From Robinson Crusoe

On his first night on the island, after learning how to turn the lights on and off with the help of the guesthouse staff, Killian spent a long night on his hardwood bed in his bedroom.

He's not young anymore, but with the family fortune he's built up over half a lifetime, he feels at ease sleeping anywhere and sleeps soundly.

Only here did he toss and turn, finally falling asleep close to dawn.

Killian didn't know how to face the island's rulers, nor did he know what valuable goods he could offer.

Although the island lacks resources, most islanders live in wooden houses and use rough pottery or rattan furniture.

However, the island rulers' residences and quality of life were clearly superior to those of the Spanish royal family.

Since the other party has no demand, it will be difficult for him to take the initiative in communication and obtain the island's specialties, such as those wooden two-wheeled vehicles, advanced guns, or sailboats.

After much deliberation, Kylian could only think of two things that could persuade the ruler.

Gold and beautiful women.

Since the ruler robbed him of the treasure he had buried on the island and accepted the gifts he brought, it shows that such treasure was still tempting to him.

As for the beautiful women, that was the result of Kylian's careful observation.

During his brief meeting with the island's ruler, he noticed that the people accompanying Chen Zhou were almost all men, and even the waiters serving tea and water were rarely women.

Especially when talking to the ruler, apart from the indigenous woman who was in charge of translation, there was not a single other man in the huge reception room.

What does this mean?
Does this mean the rulers disliked women?
Kylian disagreed, believing that the appearance of the island's natives did not meet the rulers' requirements.

After all, they were natives, and their appearance and physique were completely out of step with the rulers.

In Kylian's view, a girl who could match the ruler's temperament must at least be a girl from a noble or royal family. They would learn etiquette from a young age, receive aristocratic education, behave properly, be understanding, and have outstanding appearances, which might win the ruler's favor.

Fortunately, Kylian's noble mistress knew many young noblewomen from declining families, and if a sufficiently substantial offer could be made, it was not entirely impossible to persuade them to travel across the ocean to come here.

Moreover, coming to the island might not be a bad thing. If one could become the ruler's spouse, not only could one rule over the hundreds of islanders together, but one might also become the "Queen" of this sea area, effortlessly acquiring coveted wealth.

Besides these two items, Killian couldn't think of any other things that could serve as bargaining chips.

However, as long as he could find something that interested the rulers, he felt a little more confident.

Merchants are not afraid of goods with a price, but they are afraid of priceless treasures.

……

Killian thought a lot, even considering how he should remain calm and find the right moment to make a trade request the next day.

He never expected that the one who would first propose a trade would be the very ruler who, in his view, "had no need whatsoever."

……

Chen Zhou was well aware that he always held the initiative in the transaction, and he could have an absolute advantage in this deal.

He disliked arguing with these scheming "old guys," so he directly stated his demands—

"First of all, the island will not sell technology in principle, especially technology that can be used in the military."

However, the island can sell finished firearms; these new firearms have a much greater range and accuracy than matchlock guns, and are unaffected by severe weather.

"In addition, the island can also export some 'advanced crops' that have higher yields, are more drought-resistant, and are more disease-resistant."

As for more efficient textile machines, grain processing machines, and agricultural machinery, they can all be exported, as long as there's enough money.

Of course, most of the tradable items listed by Chen Zhou were cut-down versions.

For example, the muskets he could sell did not use seamless steel tubes with rifling; instead, they used iron barrels made on the island.

This musket was indeed superior to the matchlock gun, but it was still completely suppressed by Chen's rifle and was like a "fire stick".

A businessman is willing to sell the rope that would hang him for profit, but Chen Zhou is not a businessman.

When it comes to major technologies, no matter how much of a bargaining chip Killian offers, he remains unmoved.

Even though Killian was willing to exchange his life's savings and two plantations in Brazil for a "sailless ship," Chen Zhou did not agree.

……

After some not-too-complicated discussions, Killian finally obtained the coveted heavy cargo—

Structural design drawings and manufacturing methods for bicycles.

