Chapter 1365: Chapter 1365

"Your Majesty, you are right! If cassava is planted at an angle, the roots will be shallow, making it easier to dig up!... Also, for peeling, soaking, cutting, grinding, and steaming the cassava... you should compose a little tune or make a song and have the priests sing it! They are the best at this, and only when they sing it will the villagers believe easily..."

Beside the cassava field, the old militia Chiwaco gently kicked the "blind earth mound" he had just poked on the ground and smoothed it out. Then he turned around and continued talking about cassava planting with the enthusiastic Majesty.

"Uh? As for the seed selection and cultivation you mentioned... how to plant cassava seeds, how to choose the roots? How would a foolish old farmer like me know? Better leave it to the clever priests to figure out!..."

"Haha! Chiwaco, you are not foolish but very smart! Your knowledge is refined through practice; in fact, it’s more practical than the knowledge the priests get at school! I’m even thinking whether to send you to Divine Power University to study for a few years!"

"What?! Me, a half-buried old man, go to the priests’ place to study... uh!... Isn’t this like making the old tree root pretend to be cocoa beans and breaking people’s teeth?..."

"Hahaha!... I think, after all, the old tree root is better! Cocoa beans can only be eaten, but old tree roots can be made into canes, exploring everywhere!..."

Xiulote smiled, examining the slightly anxious old militia Chiwaco, giving him words of approval.

"Chiwaco, I didn’t know that Cuba had cassava, nor did I give any command to the fleet. Yet, you helped the Kingdom bring cassava back! Not only that, but you also brought back the oil-producing Cuban tung oil tree..."

Saying this, Xiulote pointed to the other side of the backyard, where a row of small sprouts was budding — the Cuban tung oil tree, also known as the leprosy tree. Xiulote cherished these new crops dearly, arranging for several trusted aides to manage and care for them. Two years earlier, when dispatching the exploration fleet, he never anticipated such unexpected gains!

"Chiwaco, what you said earlier is correct! Cassava does have the potential to save countless lives!... However, this high-yield crop thrives only in tropical and subtropical, oh, very warm areas! In less warm regions, such as the Northern Continent you’ve explored, cassava doesn’t grow well... The further north you go, the colder the climate, the fewer crops that can be grown, and the less food is available. Those countless Northern Tribes face complete crop failure during severe cold spells, leading entire tribes to starve or freeze to death..."

At this point, Xiulote paused, his expression growing solemn. He looked at Chiwaco’s surprised old face and asked seriously.

"Chief Divine is witnessing! Do you know what crop can save countless tribes in the cold and divinely ravaged Northern Continent?"

"Uh... Your Majesty... what is it?"

The old militia Chiwaco was stunned for a moment, his eyes flickering slightly. His keen intuition told him that some sort of ominous destiny, like a dark cloud on the horizon, was slowly enveloping him with the Majesty’s words.

"Chief Divine is witnessing! It’s the potato!"

Xiulote reached out and patted Chiwaco’s shoulder. Seeing the Majesty’s affectionate gesture, the old militia couldn’t help but shiver, his knees slightly shaking. He clearly remembered that the damn village chief had also patted him like that before sending him off to the samurai recruitment team.

"Po... Potatoes? Those tiny things, the size of pigeon eggs, or even quail eggs, ’round beans’?"

"Exactly! At this time in all the lands, the only cold-tolerant staple crop is this!"

Xiulote stroked his chin, recalling the latest news from the Western Sea Coast exploration fleet. About five months ago, they had already reached the lands of Golden Bay, which would be the Bay Area of San Francisco in later generations. Subsequently, the fleet chose a port to establish the main kingdom settlement on the Western Sea Coast, West Mountain Port!

Hearing this news, which was delayed by nearly six months and brought back by the kingdom’s Guano Rock fleet, Xiulote was greatly excited. He valued the explorations of the Eastern Sea and Western Sea, both bearing abundant fruits in almost the same season!

