Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

In the sultry heat of the tropical rainforest, flows the Congo River. On a swaying light sailboat, in the oppressive lower deck, a pungent odor permeated the air, stretching all the way to the front of the crucial storage hold.

Two muscular sailors gripped their daggers tightly, staunchly guarding the entrance. Their eyes fixed on the narrow passageway, they couldn't help but prick up their ears, listening to the slightest movement within the cabin.

Faint candlelight cast dim shadows, illuminating less than ten square meters of the storage hold as the boat swayed. The silence in the cabin was terrifying; four burly men armed with weapons stood mutely around a newly inducted nobleman clutching a dagger. Everyone's hand rested on their weapon, their eyes alert, watching each other's hands without blinking. The sound of rushing water came from below, as if heralding the outbreak of something imminent.

Bruno clutched his dagger at his waist, holding his breath, ready to cry out at any moment. Sweat rolled down his forehead, wetting his eyelashes and stinging the corners of his eyes, yet he dared not blink.

After a tense standoff that lasted dozens of breaths, yet seemed like a century, Sailor Chief Diego spoke first, his face fierce.

"Bruno, what did Diogo tell you when he called you over just now?"

Hearing Diego call the captain by name, Bruno felt his heart sink to the bottom of the Congo River.

On a seafaring ship, the hierarchy is strict. The captain is the marshal who can decide life and death; the various department heads control their respective areas as officials. The Sailor Chief controls a large team of sailors, the Quartermaster controls a vast amount of weapons, the Chef controls the stored food, and the Shipwright goes unnoticed throughout the ship for repairs. Now, these officials were gathered here, disregarding the captain's authority... What did this mean?

With that thought, Bunoru stayed silent, only gripping his dagger more tightly.

"Fuck! I'm asking you what Diogo said!"

Seeing that Bruno didn't respond, Sailor Chief Diego stepped up aggressively, about to grab the other's collar.

Bunoru clenched his teeth hard and "whoosh" pulled out his dagger, holding it in front of him. That sound seemed to be a signal—four men on scene also "whoosh" drew their daggers and short swords! They pointed them at Brulo while also distancing themselves from others, each wary of one another.

"Fuck! Damn it!"

As a fray was about to erupt, Quartermaster Matim couldn't stay silent any longer. He growled and shouted.

"Stop, everybody stop! The sailors on the ship have been tainted by demonic forces, and nearly half of them have died; among the officers, only a few of us have survived! Do we really want to fight it out here and lose a few more?"

Then, Quartermaster Matim turned his head to Sailor Chief Diego and yelled.

"Diego, take two steps back, don't get too close to Brulo!"

Sailor Chief Diego muttered a few unsatisfied curses but still stepped back two paces. The atmosphere in the cabin eased slightly.

Next, Quartermaster Matim looked at everyone, slowly lowering his weapons, and said in a weighty tone.

"I called you all here today with no other intention but to find a way out for all of us together! I will count to three, and let's all put away our weapons first!"

"Good!"

"Makes sense!"

"I'll listen to you!"

"Don't hurt each other by mistake!"

The men glanced at each other and nodded in agreement. Quartermaster Matim then said in a low voice.

"One,"

"Two,"

"Three!"

After the count of three, a terrifying silence settled in the cabin. With everyone staring at each other, not a single person put their weapon away, including the Quartermaster Matim who called the count. Silence engulfed them once more.

The Shipwright Ivo, responsible for ship repairs and indispensable, held the most transcendent position. After a pause, he coughed twice and asked first.

"Cough, cough, Matim, you called me here claiming you have a way for us all to survive... What exactly are you planning? Just so you know, I have my old folks and kids back in Lisbon; if you're plotting against the captain, I won't be part of it... Of course, I won't remember either."

In the entire cabin, only Shipwright Ivo had the standing to speak such words. During unpredictable ocean voyages, a shipwright is the ship's lifeline as well as the crew's, sometimes even more important than the Sailing Master who provides direction. Thus, no matter what happened on the ship, the shipwright usually remained uninvolved.

Hearing this, Bunoru breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the four men in the cabin hadn't truly come together yet.

"Well..."

Quartermaster Matim was momentarily at a loss for words. He looked at Diego, who was suppressing his anger, and then glanced at the silent Chef, sighing helplessly.

"We haven't thought about plotting against the captain; we just want to turn back! This is demon's land, and evil forces are everywhere, bound to taint us! How can mere mortals resist such evil? The captain himself has been cursed and can't come out to walk. We're even more helpless and must leave as soon as possible!"

Hearing about a response to the curse, Bruno silently pressed his left hand on his waist. There was a potion from Satan's Apostle, which he had coerced the village Priest to provide after slaughtering the tribal village. From his previous exploration, he had drunk the potion of that terrifying old woman, Satan's Apostle, and knew it could temporarily ward off demonic assault. Of course, to prevent this corrupt act from being discovered, the elderly village Priest was promptly beheaded by him.

"Ivo, didn't one of your apprentices also get cursed? On the captain's orders, Diego personally threw him into the river, and then a dozen crocodiles pounced on him, tearing him to pieces alive... Tsk, that sight! Do you want to be cursed as well, grow red rashes all over, scream while being thrown into the sea, and end up eaten by fish only to be released again with a splash?"