Marina was imprisoned for several days in a separate bedroom above the bathroom. Everything here was quite similar to the monastery. It was a simple room, but the sheets were soft and comfortable, and the delicate gauze curtains. Although there were cast iron railings on the windows,
But the bright and dazzling sunlight filtering through the large glass reminded her of the Spanish sun.
What surprised her the most was that the bedroom actually had a separate toilet: it was all covered with high-quality Chinese ceramic tiles, and even the toilet was made of porcelain!
I am now richer than kings, emperors, sultans and cardinals! She thought in surprise.
Her daily life is very comfortable╠╠Although she does not have a maid to serve her personally, a Chinese maid will come to make her bed every day and bring her three meals a day, all of which are simple and novel food that she has never tasted before: taste
Light and delicious.
Although Marina's food in the convent was not hard, the concepts of restraint and abstinence were always present in their education, so the food was very bland. When she first tasted all kinds of novel and delicious food, she couldn't help but have an appetite.
.Especially a kind of risotto made with seafood and rice that she likes very much. After the meal, she always gives a cup of "black tea" with lemon slices and sugar cubes.
A lot of fresh fruits are delivered every day, many of which she has never seen before.
Every noon, after clearing the lunch tableware, a maid would come in and help her put down the delicate and beautiful Chinese curtain with a dark yellow shimmer to block the scorching sunlight from outside, and then bring a beautiful and white blue and white porcelain vat.
There is a large piece of ice inside: crystal clear, exuding wisps of white water vapor. Then she will change into a nightgown made of soft and breathable muslin under the service of the maid. In the pleasant temperature and comfortable
Falling asleep in the dim light.
She will be woken up at four o'clock in the afternoon, and then the maid will take her to take a bath╠╠This is mandatory. If she doesn't go, the strong maid will grab her arm and drag her to wash without hesitation.
He bathed her with soap mixed with certain essential oils, which made her very uneasy: it was said that this was also done in the sultan's harem.
After taking a bath, she was taken back to the bedroom and put on clean clothes. All the clothes she had changed were taken away. The clothes were not luxurious, but they were all made of very delicate and comfortable materials. She also felt fit and comfortable when wearing them.
If it weren't for her prisoner status, these days could be said to be the most comfortable and comfortable life in the past ten years. Her mood could even be improved by this.
A few days ago, it had been very quiet here, and there were very few voices downstairs. But starting from a few days ago, the yard started to become lively. There were often sounds of people walking back and forth, and from time to time there were scoldings and cries. I could barely speak from the window.
She could see some things in the yard. She saw many women with brown, black and blond hair waiting in the yard. They were all disheveled. They were in rags and looked shabby. They were being harassed by those who had "served" her.
The Chinese maids were rubbing and scolding her. Obviously they were prisoners or slaves. They were repeating the same process as her in the yard.
This made her extremely worried about her fate: Such preferential treatment was obviously not just a "good intention". She could only wait for her fate in anxiety. She began to suffer from insomnia and often prayed for several hours in a row.
On this day, Miss Mendoza finally appeared in front of her.
"You're finally here!" said Marina, who was already a little nervous due to the anxiety and waiting. "What are you going to do with me?"
"Do you want to know that much?"
"I just want to know my destiny as soon as possible." Marina held the rosary in her hand and looked up at the sky.
"We are not pirates. But you are our prisoner, so you must follow the rules for dealing with prisoners, which is to say: public auction."
The word seemed to come out of Mendoza's lips reluctantly.
"God save me!" Marina screamed, as if she was about to faint. This was the thing she was most afraid of. She couldn't help but hold Mendoza's hand tightly and said in a trembling voice: "For the sake of it,
We are compatriots and Christians! Don’t let me become a slave girl in the harem!”
Mendoza's expression gave her a glimmer of hope: "Listen to me, as long as you are willing to let me go, my fiancé will pay you a huge sum of money╠╠My fiancé will soon be the richest man in Manila
He is probably the richest nobleman in the entire Philippines and even New Spain!"
Mendoza shook her head: "This is impossible. This is the decision of the Senate!" With a look of sympathy on her face: "You should have a good rest." She quickly left the room.
Doña Marina de Arellano fainted.
When she woke up, she was already lying on the bed, and a strange priest was sitting beside her bed, looking at her with an expression of love and affection.