For this, he had already issued a royal decree yesterday, expedited by trusted aides back to the kingdom: ordering the second batch of reinforcement fleets to set off as soon as possible, supplementing the settlements and longships along the Western Sea Coast! Meanwhile, a new issue, though not urgent, was gradually becoming apparent.

"Chief Divine’s blessing! Potatoes are cold-tolerant, high-yield crops that are urgently needed as new crops on the Northern Continent! However, while potatoes have been introduced to Central America, the kingdom’s potato yield per acre is very low, and the tubers are extremely small... This is due to these potatoes continuously undergoing self-fertilization as they spread north, causing degeneration... To increase its yield, different varieties need to be crossbred or higher-yielding tubers found!..."

Xiulote spoke without rush, patiently recounting for a long time. Looking at Chiwaco’s increasingly puzzled face and more uneasy eyes, he finally simply summarized.

"Chief Divine witnessing! In short, the kingdom needs new, higher-yielding, more cold-tolerant potatoes! These potatoes, or rather, these many kinds of potatoes, can save millions of Northern Tribes!... Chiwaco, do you know where such potatoes are found?"

Hearing this, the old militia Chiwaco shivered immediately, his knees weakening, fingers trembling. He looked at the smiling face of the Majesty with trembling, muttered through gritted teeth.

"In the South! The South of the world! Thousands of miles away on the Southern Continent, there they are!..."

"Oh! Chief Divine’s blessing! Indeed, it is in the South of the world, the vast Southern Continent!"

Upon hearing this, Xiulote’s face showed a hint of surprise. He blinked his eyes and curiously asked.

"Chiwaco, how do you know?"

"Your Majesty, you said it yourself: there is none on the Northern Continent, none good with the Alliance and Kingdom, and the Eastern Cuba Snake Island eats cassava, so it must be in the South!" ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel✶fire.net

The old militia Chiwaco widened his eyes, gritting his teeth again as he continued to answer.

"Actually, when I was eating potatoes by the Maya sea, I also asked the cunning bald fox... Oh, that Maya merchant Tikalo! He said these potatoes came from the South, brought back hundreds of years ago by a fleet of the Serpent Divine Descendant... He also gave us a sea chart of the Southern Coast, called the place Chibcha, which is in the hands of Priest Mekate!..."

"Chief Divine’s blessing, I see! That’s right! The original home of potatoes is in the distant Southern Continent! And those truly original varieties of potatoes, many strange new crops, including the blue-flowered gold quinine tree I only know of, along with transportable alpacas of various sizes... are all in the rich and vast Southern land!..."

Listening to the Majesty’s narration, the old militia Chiwaco pursed his lips, his eyes full of hesitation. He thought of the terrible storm upon returning from Cuba, and the longships swallowed by the storm, finally making up his mind!

"Your... Your Majesty! As you mentioned before, you would agree to me one, uh, reasonable condition..."

The old militia widened his old eyes, slowly bending his waist. He looked at the serious Majesty in front of him, bowing his head to plead.

"I... I still want to live to see my son again... Could it be... is it possible to?..."

Hearing this, Xiulote raised an eyebrow. He pursed his lips, watching the pitiable old militia, silent for a long while, slowly shook his head firmly.

"Chiwaco, I know what you are asking for... but my answer is, no!... This important mission, I trust only you, and can only entrust it to you! You are favored by destiny, able to return smoothly from Cuba Snake Island in the Eastern Sea, bringing back new crops... Likewise, you will come back alive from the vast Southern Continent, bringing back quality potato breeds and alpacas..."

"Therefore, in the name of the Chief Divine! Chiwaco, you must set sail for me once more, journeying to the Southern Continent!... Of course, there is no rush, the kingdom will open up the sea route to the South and prepare the southbound fleet in two years..."

"By then, the new position of Exploration Captain... has been designated, and it must be you!..."