Chapter 587 - 75: Deal (Part 2)
Besides that, the ruler also had a ridiculous request—
He wanted a beautiful female dog.
Because the native girl responsible for translation was not sufficiently familiar with Spanish, when she translated this for Kilian, Kilian was incredulous.
He even misunderstood Chen Zhou’s meaning, thinking that "beautiful female dog" was a euphemism for perhaps a beautiful and promiscuous woman, or a compliant and sensible prostitute.
In merchant transactions, unique vocabulary often replaces indecent topics.
When Kilian squeezed his wrinkle-covered face and showed a smile that "all men understand," he realized his misunderstanding when he saw the ruler still had a serious face.
After multiple confirmations, he finally got a definite answer—
This high-ranking "big shot" indeed needed one or more young and shapely female dogs, and in this regard, the ruler was even willing to offer a higher price.
But it’s important to note that the demand for dogs has a time limit, and he’d better deliver the dogs to the island within half a year or less.
In short, the quicker the dogs are delivered, the more generous the reward.
...
Before leaving, Kilian also received a small gift that surprised him immensely—
A transparent object that could produce flames once pressed.
Kilian had seen fire tools before, but he was amazed by this thing smaller than a spoon, which had neither oil nor gunpowder, yet could suddenly produce flames.
During the one and a half days on the island, he had seen many new things, but learning about this little thing called a "lighter" almost made his jaw drop.
This small, beautiful, unmechanical-looking item seemed like a tool used by God.
Its manufacturing, whether materials or craftsmanship, exceeded Kilian’s imagination.
On his return journey to Brazil, Kilian couldn’t help but take out the lighter to play with.
This small gift from the island’s ruler opened a new door for him; behind this "door," he seemed to see a new world, a staircase enabling him to continuously climb, reaching a position he never dared to aspire to before.
...
After Kilian left, Chen Zhou, assured he could acquire large quantities of metal resources and coal within a year, began implementing new factory construction.
This included new processing plants and metallurgy workshops using steam engines.
While training new workers, the island didn’t neglect the taming of nearby Archipelago natives.
Batches of natives repeated their predecessors’ experiences, arriving on the island by either small boats or iron warships, and, like their companions, embracing a new life on the island.
...
The team specializing in island exploration delved deeper into the island, and documented their findings along the way on paper.
Each outing lasted over ten days, whether traversing the island from the factory or exploring along the coastline, bringing Chen Zhou more information about resources.
During the waiting period for Kilian’s return, thanks to the exploration team, Chen Zhou discovered two seals.
This time, however, he did not create a massacre but watched the seals from the distant beach until they returned to the sea before looking away.
When survival isn’t threatened, modern individuals can exhibit more kindness than the natives.
...
At the end of 1667, with the dry season coming to an end, Kilian arrived at the island with the first shipment of goods.
Compared to his previous visit, this time Kilian appeared spirited, almost ten years younger.
No wonder his spirits were so high.
The bicycle, which he brought back and promoted, quickly gained popularity in Spain and within a year spread across Europe.
All nobility knew Kilian as the "bicycle inventor," a gifted and remarkable innovator.
Previously requiring money to smooth paths, now all doors opened automatically for Kilian.
Thanks to the bicycle, Kilian successfully transitioned from an upstart to a genius.
Even the arrogant Monidez no longer dared to suppress him at will.
In addition to fame, Kilian also profited immensely in wealth.
Not only did he possess the bicycle’s design, but also the complete manufacturing technique, including assembly principles.
Though other craftsmen bought and copied his factory-made bicycles, in terms of speed and comfort, they still couldn’t match his "Kilian brand bicycles."
Moreover, as the "father of the bicycle," his reputation served as a guarantee, and nobles took pride in owning a Kilian brand bicycle.
Wealth poured into Kilian’s pockets like water, unstoppable.
Before long, he purchased the third and fourth new armed merchant ships, becoming an undeniable new force on the Europe-Brazil route.
His reputation soared, his fortune multiplied, and Kilian’s life trajectory sharply ascended closer to its latter half.
Fortunately, his hardships and setbacks in the first half of his life honed his character and performance, and even when mingling with various big figures or wealthy merchants, Kilian never revealed any information related to the sea island.
His crew, those sensible had their mouths sealed with money, and the indiscreet were thrown into the sea as fish food.
Kilian merely wished to firmly grasp this "long ladder," unwilling to share this secret with anyone.
Thus, after purchasing ships and loading goods, he almost did not delay any and directly rejected all social gatherings, personally leading the fleet to the island to fulfill his promise.
...
Returning to the island, Kilian discovered that not even a year had passed, yet it had undergone earth-shaking changes.
The harbor using large amounts of wood that looked a bit simple now transformed into a medium-sized port made of stone bricks, and the wooden houses surrounding it became wooden-and-stone structures.
Many islanders in attire similar to the ruler busied themselves with rowing and net spreading or construction, making the entire port appear prosperous and lively.
Near the ruler’s square mansion, reportedly called "factory," two strange grey buildings had risen.
One of the buildings had a thick and towering chimney, bald without ornament, and due to its massive size, it conveyed an inexplicable sense of awe.
...
Upon seeing the ruler again, Kilian seemed less reserved than last time, but his enthusiasm hadn’t waned, rather increased.
Even though Chen Zhou obviously didn’t want to deal with him, Kilian always found topics to initiate conversation.
If the high-ranking nobles in Europe saw Kilian, who usually adopted a master posture before them, tagging along like an attendant behind Chen Zhou, they’d probably question their own eyes in astonishment.
Know that, even when meeting the Empress, Kilian didn’t adopt such a low stance.
...
Chen Zhou always had a low resistance to flattery; he cared nothing for vanity and focused only on practicality.
Casually dismissing Kilian with a few words, he headed straight to the dock with Saturday and guards to tally goods.
When it comes to coal, there’s a significant difference in the degree of metamorphism between lignite, sub-bituminous coal, bituminous coal, and anthracite.
Antracite can be used to produce coal gas or directly serve as fuel, whereas bituminous coal is suitable for coking, blending, and gasification industries.
As for lignite, it can basically only serve as a fuel for power boilers.
Chen Zhou was unsure of the coal quality mined in 17th-century Europe; he sincerely hoped Kilian brought higher-quality coal.
However, upon inspection, he was still disappointed—
The coal Kilian brought was mostly lignite, dull in luster, and seemingly low in coalification.
This coal is a bit of a stretch for metallurgy, only really usable as steamship fuel.
Apart from quality issues, due to the limited carrying capacity of the sail ships, despite Kilian bringing four shiploads of cargo, the total coal and ore weight was only about 900 tons.
Out of these 900 tons, approximately 200 tons were metal, and the remaining 700 tons were coal.
In the 17th century, a hundred tons might have been considered a significant unit, but in modern times, these four shiploads together wouldn’t be enough to fill half a standard ocean-going cargo ship, and definitely couldn’t sustain multiple steam engines against consumption.