Chapter 1239
However, the helmsman and lookout of every cargo ship maintained a high level of concentration. It could even be said that they were a little nervous. This was because ever since the establishment of the New Hellenic Union, the route from Sarons Bay to Turií had become much busier and more lively than before. With such a fast speed, they had to be extra careful to prevent collisions. Similar accidents happened on this route every year.
Just as Hesclaus and the rest were enjoying the sea breeze and the view of the sea, there was a sudden sound of "Quack! Quack! Quack! ".
"That sounds like a duck quacking?" Someone looked around, puzzled.
Hesclaus suddenly understood and shouted, "Lilias, did you bring your duck to the ship?!"
After a while, Lilias crawled out of the cabin, hugging a white duck tightly with both hands. He said timidly, "Daddy, I want Quack to accompany me to Turií …"
Hesclaus roared angrily, "Why didn't you tell me in advance —"
"Alright, alright." His good friend beside him advised, "It's just a duck. If the child likes it, let him bring it along. Who knows, when we've finished all our food, this duck might even help us catch fish in the sea to eat."
"Hahaha …" Amidst the laughter, Lilias escaped a round of beating and scolding. The little white duck had instead become a source of entertainment for the crew during the voyage.
Even when night fell, the fleet was still sailing. This was because they had brought along enough food and water and were not in a hurry to go ashore to replenish their supplies. Moreover, ever since Diónia had taken control of the Greek mainland, they had taken many measures to strengthen the trade between the mainland of Greece and Diónia. One of the most important measures was to ensure the convenience of the sea route.
For example, the entire route was subdivided into more than ten regions, with supply points set up at regular intervals along the coast of each region. In each region, there must be warships patrolling day and night to combat pirates or search for shipwrecked crew members. In each region, the coastal towns or city-states must expand and improve their own ports, especially the construction of lighthouses …
Therefore, even when sailing at night, the safety was greatly improved. Even a novice sailor would not be too nervous, because they would be greeted by patrol ships from time to time and would see lighthouses on the distant coast. Then, according to the Diónia – Greece nautical chart in their hands (The Ministry of Commerce of Diónia, under the instructions of the Devers, hired some crew members who traveled between the eastern and western Mediterranean, and at the same time, invited the Ministry of Military Affairs to send cartographic experts. After countless explorations and corrections, they finally drew a relatively detailed nautical chart, which was then sold to the public. It was very popular among merchants and crew members, and the supply could not meet the demand), and they could roughly determine their location and whether there were any hidden reefs around them. Even if the ship was suddenly damaged or there was a lack of food and water, they could follow the instructions of the lighthouse and the map to try their best to reach the nearest supply point or port.
Therefore, Hesclaus's fleet sailed day and night, bypassing the entire Peloponnesus Peninsula without stopping to rest. It only took them two days to reach Kekira Island.
After the Greek War, Diónia withdrew from some islands, such as Zakynsus, Kefalonia, Kisira, Eyna, and so on. However, there was only one island that they did not give up, and that was Kekira Island. This small island was repeatedly fought over by Athens and Sparta during the War of the Thebes. Its people were already extremely afraid of war. Under the temptation of some people, they volunteered to join Diónia. Of course, the Devers were more than happy to do so.
Today, Kekira Island not only had a number of well-equipped ports, but also a military port belonging to the First Fleet. Hundreds of warships were permanently docked there, and there were 2,000 fleet infantrymen stationed there.
Kekira Island had become the first bridge for the Kingdom of Diónia to control the mainland of Greece. For the Greek merchants, it was the last rest stop to the mainland of Diónia. The people living on Kekira Island also benefited a lot from this.
The crew took a short rest on Kekira Island, then continued to sail westward, across the Adriatic Sea, and into the Gulf of Turií. (A few years ago, someone in the Senate suggested, "How can this bay in southern Italy be named after a municipality under the Kingdom? This often puzzles foreigners who come to the Kingdom for the first time. This bay must be named after the capital of the Kingdom, Turií, in order to show its importance and the majesty of the Kingdom …" The proposal was quickly passed, and the Gulf of Taranto was renamed.)
In the early morning of the fourth day after departing from the port of Piraeus, the fleet of Hesklaus had arrived at the coast of Turií.
Lirias had lived in Athens for several years, and he had always thought that the bustling port of Piraeus was the largest port in the world. But when he looked at the coast of Turií from the ship, he was stunned because he could not see the coast at all. From the south to the north, all he could see were ships. The densely packed masts had turned the coast of Turií into a lush forest.
