The seaside in June is full of scorching sunshine, sudden wind and rain, and full of vibrant green. In the green farmland, corn grows vigorously like short spears. In the lush jungle, tropical flowers bloom to their fullest, and the spreading branches and leaves block the sun. Even the reeds on the beach are no higher than a person's height.
Tall reeds grow on the edge of mangrove swamps. They extend from the seaside to the south inland, pass through a small river for seven or eight miles, and meet a long and narrow lagoon. Here, the sea and sky in the distance are vaguely visible, and the nearby woods are lush. And by the river where reeds and woods coexist, there is a low, inconspicuous camp.
The cardinal was circling the camp, smelling fresh food. A vulture was also circling the camp, smelling the smell of rotten food. From the height of Asuka, looking down at the river, we can see that the size of the camp is not small, with one or two hundred people. And among the dense reeds by the river, four dilapidated long boats can be vaguely seen. The moss adhering to the hulls shows that these conspicuous long ships have not sailed on the seashore for a long, long time.
"...Damn weather! The pumpkin puree has gone rancid... In order to stay hidden, it's hard to make a fire during the day..."
The low and crude camp stretched out into several large circles. There was damp moisture everywhere, as well as fleet warriors wearing only crotch pants. In the centermost circle, there is a fire pit that has not risen. Chihuaco, an old militiaman, sat bare-chested by the damp fire pit, holding a clay bowl in his hand. While cursing, he licked the smooth side of the bowl, looking for any remaining "deliciousness".
"The weather is too hot and the moisture is too high! Even the dry and salty pumpkin puree can turn rancid... Your Majesty said this is caused by the massive reproduction of tiny insects..."
Meikat, the divine priest, looked disheveled. With a grimace on his face, he ate the pumpkin puree from the bowl, feeling like he was eating mud from a swamp.
On the other side, the Mayan businessman Tikalo lowered his head and quietly ate "salty mud". He occasionally turned his head and glanced at the two children behind him, with a kind smile on his face.
The two children, a boy and a girl, are not very old. The eldest boy is ten years old, named Tilan. He has a slender divine head and cross-eyed eyes near his nose. He has always been silent. The youngest girl is only five years old, named Didan. Except for her slightly longer forehead, she doesn't have many Mayan features.
In fact, in the official Mayan language, the names of both children are very noble, "blue as sacred as the sky" and "red as sacred as blood".
At this moment, everyone in the camp was eating hard and sour pumpkin puree. Only these two children were holding soft and fragrant tortillas in their hands. The little girl Tidan didn't eat much. She ate half of the pancake and handed the remaining half to Tikalo.
"Grandpa, eat it! The pancake is soft and delicious!"
Seeing the cake handed over by the little girl, Mayan businessman Tikalo swallowed his saliva. He struggled to stare for a moment, then looked at a few people who were also looking at him, and shook his head with difficulty.
"I won't eat. Didan, you eat!"
"Huh? I'm full."
The little girl Tidan blinked and looked at Tikalo in confusion. Then, like the wind, she jumped in front of Chihuaco and extended her hand.
"Then, little grandpa, you eat!"
"Gulu..."
Chihuaco, the veteran militiaman, also swallowed his saliva and tried to shake his head in refusal. He reached out his hand, rubbed the little girl's hair, and spoke softly in simple Mayan.
"Little Didan, I am full too. My two brothers are not full. Give it to them, okay?"
The little girl Didan blinked again and looked behind the old militiaman. Dark Snake and Didi squatted side by side on the ground, drooling while looking at the tortillas in Didi's hand, looking quite festive.
"Then it needs to be divided into two parts, with the same size..."
The little girl Didan stared at the irregular pancake in her hand and thought for a while. Then, she slowly folded the pancake in half twice so that the two sides overlapped, then carefully separated the pancake according to the folded center line, and handed it to the two of them again.
"One piece of cake, two pieces of cake, the same size...you eat!"
"Ouch! Woohoo..."
Dark Snake and Didi stretched out their hands like lightning and stuffed the cakes into their mouths together, almost screaming like wolves after eating them. Chihuaco covered his old face and couldn't see it at all. Mecat, the divine priest, looked at the smart little girl with great interest and asked with a smile in Mayan.
"Tidan, have you ever studied mathematics?"
"Mathematics? Well, I have only memorized multiplication tables within 20*20. It was taught to me by the great grandfather of the tribe...dots are dots (1*1=1)...dots are dots horizontally (5*5=25, horizontal is 5, the horizontal dot is 25)…”
The little girl Tidan blinked innocently, looked at Mecat, and memorized Maya's multiplication table. Mayan mathematics is based on base 20, and the multiplication tables within 20*20 are the basis for Mayan priests to study sacred astronomy. It is obvious that Tidan's original training direction was to become a noble Maya priest and pass on the most mysterious and noble ancient knowledge among the Mayapan royal family.
"What? Within twenty? Chengfa?"
Upon hearing the little girl's words, the old militiaman Chihuaco's eyes widened and he was at a loss for a moment before hearing the little girl begin to recite the chant. He was stunned and covered his old face again. After a while, he remembered something again and hit the two guys behind him on the head.
"Listen well! Everyone should learn from it!"
"Yes! Dad!"
"...point zero point zero point zero zero (20*20=400, point zero is 20, point zero zero is 400)...Okay! I've finished memorizing it!"
The little girl Didan smiled happily and looked around at everyone present. At this moment, everyone except the Mayan businessman Tikalo lowered their heads in shame, thinking about the philosophical issue that people are inherently different.
"Uh... Praise the Lord God! Didan, you memorized it very well!"
Divine Priest Mecat was silent for a while and prayed in a low voice. Then, he thought for a while, looked at the little princess Maya in front of him, and said with a smile.
"Tidan, learning mathematics is to use it in life... Do you still remember how many days we stayed here?"
"Well…"
The little girl Didan's eyes flickered for a while. She didn't clasp her fingers, but calculated silently in her mind. After a moment, her eyes lit up and she figured out the answer.
"Food delivery, the boat comes once every six days! It came twelve times, which is... 72 days. Well, today is the fifth day since the boat didn't come, that is... 77 days!... Okay, I figured it out! "
"Ah? 77 days? Damn it! We've been hiding in the east of Hidden Snake City for so long?"
The old militiaman Chihuaco looked surprised and looked at the divine priest Mecat. The other party smiled and praised the little girl a few words, and then nodded to the old militiaman.
"Yes! Witness the Lord God! When we arrived here in mid-March, we heard the news about the war between the kingdom and the coastal tribes, so we stopped and found this secluded place to camp... In the blink of an eye, it was already early June, and it was almost gone. It’s been three months!”
Meikat, the divine priest, smiled bitterly and let out a long sigh. The fleet returned from Cuba, experienced such a dangerous storm, and managed to escape the pursuit of the Xiwu family fleet... The fleet survived the waves of ten thousand miles back and forth. He never expected that he would be trapped here in the end, truly unable to advance or retreat.
"Hey! Your Majesty! The legions of the Kingdom!... When will you arrive here?... The various ministries in Hidden Snake City are already at odds with the Kingdom... Phew! May the Lord God bless us!"
