Since Sir Redondo had come through the back door, he was naturally unwilling to bid on the basis of bids like most people do. Because, that would be too expensive, and it may not be possible.

Therefore, he came directly to Marin, the main master. Anyway, Marin has a few thousand pieces of porcelain in his hand and drinks more silk, and it is still possible to dispose of some of it cheaper (compared to the auction price) for him, mainly for the Duke of Coimbra behind him.

In particular, on the premise that the Duke of Coimbra was still required to buy black slaves, Marin had to consider giving the Duke of Coimbra a face......

Of course, since he came to go through the back door, Redondo naturally didn't come empty-handed, but brought a lot of gifts.

These gifts are all African specialties. After all, the Portuguese colonized Africa and could easily obtain a lot of local specialties from Africa. Moreover, the cost is not high. But, when you get it to Europe, it's a rarity.

For example, diamond is a good gift that can't be run. This thing was picked up by the indigenous Africans and exchanged for worthless glass beads and other items with Portuguese colonial traders.

Transparent diamonds, also known as legendary diamonds, are highly valued and can be used to create expensive jewelry. The turbid diamond is not so valuable, but it is also a rarity. Just like the diamonds that Redondo gave to Marin, they are not large, and they have not been processed, and some diamonds have sharp tips, which are not suitable for jewelry.

But Marin was so pleased with the little diamonds with pointed heads, why? Because these small diamonds can be used to engrave the rifling in the barrel as long as they are made with the right clamps. Diamond is so hard, it's the best fit for this kind of work. While Marlin doesn't plan to launch the Mini Rifle and Mini Bullet at the moment, it will definitely be before the Wars of Religion. And it is still necessary to get some diamonds suitable for engraving rifling.

In addition to the ordinary grade diamonds, Redondo also brought with him ivory products, gum arabic, rhino horn products, and a bundle of elephant skins......

When it comes to ivory products, Marlin is not cold. Because, in his previous life, he had seen too much hard white plastic, and he really didn't have much surprise at the same white ivory.

As for gum arabic, Marin remembers that it seems to be a good food viscous additive, and it is natural and harmless. In addition, it seems to be used as an anti-oxidation coating for printing plates. Like, it's still a little useful......

As for rhino horn, like ivory, Marlin was not interested. And thick and soft elephant skin, Marlin didn't know what it was for......

"Well, the elephant skin is thick, but it's soft. Therefore, it can be used as a leather cushion for tables and chairs. At the same time, it can also be used to make a good saddle...... "Redondo explains.

But somehow, Ma Lin suddenly remembered a public service advertisement made by Yao Ming in his previous life - no business, no killing......

Marin shook his head vigorously and drove Da Yao's advertising content out of his brain. Why? Because these days, the African blacks don't have a hunting rifle to hunt wild animals, so they can't deal with elephants, rhinoceros and other pachyderms. Therefore, animals such as elephants and rhinos should not be endangered at this time.

Upon asking, Redondo really gave an answer that matched Marin's guess:

"How do you say the natives killed elephants? In fact, the elephant skin did not come from the elephants they hunted, but from the old and sick elephants. Otherwise, with their weapons, they would not be able to break through such a thick elephant skin. As for the number of elephants and rhinos? I heard from the local chiefs that the steppe was full of ...... And it's hard to mess with ......."

Marin's expression suddenly became strange, and he clearly remembered that in his previous life, a few years before he crossed, the black rhinoceros in West Africa had become extinct. Unexpectedly, in these years, the grassland is full of ......

It's no wonder that the old blacks of later generations are armed with AK47 (war-torn countries), and hunting rhinos or something is naturally very easy. But in this era, black West Africans had no weapons to break rhinoceros and elephant skins. Because, many of the weapons used by black people in West Africa are stone tools.

In fact, the Mali Empire and the Songhai Empire in West Africa both had metal weapons. However, those metal weapons are in the hands of the government. This is because West Africa does not produce metals such as copper and iron, and the metals needed are generally exchanged with foreign merchants in trade centers such as Timbuktu. The metal trade, on the other hand, was generally controlled by the king, and metal weapons were also distributed by the king.

However, the kings, nobles and armies of the Mali Empire were generally located in the territory of the later Mali State. As for the coast of West Africa, which the Portuguese came into contact with, it was actually a remote area of the Mali Empire. Therefore, the local chiefs naturally did not allocate any metal weapons.

However, the chieftains of the West African coast had trade with the Portuguese and could exchange them for metal weapons, but not much. Moreover, even ordinary metal weapons may not be able to break through the thick skin of a rhinoceros. If you can't kill a rhinoceros or elephant, but it angers them, you have to kill them......

