchanged glances and hesitated for a few moments before obediently putting away their scimitars. It was only then that Father Faria showed a kindly smile, extending a calloused hand to the uneasy Hunter Ah Mo, drawing a cross on his face.
"Almighty bless us! He guides our encounter, bringing down the gospel of enlightenment!..."
"Come! Almas Perdidas, lost souls! Come with me to the camp’s house for a seat... I will provide you with a great dinner, a clean bed..."
"Deus é grande! I will give you guidance, the Almighty’s guidance! Simple jungle barbarians, poor lost lambs!..."
Hunter Ah Mo looked bewildered, not knowing what this black-robed white-skinned Karaí was saying. But he was very aware that among this Karaí group, this black-robed "chieftain" was the only one showing kindness. He trembled as he glanced at the sailors’ fierce faces, the scimitars now sheathed, and the "blowpipes" that could unleash thunderbolts... Perhaps, he had no choice.
"..."
After a moment of hesitation, Hunter Ah Mo finally reached out his hand, trembling, grasping the sleeve of Father Faria. The priest’s face immediately broke into a smile, like the merciful smile of the Almighty or the shadows behind the sea, sweeping over him with a grin.
"Good child! Come, follow me!..."
"Come!!..."
