Anno Domini 830,August-16-September-7
Pov of a Merchant
''Finely transcribed Bibles, without the slightest visible error…'' I said, as I presented the Bibles before the church of Antioch.
''Ah… at last… according to what other members of the clergy say, their quality is astonishing, and none of the books show any difference at all'' said the autocephalous bishop of Antioch.
''Indeed, bishop… the quality expected of these books is the same that accompanies the swords and armor of the strategos who protect us from the wrath of pagans and infidels'' I said, walking, passing my hand over the covers of the many Bibles I had brought.
''Ha ha ha… yes… goat leather, from what I see… fine parchment, well illustrated, and the lettering of the same size and perfectly aligned… would you mind if I ask my scribes to review them? You understand that this expense is not small, and we cannot afford that any of these Bibles contain something different or erroneous, since they are needed to distribute among the metropolitans and ensure that the infidels receive the correct word of our lord'' said the bishop, placing his hands together while his accent shifted as he examined the first Bible he picked up.
''Well… it is certainly bothersome that you doubt my ability to secure the finest quality for the holy church, but who am I to oppose, so go ahead… I doubt you will find any error'' I said with a slight smile.
The bishop, without showing any hesitation, called a number of his scribes, who began taking the stack of Bibles we had brought and started checking them page by page, using one of their own Bibles as a standard and verifying that there were no mistakes.
''Bishop, forgive the question, but would you not be interested in some Greek dictionaries, perhaps Arabic dictionaries'' I said, walking slowly as I approached the bishop who was reviewing a Bible.
''Oh…'' he said, thoughtful, placing his thumb on his lower lip as he considered it. ''I understand the Greek… but why Arabic'' the bishop asked, with interest.
''Oh, as you know, our good strategos Basil speaks many tongues and believes that the best way to enlighten those who follow pagan beliefs is to speak in their language, which makes it much easier to convey the message of our lord, the almighty… in this way he achieved mass conversions and the baptism of the Varangian lords who now rule in Carpathia'' I said calmly, taking a few steps to stand at the bishop's right.
''You propose that we learn the language of the Saracens to… better deliver our message'' the bishop said, narrowing his eyes.
''Certainly, I have several of these books in my warehouses, and they could be of value to you… I even have books in Aramaic and Greek, since the Arameans follow rites different from ours…'' I said, stopping at the bishop's side, watching as the scribes continued to review the Bibles quickly.
''We have certainly had little success with the Arameans and Saracens because of the language… and well, the Saracens are being enslaved little by little by imperial policy, but I would rather avoid that people who have only made the mistake of serving the wrong god should pay for it with a life in chains'' the bishop said.
''Then this is the best way, learning their languages so we can speak with them and explain these scriptures to the infidels, to spare them such a grim fate'' I said firmly, remaining still.
''How much would those books cost… along with the Bibles'' the bishop asked, still turning pages, his eyes glancing at me whenever he paused.
''Forty five nomismata is what these fine copies would normally cost, and the dictionaries at thirty nomismata each, but considering that I must limit my profit when dealing with servants of the almighty, I am willing to lower my prices to forty and twenty seven'' I said, placing my hand over my chest with a confident smile.
''Certainly, a lower price than what they would cost in a scriptorium… we could set the price of the Bibles at thirty five nomismata each, that way we can also acquire those dictionaries, since although the local faithful have given generous donations to rebuild this house of prayer, there are still many constructions that must be funded so that all may have access to the word of our lord'' the bishop said, closing the Bible while still watching his scribes.
''You put me in a difficult position, bishop. I will hardly make any profit… but saving the souls of the infidels at the cost of my earnings is a small price to pay, so yes, we will agree on that price… thirty five for the Bibles and twenty seven for the dictionaries'' I said, showing a hint of concern.
''Thank you'' said the bishop.
The review of the books continued for several hours, something I had already anticipated, since it would be strange for them to trust blindly when paying large sums for a book. So when the scribes finished their review, I sold the two hundred copies I had brought, along with one hundred and fifty dictionaries that I had stocked in Heraklion days earlier.
Eleven thousand and fifty nomismata was the total from doing business with the church. Not bad, considering I had just thoroughly taken advantage of the bishop. A Bible cost me at most twenty nomismata, and a dictionary fifteen, so I had made a profit of four thousand eight hundred. Half would go to the Varangian crew and the sailors, and seven hundred twenty coins would go directly into my own pocket, while the rest was profit for the strategos.
It had been a good day for business, selling far cheaper than usual, since we were betting on volume, and at the same time trying to prevent the local priests from depending on their own scribes for this work, ensuring more sales in the future. It was a strategy that had already proven effective, as I usually sold books across the Levant at prices no one could match, crushing any competition from local scriptoria and building a long term enterprise for the strategos.
