James has been living in Malaga for some time, but he hasn't been idle.

Malaga is an important part of Castile connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, and through the treacherous strait that came to be known as Gibraltar, it is possible to access two different worlds from Malaga.

To the east, the Old World view was regarded as the rule, and even though the war clouds were now thick and the Ottomans could cross the Mediterranean at any time to spread the flames of war to the southern shores of the continent, it was still reliable for many people because they were already familiar with it.

To the west, there is the unknown, and even though many pioneers have ventured into the depths of the vast ocean, the ocean is too vast and intimidating, and the fear of the unfamiliar is equally intimidating.

But there are still people who are willing to challenge the unknown world, and there are still people who are keen to reveal those unknown secrets, even if they know that they may face many dangers and even things that cannot be fought by man.

All of the above is nonsense.

James found a small house in Málaga and paid for the local Sailors' Guild, an organization similar to the Portuguese seafaring office, and although Castile seemed to have started its seafaring career a little later than in Portugal, they grew rapidly, as evidenced by the sailors' guild established in imitation of the Portuguese.

These guilds tend to be joined by a large group of men at once, and then the inexperienced young men are assigned to some ships to learn the trade, while the old crew members are unified by the guilds to find errands for them.

James paid to register his name at the Malaga Sailors' Guild, paid a guarantee, and had a sign recruiting sailors posted on the guild's billboard.

James was very careful, he was almost a one-man pick, and he was not in a hurry, because at least he knew that he would have to spend a lot of time in Malaga.

So by the time the Columbus brothers arrived in Malaga, James had recruited almost half of the sailors.

James was secretly happy about Columbus's arrival, but his face was definitely not unsmuggling, he felt that he had the upper hand now, and since Columbus had neither returned home nor Valladode, James knew that his previous words worked.

"Tell me, what are you going to do?" Columbus stood across from James and looked at his younger brother, who was far from being close to Giovanni among the brothers, because James always wanted to compete with him, or always wanted to take advantage of him as if he had stolen his journal, so Columbus left the Genoa house with only his younger brother Giovanni after settling a debt for the family, and James stole his diary when he returned home on that occasion.

"I've got to ask you, tell me what you're going to do?" James was unimpressed by his brother's indifference, he sat down and found a comfortable position to lean back in his chair and looked at Columbus opposite, "Didn't you come to me already thinking about it, so tell me what you want to do?" ”

Columbus's dissatisfaction was growing, but he tried to be patient, remembering the disdain shown by Ferdinand when he first met the couple, and then when he heard about his conditions, he unabashedly showed a strong antipathy towards him, although he felt insulted at the time, he endured it, and because of this, Queen Isabella refocused on his plan.

Although James could not compare with Ferdinand, Columbus still told himself to be calm, he knew that James was not going to do it alone when he came to him this time, and Columbus had already walked around the city of Malaga just before coming to his residence, and then he quickly found out that James was now recruiting a large number of sailors.

"You want to go to the new colony?" Columbus quickly sensed James's intentions, not so much judging by his actions as beckoning the sailors, but rather the instinctive guesses of years of brotherhood about James's obsessive habit of snatching everything from him.

"You guessed it right," James said, taking the diary out of his pocket and slowly pushing it in front of Columbus, "I have this diary of yours, and with it I can follow the same routes you took before." ”

"You think you can repeat the miracle I created with just a nautical diary?" Columbus looked at James with a sneer, "You may know which direction to go, but do you know where you will encounter the weather?" Do you know if you should stop immediately or venture to land when you see the first shadow of land? And do you know how to deal with sailors who suddenly go crazy and rebel because they have been traveling at sea for a long time and have no hope? You think you'll just have a nautical diary, James, and I can tell you so clearly that you're not as good as me, and never will be. ”

Columbus sat down as he spoke, leaning back in his chair with his arms folded, his chin slightly raised to look at James.

Giovanni Columbus, who was standing on the side, wanted to say something, but after thinking for a long time, he could only helplessly raise his fist and wave his arms openly, and then sat with his head shaking and looked at the two brothers.

James was not angry with Columbus's blow, he looked at Columbus with interesting eyes, and then took a chart that had been prepared from the side and spread it out on the table.

Looking at the chart, Columbus's expression changed for the first time, he leaned forward to look carefully, then looked up at James again, and then looked down at the routes marked on the chart and the arrival and departure times on some of the islands he passed by.

"This is, the new colony?" Columbus asked in surprise, his words caught the attention of Giovanni Columbus, he walked over a few steps and looked at the charts with his brother, and then he asked in disbelief, "James, you've been there, you've actually been to these places, haven't you?" ”

Looking at the surprised eyes of the two people opposite, James finally showed a hint of pride, he put the nautical diary on the chart, and patted it lightly with his hand: "Maybe you think that I can't go at all or that I have to rely on you to accomplish anything in the end, but in fact I have accomplished the same feat as you, of course, I admit that all this is roasting your nautical diary, but even so, I have gained much more in the new colony than you think." ”

Columbus looked at James in disbelief, he did think so, he knew that James was keen to steal what he liked, but he was still willing to help this younger brother if he could, as long as he asked, Columbus didn't mind pulling him like he did with his little brother Giovanni, and even he could generously share a share of honor and wealth.

