Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 237 Precious Sunshine

The next day, as the fleet was nearing departure, Hergi counted the crew on deck, only to find the first mate missing. "Where did he go?"

A sailor replied, "He went to the tavern to find someone and said it was your order."

I?
Helgi grew increasingly furious, gritting his teeth as he stared toward the dock. After a long while, the first mate came into view, followed by a local youth.

Upon reaching the deck, the first mate, ignoring his superior's anger, dragged him and the translator to the captain's cabin. "The other day, the brothers were having a good time at the tavern, and this guy was bragging to the translator that he had once been to a vast, desolate archipelago."

"Are you sure?" Hergi took out a pen and paper and handed it to the young man, who sketched out the outlines of Iberia and southern Morocco, as well as a route to the archipelago, in a crooked manner. He then suddenly stopped writing and hurriedly said a long string of sentences.

The translator relayed: "Sir, his name is Diego Garros, a Visigoth. He started helping on the ship at the age of thirteen. He is willing to lead us to the 'Canary Islands,' and after the mission is accomplished, he requests a piece of land that can be inherited."

Hereditary land.

This word touched a nerve with Hergé, who was nearing fifty and whose energy was waning. If he missed this opportunity, his son would only be able to inherit the northwestern islands of Britain.

It's time to take a gamble.

Hergi took out a whiskey and poured a glass for everyone present. "Alright, I agree. I'll inform the sailors later and hope they are willing to take the risk."

The first mate finished his drink, smacked his lips, and said, "There are a total of 190 people on the three ships. The archipelago is vast, and there are plenty of benefits to share with them."

Half an hour later, the fleet left Lisbon, and Hergi informed the crew of the exploration plan, as well as the risks and benefits of the voyage.

A voice broke out in the crowd: "Are there gold and silver mines on the island?"

Hergie replied frankly, "Probably not. According to some books, the Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans all visited the islands. Even if there were gold and silver mines, they would have been mined out long ago."

However, according to Gallo's description, the area is sunny and suitable for growing sugarcane and grapes. He plans to sell the sugar and wine to Britain and Northern Europe, guaranteeing everyone will make a fortune.

Another voice emerged from the crowd, "How far?"

Helgi: "Gallos was a sailor on a merchant ship that was blown to the Canary Islands by a storm. After repairing the ship, they returned to Iberia, which took twelve days. Our ship is better and we expect to arrive in ten days."

With a guide willing to lead the way, the sailors agreed to Helgi's plan. The fleet changed course and instead explored southward along the coastline.

During the voyage, the three captains used the "knot-throwing method" to measure the speed, used a magnetic compass to record the direction, and at noon used an astrolabe modeled after the Moors to measure the latitude.

At night, the officer on night watch would determine the latitude based on the position of the North Star, and record it in the nautical logbook, using this as a basis for drawing nautical charts.

In the early Middle Ages, before the advent of marine chronometers and sextants, the navigation methods used by captains were highly inaccurate, and a slight miscalculation could lead to a significant deviation from the shoreline, making them unsuitable for long periods away from the coastline.

On the fourth day, a persistent northerly wind blew across the sea, and the fleet left the Iberian waters, sailing southwest along the African coastline.

The further south you go, the more desolate the scenery becomes on the African coast. According to Garros, this vast desert has no water, no plants or animals, only endless yellow sand.

Seeing the captain's furrowed brow, Garros quickly added:
“The Canary Islands are different, especially the two larger islands, which are covered with vast forests, including laurel trees, whose leaves can be used as spices.” The translator relayed Hergé’s cold words, “I hope so.”

At dawn on the tenth day, the shadows of land emerged from the morning mist ahead, and the lookout on the mast shouted desperately to wake most of the sleeping crew.

"let me see!"

Garros ran to the ship's railing, first rubbing his eyes violently, then pointing to the approaching white beach and the vast forests scattered inland and bursting into laughter.

"Haha, I was right, Captain, you should keep your promise."

When the morning mist cleared, Helgi found that he had indeed arrived at the legendary Canary Islands. He used flag signals to notify the remaining two sailboats to anchor and assemble the marines to prepare to explore the inland.

In anticipation of boarding action, each sailing ship carried not only a crew of over forty men, but also a 20-man marine corps, all equipped with armor and capable of assisting the captain in suppressing mutinous sailors if necessary.

Half an hour later, Hergi, the translator, the guide Garros, and sixty armored soldiers landed on the beach.

"Form battle formation, stay alert, and don't get killed by the island's natives."

When Bjorn first explored Greenland, he was almost killed by a sudden attack from the indigenous people, a lesson that has remained etched in Helgi's mind ever since.

Therefore, despite the heat, he wore two layers of armor (cloth armor on the outside and chainmail on the inside) and carefully explored the inland areas of the island.

After several days of exploration, the fleet had made a preliminary assessment of the archipelago, which consisted of seven large islands. Hergi chose the largest island as his fiefdom and named it Sunshine Island.

Sunshine Island has a large elevation difference (0-3718 meters), abundant sunshine, rugged terrain, and a large number of pine forests. The northwest windward area of ​​the island is relatively humid, while the leeward area is relatively dry.

At the makeshift camp, Helgi grabbed a handful of soil and began to think about how to make money in the future.

As time went on, he and other nobles such as Yoren and Torga were deeply influenced by Vig. Almost wherever they went, they would subconsciously observe where it was suitable for military operations, where it was suitable for building settlements, and hypothesize about how much money they could make each year by planting crops.
He approached Garros and asked, "Is this place suitable for growing sugarcane? Have you ever grown sugarcane before?"

“There is a sugarcane plantation in my hometown, and the climate is similar to here. Moreover, my cousin works on the plantation year-round. If we bring him over to help, we can guarantee that the first batch of sugarcane will be produced within two years.”

Looking at the confident Garros, Helgi was skeptical. He arranged for twenty volunteers to stay at the camp, and then led the fleet back to Iberia along the original route.

Fearing that it would arouse the governor's suspicion, the fleet did not stop in Lisbon, but instead went to the port of Gijón in Asturias, where they exchanged four sets of iron armor for half a day of rest and repairs.

"Are you really planning to do business?"

The local Visigoth nobleman was greatly shocked. He had inherited the land for twenty years and this was the first time he had seen Viking barbarians willing to settle down and do business.

Hergi replied with Vig's words, "The benefits of long-term trade outweigh those of a single plunder, so we will certainly choose the former."

Ultimately, the two reached an agreement that Viking ships could temporarily dock in Gijón, but they would have to pay a berthing fee of two sets of iron armor for each ship.

(End of this chapter)