Chapter 20
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Translator: volt
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Exchange
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"There are... so many jewels..."
John White's eyes welled up with tears as he caressed the ruby crystals with his gloved hand.
He held the blood-red ruby up to the bright LED light. The blood-red gem scattered brilliant flashes in every direction.
"What do you think? With this much, we should be able to attract even more investment for this settlement, right?"
It was a question he already knew the answer to.
Some might call it deception, but how could he resist the sheer thrill of it?
John White shook his head vigorously and replied.
"O-Of course, Mr. Nemo. With this, we could buy all the livestock I mentioned and still have plenty left over."
"Is that so? Then procuring dairy cows should be possible as well?"
"Of course! But it would be good to bring in horses and other useful livestock too. Pack mules for farming, for instance..."
"Yes, but prioritizing dairy cows seems best."
"Hm? Ah, you're right. I'll keep that in mind. 'Prioritize bringing in livestock centered around dairy cows...' Yes, I've noted it down."
White set down his notebook and dove back into admiring the jewels, further stoking my wicked pleasure.
Anyway.
"Oh... my God. Once this settlement connects with England... unimaginable wealth will pour in."
Mr. Brown wiped away tears of joy.
"Then, with just one more thing resolved, this settlement will have no problems left."
"That's right."
Wheat.
Grow staple food that can be stored long-term to bolster the colony's stability.
And export the surplus wheat to achieve economic self-sufficiency for the colony.
When I presented White's analysis to the others, they all nodded in agreement.
"Then, as Mr. Nemo says, we should provide friendly gifts to the local tribes on the way to Chesapeake Bay."
"Yes, Mr. Huet. That's why I plan to supply Mr. White with various goods."
I pulled out the whiteboard, and Mr. Huet began writing with the board marker. Shakespeare-era English sentences flowed across it.
1. Send various luxury items with John White to Chesapeake Bay.
2. Use those luxury items to win over friendly tribes there and purchase land ownership in the area.
3. Establish a new settlement and hold out until the time is right, then plant and harvest wheat.
4. Send the harvested wheat to Croatoan, and once contact with England is made, export wheat and such.
5. Attract more investment to bring in technicians and livestock, and grow the colony.
"...That's the plan up to there."
"Oh, right! We have to check on the other survivors from our colony heading to Chesapeake Bay!"
Eleanor added the final point. At her words, Huet wrote on the board: '3-1. Search for the missing Englishmen.'
Everyone nodded in agreement... except for one person, who frowned.
"Finding the survivors? Tsk. That might be difficult."
"Uh... why, Mr. Gonzalez?"
"It's not that important, but didn't we search Chesapeake Bay trying to kill you all?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"At the time, Chesapeake Bay was practically deserted. They might have fled inland after hearing we were coming, but..."
"Then we should divide roles."
Huet said, splitting the list for the Native-English expedition led by John White in half.
"One group focuses on building the settlement and growing wheat, while the other searches around Chesapeake Bay. How does that sound?"
"Take some people from my tribe as interpreters, John White."
No one raised any objections.
And... uh...
Smooth slide.
Slow swivel.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Everyone turned their heads toward me again. They fell silent, focusing as if I were about to say something profound.
Why do they always look at me with those expectant eyes, like I'm about to drop some genius bombshell?
"...Mr. White."
"Y-Yes?"
"Congratulations."
"..."
"Go to the place you always wanted to reach. Claim what is rightfully yours. I pray you fulfill your duty."
"..."
"..."
"..."
There, that was a nice, appropriate blessing, right? Time to wrap up and head out.
"Everyone, good work. Rest early today; the voyage awaits in a few days."
With that, I left the meeting room.
"Sob, heuh-huh-sob...!"
"Daddy... don't cry...!"
"Ah-huh-huh-sob...!"
...What?
Did I do something wrong?
John White, 51 years old, December 10, 1590.
The lord of Chesapeake Bay, recognized by the Lord's angel.
