"Blessings of the Lord! Chief Steward Isaac, it's been years since we last met, and you truly have prospered quite a bit! To think you have a little seaside warehouse yard and a two-story building here in Lisbon's merchant harbor, where land prices are anything but cheap..."
"Ahaha! Honored Sir Lorenzo—chief steward of the guild, this is all thanks to the illustrious reputation of the city-state republic, La Serenissima, and to the honest dealings of the guild merchants, blessed by the Holy Mother! As for me, as a member of the city-state's commercial guild, I merely borrowed the guild's good name to luckily gain a foothold in Lisbon, and make some tiny contribution to the Lord and the republic..."
"Haha! Isaac, humility is a virtue taught by the Lord, but excessive humility is pride! Before I came this time, I even had an audience with the bishop of the city-state... The bishop was very pleased with the spices the merchant association sent over, and he had nothing but praise for your extra offering as well!"
"Ah... the bishop's offering? I, er... oh, right! I also have a gift from the Southern Continent, to offer to the merchant association's patrons, the honored councilors... Yes! It was prepared long ago, prepared long ago!..."
The waves of the North Atlantic rolled south along Portugal's jagged coast, only abruptly slowing after passing a bend. A broad bay wound inward in a natural hollow, its deep-water harbor able to withstand wind and surf. The long Tagus River also emptied into the ocean here, not only bringing fertile riverside fields along its course, but also scouring out a comparatively flat estuary plain. And when all these excellent geographic advantages converged, they formed the greatest port city on the western side of the Iberian Peninsula: Lisbon, the