Chapter 477: Exploration of the Lake Kingdom, Mountain Bird Island and Guano Stone

"Lord God, it's really a mountain-like island!"

The water and sky are vast and the giant island is looming in the sky. The old militiaman Chivaco stood at the bow of the paddle boat, dumbfounded, looking at the suddenly appeared island. As the expedition fleet approached, the gray island became larger and larger, until it completely filled everyone's sight and blocked the waves on both sides of the coast!

"Priest Mecart, estimate how big it is?"

The priest Mecart on the ship closed one eye, stretched out his arm, and estimated with his thumb horizontally. Soon, he reported the number in surprise.

"Captain, it is at least a hundred miles long and dozens of miles wide! The peak on the island is estimated to be more than a thousand meters high!"

"It's really, it's a miraculous island! There are almost no islands along the way. How could such a big island suddenly appear? Could it be that it is really a giant turtle of divinity?"

Chivaco muttered to himself, the shock on his face had not yet dissipated, and he thought a little more.

"No wonder the people of the Guayma tribe said that we will definitely see this big island of mountain birds. What is the name of this island?"

"Chief, the Guayma tribe calls it 'Tahejc'."

"What, Tahe? What does it mean?"

"Uh"

Mountain bird Cavado scratched his head. He didn't know what it meant, only a vague impression. He took a good look at the island in front of him and freely expressed it according to the Sri Lankan language he mastered.

"Tahejc! The general meaning is 'a sacred, towering, large island with many birds'!"

Tahejc Island is Tiburon Island on the northwest coast of Mexico in later generations! It is the largest island in the Gulf of California and the entire Mexico, with an area of ​​1,200 square kilometers, about half the size of Shanghai. And the entire island, because there are many seabirds living on it, was also opened up as a bird nature reserve in later generations.

"Ah! There are indeed many birds, many, many big birds!"

The fleet arrived at the edge of Tahejc Island, and the deafening sound of birds came from all directions, and then drifted away leisurely. Chivaco looked up and saw thousands of seabirds circling over the island. They spread their wings and soared from time to time, and then rose and fell vertically, perching on the gray and brown mountains in the middle of the island, like elves guarding the mysterious island.

"Well, that Tashashasha Island is too hard to remember! Such a high mountain, and there are so many birds."

Chivaco looked at the towering mountains and the flocks of birds that covered the sky, and quickly made a decision. He patted Cavado's shoulder and said with a smile.

"Cavado, why not name it after you and call it Mountain Bird Island! Haha, we found Mountain Bird Island with Mountain Bird, and people in the future will remember you!"

"This is me. Mountain Bird Island."

Cavado stared at the laughing leader with wide eyes, not knowing whether to thank him or not.

The old militiaman didn't care. He quickly put away his smile and stared at the strange island, with a thoughtful look on his face.

"This big island that suddenly appeared should be the holy land of seabirds that His Majesty wants us to find, right? An island full of seabirds, and stones condensed with bird droppings."

"Pah!"

Everyone watched from the boat, and a flock of birds circled overhead. After staying a little longer, the sparse bird droppings with the smell of freedom fell from the sky like raindrops.

"Pah, pah, pah!"

"Ah, damn it!"

Pu'apu covered his eyes suddenly and lowered his head. He tried to wipe his face, but he smeared the wet stuff everywhere. Fortunately, this thing only looks disgusting, but it is not too smelly, and it has a light salty taste. That is the smell of phosphate in the bird droppings, which fixes the smelly ammonia.

"Huh? A light salty taste? Damn it!"

Pu'apu was stunned, and then spit madly.

"Puh, puh, puh! Damn birds, damn guano!"

"Countless birds, guano rocks year after year"

Chihuaco stretched out his hand and covered his forehead. After a moment, he turned over and over, looking at the soft green and white on the back of his hand, and then looked at the many gray and white rocks where the birds were nesting.

"The color of the rocks here is quite different from those along the sea route!"

The old militiaman pondered in silence, with a look of enlightenment on his face. Then, he looked at Puapu who was coughing hard, and a smile appeared on his old face.

"Old Pua, guano falling into your mouth is a gift from God, a good omen!"