Therefore, although there are many elephants and rhinos in the savannah of West Africa at this time, there is nothing the old black can do. At most, find rhinos and elephants that have died of old age or disease. Of course, there are also some fierce people who are able to hunt rhinos and elephants. It's just that there are relatively few such fierce brothers. Moreover, it must also be armed with metal weapons.

"They don't know how to drive rhinos into dug traps and starve to death?" Marin was dumbfounded. Hunt elephants and rhinos with cold weapons...... It's a hell of a death...... You know, crazy bulls and rhinos are like tanks......

Redondo shrugged his shoulders and said:

"Who knows? If the natives knew how to hunt their prey with their brains, perhaps they would have been able to smelt metal with their brains in the same way, without having to trade with us. ”

Marin nodded, agreeing with Redondo's words. That group of black uncles, if they are willing to use their brains, will definitely not be able to develop in the 21st century. Anyway, for the old blacks, they can do their hands but never use their brains. So, it's easy for them to be athletes, but it's not easy for them to be scientists. And athletes do not make a country strong, so there are many African stars, but the country is poor and backward.

Suddenly, Marin said:

"What if I want rhinoceros leather for leather armor?"

Marin was a history major in his last life, so he naturally knows history. In Chinese history, rhinoceros leather armor was a very important piece of armor. Especially in the Shang and Zhou dynasties and the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, rhinoceros leather armor was quite popular, and the protection was also very good.

That's because, during the Shang and Zhou dynasties and the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there were many wild rhinos in China. In ancient China, wars were frequent, especially during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and there were many large-scale wars. In order to provide enough armor for the army, people at that time hunted rhinos on a large scale, which directly led to the extinction of rhinos in the Central Plains.

At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, the southern state of Wu, because of the abundant rhinoceros resources, made very sophisticated armor. At that time, Wu Wangfucha had 103,000 soldiers wearing rhino armor, and he also led troops north to meet the alliance and strive to be the leader of the alliance.

The rhinoceros leather armor could not be cut by a knife, and the arrow could not be pierced, and it was the best leather armor at that time. However, the Central Plains countries had no rhinoceros to hunt at that time, and naturally lacked rhino armor. Therefore, at that time, the army of Wu was quite arrogant, and directly under the leadership of the great military strategist Sun Wu, the state of Chu was destroyed in stages, and he also competed to be the leader of the alliance.

It's just that Fucha led his troops north to Huimeng, and his hometown in Jiangnan was empty, and he was taken advantage of by the insidious Goujian to demolish his hometown base......

By the way, at that time, the Yue Kingdom was still in the south of the Wu Kingdom, and there was no shortage of rhinos, and there were many rhinoceros warriors......

……

However, in ancient China, there were more wars, and the amount of rhinoceros skin was also very large. Then, more rhinos died tragically......

By the time of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, only the Southern Dynasties, which occupied the south, could still obtain a large number of rhino armors. For example, during the Southern Qi Dynasty, it was recorded that the elite army of the Southern Qi Dynasty at that time was "all dressed in rhino armor, and the sword could not be injured". But after that, there was no legend of an army in rhino armor.

By the time of the Tang Dynasty, the leather armor of the Tang army was not made of rhinoceros skin, nor was it made of cowhide (it was forbidden to kill cattle at that time, there was certainly not enough cowhide), but camel skin. The effect is definitely not as good as the authentic rhinoceros skin.

When the Tang Dynasty army heard that the army of the southwest Shaomin was equipped with armor made of rhinoceros skin on a large scale, they were very surprised-what a real tyrant, more luxurious than my Tang army...... Actually, it was just because there were still many rhinos in the southwest at that time......

……

As for Marin's desire for rhinoceros skin to make leather armor, Redondo was very incomprehensible. Because, plate armor is now popular in Europe, why do you need leather armor? No matter how thick the rhinoceros skin is, it is not as strong as the plate armor made of steel......

After hesitating for a moment, he said:

"Our Lord Duke probably won't get involved in the rhinoceros skin trade. Because, rhino skin can only be used to make armor. But, as you know, there are plate armor now, and leather armor is not sold at all. Therefore, our Lord Duke is not willing to open up this path. ”

After a pause, Redondo added:

"And even if the blacks in West Africa had killed the rhinoceros by traps, there would have been no sharp steel knives to cut the rhinoceros' skin......"

Marin was dumbfounded - indeed, the Black Uncles didn't have enough hard and sharp props to separate the rhinoceros skin......