Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

The sky gradually darkened, the glow of the sunset fell from the western horizon, casting a golden red hue over the tea room overlooking the snow and sea. The old Samurai, Takeda Nobuhiro, and the great merchant, Mori no Kiyoshi, stood side by side at the window sill. Both watched as the red sun sank into the vast sea and the lingering clouds faded into darkness, their emotions stirred, followed by a sense of eternity.

Standing side by side without a word, in the culture of the Wa People, was a rare closeness and relaxation. As the sun completely set and night fell, Takeda Nobuhiro finally spoke with a smile.

"The dinner is ready. Mori no Kiyoshi, you must have never tasted the delicacies of Ezo land before!"

"Ha! In that case, it's better for me to humbly accept!"

The great merchant, Mori no Kiyoshi, nodded with a smile, though inwardly somewhat dismissive. Coming from the Capital City, what kind of delicacy had he not tasted? However, upon entering the banquet and smelling the aroma of the dishes, his appetite was piqued, and he looked surprised.

The banquet featured precious white rice, miso soup with tofu, and side dishes garnished with sardines...all were delicacies enjoyed only by the lords of the samurai. However, these were common to Mori no Kiyoshi; only the white rice from Ezo land, with its faint fragrance, slightly caught his attention. But when he picked up a peculiar-looking long onion and took a bite, his face immediately lit up with amazement.

"What kind of onion is this? It tastes like large onions, garlic, and even has the flavor of chives... Oh! It's wonderfully varied and leaves a lingering aftertaste!"

Hearing his old friend's praise, Takeda Nobuhiro smiled with satisfaction without speaking. Matsushita Zou Jirou, sitting beside them, knew but couldn't speak on behalf of the host. So Kaozaki Mitsuhiro laughed and explained.

"This is a special leek from the Northern Land! It can be eaten raw with miso, added to soup, or pickled into delicious side dishes, all extraordinarily tasty!"

Hearing this, the eyes of great merchant Mori no Kiyoshi lit up. His merchant instincts kicked in, and he immediately thought of a way to profit.

"Oh! Such a good thing, delicious and tasty, why not introduce it to all regions of Honshu? Just selling pickled products could be a trade worth tens of thousands of gold!"

At these words, Kaozaki Mitsuhiro smiled slightly without explaining. It was Matsushita Zou Jirou's turn to speak, he lowered his voice, leaned close to Mori no Kiyoshi's ear, and whispered.

"Family Head, this item has a long history and is favored by the Ezo People. In local customs, it's used to offer to wild gods and is related to religion. Buddhist sects all dislike it, considering it one of the 'five pungent spices.' And the lords of the Capital City might think that the food of Ezo people doesn't match their status..."

"Ha! What a pity, what a pity! Such a delicacy, yet can't be eaten, that's a 'knowledge barrier' instead!"

Mori no Kiyoshi shook his head, sighed lowly, but said no more. He himself didn't mind much, tried two more leeks, and then reached for the real meat dish at the center of the banquet. Only Takeda Nobuhiro and he touched their chopsticks for this rare meat dish; no one else would eat it.

"Oh! The texture, the flavor rich, the meat tender, delicate and not greasy, truly a delicacy... Hmm, the venison from Ezo land is superior to that of any country in the Northeast!"

Mori no Kiyoshi tasted a piece of medium-rare venison, his face showing admiration. However, venison was rare and not a business he could do. He extended his chopsticks again, reaching for sashimi white meat smeared with sauce on another side, which was a common and cheap type of salmon from Ezo land. Before trying it, Mori no Kiyoshi looked at Kaozaki Mitsuhiro and asked in a low voice.

"This piece of sashimi?..."

"These salmon come from the far north seas, containing very few parasites. Before cooking, they have already been frozen in the deep snow of the Northern Land for ten days, removing the parasites... It's safe to eat!"

"Hmm."

