Chapter 572 - 68: New Temple (Part 2)
No matter from which angle you look at it, selecting a group of attendants loyal to the God is a necessary task.
At the very least, the Temple needs someone to clean and repair it; otherwise, opening the doors for worship only to see dust everywhere would inevitably affect the majesty of the God.
Chen Zhou didn’t pay much attention to the new Temple matters, always focusing his energy on other affairs. Hearing it from the zebra, he found it very reasonable and added some details while finalizing the Temple design—
For example, selecting Temple staff should involve choosing younger, educated children.
Once the attendants work in the Temple, apart from cleaning and repairing the Temple, they should not neglect their cultural education. Besides hosting islanders who come to worship, they must also learn some medical knowledge to treat sick islanders while spreading the belief of "Wang Lingguan."
Of course, Chen Zhou did not entrust these details to the zebra; instead, he directly instructed Sunday.
Faith is a double-edged sword; it can quickly increase people’s loyalty, but it can also subvert the ruler’s position.
In Ancient China, emperors always placed imperial power above divine power because they recognized the power of religion.
It’s fine to entrust the construction of the Temple to the zebra, but Chen Zhou dared not leave the selection of Divine Attendants, and the drafting of doctrines, to him.
Ultimately, the zebra is not one of his close people.
No matter how perfectly the zebra does things, because of past incidents, Chen Zhou cannot completely trust him.
...
The Temple matters will be handled by the zebra and the group of workers he leads.
Since taking over the Archipelago, indigenous people who have completed preliminary education join the ranks of islanders every half month, leading to a phase of sustained labor growth on the island.
Thanks to the abundant labor force, many projects can progress simultaneously.
The construction of a new steamship, the expansion of the harbor, the construction of the mint, new schools, the reclamation of new fields, the establishment of new ranches, exploring other areas of the island...
Coastal fortresses rise one by one, watching over the island’s edges, waiting for the Spaniards to visit.
The shipyard’s defense is even more robust, piling up several stone watchtowers in addition to the cement walls, with guards rotating stations daily to prevent enemies from landing under the cover of darkness.
To grasp the Spaniards’ movements as early as possible, the Steel Bone sets off every other day to a small island to gather intelligence—
On the small island, Sunday left two sailors specially responsible for observing the Spanish camp. At a high point not far from the camp, they built a temporary Shelter, bringing a telescope to keep a close watch to see if any Spaniards in clothes came to the camp.
It is now the dry season with few storms at sea, making it a good time for long voyages; Kilian could come to the small island at any moment.
Chen Zhou needs to know the whereabouts of the Spanish Merchant Ship in advance, not only to reduce potential casualties in future conflicts but also for the treasures and supplies on the Spanish Merchant Ship.
Before obtaining sufficient coal for transoceanic trade, the resource-deficient island always needs external "support."
...
Time flies; May quickly passed, followed by the equally hot June and July.
The new Temple, under the supervision of the zebra, has mostly completed its framework, but the exterior decoration and interior renovation are complicated and time-consuming projects.
Upholding the spirit of meticulous excellence, the zebra did not rush to complete it but instead raised the standards for the workers again, gradually fulfilling his ideal "Divine Residence."
The group of teenagers under Sunday’s command had already moved into a camp built especially for them, where they embarked on a path entirely different from their peers.
Physical training, combat training, weapons classes, live-fire drills, mechanical structure explanations...
These blood-and-fire knowledge forged them into bayonets gleaming with cold light.
In the future, some of them will inevitably bleed or sacrifice in naval battles, but those who survive will become the true pillars of the island, carrying this new power that emerged from a corner of the ocean towards a farther future.
...
While the zebra was busy building the new Temple, Wang Lin, who once had a fight with him on the wharf, was leading another group of islanders into another project—the mint.
To ensure the issued currency is accepted by the islanders without causing inflation in the short term, Chen Zhou discussed with the island’s leadership for a long time.
It took almost three months to prepare, gradually familiarizing the islanders with the concept of buying and selling and the purpose of currency during this period.
Meanwhile, they established currency denominations, designed currency patterns, incorporated anti-counterfeiting designs, studied suitable materials and craftsmanship, finally making the mold for minting currencies, and constructed a tightly managed mint...
During this time, although Chen Zhou let go of the pressure in his heart, he was never idle.
While waiting for the Spaniards’ reaction, he personally handled tasks, sometimes going to the shipyard to check the ship’s quality, sometimes personally assisting workers at the mint to solve problems, with early departures and late returns every day.
With the help of Chen Zhou, the island’s true "soul person," all projects proceeded methodically.
The most critical mint was quickly built, but it will take some time before the workers complete training and officially start. Once they can produce qualified currency, the island will introduce the first currency primarily based on Silver Coins.
These round, shiny silver fellows will replace items like brown sugar and chocolate as the new favorite among islanders.
...
After July, entering August, the entire region will enter the rainy season, with frequent storms posing a severe test to any ships traversing nearby.
Most of the mint workers had completed their training, and Chen Zhou had decided to officially implement the new currency on August 30.
Approaching the rainy season, he originally thought that the Spanish Captain named Kilian was indulging in his homeland or at a South American port, unlikely to return to the island shortly.
Unexpectedly, just when he had no hope for a conflict happening in the short term, Sunday brought him news related to the Spaniards—
The sailors left on the island noticed fourteen foreign newcomers in clothes landing on the small island today, carrying wooden boxes to the camp.
Seeing the empty camp, these people seemed visibly at a loss, then carried the boxes back to the coast.
As the newcomers outnumbered them and all carried matchlock guns, the two sailors dared not follow too far, stopping at the forest edge—
Beyond that lay bald sandy land, and there, their distinctive figures could easily be spotted by the newcomers, possibly leading to unexpected incidents.
At the forest edge, they could see the outsiders’ landing dinghy and the big ship they were on; comparing with the Spanish captives’ description, it could be confirmed that this was one of Kilian’s two armed merchant ships, the "Lucia."
This three-masted ship had multiple decks, with towering fore and aft, suitable for boarding combat. Cannons were placed on its side, capable of launching fierce attacks on pirates with no sense.
Juan described it as a wild boar with long tusks, thick-skinned and powerful, looking clumsy but always capable of unexpectedly explosive speed when raising its sails.
...
Although the Lucia belonged to Kilian’s fleet, its captain was not Kilian but an old captain who had followed him for many years.
The Spanish captives described this captain as "obedient" or "submissive."
No matter big or small matters, this captain dared not make decisions on his own, always consulting with Kilian.
Perhaps it was precisely because of this that he managed to sit securely in the captain’s position for many years.
The observing sailors said the Spaniards immediately boarded the Lucia after returning the wooden boxes to the dinghy.
Shortly thereafter, the Lucia lifted anchor, set sail, and left the coastal waters of the island.
Chen Zhou and Sunday analyzed that this ship was either proceeding to the next port per a predetermined plan or searching for Kilian.
If the Lucia’s captain is as indecisive as it seems, this significant unexpected event would definitely be reported to Kilian at the first moment for him to decide how to deal with the other group of "robbers" who took his wealth.