Eliyahu waved his hand grandly and drove the tongue-tied Slavic servant out. Facing the two guests from the Republic of Venice, he maintained a smile, as if the situation was a world apart from dealing with Columbus, who supposedly fled into debt and t his doom at sea.
After all, as a Jewish rchant lending money, he had no king to rely on, no nobility to pledge allegiance to, like a floating weed in the Catholic World. Although he appeared to be wealthy and carefree, he was really rootless and dependent, walking on thin ice at tis.
In the face of knights and nobility who might easily kill their creditors to repay debts, he had only the cloak of the Church and the identity of the Venetian City-State Chamber of Comrce Manager to protect him. Between the two, the power of the Church was stronger, but it only regarded him as a disposable white glove. At critical monts, the Church could not be relied upon and might consu him entirely, leaving nothing but bone. Only the Republic of Venice, with its emphasis on comrce and complete legal system, understood the value of rchants and had less discrimination against his origin, offering him the only lifeline in crucial tis...
"Master, this is the finest barrel, not a drop of water mixed in!"
Monts later, Ivan hoisted the entire wine barrel upstairs, muttering a couple of phrases in difficult Slavic. Several Slavic servants busied themselves first by lifting up a U-shaped wooden table, and at the Jewish rchant's gesture, they raised the side where the Venetian guests were seated higher, symbolizing the guests' higher status as a form of respect. Then, the table was covered with white linen cloth, hanging down to the guests' knees. At the ti, napkins were not yet customary, and the hanging part of the tablecloth was used for wiping hands and mouth.
Next, Ivan brought out a locked golden goblet and placed it in the center of the table. The Jewish rchant personally took a delicate key and unlocked the goblet, demonstrating its clean, empty bottom to the two n. This was one of the Middle Ages' noble gathering traditions: first proving the cup lacked poison, then everyone shared the sa goblet, taking turns drinking...well, if you were to die, then die together.
"The Almighty witness! This is truly fine wine...Co! Let drink first, blessing the Republic with prosperity and wealth, with Gold and Silver flowing through the Chamber!"
Jewish rchant Eliyahu filled the goblet with red wine and drank two big gulps to express respect and sincerity. He then passed the goblet to the old knight Lorenzo. The old knight took a shallow sip, smiled blessing and passed it to the young knight Giovanni, who tilted his head back and drank heartily in one go, letting the wine flow down his neck like blood.
"Ha! Good wine, truly a knight's wine!"
Seeing the overflowing wine, Eliyahu shuddered with heartache. But his face remained smiling, and he instructed the servants to bring out the "Treasure Ships" filled with salt, spices, and cutlery. These were ship-shaped containers engraved with crosses, and similarly locked for food safety. Then, a larger open "Treasure Ship" was brought up, containing three silver plates with sliced white bread, bacon, and hard cheese respectively.
"This is Lisbon's white bread, ham from Serrano, and cheese from the Burgundy Monastery...It's not yet noon, let's have so light appetizers first..."
Eliyahu smiled as he introduced, likewise taking two bites of each to assure safety. The old knight Lorenzo took several bites, showing satisfaction on his old face.
"Oh! Portuguese wheat bread, Castilian black pig ham, Burgundy goat cheese... nice, truly nice!..."
The young knight Giovanni hesitated as well, rolling up the ham and cheese, grabbing so bread to eat. These refined delicacies, likely unattainable even for ordinary Barons or Viscounts, surpassed what he enjoyed during his ti as a knight attendant for the Netherlands' regent Maximilian.
"Hmm? This Jewish rchant who betrayed Jesus...to be so prosperous? Indeed, quite remarkable..."
This is when the servant Ivan brought over several forks, first handing one to the Jewish rchant, then to the old knight. The old knight raised his eyebrows, thought for a mont, then waved it off. Ivan hesitated, looking at the young knight Giovanni.
"Uh... Fork? Want it?..."
"Hmm? Asking if I want a fork?..."
Seeing the offered fork, the young knight Giovanni froze, changed his countenance dramatically, and scolded furiously.
"Damn! Do I look like an effeminate woman or an old man who can't handle food?... This corrupt decadent Byzantine affair, how could it be suitable for a robust, bold knight's tableware?! Real knights should eat with the hands that wield swords! Begone!..."
"Uh...yes!"
Upon hearing the young knight's scolding, servant Ivan was bewildered, but lowered his head cautiously and withdrew. Looking at the fork in his hand, the Jewish rchant showed embarrassnt, unsure what to say. As a lending rchant, he truly knew little about the knights' customs.
As a dining tool first popularized in the Byzantine Empire, forks were imdiately labeled as corrupt and extravagant by the Roman Church upon appearance. Later, this excessively "effete" utensil was also dismissed by warrior knights, regarded as a symbol of weakness and impotence. In their eyes, true knights should cut at with knives, eat with their hands, spoons only for soup, and forks are effete!
Although in the Italian City States at this ti, as comrce thrived and various foods erged, convenient forks had entered the nobility's daily life. But these utensils were still difficult to make it to formal noble gatherings, especially under the knight spirit's reign in France, Shenluo, and Spain. And Giovanni's youth was spent precisely beside a Shenluo 'knight's role model'...
"Ahem! Isaac, the Almighty witness! I co this ti for two matters..."
The old knight Lorenzo coughed lightly, easing the awkwardness among everyone, and began discussing the purpose of their visit.
"The first matter is the supply of spices. With the end of the Peninsula's Holy War, the entire Republic has benefited considerably, and the demand for spices has greatly increased. Yet, the Ottoman people's supply of spices is limited, and the prices are surprisingly high... The council then dispatched here to Portugal's side, seeking ways to procure more spices from the Southern Continent..."
"And the second matter is even more important, still related to the Portuguese's new routes...King João's minted 'Crusader' Gold Coins are steadily flowing into the market. Although the number of these Gold Coins is currently not much, their growth is robust...The council mbers are quite concerned, appointing as a representative to investigate this matter..."
"I need clear ssages! Regarding Portugal's gold mining output in the Southern Continent, regarding the quantity of Gold Coins they can mint...If possible, I need a private eting with the 'supplier' you know, that Portuguese Navy officer running the Southern Continent!..."
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