Eagle Byzantium

When the noise was isolated outside the solid door, the old man came forward, shook hands with Gawain and saluted, "Stephen Gawain Russell, oh, and his beautiful wife." After saying this, the old man looked hale and hearty. His eyes glanced back to the bedroom in the side corner. Inglina, who was holding on to the pillar and exposing half of her body, could only come out and salute to him.

"Are you the owner of this mansion?" Gawain asked in a polite tone.

"Yes, the ship that just sailed out of the channel was my family's ship. Because the sailors were not skilled enough, I was on the mast as a guide and lookout. This -" As he said, the old man pointed with his hand, "You are starting from here. Entering through the back door of the mansion, all the front doors of the Venetian are facing the waterway, where I jumped up and around just now. This kind of room layout is conducive to the shipment of goods, but if it is used to entertain guests like you. It may make you feel uncomfortable, but it may make me uneasy.”

"What are you talking about?" Gawain continued to be polite, and then he and the old man talked to each other in Oyi language. From his words, he could tell that the old man was a shrewd, decisive and experienced man. When it came to freight and sales. After a small chat, the two became familiar with each other, while Inglina stayed where she was, listening quietly.

"Since you don't have enough skilled sailors on your trading ships, why not hire the group of Schiavone people in the square. They should have a lot of experience in dealing with the ocean."

When the old man heard this, he smiled humbly, sat on the couch in the hall, and motioned Gawain to sit opposite him, "I am a Venetian noble. In this city, although there are 80,000 residents, , but there are only four thousand people like me, and as for the elites among them, there are only a few hundred. And Sir Gawain, you are from the imperial capital. In your opinion, is the fight between nobles a natural thing? of?"

"That's right, because there are always inherent quotas for power sharing."

"But in Venice, nothing like this happened. Every nobleman had no private fights, but only fought for the republic's external unity." The old man folded his hands with a certain pride of confidence.

"Because this city. Does it float on the sea?"

"Yes, you are very smart. You are worthy of being a Varyag noble who is also a merchant." Then the old man frowned, "All Venetians, whether they are nobles or commoners, are like seabirds. We are at home all over the world, and we are here What can we do on land? There is no planting industry, no timber industry, no mineral deposits, and no citizen army. We can only keep wandering on the ocean for food, and constantly obtain necessary supplies in the midst of storms. The barrier is no greater than any other in the world The material poverty is exchanged for the shrewdness and strength of the Venetian people. In other words, it’s not that we have no reason for internal strife, but we simply don’t have the capital.” The old man held up his hands and spread his fingers. "entire The city-state's ship will capsize and sink, and no one will survive. This is the secret of the unity of the Venetian nobles. Even if everyone has selfish intentions, they must obey this basic rule even if they show hypocrisy on their faces. Don’t dare to cross.”

Then, the old man leaned his back on the pillow. "And those Schiavones outside the door, you know what they're asking for, Venetian citizenship."

"And you definitely don't want to give it to them, right? Even if they have been in this country for many years and have served for many years." Gawain continued to ask tentatively.

"What kind of animals do you think we Venetians are like?" The old man did not answer directly, but suddenly asked this strange question.

Gawain smiled and said that such a comparison was impolite. I would not discuss this topic with the host as a guest. The old man also laughed, and then his expression became serious, "We Venetians are like pigs."

To be honest, even Gawain didn't expect this comparison. In this era, all countries respect not only dragons and eagles, but also wolves, bears and other beasts. This thin old man actually turned himself into a beast. Comparing the ethnic group to pigs is really dumbfounding. You must know that the murals and sculptures in Venice all use the Lion of St. Mark as their totem. But the old man explained seriously, "Pigs are animals that individually appear to be silent and stupid. But once you throw a stone at a pig in the circle, all the other pigs will instantly gather together and show their fangs at you." They attack ferociously and will never stop until you are bitten with scars and run away. In the feeding trough of the pen, the pigs are greedy and will only eat. They lower their heads and eat fiercely, never looking around, and each trough has a fixed order. They are the best at self-discipline and management, and they are also the most exclusive animals. Therefore, other animals are strictly prohibited in our pig pens. The fence of the pig pen is the boundary that cannot be crossed. Once the boundary is cracked, the pig pen will be gone. "

"I understand - so I came here this time not only to sign a treaty, but more importantly as a bystander and listener outside the famous pig pen." Gawain instantly understood the meaning of the old man's words, and told him The comparison is integrated into my own request.

"But as a noble, I must remind you that the rules of the pigsty only apply to pigs, not sheep, cows, or horses." The old man said calmly.

"It doesn't matter, I only look at the pigsty, not the pigs."

These words made the old man laugh again, and then he began to fill a glass of wine from Cyprus for Gawain, "When our merchants will ship these wines from the Levant to the Pavia market on the edge of Venice for sale. When, its price That's why two hundred years ago, a customs official in Pavia once said in surprise, "The Venetians don't grow anything, their city-state produces nothing, but they can grow very early." Wear silk clothes and drink fine wine'.

Then, Gawain spoke his thoughts slowly and methodically, and the old man listened very carefully. Beside the pillar in the side room, Ingrina continued to stay where she was, also listening quietly.

The refreshing sea breeze is constantly blowing in along the terrace and pavilion. Now is the most beautiful time for this ocean and of course this floating city.

After a long time, Gawain finished his words and thoughts. The old man drank half a sip of wine, and then put down the gorgeous wine cup. "There will be no trouble in the next few days. You can indeed serve as a bystander and be able to govern." Listening to the senators in the official palace For discussions, you can also go to the most prosperous business district of Rialto. Your stop is at the 'Chapel of the Archons' connected to the Basilica (the Venetian system inherited the ancient Roman Republic and also had this kind of parliament hall) (chaple).”

Check out the 16-9 book bar to see the correct version!

"Then I would like to trouble you, Your Excellency, to help me enter the chapel to observe." Gawain immediately expressed his gratitude. (To be continued ~^~)