"Praise the Lord! After one holy war, millions of peninsular Moors, four hundred years of wealth they had piled up, along with the Moors themselves, all became spoils of the holy war and were shipped in an endless stream to the states of the Apennine! The entire Italian peninsula is prospering like never before, and every state's workshops have expanded severalfold. The Roman Church has also made a fortune and started sponsoring so-called 'artists' to build a brand-new Vatican Palace, even using some 'ancient Roman and ancient Greek' paintings and sculptures. The great nobles of the various states are copying them too, wanting to be 'protectors of ancient art' and leave their names in the history books... Tsk, tsk. When people have too much money, it burns a hole in their hands..."
"Burns... Oh, right! Isaac, don't go to Castile lately, and especially don't go to the newly conquered Moorish lands in the south of the peninsula. Last year, the Kingdom of Castile formally issued the Alhambra Decree against the Moors and Jews, 'expelling' Moors and Jews on a massive scale and 'legally' stripping them of all their property. In truth, it's fanatical Inquisition... Only half a year has passed, and the Kingdom of Castile has already repaid another two hundred thousand gold Ducats of debt. Who knows how many heretics and heathens have been burned to death on the stakes in the eastern part of the peninsula?..."
At this point, the old knight Lorenzo paused and opened his drunken eyes wide. He looked meaningfully at the Jewish merchant Eleazar, his tone carrying an obvious warning.
"Isaac, in the Catholic World, places like the City-State Republic that tolerate and accept your people... there truly aren't many! You should know how to be grateful..."
"Yes, yes! Sir Lorenzo, I've heard of