Chen Zhou even promised him that as long as their business dealings continued smoothly, there would be design drawings for an improved bicycle in the future. It would be a convenient vehicle that could be driven without the need to push off the ground, and it would become a luxury toy that would sweep through the entire upper class.

……

With the promise of the island's ruler, Kylian returned to his ship and departed, escorted by three steel vessels.

The deal has been struck, and he must arrange everything as soon as possible to bring back the goods the ruler needs.

Contrary to expectations, the goods that Kylian needed to provide to the ruler included neither large amounts of treasure nor beautiful women or black slaves.

The ruler needed large quantities of coal and ore, but finished metal ingots could also be used as a substitute.

In addition, this ruler made an outrageous request—

He wants a beautiful female dog.

Because the indigenous girl responsible for translating was not very familiar with Spanish, when she translated the words to Killian, Killian looked incredulous.

He even misunderstood Chen Zhou's meaning, thinking that "pretty bitch" was a euphemism, perhaps representing a beautiful and lewd woman, or an obedient and sensible prostitute.

In business dealings, when discussing vulgar topics, unique terms are often used to replace them.

When Kylian, with a face full of wrinkles, put on a knowing smile, he saw that the ruler still looked serious and immediately realized that he had misunderstood the other person's meaning.

After confirming several times, he finally received a positive answer—

This high-ranking "big shot" indeed needed one or more young and beautiful female dogs, and in this regard, the ruler was even willing to pay a higher price.

However, it should be noted that there is a time limit for the demand for dogs; he should ideally transport the dogs to the island within six months or less.

In short, the faster the dog delivers the reward, the greater the reward.

……

Before leaving, Killian received a small gift that surprised him greatly—

A transparent object that emits flames when pressed.

Killian had seen fire-starting tools before, but he found it hard to believe how this thing, smaller than a spoon, with neither oil nor gunpowder on it, could suddenly produce a flame.

During his day and a half on the island, he had seen quite a few new things, but when he learned about this little gadget called a "lighter," he was almost speechless with astonishment. Such a small, beautiful object with no discernible mechanical structure seemed like an instrument used by God.

The materials and processes used to manufacture it were beyond Killian's imagination.

On the way back to Brazil, Kilian couldn't resist taking out his lighter and playing with it.

The island ruler's small gift opened a new door for him. Behind this "door," he seemed to see a new world, a staircase that would allow him to climb ever upward to a position he had never dared to dream of before.

……

After Killian left, Chen Zhou, confident that he could acquire a large amount of metal resources and coal within a year, began to promote the construction of a new factory.

This included a brand-new processing plant and metallurgical workshop using steam engines.

While training new workers, the islands also tamed the indigenous people of the nearby archipelago.

Groups of natives followed the same path as their predecessors, arriving on the island by small boats or steel ships, and like their companions, they welcomed a new life on the island.

……

A team specifically tasked with exploring the islands ventured deep into the islands, recording their observations on paper.

They would be away for more than ten days at a time, either setting off from the factory to cross the island or exploring along the coastline, bringing Chen Zhou more information about local products.

While waiting for Killian to return, thanks to the exploration team, Chen Zhou discovered two more seals.

This time, however, he did not commit any more killings. Instead, he watched the seals from the distant beach until they returned to the sea before turning his gaze away.

When their survival is not threatened, modern humans tend to exhibit kindness that surpasses that of indigenous peoples.

……

At the end of 1667, just as the dry season was ending, Killian arrived on the island with the first ship of goods.

Compared to his last visit, Killian appeared more spirited this time, as if he had become ten years younger.

No wonder he was so in high spirits.

He brought bicycles back and promoted them, and they quickly became popular in Spain, spreading throughout Europe in less than a year.

All the nobles knew him, Kylian, as the "inventor of the bicycle," a gifted and brilliant inventor.

The avenues that used to require money to open are now all opening to Kylian on their own.