But now, Columbus found that James had really done what he thought he could not do, and although he still used his nautical diary, as Columbus himself said, the difficulties of an expedition across the Atlantic could not have been achieved by a journal alone.

Columbus did not suspect that James was fooling him, and the routes marked on the charts and the time of arrival on the islands that were only little or not recorded in the diary showed that it would not have been possible to draw such detailed charts if he had not actually visited those places.

"So, what else do you need me for?" Columbus asked a little strangely, he actually wanted to know who financed James, after all, the cost of traveling to this level was not a small amount, and Ferdinand was not interested in his suggestion because of the huge cost and uncertainty, which made him a little suspicious that the Portuguese were behind the support of James "Is it Manuel, if it is him, you should be careful, that person is very greedy." ”

"Come on Christopher, the king couple isn't so trustworthy to you." James said disapprehantly, "And my employer is not Manuel, of course if you can agree to cooperate with me I will tell you everything." ”

"Wait a minute, you mean working with you?" Columbus looked at James with some amusement, "Don't forget that I discovered the new colony, and I was the first to bring ships of gold, pepper, precious stones, and all kinds of seeds that no one has ever seen, although I don't know what you and your employer are going to do, but even if you want to cooperate, you should listen to me." ”

James looked at Columbus, who was used to showing a domineering appearance, he couldn't say annoyed, he hated Christopher like this since he was a child, although he was an older brother, but James never thought that he had to be in charge of everything.

"You probably haven't figured it yet," James pushed the journal aside, his hand tapping the chart, "Listen, I've been to these places, and tell me how many boats you've brought with you on these trips, two or three?" James said, and when Columbus, who was about to open his mouth, he continued, "I have four ships, all real Caravel galleons, and I can gather them together, and then they will be a terrible fleet, or they can be divided into two fleets to explore north and south along the coastline of the colony, can you do this, then what do you think you can talk to me about?" ”

Columbus looked at James silently, he looked at James as if he didn't know this brother, and after a while he suddenly hesitated and asked, "Who are you?" ”

As if sensing that it was a bit silly to ask such a question, Columbus pointed to the charts and said: "I have been to the new colony twice since '92, and there have been other people who have been there during this time, and I have either known or heard of them, but I am sure that none of the explorers' fleets are as strong as you say, unless they are ......"

Speaking of this, Columbus stopped, he turned his head to look at Giovanni, who also had a strange face, and seeing Giovanni's appearance, Columbus was even more sure of his bold and somewhat crazy guess: "God James, you can't really be ......"

"Shh~"

James held up a finger and looked at the two brothers who looked at him like hell, and for the first time James felt indescribably comfortable.

"Trust me, you won't want to know more, it's not good for you, but my employer is a decent person, and he can give you a condition that you are satisfied with."

"Terms that satisfy me?" Columbus had gradually calmed down at this time, although he was surprised to find that his brother was actually a pirate who had been infesting the Atlantic Ocean in the last two years, but this surprise was only for a short time, after all, he did almost the same thing in the land he named the West Indies, the only difference was that he was a licensed pirate.

"Tell me who your employer is, though I don't know it yet, I'm sure this man must be a daring fellow, at least as far as I know, you've plundered the Queen's ships more than once, and I think Isabella will suffer whoever your employer is."

James waved his hand disapprerovingly, although he didn't know what Alexander wanted to do in Iberia, but he knew that the duke was also not easy to mess with, if Queen Isabella was the strong man of Iberia, then the Duke of Rometesia was a giant of Rome.

"Don't worry, Christopher, or maybe I'll put it that way, even if our secret is discovered in the end, there is a way out, and do you think Manuel would give in so easily to the woman Isabella?"

"Why is there a Portuguese business here?" Giovanni, who had never spoken, finally couldn't help but ask.

"Not only that, but quite a lot," James said, looking at the two brothers triumphantly, "why do you think I should recruit sailors, after all, I already have a group of people who are familiar with the new colony." ”

Columbus frowned slightly, looked at the chart on the table and thought about it again, and suddenly he looked at James as if he thought of something: "You want to openly go to the new colony in your own identity?" ”

James nodded approvingly at his brother, he looked left and right at the two brothers in front of him and said, "I am going to the new colony, this is Manuel's decision, and I can tell you here that maybe I will make unexpected discoveries this time." ”

James's words aroused Columbus's interest, and he also had an unquenchable interest in his discovery of the West Indies, a pure curiosity other than wealth, and after so many trips, Columbus had a vague sense of something that he had previously seemed to have overlooked or misunderstood, but what it was, he could not say for a while.

