From Robinson Crusoe

The distance between the Big Island and the archipelago is not far. The Steelbone, which set off in the early morning, returned that afternoon, loaded with supplies and treasure.

With their firearms and well-equipped personnel, they successfully suppressed the remaining tribes on the island on Sunday, allowing the heavily damaged tribes to survive.

The pile of corpses was burned, and on Sunday he promised to bring some food for the natives on his next visit to the island.

When he left the island, he also took the children and teenagers aged 5 to 15 with him.

When he saw the emaciated boy, he vaguely thought of himself. If his tribe had not been destroyed by the larger tribe, if he had not been chosen as a sacrificial offering, if he had continued to grow up on this island, he might have been no different from this boy.

I always hear a few words from Chen Zhou on Sundays.

Civilization, culture, heritage, morality...

These ideas were too advanced for the indigenous people, even somewhat unrealistic, like castles in the air, and they couldn't form a clear concept in Sunday's mind.

It wasn't until that day, when he saw the boy, three or four years younger than him, carrying a human bone and looking at him with utter ignorance, that Sunday finally understood a simple truth—

The significance of cultural heritage transmission may be to ensure that the next generation lives a better life than we did.

Therefore, he took it upon himself to put all the children and teenagers on the island onto the ship and take them back to the big island.

He hoped that these children could be like him, like the babies born on the Big Island, basking in the sunshine of paradise from the moment they could remember, and no longer having to be shrouded in the shadows of hell.

……

When formulating the plan to raid the small island a few months ago, Chen Zhou, thinking about the sudden increase in the island's population in the future, specifically issued instructions to encourage the development of farmland and the planting of more crops.

Of course, he doesn't need to personally supervise how this order is implemented or whether it is carried out effectively. Saturday will be in full charge of this aspect, and the three of them, Fu Lu Shou, will actively assist him.

Overall, the task was completed satisfactorily. Thanks to the unique advantages of the tropical region, although the fertility of the new farmland was insufficient, the area made up for this, and the grain produced was still enough to feed the new population.

With the addition of seafood from the newly built small fishing boats at the shipyard, food reserves are sufficient to last until the next harvest.

However, that was based on the premise that the new islanders met the target. On Sunday, dozens more children and teenagers were brought back, which meant dozens more mouths to feed.

This was an act of disobeying orders, but after hearing the whole story on Sunday, Chen Zhou did not blame him.

"The land is filled with grief and the city is covered with blood, but the only thought is to save the people."

Chen Zhou is an ordinary rural boy who naturally feels a sense of identification with all the underprivileged people in the world. If he had the ability, he would also save these innocent hearts.

Putting himself in his shoes, he felt he would make the same decision as on Sunday.

Therefore, upon seeing Sunday's kindness, Chen Zhou not only did not punish him, but also allocated all the food and supplies that the Spanish had stored on the island to Sunday, so that he could make good use of this wealth to settle the children.

The Spanish supplies included a large quantity of spices and alcohol, which could fetch high prices on the island.

Those veterans had enough grain stored up at home to last a year or even two, and they would be happy to exchange the surplus grain for some wine and seasonings to satisfy their appetites.

As long as Sunday knows how to do business and can exchange goods with the veterans at a relatively fair price, supporting these children will not be a problem at all.

Of course, besides food, a place for children and teenagers to stay is also a problem—

The temporary shelters built on the island were only enough to house the natives who had been brought ashore earlier; it would be too crowded if children and teenagers joined them.

Moreover, children and teenagers have different mindsets from adult natives, and they cannot receive the same education as adult natives after arriving on the island. Chen Zhou believes it is necessary to separate them.

……

At the port, islanders were pushing carts and driving oxcarts to unload goods from the ships, box by box.

The cantilever crane built by Chen Zhou, along with a portable assembly crane, was placed on the dock and the deck of the Steel Bone ship. These two machines greatly improved the islanders' work efficiency and saved them a lot of effort.

Having long been accustomed to this way of life, the islanders chatted and laughed while working.

Now we can eat our fill and eat well every day, and we don't have to work as hard as before. If we get really tired, we can stand still and rest for a while.

Watching the teenagers being led off the ship by the guards, the islanders always thought of themselves when they first arrived on the island, and their conversations inevitably veered towards "the past".

Some people envy these teenagers for arriving in "heaven" so early, as they have suffered much less than the others.

Some people envy teenagers for being young, because it means they are more quick-witted and capable, able to learn more, and perhaps achieve greater things in the future.

However, despite their envy, they felt no jealousy, much less hatred.

