"Praise the Lord! After a Holy War, millions of Moors from the Peninsula, along with the Wealth they accumulated over four hundred years, beca spoils of war, continuously shipped to the various City-States in the Apennines! The entire Italian Peninsula is thriving like never before, with workshops in every City-State expanding several-fold. The Roman Church has also gained great wealth and started sponsoring 'artists' to build brand new Vatican Palaces, even using 'Ancient Roman and Ancient Greek' paintings and sculptures. The Great Nobility of each City-State is following suit, trying to be the 'protectors of ancient arts,' leaving their mark in history... Tsk tsk, it's really crazy what people do when they have too much money..."
"Burning... Oh, right! Isaac, you shouldn't go to Castile recently, especially not to the newly conquered Moorish lands in the South of the Peninsula. Last year, the Kingdom of Castile officially issued the 'Alhambra Decree' targeting Moors and Jews, massively 'expelling' Moors and Jews, 'legally' confiscating all their properties, which is essentially fanatic religious Inquisition... Within just half a year, the Kingdom of Castile managed to repay two hundred thousand Ducats of debt, truly unbelievable how many heretics and heathens have been burnt on the eastern Peninsula's pyres..."
At this point, the aging Knight Lorenzo paused, opening his drunken eyes wide. He looked aningfully at the Jewish rchant Eliyahu, his tone was clearly a warning.
"Isaac, in the Catholic World, places like the City-State Republic that tolerate and accept your people... are truly scarce! You must know gratitude..."
"Yes, yes! Sir Lorenzo, I have heard that the Castilians are in quite an uproar... Whenever they see soone of Moorish or Jewish descent, they arrest them directly and send them to the pyre, seizing all their possessions... They've gone completely mad, not caring whether one is devout to the Almighty or has contributed to the Church..."
When ntioning the heretic trials happening in the eastern Peninsula, the Jewish rchant Eliyahu broke into a sweat on his forehead, trembling with fear internally. Those impoverished Knights with bloodshot eyes, those Black Robes of Inquisition, indeed burn people like burning firewood! As a noticeably identifiable Jewish rchant, he dares not step into the territory of the Kingdom of Castile at this ti, dealing with those fanatically devout Knights and clergy...
This is why, despite knowing that Holy Wars are excellent opportunities to make money, he has stayed in Portugal, never venturing to the Peninsula for lending. And the news of Columbus in Castile has been known to him for a couple of years; similarly, he has never thought of pursuing debts...
The painful experiences of his people have taught him that in the Catholic World, every fanatic religious Holy War invariably turns into a barbecue feast for heretics and heathens, an outburst of anger, a write-off, a looting, and a slaughter upon their people!... Every ti, without exception!
"Yahweh... Witness of the Lord! My loyalty to the City-State Republic is truer than True Gold! It's only the City-State Republic that would accept and shelter honest rchants like us, allowing us to survive from the hands of those greedy, fanatic impoverished..."
"Respected Sir Lorenzo! The City-State Republic is my master! Orders and commands from the Parliant are my orders! I will spare no effort in gathering intelligence on the Portuguese people's gold mines in the Southern Continent... Yes! I'm confident in arranging a eting between you and that Portuguese naval officer. He cos from a low background, has no savings yet wants to live a noble's life, so he is quite cash-strapped. He is very greedy, and his loyalty towards the Portuguese Royal Family is just as lukewarm, lacking devout faith... Upon each return journey, he smuggles quite a lot of goods, he is the Portuguese Captain with the most smuggling activities!"
At this point, the Jewish rchant Eliyahu paused, glanced out of the window towards the port, and hesitantly spoke.
"Strange! The Portuguese's Southern fleet clearly returned from the Southern Continent last month, bringing back a large batch of spices, ivory, gemstones, gold, and slaves... I've arranged to secretly et that naval officer in these few days to trade the contraband he smuggled onto his ship..."
"But strangely... a week ago, the Portuguese Navy fleet docked at the port suddenly lost about ten light sailing ships... and that young naval officer disappeared, with no one at his residence... I sent people to inquire, quietly asking so familiar naval officers... Reportedly, there was a Royal Decree before, ordering part of the Navy to deploy to intercept so 'pirates from the North'..."
"Hmm? The Portuguese Navy deployed to intercept so pirates?... Northern pirates? Could it be Barbarians from Northern Europe?"
Hearing this, the old Knight Lorenzo was taken aback, looking quite puzzled. However, he didn't understand naval matters, so he remained perplexed for a while.
"Lord! When will he be back?"
"Well... Regarding naval affairs, I'm not sure either... It's estimated maybe ten days to half a month? Reportedly, this deploynt was urgent, and provisions on the ships were only for about twenty days..."
"Hmm... Another half-month's wait? I guess that's doable..."