With the help of a bicycle, Killian successfully transformed himself from a nouveau riche to a genius.

Now, even that arrogant and domineering Monidez doesn't dare to suppress him anymore.

In addition to the fame he gained, Kylian also profited handsomely in terms of wealth.

He not only possessed the design blueprints for bicycles, but also the complete process of manufacturing them, including assembly techniques.

Even if other craftsmen bought the bicycles made in his factory and copied them, they could not compare to his "Kilian" bicycle in terms of speed and comfort.

Moreover, as the "father of the bicycle," his reputation was a guarantee, and nobles were proud to own a Kylian bicycle.

Wealth poured into Killian's pockets like water, unstoppable.

Before long, he purchased a third and fourth brand-new armed merchant ship, becoming a new force to be reckoned with on the shipping routes between Europe and Brazil.

With rising fame and great fortune, Killian's life trajectory suddenly took a turn for the better in the latter half of his life.

Fortunately, the hardships and setbacks of his early life honed his character and acting skills. Even when he came into contact with various important figures or wealthy businessmen, Killian never revealed any information related to the islands at sea.

Of his sailors, the sensible ones had long since had their mouths shut with money, while the unsensible ones were thrown into the sea to feed the fish.

Killian only wanted to hold onto this "long ladder" tightly; he didn't want anyone to share this secret with him.

Therefore, after purchasing the ships and loading the cargo, he hardly hesitated to cancel all social banquets and personally led the fleet to the island to fulfill his promise.

……

Upon returning to the island, Killian discovered that in less than a year, the island had undergone tremendous changes.

The port that used a lot of wood and looked somewhat rudimentary has now been transformed into a medium-sized port built of stone bricks, and the wooden houses around the port have also been replaced with houses of wood and stone.

Many islanders, dressed in clothing similar in style to that of the rulers, were either rowing boats and casting nets or busy with construction, making the entire port look prosperous and bustling.

Two more peculiar gray buildings were erected around the ruler’s square mansion, which was said to be called “The Factory.”

One of the buildings has a thick, towering chimney that is bare and undecorated, and its sheer size gives it an indescribable sense of awe.

……

Upon seeing the ruler again, Kylian appeared less reserved than before, but his enthusiasm only increased.

Even if Chen Zhou clearly didn't want to talk to him, he could always find various topics to start a conversation.

If those high-ranking nobles in Europe saw Kylian, who always acted like a master in front of them, following Chen Zhou around like a servant, they would probably be so surprised that they would doubt their own eyes.

It should be noted that even when meeting the Queen, Killian did not adopt such a humble posture.

……

Chen Zhou has always been quite resistant to flattery; he doesn't care about those empty platitudes and only focuses on practical matters.

He gave Killian a few perfunctory words and then headed straight to the dock with Saturday and the guards to take inventory of the goods.

Despite being all types of coal, lignite, sub-bituminous coal, bituminous coal, and anthracite vary greatly in their degree of metamorphism.

Anthracite can be used to produce coal gas or directly as fuel, while bituminous coal can be used in coking, blending, and gasification industries.

As for lignite, it can basically only be used as fuel for power boilers.

Chen Zhou was unsure about the quality of coal mined in 17th-century Europe, and he sincerely hoped that the coal Kylian brought him would be of higher quality.

However, after checking, he was still disappointed—

The coal mines brought by Kilian were mostly lignite, with a dull luster, and appeared to be the kind of coal with a low degree of coalification.

This type of coal is barely usable for metallurgy and can only be used as fuel for steamships.

Aside from quality issues, the carrying capacity of the sailboats was limited. Although the Kylian brought four ships of cargo this time, the total weight of various coal and ore was only 900 tons.

Of these 900 tons of goods, only about 200 tons are metal, and the other 700 tons are coal.

In the 17th century, a hundred tons might have been a remarkable unit, but in modern terms, the cargo from those four ships combined wouldn't even fill half a typical ocean-going freighter, let alone power multiple steam engines. (End of Chapter)