"The new colonies are big, bigger than I thought," said Columbus, who was a little depressed, as many people had joined the adventure of exploring new routes with the opening of the new colonies, and the news of the past few years proved that the West Indies was really not small, so much so that some navigators set foot in the land in the name of obtaining permission from the Queen.

Because of this, Columbus clearly felt that his authority was under threat, and he wanted to assert his rights to the new colonies by force, only to be arrested and escorted back to Castile.

Although his time in prison was not long, it was a heavy blow to Columbus, who was already aware of the change in the couple's attitude towards him, and as James said, he was no longer sure whether the couple would be able to keep their promise.

Columbus was a little annoyed by the thought of this, although he believed that even if he might face the breaking of the promise of the two kings, the wealth obtained from the previous few expeditions would be enough for him to spend the second half of his rich life freely, but as long as Columbus thought that everything he had obtained at the risk of his life might be owned by others, Columbus had an unspeakable anxiety and anger, and this anger actually existed a long time ago, when he was angry and irritable because he tried his best but did not get the support he needed. He had also been anxious at sea because he couldn't see a trace of land for dozens of days in a row, and now he was also indignant about what had happened to him, but this time things didn't seem so desperate.

"So you're coming to me for this expedition in Manuel?" Columbus stared at James for a moment, his eyes slowly narrowing, "Tell me James, is there anything you haven't told me, you know that you don't need to come looking for it at all, you just need to find a group of sailors and take two boats along that route all the way west, maybe you won't go the wrong way with your eyes closed, but you still come to me and tell me what you want to do?" ”

James looked at Columbus, who was staring at him, and he knew that it was impossible for him to fool this shrewd and cunning brother, and just as Columbus would still pull him when he needed it, he didn't mind letting Christopher enjoy the honor with him.

After all, as Alexander said, the name of that place could be called Columbia, and that name included every one of their Columbus.

"My employer," said James slowly, "he wants me to lead a fleet of four ships instead of two, but when I reach the West Indies, the fleet will continue its expedition to the north and south. ”

"Just like the first time I did." Columbus said casually.

"No," said James, looking at Columbus with a serious expression, "he wants my ship to be resupplied as soon as it arrives in San Salvador, to hold out for at least a month, and then to the south along the coast. ”

"Wait a minute, are you wrong about anything, can you hold on to a month's supplies, do you think the West Indies will be that big," Columbus asked puzzled, "and the ship can dock along the way, there is no need to carry so many supplies, you must know that the captain will miss out on a lot of good things if he loads too many supplies." ”

James shook his head silently, his finger traced up the blank space of the vast sea that had been depicted on the chart, the vast sea that was still unknown, and under Columbus's bewildered gaze, he said, "Christopher, have you ever thought that maybe you found more than just an island?" ”

"Of course, what I found was the open sea of India, and if I continue to sail, I believe that I will soon be able to reach the Asian continent." Columbus said with some triumph.

"No, that's what I thought before, or so everyone thinks, but don't you think it's strange that the things recorded in your nautical diary are completely different from the legends about India that we have heard before, and even da Gama has been to India, and what he describes is completely different from what you see, don't you think it's strange?"

Columbus was a little puzzled, he wanted to refute but didn't know where to start, because as Jims said, everything he saw, even many of the animals and plants, was indeed something that no one who had been to India before had ever described, which made him even more puzzled by the vague question that had always plagued but could not be said, and he looked at James and thought for a moment before asking, "So what do you think is going on?" ”

"Christopher," James asked cautiously, in a low voice, "have you thought about it, maybe you're not in India?" ”

"It's not India, it's going to be somewhere, you have to know that it can only be India, otherwise...... Still, where? Columbus asked impatiently, and then his voice grew lower, and his eyes began to wander as he stared at the archipelago marked in the middle of the ocean.

"That's why I'm looking for you," said James, "and this fleet needs two commanders, because once we are separated in El Salvador, we will have to face the unknown alone, and this is not the same as your first expedition, because this time we have decided to explore further south and north, perhaps for at least a few thousand miles, and this will require both commanders to be able to command their ships." ”

James paused to catch his breath as he spoke, he knew that what he said next might be too much of a shock to Columbus, so he tried to keep his tone as calm as he could, "We'll continue to observe this place along the way, and then we'll return to San Salvador before the supplies are eaten, where we can exchange our findings, and then we'll be sure of one more thing." ”

"What's the matter?"

Columbus's voice was low, but his eyelids were twitching slightly, and his throat was squirming with nervousness and thirst.

"I'm sure we've found a place that no one has been to before, it's not India, I mean, from the moment God created this world, maybe that place was waiting in the middle of the ocean, until you got there a few years ago with a fleet and found out that land exists," James said, swallowing his throat a little better, "Your diary also says that the natives say that there is an entire land further west, and that the land is huge, So our mission this time is to prove that what they're saying is true, and if that's true, and it's not India, Christopher, that means ......"

"What does that mean?" Columbus's voice was already a little shaky.

"It means that we have discovered a new continent, a new world that we were the first to reach." James replied in a difficult tone.