Of course, for Cortez at this time, eating is just a small thing, and planning the next action is a big thing.

“…… Therefore, according to my suspicion, since this kingdom of Hungshutizgan was able to obtain so much silk and porcelain, it was likely that it was a vassal state of the Chinese, or at least had trade with the Chinese, which would be a more wonderful source of wealth for us than any gold mine, and we must keep it firmly in our hands. And, in addition to spices, porcelain and silk, I found many more incredibly intricate objects, all of which were suspected to come from India or China......"

Cortés said to Castillo as he rummaged through two crystal clear glass wine glasses, and a small palm-sized mirror encased in a metal frame, all gifts from the Emperor of Montezuma," ...... Look at this beautiful glass, I think it's as good as any old Italian workshop. Looking at this mirror again, when I put it in front of me facing the sun, I found that every hair on my face was clearly visible! I'm afraid even the Pope and the King don't need such a great product! ”

Then, he pulled out a box of matches from his pocket, and the fireworks stickers on the surface of the matchbox had been torn off by someone, but the matches themselves were already in awe of Cortés, "...... There is also this small wooden stick with a red head, which can be lit with a slight stroke on the black part of the side of the cardboard box. He gestured to draw a match on the matchbox, but he didn't bother to take it seriously," ...... Compared to our flint and sickle, this thing is really much better! It's a pity that it's a one-time consumable, and it doesn't seem to have much ...... in the hands of the natives."

“…… That's right, it's really good to use, and everyone loves it. ”

Castillo also smiled and nodded, like this match, he also managed to get a small half box. Although the missionaries of the expedition kept nagging all day that it was the devil's witchcraft and that everyone should throw it away, no one in the whole expedition listened to him.

Everyone carefully kept the matches they could collect in the driest places they could, and every once in a while they had to take them out and count them one by one to see if they were missing—although the Europeans had not yet begun to develop the habit of smoking, for those explorers who were always in danger of danger, a bonfire at a critical moment could save their lives, and it was hard to take lightly.

In fact, Castillo also saw a handful of Aztec noble chieftains possessing a more elaborate fire-making device, which looked like a small flat bottle with a mechanism that could burst into flames at the tip of the bottle at the touch of a button.

But even the ignorant and generous Aztecs (the first impression of the Spanish explorers) regarded this fire-making device as a treasure of great practical value, so they did not list it on this list of gifts. Castillo saw only a few chiefs and ministers with one or two, and said that he would not trade them with the Spaniards, let alone give them as gifts.

-- There is no way, these Spanish buns who are bent on making a fortune originally had the idea of killing people and setting fire to loot on a large scale, and as for trade or something, they only had to do it when they couldn't beat their opponents.

Therefore, Cortés's Spanish expedition only brought some glass beads, bells and other gadgets as trading goods, and compared with the various industrialized products dumped by the crossers of Hope Harbor, there was no comparison in price or quality. …,

The only thing that seemed to make the natives of Mexico look at them differently was the muskets and cannons that made a loud noise - but this was the most powerful weapon for the Spaniards to maintain their sense of mystery and deterrence, and they could not sell anything, not even porcelain and silk.

What's more, they didn't have many muskets and cannons in their hands, and it would be nice if most of them had crossbows and swords - after all, Cortés' men were not regular troops, but a rabble of self-funded gangs!

After putting away the box of matches, Cortés took out a light, sleek silver aluminium cheap brooch from the box—it was shaped like a lifelike lotus flower, and the canopy was inlaid with artificial zircons that glittered in the sun.

Then, as if performing an acrobatic trick, Cortés used only one index finger to push the base of the aluminum lotus brooch and spun in a circle. “…… And, look at this gleaming silvery metallic flower, Castillo. I initially thought it was a silver ornament, but upon closer inspection, I found that it was much lighter than silver, and that it seemed to be some new metal that we didn't know about......"

“…… In addition, there is this cooling ointment for insect repellent - the ointment itself is not unusual, but I can't help but admire his craftsmanship that someone can create such a delicate and light iron box. He picked up a small box of cooling oil from his pocket and praised it.