"Puh, puh! Good omen? Bullshit! Why don't you try this good omen!"

"Haha, of course it's a good omen! A good omen for going home! There are so many birds on the island, so much guano, and so little rain."

Chihuaco looked at the island, and rarely saw the green of grass and trees.

He thought about what he had seen along the way. The further he sailed northwest, the less precipitation there was. The road became increasingly desolate, and even large villages could not be maintained. When he arrived near this large island, the surrounding tribes had changed from settled Yaki people to semi-nomadic Sri people. Naturally, it is known that there is surprisingly little rain here, probably only one or two times a year.

"Your Majesty ordered that there are many birds and bird droppings. If there is no rain, it is the seabird sanctuary we are looking for, Guano Island!"

"Ah? Old man Qi, are you sure this is the place His Majesty asked us to find?"

"Well, I think so! You see, His Majesty has closed his words, and the surrounding tribes also know about this place. At least, it should be able to be used for the task, right?"

Chihuaco touched his wrinkled old face and spoke thoughtfully. The longing for homesickness surged in his heart, and the trek down this road, even though he didn't know it was thousands of miles away, was really difficult. He wanted to go back and take a look at his dumb daughter Luwei, and also wanted to give his son-in-law Weziti a few spankings. His majesty's orders, so lightly spoken, were like a mountain, weighing on his narrow shoulders.

"Hey! Blind God. Let's go to the island and take a look at the rocks on the island!"

Everyone immediately docked in the south of the big island and landed on a gentle beach. As soon as I landed on the island, the faint smell hit my face. The smell is not very bad, but it is a bit pungent, which is difficult to describe in detail.

"Huh? This smell"

Puap sniffed, a few memories flashing across his face.

"It's a bit like the old dung pile outside Qincongcan City that has been piled up for decades."

"Lao Pu, let the warriors be careful! This is the territory of the Sri people, and you may encounter them. If you encounter them, don't make the first move, and try to show goodwill."

"I know! But how can some hunting tribes be the opponents of the kingdom's warriors?"

"It's best if you don't have any conflicts! Since we brought the brothers out in one piece, we have to take them back in one piece. Along the way, we have already broken into pieces."

".Fine!"

Puap nodded and gave orders to the thirty or forty Prepecha warriors who landed.

"You are a team of five. Go and look around to see if there are any tribes or savages on the island. Put on your leather armor and bring a big bow. If you encounter a tribe, don't attack first. Try to be friendly! Then bring the distributed ones. Conch, blow the trumpet if necessary! God bless you!”

"God bless you!"

The warriors bowed their heads and saluted, then dispersed. This island is huge, with mountains crisscrossing it, so it will take a lot of effort to explore it clearly.

The old militiaman looked at the nearby towering hills and estimated that they were at least seven or eight hundred meters tall. He thought for a moment and looked behind him.

"Priest Mecat, I will ask a few people to follow you and climb the nearby mountain peak to measure the size of the island."

"As you command, Captain!"

Mecat nodded respectfully, submissive to Chihuaco. He took some simple tools and suggested again.

"I will spend the night on that mountain so that I can measure the angle of the North Star and determine our position."

"Okay! There are probably no wild beasts on the island, but be careful of possible tribes. God bless you!"

"God bless you!"

Everyone got busy. The sailors chose a high ground and prepared to build a simple camp and spend the night on the island tonight.

"The stone of guano."

Chihuaco muttered in his mouth, wandered for a while, and finally found a pile of gray and brown rocks. The pile of rocks was covered with bird droppings, and there was a bright bird sitting on it, looking curiously at the visitor.

"Chirp, chirp?"

Chihuaco lowered his old face, imitated the voice of Nighthawk, and roared hoarsely.

"scare!"

"Chirp!"

The bird suddenly shivered, fluttered its wings and flew away without looking back.

"Ha ha!"

The old militiaman laughed. For some reason, he felt particularly happy today. He couldn't wait to walk to the pile of rocks, stretched out his hand and picked up a piece of gravel, pinched it hard a few times, and the gravel turned into small gravel.

“Not hard, very crispy, a little soft”

Chihuaco stared at the powder in his hand, pondered for a while, and then lowered his head to taste it. But he thought of something again and stopped immediately.