They are already very satisfied with their current life, and they don't crave things they can't have.

After a few casual words, they continued to diligently unload goods as usual, and diligently loaded trucks as usual.

Boxes of treasure, clothing, food, and seasonings, whether loaded onto handcarts pulled by manpower or onto oxcarts, all headed in the same direction—to the factory.

The warehouses there had long since made room for supplies.

……

As the sun was about to set, several important figures from the island gathered in the factory's second-floor office.

While listening to Sunday's report, Chen Zhou arranged the key matters that needed to be handled next, including the date of the execution of the tribal chief Lisoben, how the Spanish would arrange things, the inventory of treasures and supplies, and the planning of food distribution.

On Saturday, Chen Fu, Chen Lu, and Chen Shou stood in front of the desk, each holding a pen and paper, nervously recording the tasks assigned to them.

After all the tasks were assigned, Chen Zhou gave a special instruction: that Saturday, Fu Lu Shou, and the other two should work together on Sunday to take extra care of the children and teenagers and provide them with some assistance where possible.

After saying this, Chen Zhou went to the window and glanced downstairs.

The convoy of supplies arrived right next to the factory. This was already their umpteenth trip in the past few hours. There were only one or two wooden crates on the carts, and Chen Zhou estimated that all the supplies had been moved.

Just as I was about to go downstairs to admire the treasures of the Inca Empire and experience the dazzling golden light, Sunday suddenly raised his hand, like a cautious student asking a question, and offered his suggestion—

"I was thinking, could we put these children under military management, train them rigorously, and give them different courses from other children from a young age, so that we could train them to become soldiers?"

Didn't you say that what soldiers need most is loyalty?

In the future, we will have more warships like the 'Steelbow'. If we start training crew members now, we will have ready-made sailors when the warships are built and launched.

Moreover, they begin training in their early teens. Once they own their own ships, they not only have extensive experience in sailing, but also more time to learn and grow. When recruiting more sailors in the future, they can become excellent leaders.

Most importantly, if we start training them now, their loyalty will be beyond question…

Upon hearing Sunday's words, Chen Zhou, who had been facing the window with his back to everyone, turned around and looked at Sunday with a hint of surprise, as if he had come to know a completely new version of him.

If it were a suspicious leader, hearing such a suggestion, they might think that their subordinates were building their own faction and preparing to overthrow their rule at some point in the future.

But Chen Zhou did not have such concerns.

His relationship with Sunday was not as simple as that of a superior and subordinate. It is no exaggeration to say that he had given Sunday a second life, and although the two were not related by blood, they were as close as father and son.

At the same time, Sunday's thoughts weren't that complicated. If he really had ulterior motives, he could have kept them hidden and carried them out in private. His honesty was precisely proof of his loyalty.

Chen Zhou was surprised precisely because Sunday's suggestion was so visionary and mature—

In the past, Sunday only saw the immediate problems and never thought about the long term. When he was managing the natives, he often beat and scolded them because of his bad temper, which made many islanders fear him now. There may even be some who harbor resentment.

Several years have passed, and he studies every Saturday. When he talks to Chen Zhou, Chen Zhou can clearly feel the changes in him.

Sunday, however, is like a child who hasn't grown up. Although he is very smart, he is not mature enough and cannot stand on his own.

It wasn't until this moment, after hearing Sunday's suggestion, that Chen Zhou suddenly felt a fatherly sense of relief, as if he were seeing his young child finally grow up.

Your suggestion is great!

Walking around the desk, Chen Zhou patted Sunday heavily on the shoulder, giving him high praise.

Seeing that Sunday lowered his head shyly because of the praise, he added.

"However, it is not so simple to conduct military training from childhood."

I must remind you that excessive physical training during the growth stage can affect a person's development, and you need to be careful to control the 'degree' of this training.

Moreover, learning how to use weapons too early, developing an understanding of combat and killing, and being detached from the ordinary life of ordinary people is also a test of a child's character.

I support your proposal, but I need a detailed plan on how to implement it and how to handle the details.

First, you have to be flawless in my eyes and satisfy me before I can confidently entrust those children to you.

Hearing the previous words, Sunday was overjoyed, like a boy who had received his father's approval.

As he listened to the rest of the story, he learned that he also had to provide a detailed plan. Sunday's beaming smile immediately vanished.

In an instant, the smiles spread to the faces of the other people in the room.

As everyone knows, Sunday is the day when he hates doing homework, followed by going to class. Asking him to write a plan is like asking him to die.