"Father..." Marina saw a European priest and couldn't help but want to sit up.
"My child, your body is still very weak, so you'd better lie down first." The priest said in broken Spanish, "You can take a dose of medicine first, which will make you feel better."
He fed her a small glass of bitter potion.
"Father," Marina said. Although she didn't know why there was a European priest here, his appearance gave him new hope, but the other person's Spanish was too difficult to understand. So she tried to speak in Italian╠╠
The other party was indeed able to speak.
"You are Italian!"
"Yes, I'm from Italy."
"For God's sake, please save me!" she begged, "the pirates are going to auction me off! Please don't let me become a slave to the infidels!"
As she spoke, she pulled the ring off her finger: "Please find someone and give him my letter and the ring together. He will repay you and your messenger heavily."
The priest shook his head: "My son, even if I send someone to deliver the message right away, it will be too late. The auction will be held the day after tomorrow. They plan to auction you together with the female slaves transported from Basra..."
"God!" Marina covered her face and sobbed.
"Don't worry." The priest lowered his voice and said, "I have been running for your rescue since Miss Mendoza told me your request..."
"Speak quickly." Marina's heart ignited the flame of hope again.
"You are now in Lingao, which is Australian territory. They will auction the loot the day after tomorrow. However, they do not prohibit others from buying slaves. So I plan to find a Christian to come forward and buy you..."
"If you can save me from danger, I will be grateful to you forever."
"Don't worry, we have found a suitable candidate for you." The Italian said, "He is the local consul of the Dutch..."
"A Protestant!" Marina almost screamed. This was simply more terrifying than a pagan. The Dutch had a very bad reputation in the American colonies of Spain and Portugal. They were like fire and water.
"No, he is a true believer. His name is Leib Trini. He is my compatriot, and I sympathize with you." The priest comforted her, "He painted here for the Australians and saved a lot of money. It is enough.
Pay the cost of your purchase.”
"My father and my fiancé own a lot of property in the Philippines and New Spain. Please tell that kind Christian not to panic when bidding. No matter how much the other party bids, he will definitely beat him. As long as he can beat me
If you buy it, I will pay double the ransom to redeem myself. But no matter what, do not let me fall into the hands of the infidels..."
"I feel relieved now!" Marina said and held his hand movedly: "Thank you, I will never forget your kindness." She suddenly remembered that she didn't know the other person's name yet, "Excuse me
Your Name?"
"I am a servant of God," said the priest, "a member of the Society of Jesus. Now I must leave quickly. May God bless you."
Quark was sitting on a chair in the store, tasting the "cigar" brought by the maid, and had a premonition that he was going to make a fortune.
Just a week ago, he personally took command of the brig "Lion" that went to Basra and finally arrived safely, transporting 183 female slaves. This was the surviving number of the 200 female slaves he bought at the Basra slave market.
If he hadn't encountered a storm on the road, perhaps more people would have survived. He tried to give each slave girl enough space, water and food to prevent them from losing too much on the road.
Even so, his income will be very considerable. Minister Skade promised him that the CIF price of each healthy female slave will be fifty stones of sugar. He would laugh in his dreams about how much money he could earn from transporting this ship of sugar to Persia.
Awake.
Slave trading is really a lucrative business! Quark thought with regret, if only their demand for female slaves in Basra was as high as that of Southeast Asian slaves...
While he was giggling, Minister Skade walked in with a cheerful face.
"How's it going? What's the result of the quarantine?" Quark stood up impatiently and asked.
"All the preliminary inspections passed." Skade was in a very happy mood, and brought everyone's long-cherished "Ocean Horse" to the Senate. This alone was enough to skyrocket his popularity in the Senate╠╠Although the number of people was a bit small, but
He initially went to the quarantine camp to observe the appearance and figure, and thought the quality was quite good, enough to satisfy most senior officials.
"so……"
"That's right." Skade said and took out a list from his pocket. Quark knew what it was: a stack list from a customs warehouse. Countless silver coins seemed to be flying in front of his eyes.
"This is the price of slaves." said the department head. "As for the price of the Arabian horses you shipped with us?"
"This is my gift as a thank you for allowing me to serve the Senate." Quark bowed respectfully, "I am willing to serve the Senate."