1453: Revival of Byzantium

Chapter 238: Nobody Nobody But You

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-        "Let this place be your inheritance and your garden, a paradise and a haven of salvation for those seeking to be saved"

"Hey! My dear Zlfikar, it has been a long time since I last seen you! How are you doing recently? Great? Splendid? I just heard that you embraced another concubine! How? Is that lass sweet?" 

"Hahahaha welcome back to the port of Salonika! Ah yes, that new concubine I adopted the other day, indeed, sweet young little Rumelian country side lass I bought from the Rumelian slave trader, really juicy, why? You want a share?" 

"NoNoNo" Nikolas giggled in embarrassment at the Ottoman custom officer's fervent and openness on this kind of private affairs, and quickly moved on to change his topic. "Here, the usual thing, five shipments of goods, you know, I shall treat you some other stuff good this evening." 

Nikolas reached his hand forward grabbing the officer's hand towards his waist, and then squeezed a few coins in to the hand palm of the custom officer and then pushed it back winking towards him. "A little gift, for our friendship, and the well being of your new sweet juicy little concubine, buy her some good looking silk from Seres." 

The Ottoman custom officer clenched his fist containing the coins, then shook the coins feeling the coins' diameters, textures and weight. With years of experience in to this immediately coming up with the conclusion that this must be pure golden Venetian ducat. He grinned at Nikolas counting the number of golden coins on his hand palm and grinned even more delightful dropping the coins in to his pouch under broad day light with his colleagues in the surrounding watching. 

"Thank you, my friend Nikolas, that is exactly the reason why I anticipate your arrival every single month, for you shall always bring some pleasant surprise for me!" The custom officer gave Nikolas a pat on his shoulder followed by a hug that made Nikolas almost feel like his ribcage has been broken. 

"Ahem. *CoughSo, my friend, the wares" Unable to endure the strength of his rowdy custom officer Nikolas has to push him away and reminded him of the main things he needs assistance in.

"Ah yes, the wares" The custom officer immediately changed to a different face pretending to be serious, walked around the wares lying on the ships pinching the straws and hays and nodding in the process putting up a play as a custom officer performing his duty. But what he does not know is that while he is going around the haystacks and piles of seasonal fruits, there are pairs of eyes staring coldly at the custom officer's hands with their cutlass out of scabbard and crossbow ready with bolt. 

"Yes, all qualified, I see no problem, of course, I know that you are always the most trust worthy and faithful merchant of the Sultan in the region, you are free to go my friend." The custom officer signed a form and slapped it in to Nikolas' hands, then the seriousness disappeared from his face replaced with a smirk and a naughty wink. "Do not forget me when you organise those buffets my friend, I will introduce you to that Rumelian slave trader next time, trust me that man's got a lot of good stuff on display" 

Nikolas gave him a shy smile and hurriedly excused himself from continuing on this kind of stuff venturing away. He rented fifteen wagon carts but refused to let the dock workers to help him carry the stacks and piles of goods from his ships to the wagon saying that he is afraid that these dock heads' clumsy hands will spoil the 'fresh taste and aroma' of his goods. He had these dock heads waiting in a corner in a place away from the ships, giving them a paid break, then ordered his own sailors to carry these piles of goods and haystack where Antonius' warriors hide in them getting loaded on to the wagon carts, then the wagon workers are called back from the tavern's ale houses.

However, it seems like God is going to give them some new challenges today making their mission not so simple like a breeze. The Ottoman have changed the officer guarding the gates apparently replacing the old officer who have a personal bond with Nikolas, with a new officer called Candarli Erden that is supposedly a close kin of the Grand Vizier demoted here after a defeat far away. This abrupt change messed up the entire plan of Nikolas as in his original thinking the gates should bring him the least amount of trouble, the Ottomans have a habit, that is after the first checks in the custom the gate will not bother checking again creating him extra work load allowing the merchants to pass. But this time, it is different.

Apparently this new officer of the gates, the kin of the Grand Vizier, put in double of the effort as an officer guarding the gates inspecting every single basket, wagon and cart with extra precaution longing to pick up some thing fishy to decrease the humiliation and punishment of demotion by the Grand Vizier, and get a good posting back to his original ranks.

Seeing the long queue awaiting by the gate in front Nikolas grew increasingly anxious, and finally he could no longer bare it and used the natural talent of him as a merchant trading on Ottoman sphere of influence for years bribery.

With a sparkling smile on his face Nikolas approached the duty officer of the gate with his head lowered and back bent, then after grabbing the attention of the officer he smiled even brighter and greeted. "Iyi akamlar efendim, good afternoon, how is your day officer?"

The officer frowned and reprimanded. "What are you doing here you Rumelian low life! Can't you see that I am here performing my duty?"

Nikolas does not look angry by a bit moving even closer, drew his hand out of his sleeves showing the officer a pouch of golden ducats, grinned and winked at the officer trying to hint some thing in his eyes.

The officer looked at the flickering golden coins, and then looked at the appeasing grin on the merchant's face, he too showed a bright smile on the face.

Nikolas smiled at him.

The officer smiled back at Nikolas.

Just as Nikolas thought that every thing has been settled over here, the officer changed to a stony face grabbing him by his hands holding the coins tough like a clipper, then yelled with his saliva spitting on to Nikolas' face. "Why are you trying to bribe a modest and respected officer of the Ottoman Janissary? You must be hiding fishy secrets down in your heart resulting you to take such actions right? Your wares must be also as fishy as your heart Guards! Take me to his wagons! I shall have a thorough check!"

It is only then that Nikolas have realised that he has caught himself in a trouble.

The gate duty officer is led to the ten wagon carts rented by Nikolas with a bunch of armed guards, with all of their attention gazed upon the wares trying to find out whether there are any thing suspicious, though after a round of inspection it seems like the merchant who attempted to bribe them is really just transporting plain seasonal fruits and stacks of hays.

Nikolas almost felt his heart beating out of his chest with cold perspiration dripping down his cheeks in droplets He wiped the sweat on his fore head and reapproached the officer. "Baym, honourable Baym, by the grace of God I can sware to you that I am not trying to get any contraband items in to the city! I have traded in the city for years! I am a merchant of honesty and integrity! Here, you can check my past documents here, I am really a merchant of good manners and modesty!"

At this point of time even the second in command of the officer came complaining that the officer is causing too much of a fuss on one single cart resulting in a huge traffic jam outside of the gate that blocked the way of some other nobles creating a wave of discontent for every one waiting here.

The officer of the gate narrowed his eyes staring at this merchant before him dripping droplets of sweat like rain, his instinct passed to him from the court struggles in Edirne tells him that there are definitely some thing not right about this man, and thus in the quailed sight of the merchant, he drew out the Kilij blade in his wrist, and poked out towards the cart behind him right in to the stack of hays on top with all the force he got deep in to the hays, but his blade met no resistance. Feeling insecure he stabbed the hays a few more time with the merchant behind him almost crying out, for he knows that there are four people including Julian hidden in it.