Chapter One Thousand Seventy-Four: The Voyage in 1492 AD, the Destined Judgment
"Okay! Columbus, this agreement is for you! Witness the merciful Lord!"
After listening to the other party's reply, Father Talavera showed no expression as he handed the agreement to the excited and ecstatic Columbus. Then, he lowered his eyes and did not look at Columbus' signature, but just recited a sacred Latin scripture.
“In quo habemus redemptionem per sanguinem eius remissionem peccatorum secundum divitias gratiae eius, quae superabundavit in nobis in omni sapientia et prudentia!…”
“Eh? The first chapter of Ephesians?…In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace, which God uses in all wisdom and understanding
, has been given to us abundantly!…Tsk, tsk, what is God’s grace? There is something in Talavera’s words!…”
Financial advisor Sir Louis blinked, looked at Columbus who was immersed in signing, and then at Talavera who was reciting scriptures. A thoughtful look appeared on his face, but he said nothing.
"Haha! Praise the generous queen, praise God's grace! This sacred agreement is indeed God's grace bestowed upon me!..."
Soon, Columbus raised his head with satisfaction, put away the copy of the agreement, and raised the corners of his mouth. He could understand the Latin of the prayer, but was not proficient in the meaning of the Bible, so he also prayed casually.
Now that the agreement between the two kings was signed, he felt that it was not so disgusting anymore when he looked at Father Talavera's hard expression.
"Thank you, Father Talavera! Thank you for your initial introduction, which allowed me to meet the beautiful and heroic queen!..."
"Well, Lord Columbus, may God bless the kingdom and your voyages and explorations!"
Father Talavera nodded lightly, put away the original copy of the agreement, showed a ceremonial smile on his face, and responded appropriately. Then, he kept his bowed posture in prayer, and never looked at Columbus again.
"Haha! Congratulations! Dear Admiral, His Excellency Don Christopher Columbus!..."
Sir Louis smiled and patted Columbus's shoulder affectionately. Columbus looked excited and ecstatic, and he actually reached out and took Sir Louis' arm.
"Praise the Lord! Dear Sir Louis, thank you for your kindness, generosity and help! You are my best teacher and friend in Columbus!..."
"Well…"
Hearing this, Sir Louis stiffened, his eyelids twitched, and he nodded with a smile. Then, he turned around to get another king's document and quietly pulled out his arm.
"Lord Columbus, this is a fleet document given to you by the king! With this document, you can recruit two caravels from the city council of the coastal town of Palos, and obtain sailors and supplies for sailing!
All your expenses on the voyage will be borne by the royal family of Castile, and will be offset from the holy war taxes owed by the towns to the kingdom..."
“The Lord testifies! All the ships, sailors and supplies will be provided before June! As for Captain Juan’s Santa Maria Clark sailboat, it will also arrive at the seaside port of Palos City before June to join you.
to join the exploration fleet!…”
"Eh? Sir Louis, I am the admiral of the kingdom. The queen and king have also granted me the highest authority to manage the fleet... According to the agreement, Captain Juan must accept my leadership!..."
Hearing this, Columbus raised his eyebrows and demanded unceremoniously.
"The Clark sailboat Santa Maria will definitely be much larger than the two caravels... Then this ship should be the flagship of the fleet, and I should be the captain, right?..."
"Well... that's right, Your Excellency Columbus. As the flagship of the Santa Maria Clark, you will be the first captain, and the original owner, Your Excellency Juan, will be the second captain to assist in management... Of course, he will follow the Queen's instructions.
Follow your command!…”
With a smile on his face, Sir Louis recognized Columbus's request, which was in compliance with the regulations but actually unreasonable. Then, he sped up his speech and announced the Queen's final instructions.
"According to the queen's request, the official documents and letters written by the two kings to the monarchs of various countries in East Asia will also be sent to the Santa Maria sailing ship along with the royal family's special gifts. Your Excellency Columbus, the royal family's finances are tight and the gifts are very limited... You
You need to carefully contact the East Asian monarchs you may encounter, choose a powerful country among them, and send letters of credence and gifts!…”
"Well, praise the Lord! May His grace and blessings protect you, discover a new route to Cathay and India, and bring the Lord's generous grace and gifts to the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon.
blessing!…"
"Uh...praise the Lord!...I will definitely bring back the grace of the Lord for the Queen and the good news of the discovery of a new route!..."
Columbus opened his mouth and wanted to make some requests. But when he saw Sir Louis praying and saluting, he could only bow his head and pray. For the last time, he made a confident declaration in front of the two royal representatives.
Then, Sir Louis smiled and looked at the dancing Columbus. Accompanied by two royal guards, he strode out of the Mesial Hall.