It turned out that after Diónia conquered Greece, although Greece was small and had a small population, most of these cities, large and small, relied on sea trade for a living. Therefore, the sea trade of the Holy Kingdom of Diónia suddenly increased several times.
This was especially true for the capital of Turií. The capacity of the port was already a little tight, and now it was even more inadequate. After obtaining the consent of the King's Devers, the Ministry of Commerce seized every opportunity to build new ports in the entire Turií region, from the coast of Amendolara to the coast of Castellón.
Then, the Ministry of Commerce named all the ports in the Turií region with serial numbers, and categorized all the goods imported and exported. Each category of goods corresponded to a port number. This greatly improved the efficiency of management and avoided confusion. At the same time, the Ministry of Construction Supervision also seized the time to gather a large number of laborers and craftsmen to build two stone bridges across the Krati River to ensure smooth traffic between the north and the south.
Because Hesklaus and the other merchants of Thessaly were selling different goods, they waved goodbye and each took their merchant ships loaded with goods to the corresponding port.
Port No. 5, where the potteries were loaded and unloaded, was not far north of the Krati River. The reason for this arrangement was because the Ministry of Commerce considered that potteries were an indispensable commodity in the people's daily life. There was a high demand for potteries, and potteries were easily damaged. Therefore, the port was closer to the city to facilitate transportation.
The cargo ship entered the port and docked at the dock. The laborers at the dock unloaded the goods and transported them to the warehouse. The foreman accompanied Hesklaus to the office in the warehouse. The process was similar to the one at the Port of Piraeus, but what happened next was different.
"Are you a citizen of Diónia or a foreigner?" the clerk asked.
"A citizen of Diónia, from Thessaly Peleus." Hesklaus answered as he showed the iron token of Diónia that he carried with him to the clerk.
The clerk looked at it carefully and asked, "Have you registered with the Ministry of Commerce to have the right to do business?"
"Yes, this is my merchant certificate." Hesklaus took out another iron token that he carried with him.
The clerk looked at it carefully again and asked, "Is this your first time doing business in Turií?"
"No, I've been here many times. I have a shop in the pottery market."
"In that case, I won't tell you about the things you should pay attention to when doing business in Turií." The clerk said seriously, "But if you are found to be lying in the future, as a citizen of Diónia, not only will you be severely punished, but you may also be deprived of your citizenship. Do you understand?!"
"Yes!"
"Please confirm whether there is any mistake on the goods list?" The clerk handed him a paper book. The opened paper clearly stated the types and quantity of goods that Hesklaus carried, and the clerk's signature was at the end. (After being inspired by the Devers, the craftsmen, after countless experiments, finally created paper that could be used for writing. The Cristoya Chamber of Commerce produced and sold it in large quantities. Since then, the Holy Kingdom of Diónia no longer had to worry about the shortage of papyrus.)
After Hesklaus confirmed that there was no mistake, he also signed his name. Then he turned to the second paper and signed his name on the same content.
The clerk stamped it, tore off one of the sheets, and handed it to Hesklaus. The whole port inspection was over. It was not like the port of Piraeus, where the total value of the imported goods was calculated repeatedly, and the merchants had to pay a 10% tax, and the quality of the silver coins was measured. It was very complicated.
The dock laborers transported the goods to the port exit. After Hesklaus handed the goods list to the guard for inspection, he could leave the port. Since the pottery market was not far from the port, he did not let the dock laborers continue to transport the goods. He paid them on the spot. Then he sent someone to inform the staff in the shop to transport the pottery.
Athens Pottery. This was the name of Hesklaus's pottery shop. It was simple and straightforward, but the customers understood it at a glance. Hesklaus was the first of the pottery merchants from Athens to set up shop in Turií. (Before the Greek War, because of the trade boycott against Diónia by Athens and its maritime allies, no one from Athens did business in Diónia, and it was almost impossible for Diónia merchants to directly buy pottery from Athens.) It was impossible for the later Athens merchants to set up shop in Turií with similar shop names, because the Law of Diónia stipulated that the same kind of goods were not allowed to have duplicate shop names.
It was said that some Athens merchants hated Hesklaus very much, thinking that the great name "Athens Pottery" had been desecrated by a Thessaly man. But no one dared to hurt him blatantly because he was a citizen of Diónia, and he was protected by the big shots of Diónia.
Hercules walked into the shop and saw that most of the shelves were empty. A smile suddenly appeared on his face. "It seems that business has been good recently!"
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