The cold January wind blew in through the broken-open door, chilling everyone to the bone. The commoners nearby heard the noise from here and all snuffed out their lamps, locking their doors and windows tight. Not a single person poked their head out, nor did anyone ask a thing. Lonely starlight shone on the crude houses in the outskirts, as if this were the end of the world.
"Ugh, ugh! Damned devil! Help! Sheriff, help!"
"Columbus, stop shouting. The agreement you signed with your own hand— even if you called the sheriff here, you would still have to repay the money! The merciful Lord would never allow any injustice!"
The Jewish merchant Eleazar smiled as he took a parchment account book from within his thick linen robe. Then he opened it and flipped forward from the blank last page. Very soon, the Jewish merchant reached the page with the newest records. Seeing the spices, ivory, and gold ornaments in the transaction entries, he paused, then nodded in satisfaction, utterly unconcerned by the shouting at his feet.
"Haaha, goods from the southern continent! At this price, once they're shipped to Venice and I find the city-state's noble councilors, it'll be twice the profit! And if I can make contact with those luxurious Roman bishops, that'll be three times the profit!"
Eleazar thought back for a moment, his eyes full of smiles. In this transaction, he had used an estate mortgaged by a fallen noble to strike a profitable deal with a newly risen captain returned from voyaging, effectively earning from both ends. And as long as voyages continued, there would be more business like this in the future!
"Tsk, tsk. The Moors on the peninsula are nearly finished. Their orchards and farms will all fall into the hands of the knights