Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

The weather was clear, with a pleasant breeze. The gentle September, accompanied by raindrops, gracefully neared its end, while the busy October arrived under bright sunshine.

At the lagoon bay where the Kingdom Longship docked, a clearing had been made between the large palm and tung oil trees. Two simple wooden warehouses were erected, along with a row of huts where the Samurai resided, and an open-air grass bed area for able-bodied men. Of the two warehouses, one stored copper stone tools for logging and mining, while the other held food and freshwater, both guarded by the Kingdom's Warriors in leather armor.

On a slightly elevated area near the riverbank, the Water Chief and the militia skillfully cleared a new field, planting cassava seedlings they had brought. The new field was only roughly cultivated, with taller shrubs removed and many low weeds remaining. The land was uneven, with even some stones present.

However, it did not matter; unlike most delicate crops, cassava was an exceptionally resilient and superb crop. It didn't require meticulous care and had no special water or fertilizer needs; just plant it, and it would thrive. Even when facing weeds in the field, it held a strong competitive advantage. As long as the climate was warm, it would quickly grow tall, reaching up to 3 meters, usually around 2 meters. With such a height advantage, the weeds in the field would be deprived of sunlight and nutrients, leading to their wilting and death.

Even more astonishing, this hardy and resilient crop yielded a surprisingly high output, earning it the title of the "King of Starches." In this era, even without fertilizers, cassava could yield hundreds to a thousand jin per mu. Later, with the addition of fertilizers, it could easily reach an average yield of 2 tons per mu. Yes, you read that right, an astounding 2 tons per mu!

Moreover, the starch content of fresh cassava was around 30%, much higher than that of potatoes and sweet potatoes. Two jin of cassava provided as much energy as one jin of white rice. Of course, their taste was incomparable. However, it was still food, sustenance that could save lives during times of disaster. In the later Qing Dynasty, it was also once a common staple in the southern Celestial Empire.

As for the only limitation of cassava, it was a tropical crop preferring a rather warm climate. It could grow in temperate environments, but yields would significantly decrease. The most suitable continent for this crop was Sub-Saharan Africa, primarily with a tropical climate.

In the 16th century, when this exceptionally high-yield tropical crop spread to the sub-Saharan area, the Black African population increased steadily with the rapid expansion of cassava cultivation areas! Even after five hundred years, cassava remained the lifeline for African people, the crucial staple for impoverished farmers, and once supported over a billion Africans!

At this moment, under the scorching sun, the old militia member Chiwaco squatted in the field with the Water Chief, busy planting the last batch of cassava. Having practiced planting for several days, he genuinely loved this easily sustainable, high-yield crop.

By noon, everyone had finished their work. The old militia member Chiwaco wiped his sweat, dragging the smiling Water Chief and the simple-minded translator Kuba to the newly built thatched shed. He summoned the Priest Apprentice Dark Snake, who could write and draw, to carefully document everything.

"Dark Snake, where are your pen and booklet? Take them out and write down what I say!..."

"Huh? Captain Dad, I haven't fully learned the alliance's writing..."

"It's okay. If you can't write it, just draw! Can't you write some graphic text? Just record it all; as long as it can be recognized, that's fine!"

"Uh... I'm ready, Captain Dad."

"Ahem! Hmm, remember now, to plant cassava, you don't use seeds but select seedlings. These seedlings are..."

Saying this, Chiwaco paused, somewhat uncertain. He looked at the Water Chief and Kuba, gestured while chatting for a while, then continued to speak.

"Select seedlings from the main tuber that have budding points and milky incisions, free from diseases and pests... Cut the later half, two to three palms long, as seedlings. The planting is simple, dig a hole one palm deep, put the seedling straight in, and just stick it in..."

"The planted cassava seedlings take ten to twelve months to mature and can then be harvested. When harvesting, follow the roots excavating the soil, taking only some tubers while leaving some to continue growing. Be careful not to damage them; this thing spoils easily..."

"Yes, cassava spoils easily! After harvesting, peel it, then cut it into pieces. Soak them in water, soak hard... Remember, this thing is poisonous; soaking removes the poison! When eating, be sure to boil it again in boiling water to eliminate any remaining poison, then it will be fine..."

The old militia member Chiwaco rambled on, covering all the details of cassava planting and consumption. If there was any uncertainty, he asked the Water Chief, exhibiting unprecedented seriousness and thoroughness. The young Dark Snake filled several pages with notes and drawings.

"Whew! How about it, did you record everything?"

"Recorded everything, Dad. It's all in this booklet!"

"Hmm, writing in the booklet is not very reliable. Dark Snake, you have a good memory; memorize it all for me. In case we encounter big waves on the way back, if the booklet gets wet, you can still recall it..."