As soon as I left the church of Antioch, I focused on buying local supplies that would be useful in Crete, filling my holds with bales of cotton grown by the locals, as it was necessary for paper production.
I paid the corresponding taxes from the sales immediately and, without wasting time, went to secure goods to fill my ships.
So I set out to visit the farmers and landowners of the local thema. Since many had been reorganized by Strategos Basil, I knew exactly where to find them and began buying all the cotton harvest that many had planted as a cash crop, as Basil himself had insisted on cotton cultivation in the region, explaining how and when it should be planted, so now my part was the easiest one, simply buying it to fill my cargo holds.
So, staying a few extra days in the area, traveling with the caravan followed by nearly two hundred Varangians wearing light armor suited to the climate, we purchased all the cotton around Antioch from its owners and began moving toward the port of Rosos.
Finally, upon reaching the city, which was thriving with life due to the massive number of imperial merchants in the region, it was clear why it served as the main Christian port in the area, enabling trade with the east and, above all, the lucrative spice trade.
After restocking in Rosos, buying large quantities of dried meat and filling barrels with water, we began boarding the ships.
Beautiful vessels, the pinnacle of imperial ingenuity. Long months of development in the shipyards of Heraklion had produced the nao envisioned by the strategos, a ship that, using the same crew as a standard merchant vessel, carried three times the cargo capacity, while making better use of the wind with its sails, achieving even greater speed despite the additional weight.
They had become the greatest envy among merchant circles, as it did not take a genius to realize that this ship allowed far more profitable deals while maintaining the same crew.
For now, however, these ships were reserved for us, the servants of the strategos, until the merchant fleet had been fully replaced with naos, so the attempts by merchants and aristocrats to place orders at the Heraklion shipyards had all ended in rejection, while I could acquire ships simply by working within the strategos' company, having ten naos under my control and a crew of nearly one thousand five hundred men, including sailors and Varangians who followed us everywhere.
The return journey, as expected, was swift, stopping at Lemnos, since I still had plenty of space in my holds, taking the opportunity to purchase more cotton.
Continuing the return trip, stopping at every port in Anatolia to acquire local raw materials, I filled my cargo with everything needed in Crete, timber for shipbuilding, iron, coal, leather, hides, and some uncut gems for the goldsmiths.
Finally, I stopped at the port of Rhodes, where my holds were already full, only pausing to refill water supplies before embarking on the final long voyage to Heraklion.
After weeks at sea and constant negotiation, I finally arrived home with coffers full, ready to be delivered to the treasury of the strategos.
As always, we docked in the private section of the port of Heraklion, since even with two expansions, the commercial traffic in the city was overwhelming, with more than three hundred or four hundred ships passing through each day. This was no longer the city that once desperately sought merchants with low docking fees and reduced taxes to encourage trade.
It had become the peak of Mediterranean commerce, where anyone could stop to gather supplies, purchase high quality iron at the lowest prices, and attempt to negotiate with Governor Lysander so that the strategos' scriptoria would produce mass copies of whatever books they required.
After delivering the cotton to the warehouses and reporting my accounts to the administrators, this journey ended with a heavy purse, nearly seven thousand nomismata for a month's work.
Meanwhile, my sailors and Varangians collected their share and wasted no time spending it freely, as they earned in a single month what most sailors would earn in a year, making it clear that I had become very good at this.
I stopped by the arsenal, passing without issue through the Varangian guards at the port, as many merchants were trying to overwhelm the administrators with their requests for ship orders.
I began reviewing how to expand my fleet further, as I only had five naos assigned to me, while the other five I had purchased with my own earnings to increase my profits, expanding the volume I could trade using the company's services, which provided reliable sailors, along with the ever loyal Varangian crews.
I had only needed them once… but that time they proved invaluable, crushing the bandits who had tried to rob us of our cargo, and I could clearly understand why our strategos preferred doing business with them.
I immediately placed an order for two more naos, taking advantage of the current policy in which the company covered fifty percent while I paid the other half. A nao cost around five thousand nomismata, so I secured two more for my working fleet.
After fulfilling my duties and receiving approval for my payment, I returned to my home within the inner district of Heraklion.
The former orphan of Constantinople now lived better than some aristocrats of the Queen of Cities, owning a mansion with twenty servants, simply by trading.
''I have almost everything… but what I want most is not here'' I said, making a slight grimace as I swirled watered wine in a silver cup. ''How I wish my parents were here to see what I have achieved… though if I had never been an orphan… I would probably be working as a tanner…'' I stared into the fire of the hearth, wondering how my life would have been if I had still had parents.
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