One of the guards, Alvaro, the royal knight who recovered Columbus, would personally escort "Admiral" Columbus with several retinues to the Port of Palos on the southwest coast. After all, in this jihadi army and
When the cross mercenaries were raging in the south of the peninsula, without the escort of the guards, I am afraid that this newly minted "admiral" would have "heroically died in the line of duty" before he even reached the seaside...
"Et cecidimus omnes in terram, et audivi vocem loquentem mihi, et dicentem in lingua Hebraea:'Saule, Saule, quid me persequeris? durum est tibi contra stimulum calcitrare!…"
Looking at the back of Columbus leaving with his head held high, Father Talavera raised his head, his eyes dark, and recited a Latin verse again. After reciting the Latin verse, he repeated it calmly in Spanish.
The originally passionate Spanish and the originally loud and fervent prayers came out of Talavera's mouth, but they seemed like the cold first snow of October or the ruthless judgment of the Inquisition.
"...We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice speaking to me in Hebrew: 'Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the thorns!'..."
Hearing this passage from Chapter 9 of the Acts of the Apostles, Sir Louis touched his nose and put away the friendly smile when facing Columbus. He looked at the little dot walking out of the palace with his head held high and shook his head gently.
He shook his head and asked with a meaningful smile.
"Dear Archbishop Talavera, God's grace has not yet come down, and the sea exploration with kicking thorns has not yet succeeded... Are the royal family of Castile and the Holy Kingdom Church ready to judge 'Saul'?
?…”
Upon hearing Sir Louis' question, Father Talavera did not answer directly. He just looked at the other party and asked meaningfully.
“Sir Louis, what is the grace of God?…”
"Ah? What is the grace of God?...Haha! Saint Paul said, 'The wages of the worker are not grace, but deserved...' The so-called grace is naturally not deserved, but free from God.
Given!…”
"Well, Sir Louis, you are right!... If the development of the new sea route can be fruitful, it will naturally be the grace bestowed by God on the two kings... And who gave Columbus the grace? It was the benevolent God
Lord?…Is he worthy?…”
"Haha! Of course not!... God's grace... He doesn't deserve it!..."
Hearing this, Sir Louis laughed loudly and nodded knowingly.
The order and righteousness of Christ were not explained by saints or the gospel, but by the nobles and priests of the day. The grace Columbus asked for was far beyond what he should receive based on his strength and status.
That share has naturally planted the seeds of judgment and destruction.
And a so-called exploration agreement document can be promulgated by the Queen and the King, and can naturally be overturned by the Archbishop's trial! No matter how long the document is, and how many lengthy and repeated guarantees and authorizations are written, it is actually in the "Judgement of the Lord"
"Everything in front of me is meaningless...
"God bless you! Louis, I'm going to meet with the queen and report back the final agreement document... You should also go and meet with the king and explain everything that happened today..."
"Haha! I will pray to the Lord for a while longer. It doesn't matter if it takes a while... Dear King, I actually don't care about the outcome of today's final negotiation..."
"Well...compared to the king, the queen is always soft-hearted and abides by treaties too much!...Just like the surrender agreement signed with the Moorish pagans, she didn't even allow me to judge the pagans in Granada!
It seems that we have to wait until the Queen's caravan leaves north before we can start working... Louis, the Aragonese royal family will still have to pay more for the interest on this year's debt!..."
"Uh... Dear Archbishop Talavera, I don't have the authority to decide on such a big matter! When I go back, I will give a good report to King Fernando... The king will definitely discuss it with the queen candidly..."
"Ha! King? Frank discussion? Haha!..."
Father Talavera raised his brows and laughed "haha". He said nothing more, just put away all the agreement documents, picked up the archbishop's scepter, turned around and strode away.
In the ancient Mesiyar Hall, softly refracted skylight falls, like the majestic gaze of the Lord. And the devout Sir Louis raised his head and stared at the pure light of the dome, but it seemed as if from the gaze of the Lord,
See those who are above God, those noble kings, great nobles and archbishops, the true rulers of God’s world!…
“Tu autem secundum duritiam tuam et cor impaenitens thesaurizas tibi iram in die irae et revelationis iusti iudicii Dei!…”
“But you have allowed your impenitent heart to store up wrath for yourself, so that you may repay each person according to his deeds on the day of His wrath and His judgment.”
After reading this prayer from Chapter 2 of Romans, Sir Louis shook his head and sighed with compassion.
"Columbus! I hope you come back alive, and I hope you don't gain too much...otherwise, you will surely face the final judgment of the Lord!"
"And the reason for this trial is not just because of your stupidity, not just because of your greed, but more importantly, because of the original sin of your origin...a humble, stubborn and pathetic son of a commoner!..."