Chapter 69

"Your teacher is a wise man; I can hardly imagine what a society more advanced than the Song Dynasty would look like. You and all the Song people are different, just like the ships. Their ships can only move very slowly, but yours are much faster." Karl finally understood what Hong Tao meant, and he also agreed with Hong Tao's opinion.

"Are you feeling more confident now? Don't hesitate to pray to your God more often. By the way, have you ever met the Pope himself? In your country, is your cousin less powerful than the Pope?" Hong Tao stopped there. Since Karl had regained his confidence, he didn't want to explain further. The word 'trust' had many limitations for Hong Tao. There was no trust without reason, and everyone had a certain credit limit that couldn't be overdrawn.

"My cousin hates the Pope. He was unwilling to send troops for this eastern expedition. If it weren't for the Pope, I wouldn't have been captured!" Karl's courage grew. Since there was no church here, he dared to speak disrespectfully about the Pope.

"Have you heard that your cousin was excommunicated by the Pope several times? Is that true?" Hong Tao was actually a very gossipy person, always eager to hear about others' misfortunes, which made him feel as sweet as honey.

"How did you know that!" This time, Karl couldn't hold back. He was already surprised that Hong Tao knew who his cousin was, which could be explained by information passed through Arab merchants. However, his cousin's excommunication was only known within the church and the upper echelons of the nobility, and it couldn't have spread so widely.

"Don't be so curious. I'll tell you what you need to know. Some things you shouldn't know, and asking too much won't do you any good. You just need to know that I'm not completely ignorant about your country. I'm also familiar with France and Spain. Don't try to deceive me in this regard. I'm tired, so I'll go to sleep. Control the ship's speed and direction well." Hong Tao realized he had said too much, but he couldn't panic or explain. He needed to use a stronger presence to suppress Karl, so he wouldn't ask any more questions, otherwise it would be hard to explain.

A larger sailboat towing three smaller sailboats sailed for sixteen hours. The signal from the second boat in the rear indicated they had arrived. His boat had an hourglass, the only navigation tool the Tanka people had. After determining the general direction using the stars and the sun, they relied on this crude method to measure the distance. It was very imprecise, and considering the effects of wind and currents, the destination could be off by dozens of nautical miles. Therefore, the Tanka people usually traveled in groups, with one boat following another, hanging lanterns at night, and relying on the most experienced old sailors to lead. If they strayed from the group and lacked extensive navigation experience, they might not find their destination. Without reaching Ganshui Island, they wouldn't have fresh water, and without fresh water, they couldn't stay at sea for several days. Even if they encountered a large school of fish, they couldn't fish and would have to return.

Hong Tao didn't have to worry about this problem. His boat was large and could carry enough fresh water. However, he still strictly followed the stars' guidance, using a quadrant to keep the course at the same latitude. Even so, he didn't find Ganshui Island, deviating about ten nautical miles to the north. Since he didn't know the latitude of Ganshui Island, he could only guess based on the location of Sanya. This highlighted the importance of an accurate sea chart for long-distance navigation. After traveling 400 kilometers, there was already a 20-kilometer deviation. If he were to travel a longer distance, the error would multiply, making it uncertain whether he could even find the Philippine mainland.

However, Hong Tao had good luck. He encountered a fleet of Song Dynasty ships traveling south with the current. With their guidance, he determined his exact position and found Ganshui Island. Hong Tao originally wanted to replenish his fresh water, but after tasting it, he immediately changed his mind. He preferred to drink the not-so-fresh water in his earthen jars rather than the water from Ganshui Island. This wasn't fresh water; it was brackish water. It could be drunk, but it contained too much potassium and sodium, which could be harmful if consumed in large quantities. The taste was also very poor.

"Second Brother, you can rest here. The fleet behind us should arrive tonight or tomorrow. I'll go around the area first." Hong Tao was a restless person. Short-distance sailing with this sailboat wasn't tiring, so he planned to find a suitable area to lure and kill sharks, preferably not in the Tanka people's fishing grounds, so as not to cause trouble for others.

"Don't go too far!" Bo Xiaoer couldn't control Hong Tao, so he just fulfilled his duty, leaving it to Hong Tao to decide.

"Understood!" Hong Tao treated Bo Xiaoer's words as mere noise and planned to sail east for about ten nautical miles.

"If I had such a boat, I would also want to explore further. Ah Zhu is lucky; this is the blessing of Mazu!" Bo Xiaosan watched Hong Tao's sailboat slowly leave the anchorage and head east, his eyes full of envy. Tanka men were not afraid of the sea, but they lacked the ability to explore the vast ocean, so they were confined to the coast.

"It will happen. Tao Yazi said he would build larger ships for us Tanka people. I believe him." Bo Xiaoer was more mature than his younger brother. The hardships of life had worn down his sharpness.

When Ganshui Island had become a small black dot on the horizon, Hong Tao lowered the sail and began to use a large machete to cut the sea wolves in the water tank into pieces, throwing them into the seawater at the stern. The seawater quickly turned red with the blood of dozens of sea wolves. In less than two hours, dark shadows began to appear below, moving quickly.

"The sharks are coming!" Bo Zhu involuntarily grabbed Hong Tao's arm when she saw the dark shadows.

"They're not sharks. Our luck is bad. They're all sea wolves, not a single shark. Where have they all gone? Could they be out at sea today?" Hong Tao was not at all happy. The dark shadows in the water were not sharks but more sea wolves. These creatures would eat anything, regardless of whether it was a fellow sea wolf or not.

"There's... there's a large school of fish over there!" Bo Zhu was about to comfort Hong Tao not to worry, but a group of seabirds in the distance caught her attention. After staring for a few minutes, she gripped Hong Tao's arm even tighter, her face flushed with excitement, and her speech became less coherent.

"Are those seabirds waiting for the fish school?" Hong Tao also watched the seabirds for a while and noticed some diving repeatedly.

"Yes... My grandfather said that the best time to fish at sea is when a group of seabirds stays in one place. He once caught so many fish that he couldn't pull the net! Let's go! Let's go!" Ah Zhu was almost jumping with excitement, shaking Hong Tao's arm vigorously, afraid that he wouldn't believe her.

PS: Click, collect, and recommend! Throw them all to Hong Bapi...

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