"No. If it's true, it's better to let Lao Pu do it and put all the credit on him. I don't want to go to sea again, Lao Pu, Lao Pu!"

"Ah? Old man Qi, why are you calling me?"

Puap looked up when he heard this. He was sitting cross-legged on a stone, nibbling on a cactus fruit. The sweet and sour taste falls in your mouth, making you feel refreshed.

"Come here, hurry up, there's business!"

"Um?"

Puap scratched his head, ate the fruit twice, and strode over.

"Lao Pu, hold out your hand, come on, you can taste the taste of these minced powders!"

"What?"

Puap stretched out his hand blankly and took some grayish-white and yellowish pieces.

"Taste it?"

"Yes! Lick it and see if it melts and what it tastes like."

"???"

Puap was confused. He lowered his head and just opened his mouth to lick it when he suddenly woke up.

"Damn it! Damn it! Old man Qi, you bastard! What is this? Is it dried bird droppings?"

Chihuaco suppressed a laugh, shook his head, and told the truth.

"I don't know either, so I'll let you try it."

"If you don't taste it, I won't taste it even if you kill me!"

Puap looked angry and was about to throw away the broken pieces.

"Old Pu, if this is the guano stone His Majesty is looking for, it will be a great achievement!"

"Huh? What? A great achievement?"

Puup paused, then clenched his hand and took it back. Then, he looked at the inconspicuous pieces in his hand suspiciously.

"Are these the guano stones that your Majesty is looking for? According to legend, they are blessed by the Lord God, which can increase farmland yields? But aren't these stones all over the mountains and islands? Could it be that they all have the power of harvest?"

"How do I know? Of course, only Your Majesty knows about His Majesty's divine revelation. He casually pointed to the northwest, and we traveled thousands of miles to the horizon."

Chihuaco scowled and shook his head. Then, with a slight smile on his old face, he asked in a low voice.

"How about it, Lao Pu, do you want to taste it? If you don't want to taste it, I will! When the time comes, the credit for discovering the divine stone will be credited to me."

"taste!"

Pu’apu opened his mouth quickly and poured all the crumbs into his mouth. Then, he was stunned, and a bitter look suddenly appeared on his face.

“Ugh! Pah!”

“No! Don’t spit it out yet, try to distinguish the taste carefully, so that you can tell His Majesty when the time comes!”

“.”

Pu’apu immediately closed his mouth again, and his face turned liver-colored. After a long while, he spit out saliva vigorously.

“Pah, pah, pah! Damn, it all melted in my mouth!”

“Haha!”

Chivaco couldn’t help laughing out loud.

“What’s the taste?”

“Pah, pah, pah! It’s salty, astringent and bitter! But it doesn’t smell bad.”

“Uh? Guano stone doesn’t smell bad?”

The two looked at each other, and neither of them was quite sure.

"Old man Qi, is this the guano stone that His Majesty is looking for?"

"Old Pu, you ask me, who should I ask? Otherwise, why don't you try other stones?"

"Bah! You want me to try it again?"

Pu A Pu looked dissatisfied. Then, his eyes flickered and he looked towards the east coast.

"Old man Qi, do you think the Sri Lankans nearby know about it? If it can fertilize the fields, wouldn't they use it?"

"The Sri Lankans only hunt and fish, and they don't know how to farm. What do they know?"

"Humph! Just catch a few Sri Lankans and ask them! They have lived in this area for hundreds of years, so they must know something."

In front of the rocks where the birds were perching, the two were discussing in a deep voice, and they couldn't make up their minds for a while. Suddenly, a sharp conch horn suddenly sounded not far away, echoing over the entire island, startling the flying birds!

"Ding ding ding! Ding ding! Ding!"

"Short conch shells, enemy presence!"

"Go!"

In an instant, the old militiaman Chihuaco had a tough spear in his hand. And the gray warrior Puapu held a bronze dagger in his hand. Both of them were wearing leather armor. Although they were chatting and laughing just now, they kept the vigilance of veterans.

In a moment, dozens of sailors gathered around, wearing cotton and leather armor, holding spears and long bows. Everyone gathered a little, prepared for battle, and rushed in the direction of the horn!