His lifelong dream had just come true...!
White barely slept that night. But even without sleep, he brimmed with energy, his body feeling refreshed.
Next, he selected volunteers to board the Nautilus. Though he was a governor who had once tasted bitter failure, no one doubted him now.
Because he was the lord of Chesapeake, recognized by the Lord...!
Once the crew was assembled, preparations proceeded smoothly.
Treasures poured out from the 'treasure warehouse,' and even more grapes from the cold storage were packed into mysterious white boxes (the angel called them 'styrofoam') and loaded onto the ship.
Thus, with new hope in his heart, John White set sail once more.
This time, there was no immoral navigator to sabotage him. No patron to mock his failure, no terror of having lost his entire family.
Only one thing.
"...Nemo, bless us."
True faith to believe in and follow.
The ship departed slowly for Chesapeake Bay amid everyone's farewells.
The voyage didn't take long. After about two days, familiar sights appeared beyond the Nautilus's railing.
Stepping onto the familiar sandbars of Chesapeake Bay once more.
Planting England's flag and Croatoan's grapevine banner.
As everyone offered prayers to God and began erecting the first tents and huts.
"...Huh? There's a ship coming."
"What? A ship? Spaniards?"
"No! It's an English flag! It's here to help us! Hahaha!"
...Strange.
Wasn't John White himself the last relief fleet sent?
Besides, Sir Raleigh had been strapped for cash; there was no reason for him to send a warship all the way here just to rescue one man.
So why on earth...?
No sane person would send a ship this far...?
"...Everyone, grab your muskets and assemble. Whatever that ship is, we check it out armed."
At his words, Natives and Englishmen alike raised their guns. Amid the tension of dozens, the not-so-large fast ship boldly entered Chesapeake Bay.
And then.
"...Look, people! It's people!"
"Englishmen!"
Cheers erupted from the ship as rope ladders descended, and dozens waded through the surf toward White.
Among them were faces familiar to White.
"...Huh?"
"John White! I knew you were alive! I believed, damn it! In your success! I never doubted for a second!"
"Calm down, Sir Raleigh! Everyone's watching."
"Yes! Everyone seeing this? Does the Virginia colony still look like a failure? Does it?!"
Ah...
The madman had arrived.
"John! My old friend!"
"...Uh, Sir Raleigh?"
Walter Raleigh rushed at White, reeking of the sea.
With the expression of someone who'd found 150 bitcoins in a forgotten hard drive from a prank purchase on the brink of bankruptcy.
...He naturally looked insane.
Walter Raleigh had been on the verge of ruin at the Thames bankruptcy show.
-"They must all be alive! If they're surviving, with our support, they can turn this strange continent into the Lord's land..."
-"...You're scared, aren't you?"
-"Terrified."
-"Are they alive? What's the odds?"
-"Less than ten percent."
A ninety percent chance of bankruptcy awaited.
-"The weather's too bad. If we go to Chesapeake Bay like this, the mast might snap!"
And brutal storms to boot.
The rough waves around here could torment the ship Raleigh had scraped together. A drift, and it was all over.
-"I... I'll cover the ship repairs. All of it. Please?"
-"..."
-"Just go north once. Please... just once...!"
-"..."
-"You need to get paid too! If we go back like this, I can't pay you a penny!"
Yet he stubbornly overruled the captains.
They watched the half-mad Raleigh pace the deck reciting prayers and thought it was all doomed.
And now, this moment.
"Ah, aah! Aaaah! White! I believed in you!"
Walter Raleigh was happy.
John White was alive.
Whatever had happened, English flags flew over there, and a few huts stood built.
It was a shabby colony, but their survival alone satisfied him. Raleigh pounded White's shoulders like a half-crazed man.
"Didn't I tell you? You have the talent of an explorer!"
"..."
Meanwhile.
"You're a genius!"
-'You're a fucking idiot!'
In John White's mind, Raleigh's past insults overlapped perfectly with his current voice.