Speaking of which, Cortez shrugged his shoulders again and concluded: "...... There are so many surprises this land has brought to me! ”

Castillo's reaction was rather calm—according to his principle of life, don't think about what you don't understand, or you're asking yourself for trouble—just asking another question that concerns him and most people most," ...... Yes, Your Excellency, these goods do look very tempting. So, did you have any questions about the trade routes from here to India and China, Your Excellency? ”

“…… Hehe, as to where these oriental goods came from, of course, I asked the Aztec envoys carefully. They say that a few years ago, a 'man of God' descended to the far west and brought countless treasures as gifts to marry the daughter of King Honshutizgan. And two years ago, more 'men of God' came to the kingdom of Honshutizgan, built palaces to live there, and brought with them more goods than they had heard of before, such as these things that were placed before us......"

Cortés said with a frown, pointing to the mirrors, glasses, porcelain, and colorful silk scarves on the table, while Castillo frowned.

“…… The story sounds...... It seems that one or several Chinese came here by chance for some reason and settled down. Later, with the opening of shipping routes, more Chinese came to that land and established trading posts and colonial towns? ”

“…… That's right, I thought so too! It's a pity that we can't go there and see it for ourselves yet! ”

Cortez sighed, his voice full of regret and unwillingness.

“…… Could it be ...... That kingdom is far from here? Castillo tilted his head and thought about it, and asked rhetorically.

“…… Yes, very far, you have to travel through the entire Aztec Empire! ”

Cortés spread his hands helplessly, "...... According to the Aztec envoy, we are here in the easternmost part of the Aztec Empire, and the Kingdom of Honshutizgan is in the westernmost part of the Aztec Empire, with many precipitous mountains and countless dangerous swamps in between! …,

So, the Indians on this side of the East Coast had never been to that place, but had heard some vague mention of it from the merchants.

In short, the relationship between the Honshutizgan kingdom and the Aztec Empire does not seem to be very good, and it has been fighting intermittently for almost a hundred years so far. Just like France and England in Europa (less than 100 years after the Hundred Years' War between England and France in the last century, Joan of Arc was roasted to death), or Italy and Germany (in the Middle Ages, a large number of German emperors once crossed the Alps to conquer Italy......

Recently, however, the two countries had signed a peace treaty and were temporarily in a truce, which is why so many treasures from the East were sent to the Aztec capital. Part of this appears to be the ransom of war reparations for the captives, and the other part is a purely commercial transaction. ”

“…… I've got it all in general. Castillo nodded, "But let me ask you more, what are your plans here when I go to Cuba to mediate?" Is it to continue the rest in Puerto de la Cruz and at the same time to establish it as a solid foothold? ”

“…… No, when this is done, I'll immediately land and set out for Montezuma's palace! Then continue marching towards the other side of the mountain until our flag is planted on the land of the Chinese! ”

Cortés stood up from the table, proclaimed aloud and in a high-spirited voice, and then turned his back to the golden sand and the turquoise sea, and gazed intently at the snow-capped, mist-shrouded mountains of the west.

At this moment, Cortez's heart was full of pride, and he couldn't help but look forward to the other side of the clouds and mountains, imagining what kind of shijie was there.

It was as if he had seen an endless stream of silk, spices, and porcelain, reflecting a seductive light at him in the sun!

As for how to get those precious goods from them after encountering Chinese...... Quite simply, when he meets someone stronger than himself, Cortez will politely ask for business; When he encounters someone weaker than himself, he turns his face and directly starts to rob - goods, ships, people, land...... Anything can be grabbed!

Hold up the bold, starve the faint-hearted -- this is the law of survival in the Age of Discovery!

In the eyes of Spanish adventurers like Cortés, it is also a matter of course.

The so-called Age of Discovery, to put it bluntly, is actually the era of pirates, or the era of great crimes.

What Cortez didn't know, however, was that he was indeed going to deal with a group of Chinese, but not the Chinese of this era.

-- The collision between the new shijie and the old shijie, between the 21st century and the 16th century, is about to spark the brightest sparks on this stage!

On the other side of the clouds and mountains, Wang Qiu and Wen Desi, two traversers from later generations, also ushered in a group of unexpected visitors.