The great merchant Mori no Kiyoshi nodded slightly, picked up a piece, and put it into his mouth. As he tasted the smooth texture, his eyes lit up, and he asked with a smile.

"Buddhist sects do not prohibit fish. What about the production of this fish?"

"Very large! Around Ezo land, there are dense fish schools, especially numerous in the southeast! Each fishing season can last for four months, and right now is already the end of the fishing season. During the fishing season, when going out to sea, the fish are so numerous that they can jump right into the boat, filling nets and entire boats!"

Undoubtedly, the fishing season and fishing grounds mentioned here are indeed the world's largest fishing grounds, the Hokkaido fishing grounds! The history of the Wa People and the Ainu People fishing here dates back to ancient times.

The great merchant Mori no Kiyoshi's eyes moved, briefly pondered, and then asked with a smile.

"Oh! I also heard the North Sea fishing season is quite spectacular. Besides this cheap salmon, are there any other good items?"

"Hmm... The most caught fish are herring, followed by mackerel pike and salmon, all three are cheap enough for commoners to eat. Slightly more precious are Alaska pollock, large squid, and large crabs from the sea. The most precious is the North Sea abalone, large and meaty, two can weigh one jin, and even one jin each! However, this requires summer warmth, with female divers diving deep to catch... And this item sells at an exorbitant price of hundreds of cash apiece!"

The sea crab here is the king crab, which is also abundantly produced in the Hokkaido fishing grounds. However, according to the prices at the time, buying one was only equivalent to over ten jins of rice. And the North Sea abalone, two weighing one jin, were dual abalones, and one jin was the valuable single abalone. These top-quality abalones have become exceedingly rare due to overfishing in later generations.

"Oh!"

Upon hearing this, the great merchant Mori no Kiyoshi turned his head and glanced at Matsushita Zou Jirou, who also lowered his head.

If such large abalone were to enter the Capital City, one could sell for a thousand cash. If dried and sold to the Ming Dynasty, one could sell for several gold, even over ten gold. In fact, the common seafood is so expensive in the Wa Country because they are highly sought after by the Ming Dynasty scholar-officials, thus driving the price up!

"Hmm, a business can surely be made with these seafood!"

In front of Takeda Nobuhiro, the great merchant Mori no Kiyoshi nodded, smiling with a promise.

"The cheap herring, mackerel pike, and salmon can be pickled and then shipped to the Capital City for sale. I have some connections in the Capital City and can receive them with a ten percent markup. Meanwhile, the Alaska pollock, large squid, and large sea crabs need to be packed in ice barrels, transported by fast ships, and marked up by thirty percent. As for large abalone, they will be dried with salt here, made into dry goods... I'll double the price!"

"Good! Very good!"

Takeda Nobuhiro had been smiling silently until this moment, hearing Mori no Kiyoshi's promise, he finally spoke cheerfully.

"Come! Mitsuhiro, raise the sake and toast to Family Head Mori no Kiyoshi! He is my peer, and we have known each other for over twenty years. From now on, you must call him Uncle!"

"Hai!"

Kaozaki Mitsuhiro respectfully raised the cup, bowed his head, and toasted to the newly made "Uncle."

"Uncle Mori no Kiyoshi, I shall finish this cup first!"

"Ah? Lord Nobuhiro, you this..."

Great merchant Mori no Kiyoshi's face froze for a moment, then revealed a wry smile. It's not easy to take advantage of a samurai family head, to become this convenient Uncle means spending more money. Spending more money is no big deal, the real fear is getting caught up in some disputes in the future...

Mori no Kiyoshi sighed, glanced at the smiling Takeda Nobuhiro. Somehow, from the other's smiling eyes, he saw a hint of plea, even a touch of entrustment. He pondered for a few moments and finally nodded in agreement.

"So be it! I've watched you grow up, it's a fate of more than twenty years. In that case, I'll shamelessly call you nephew! From now on, we're also considered family..."