"I never doubted you'd conquer Chesapeake Bay!"
-'You bastard! You're a bastard! Where's my money? Where's my money, you con artist!'
"I believed, damn it!"
-'Get out!'
"..."
"...White?"
"..."
"...There were some minor misunderstandings between us. May I use this moment to apologize? And on your magnanimity, we can build a new friendship..."
"..."
Thud.
"I'm... on the brink of bankruptcy."
"...Pardon?"
"Me... uh... you're my last hope. Please, just say the colony succeeded. Even if it's just words..."
"..."
"..."
"It succeeded."
"Haa... My Lord, I'm saved!"
"By the way, where are your daughter and granddaughter? The other settlers? What's that ship? Is that hut your house?"
"This place is still under construction."
"What?"
"The others are on a nearby island."
"Not Roanoke, but another island? Why?"
"...Circumstances led my daughter to evacuate them there. We're regrouping and came here to start a new colony."
"I see. Can I go meet them?"
White shook his head firmly.
"Really?"
"The residents would resist fiercely. Lots of insular Natives."
"I... see."
"Yes, thanks to local allies, we've built a decent settlement. Letting in 'outsiders' casually would be tough. That place isn't a colony... uh, it's an independent kingdom of locals."
"Got it."
Sir Raleigh wasn't a fool.
He could tell John White harbored resentment. He could see the colony had barely taken its first steps.
But...
"...Anyway, does your venture need anything?"
That didn't matter.
The venture he'd thought doomed had revived.
"I'll give you everything I can."
Whether it turned profit didn't matter. If there was 'potential,' the Steelyard moneylenders would open their purses, and with funding, he could survive somehow.
"Need funds? I'll give as much as you want!"
"...No immediate need for funds. The locals here don't trade in sovereigns."
"Then what? More people? Right, you're short on numbers, but once word of your success spreads, people will flock here like a tide..."
"We don't need a tidal wave of people. Our noble 'allies' take care of us."
"Linguists? What about Thomas Harriot here?"
"...What about my say?"
"Even without Thomas, we're fine. We have a noble ally fluent in English."
"Who? Manteo?"
"No. Someone else."
"I see. Well then, what you need is..."
"Two hundred dairy cows. Breeding bulls included, of course. Plus about a hundred packhorses."
"..."
"All sorts of craftsmen and technicians too. Blacksmiths, bricklayers, stonemasons, carpenters, brewers, tanners, jewelers, etc. Dozens in total."
"..."
Unreasonable demands.
Not only would it cost a fortune, but Croatoan's population barely exceeded three hundred. Unless each person tended one animal, the numbers were absurd.
And why would craftsmen come to distant America?
There was already nearby, safe Ireland to colonize.
He'd recruited devout Puritans because no one else would go to America without religious zeal.
Thus, Sir Walter Raleigh would refuse. Then, starting from this high ask, he could negotiate down bit by bit.
It was rational. No sane person would choose otherwise.
"Fine."
"Good. If two hundred cows are too much... Pardon?"
"Fine! I'll give it all! I'll sell my soul to bring you whatever you ask!"
But Raleigh was, indeed, insane.
"Just keep this colony succeeding since you're alive! Cows, two hundred or two thousand, I'll sell my soul to get them..."
"No."
"Why, Thomas?"
"The moneylenders won't invest."
"..."
"..."
"Tsk... Fucking moneylenders."
"They'll demand proof of profitability for White's colony. At least evidence of successful settlement..."
"...Wait a moment, Thomas."
"What's wrong, Mr. White?"
"Sir Raleigh, can you really provide three hundred cattle and craftsmen?"
"I stake my honor."
"..."
"My soul too."
"Good. Then... uh... hold on."
What did Nemo say about contact with England?
-"Treat them as non-hostile as possible. Minimize exposing my existence, and give what you can."
-"B-But it's all Mr. Nemo's property, how can I...!"