"Lord! One ship, two ships, three ships... ten ships... all Portuguese's ocean-going sailing ships! So large, so magnificent!"
The young Knight Giovanni drank quite a lot, staring wide-eyed leaning by the window, greedily counting the ships and banners at the port. Regarding the Republic of Venice's massive lending and profits gained from the Holy War, although he enjoys the pleasure of easy fortune, he feels occasional guilt pangs in his conscience. He always feels such greedy lending during Holy Wars violates the Knight's code and dishonors the Lord...
The past Knight education has deeply etched a profound mark on him. Even though these romantic and naive imprints are being gradually worn down by reality, they prevent him from embracing the mindset of a pure Venetian nobility, viewing the pursuit of power and wealth as life's ultimate goals. What should be life's ultimate goal, then? The Knight's goal... honor, courage, and devotion...
"Ah! Sailing towards the mysterious Southern Continent, along the land cursed by the Demon, opening a new mariti route to the East... seeking allies in the Catholic World against the Ottomans, searching for King John of the East who believes in the Almighty... Ah! This is the symbol of honor, courage, and devotion, not to ntion the rewards of Eastern wealth!... This is the true path blessed by the Lord!... Alas! The mariti nobility of the Portuguese are the true Knights of the seas!…"
It's not the wine that intoxicates, but dreams. The young knight Giovanni imagined the brave mariti exploration and the honor of opening new routes, a rosy flush of longing rising on his youthful face. He had experienced the harsh reality of the Holy War, the once imagined splendor and glory of war in his youth had long shattered in his heart. Yet, he hadn't partaken in any voyages; those mysterious and daring mariti adventures still wreathed his young heart with desire from within.
"If... I could command my own large sailing ship, leading devout sailors southward… I would certainly be blessed by the Almighty's guidance, defeating native city-states one by one, burning down the Demon's altars and temples, and finding the wealthy and devout Eastern Christians!... Ah! Facing trials akin to the 'Odyssey moir' along the way, eventually engraving my na in the immortal Saint Biographies!…"
"Boom boom!…"
A faint sound of thunder ca from outside the window, resembling the cannons of a warship, roaring the destruction of barbaric natives, also waking the young knight from his fantasies. Giovanni blinked in confusion, looking in the direction the thunder seed to co from, yet saw no clouds...
"Hmm? Is it? Thunder? Why are there no clouds?…"
"Boom boom!…"
re monts later, two more thunderous sounds echoed, seemingly distant yet sowhat closer. The previously orderly port also started to stir. Many ship captains dispatched sailors to climb the masts, observing the northwest where the sound ca from, the northern entrance to Tagus Bay.
"Hmm! What's going on?... This sound, seems like? Cannon fire?!…"
"Boom boom!…"
The amplified thunder sounded closer and closer, as if drifting from the horizon of the sea and sky, reminiscent of the battlefield siege of the Holy War. The old knight Lorenzo suddenly shuddered, his drunken haze instantly dissipating. He quickly walked to the window, looking at the expansive and prosperous Tagus Bay, his expression becoming serious.
"Giovanni, your eyesight is good… is there a ship on the western horizon, heading towards the port?!"
"Ah! Yes! There's a ship! A large ship!... Ah! It's getting closer, seemingly charging straight towards us, with full sails, not slowing down at all!... Ah! Behind it, there's several Portuguese sailing ships seeming to chase it, nearly colliding with other rchant ships!…"
Giovanni squinted, straining to view the sea beyond the port. The rampaging large ship moved like a mad Iberian bull, desperately charging towards the crowded area of ships. rchant ships inside and outside the port quickly turned their bows, frantically avoiding the "mad bull of a ship." The Portuguese warships following behind were obstructed by the chaotic rchant ships of the port, hesitatingly unable to intercept fully, always just a bit short.
"Hmm? This cannon sound, this smoke from the large ship? Seems like... the large ship keeps firing?! But there's no spray, is it firing blanks?… Where did this reckless pirate co from, daring to charge straight into the Lisbon port, directly into the den of the Portuguese Navy?!…"
"No! No way! That ship raised a flag, they aren't pirates!... They are… They are?… They are!…"
In this mont, the old knight Lorenzo and young knight Giovanni exchanged a glance, recognizing the shock and disbelief in each other's eyes.
Before the bustling Lisbon port, under the gaze of nurous rchant ships from various states, that ragged "mad ship," the large ship chased by the Portuguese Navy, brazenly raised a tattered flag, the Castle and Lion's Banner of the Castilian Royal Family!
"Holy Mother! It's the Castilian Royal Navy! How can this be?!…"
"Oh Lord! Could it be that the Kingdom of Castile, which just conquered the Moors, has suddenly gone to war with the Kingdom of Portugal, who is exploring the Southern Continent?…"
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