"Got it, Dad. I'll memorize it tonight."

"Good! Very good! Praise the Chief Divine for the good!..."

After finishing everything, the old militia finally let out a long sigh and offered a rare sincere prayer. Then, he received a whole large basket of prepared cassava seedlings from the Water Chief, holding them tightly in his arms.

"Tsk tsk! That blind Highness finally opened his eyes for once... As long as I bring this basket of cassava seedlings back to the lake, even if I die on this trip, it would be worth it! If we can plant these high-yield treasures at home, imagine how many more people could survive... "

"...No, this won't do. One basket is still not enough. When I reach the west of Cuba, before crossing to the Maya, I need to find local tribes and get another basket of fresh, good-germinating ones..."

While the old militia busily prepared for cassava planting, Priest Tomate also had new progress on his side. He, along with several preaching priests and Divine Revelation Priest Mekate, busied themselves for ten days and built a clay charcoal kiln, producing the first batch of charcoal.

It must be said, the Cuba Main Island is rich in various minerals, with abundant coastal oil and gas, but it severely lacks coal. The Kingdom Fleet circled half the island, never hearing of any "black stone" that could burn. Priest Tomate sent people to search, but unfortunately without much success. Therefore, Iron Bay Town had to rely on the standard method taught at Divine Power University, making charcoal, to produce bricks for building temples and smelting iron ore.

"Huh! Chief Divine's blessing! This type of Marabu tree barely smoked while burning for charcoal. I thought this kiln failed, but unexpectedly..."

Priest Mekate widened his eyes, looking at the charcoal test-burned beside the clay kiln. The charcoal, black tinged with white, burned fiercely yet produced almost no smoke. Clearly, by Divine Revelation standards, this was top-notch, smoke-free white charcoal!

"Such fierce heat, with no smoke, it's indeed the best quality charcoal!"

Priest Tomate stroked his chin, watching the blazing charcoal before him, suddenly filling with excitement.

"This must be a blessing from the Chief Divine! The Chief Divine specially prepared this for us to smelt iron ore! ...By the way, what's the name of the small tree we burn for charcoal?"

"Uh, the Taino people call it 'Marabu.' Though it's called a small tree, by thickness and height, it should really be considered a shrub. According to the guide Black Stone, this kind of small tree grows all over Cuba Island, even more than palm trees, and grows wildly."

Priest Mekate scratched his head, chatted a bit with the newly converted hunter from the Mariah tribe, guide Black Stone. Then he showed understanding, patted the guide's shoulder, praised with a smile, and looked at Priest Tomate.

"Black Stone just said that hunters who go out prefer to chop down this kind of small tree for firewood in the wild. Because when this tree is cut open, it's oily inside, and burns fiercely. So, knowing we needed firewood, he specially recommended this wood!"...

The "Marabu" tree mentioned by the Taino people is actually a native tree species on Cuba Island, known later as the "Jatropha" or tung oil tree. This tree is rich in oil, and its branches and trunk can produce the finest quality charcoal. Its seeds have an oil content as high as 40%, nearly the best type of oil crop. In the future energy field, the Jatropha seed kernel would become a main raw material for producing biodiesel, widely introduced in Tropical Africa and India.

"Good! Very good! Guide Black Stone, you've made a great contribution!"

Priest Tomate nodded, fumbled in his arms, and took out a silver Sun Hummingbird Talisman. Then, solemnly, he placed the Chief Divine's talisman on guide Black Stone's neck, proclaiming in Taino language.

"The Chief Divine blesses you! This is a divine blessing, guiding your soul to a beautiful Divine Kingdom after death!"...

Guide Black Stone bowed his head respectfully to receive the blessing from the mighty longship priest. He touched the shining, cool silver badge, exactly the same as the emblem engraved on his forehead. Black Stone closed his eyes, murmured a couple of pious prayers, feeling warmth flow in his heart. Then, opening his eyes, he remembered something and excitedly responded.

"Praise... the mighty Chief Divine! Praise... the mighty longship priest! By the way, the Marabu tree, its trunk is very good, burns very well! And, its seeds are even better! Lots of oil, so much oil!"

"Hmm? Seeds with a lot of oil?"

Hearing this, Priest Tomate was stunned for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up. He grabbed guide Black Stone, exclaiming excitedly.

"Quick, quick! Bring me the kernel of the Marabu tree!"

"Throughout the Kingdom, conquest is the foremost task. Crossbows need oil for maintenance, bronze weapons need to be oiled, leather armor and shields also require oiling... Currently, the most lacking military supplies are oils! The Kingdom most lacks oil crops..."

"If there really is such an oil-producing small tree, I must hand enough seeds to Captain Chiwaco before his return!"