However, their laughter lasted only a few seconds before their faces fell when they saw Sunday's gaze directed at them.

If he can't write a plan on Sunday but still wants to carry it out, what will he do?

Without a doubt, he would share this arduous task with his "good brothers," and neither Saturday nor Lucky Star could escape his clutches.

Moreover, this time it's different from the past when homework was written or copied.

This Sunday, Chen Zhou gave his approval, wielding the power to "make things convenient for me," leaving them with no choice but to help, even if they didn't want to.

They exchanged glances, and on Saturday, they all saw helplessness in each other's eyes.

Now, what used to be one person's job has become the work of five; no one can escape it.

……

After receiving their mission, the group left the factory office one by one. Chen Zhou calmed himself down a bit and, after confirming that all the treasures had been moved to the warehouse downstairs, called Lai Fu over and excitedly went to admire his spoils.

The sun had almost completely set, and the lights on the first floor of the factory were on.

The female textile workers hadn't finished their shift yet, and the creaking and groaning of the machines filled the air.

All the treasure was moved into the small basement on the first floor and placed separately from the Spanish supplies. When Chen Zhou arrived, the last islander responsible for moving the treasure had already stacked the treasure chests and was ready to leave.

Upon seeing the esteemed chieftain, the short, stocky islander's face showed a mixture of reverence and fear. He wanted to pay his respects, but for a moment he was flustered, unsure whether to kneel or follow the customs of his tribe.

This refers to the grand ceremony where someone raises their feet and places them on their head to signify submission.

Just as the islander was awkwardly avoiding the chief's gaze, he suddenly felt a warm, large hand press on his shoulder.

"You organized it very neatly, I'm very satisfied."

You must be exhausted after a long day's work. Go home and rest early. You've worked hard!

"No...not tired...not hard..."

The islander was flattered and stammered in response to Chen Zhou, bowing even deeper, like an old servant taking his leave in a TV drama, head down, staggering backward up the stairs and leaving the basement.

Chen Zhou felt quite uncomfortable with the islanders' reaction; he had never considered himself an emperor.

Unfortunately, on this island, due to his actions and in order to consolidate his rule, he was forced to occupy such a high position, even more so than the emperor.

He is God.

……

The discomfort he felt towards the islanders' behavior lasted only a short while. Soon, the desire to see the treasure with his own eyes took over Chen Zhou's mind.

Because gold is dense and heavy, the wooden boxes used by the Spanish to store their treasures were mostly no more than 80cm long and less than 60cm wide, and were flat in shape, looking quite similar to boxes used to store glass bottles of wine or tobacco.

Some of the large wooden chests did not contain only jewelry. In addition to a few gold and silver items, each chest was filled with a large amount of hay as stuffing, which reduced the weight of the chest and protected the delicate gold jewelry from damage during transport.

There was only one small light bulb in the basement, casting a dim glow from the ceiling and immersing the entire room in a dim atmosphere.

However, when Chen Zhou opened each of the wooden boxes and saw the breathtaking gold inside, the gloom quietly disappeared.

Chen Zhou's eyes were filled only with the deep, shining gold.

The first thing he opened was a small wooden box, which contained mostly rough silver bricks and whole gold bricks.

The Incas' metallurgical technology was not advanced, and the gold and silver bricks they cast had a lot of bubbles and pits on their surfaces, but this did not affect the unique beauty of the precious metals in the slightest.

Then, Chen Zhou opened a large wooden box, and what came into view was a peculiar golden statue that was 50cm wide and slightly flat.

Its shape is somewhat similar to the artifacts from Sanxingdui. The statue has a pair of huge and exaggerated triangular eyes, a huge head, and a relatively small body. Next to the head are pairs of wing-shaped decorations, interspersed with some sun-shaped discs.

The statue wasn't exactly exquisite, but because it was cast in pure gold, even though its shape was ugly, it was as captivating as a beautiful woman in Chen Zhou's eyes.

Take out the gold statue; beneath it, some thin gold sheets are neatly stacked.

Their shapes resemble feathers, and they also employ openwork techniques, forming a complete set with another ornament in the box, the "golden mask."

Chen Zhou knew that there was a civilization in South America that worshipped the feathered serpent god. He didn't know if this golden mask was related to the feathered serpent god, but judging from the shape of the golden mask, he was more inclined to believe that it was the "pig god".

After all, the mask was rather ferocious, completely lacking any "snake" characteristics. Its long snout was slightly open, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth; it would be more accurate to say it was a pig or some kind of ferocious beast. (End of Chapter)