-"Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's. Not antagonizing England is for my safety too."
Then...!
White dashed to the Nautilus.
Moments later.
Thud!
Clunk!
Boom!
Crates piled up before Sir Raleigh.
"Here... proof of our success. Proof of profitability!"
"..."
"..."
Walter Raleigh swallowed involuntarily, opened the boxes, and collapsed, legs giving way.
"Mr. White made contact with the English, you say."
"Really? Then..."
"He gave away about half the goods meant for friendly tribes, but no matter. It was only a tenth of the warehouse. We can replenish for Mr. White."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"What's important is what we got in return."
Honestly, even I was shocked. Very shocked.
"...Three hundred horses and cows, plus technicians?"
"Just empty words, maybe?"
"Unlikely. Didn't he say Sir Walter Raleigh was overjoyed at the colony's success?"
Huet replied to Manteo's question.
True... no reason to cross the Atlantic on a limb just to issue a bad check.
"Right. According to Mr. White, Raleigh needs to show investors the colony's success, so he'll provide support."
"...?"
"...?"
"...?"
"...Why the sudden questions?"
...What? Why are question marks floating over everyone's heads?
As I panicked, Eleanor cautiously raised her hand and spoke.
"Why is Chesapeake Bay... Sir Raleigh's colony?"
"...Pardon?"
"It's obviously Mr. Nemo's colony... right? Raleigh might claim shares later if he supports us, but basically, you built it, didn't you?"
Uh... is that... how it works?
I'd naturally thought this was an English colony? What then?
As I pondered, Eleanor's shout rang out.
"We'll tell the English government later too! This is the Lord's holy land, independent territory!"
"Exactly! Can the King of England tax the Lord?"
"I'm not even Spanish! Can't call it an English colony!"
"...Hold on."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Silence fell instantly.
Kids, let's not get ahead of ourselves.
If it were me... would I leave land flowing with milk, honey, and aluminum, brimming with potential? England isn't alone; Spain's right next door. Would they leave it be?
...How to phrase that mildly.
"The Lord wouldn't want us shedding blood either."
"...Ah."
"..."
"..."
"We'll think on this later."
The room finally quieted. I leaned back, lost in thought.
Later, later.
I've been putting it off... but it'll come eventually. I know.
And I feel it.
The time to provide an answer is nearing.
"...Did you hear?"
"Hear what?"
"What John White demanded from me!"
"Three hundred cattle and craftsmen."
The Queen's bed had housed many men.
From the late Earl of Leicester Robert Dudley years ago, to Earl of Essex Robert Devereux, and more...
They seduced the Queen with countless love poems, gifts, bouquets, and sweet whispers, vying to approach the core of wealth and power.
Walter Raleigh was the lowliest among them. The youngest son of a fallen gentry family, unlike rivals born to grand estates and titles.
Yet Raleigh surpassed them all.
To become the Queen's most favored lover, he honed his sharp instincts.
"...Tell me more. What craftsmen did he want?"
"Stonemasons... blacksmiths... bricklayers... huh?"
"Jewelers, and brewers."
Raleigh's eyes gleamed brighter than ever.
"Needs jewelers because jewels are overflowing?
Brewers because grain and fruit abound?
Ha, haha... Whoever that noble local ally is, he must be some Indian emperor. A very wealthy man who took a liking to White."
White's colony wasn't just 'successful.'
It was a 'huge success.'
"Now I'll present Her Majesty that Styrofo... Styropon... whatever white box thing. And all the other precious jewels and furs. What will she think of me then?"
Give, and you receive.
His great lover was never stingy with rewards.
"A toast to John White. To his great success."
"...Cheers."
Sir Raleigh couldn't wait to tell her about the new colony.
Faster, faster. No matter the danger, he couldn't miss the chance for a dramatic entrance.
"Hey! Speed up, even if the ship breaks! Can't waste a moment! We must reach London before the Christmas banquet ends!"
What would she say seeing those beautiful grapes?