Chapter 735: Volume 21: The Dark Road - 15: The Advent of Turbulent Times
From the Tilo City-State to Piraeus, from Corinth to Troy, from Gallipoli to Piergos, Hayreddin and Drake split into two groups, each leveraging their connections to quickly get things moving in various places.
To build a fleet, even an ordinary merchant fleet, one needs a multitude of skilled sailors and seafarers; fortunately, the thriving Corinth and Piraeus meant the decline of some other mercantile city-states, like Tilo City-State and Gallipoli City-State, which provided Hayreddin and Drake with an abundant workforce.
These city-states, located in the Saronikos Bay like Corinth and Piraeus, once flourished solely based on their unique geographical locations. Their trade was severely impacted as the Demisheme Pirates grew increasingly brazen. Their navies were now unable to maintain the normal operation of their city-state fleets, which led to further business declines. In a vicious cycle, the economic situation worsened, with some on the brink of bankruptcy. The arrival of Hayreddin and Drake finally gave many idle veteran sailors and seamen satisfactory employment.
News of Hayreddin and Drake’s recruitment spread quickly through the Sisonia Peninsula and the Saronikos Bay, and with it came rumors of the development on Xifnos Island. The Lord of the Caucasus from the Northern Kingdom of Nicosia planned to transform Xifnos Island into a cargo transshipment hub. Goods from nations along the Southern Mediterranean coast and the vast Continent could freely enter and exit through this junction. This news swiftly attracted the attention of nations and city-states in the Southern Mediterranean who were curious how these newcomers would handle the threat from the Carter Fleet and the Demisheme Pirate Group.
The astonishing move by the Carter Fleet, flying the Bloody Rose, to patrol around Xifnos Island immediately caused a sensation across the Southern Mediterranean. This implicitly signaled that the Carter Fleet not only recognized the presence of these newcomers in the Southern Mediterranean but could even be seen as a warning—that the existence on Xifnos Island was under the protection of the Carter Fleet!
While the nations and city-states of the Southern Mediterranean were puzzled, traders were already unable to contain their excitement. The rise of Corinth and Piraeus caused the industrial and commercial elites of city-states like Tilo and Gallipoli to lose their economic privileges. Lacking abundant natural resources and without the advantageous conditions of Corinth and Piraeus, their pride rested solely in their superior port facilities. When even this advantage was taken away, it signaled the onset of a decline for these industrialists and merchants.
No one wished to languish in a dying city-state; heading to a prosperous new city-state was undoubtedly the wisest choice. When merchants from Tilo and Gallipoli visited with a tentative mindset, they discovered that Xifnos Island had already become a truly splendid beginning.
The Nine-story Lighthouse could be seen from eighty nautical miles away, and the beautifully designed spiral lighthouse, towering like the Babylonian King’s Tower of Babel on the southeast end of Xifnos Island, was impressively majestic. The Luminous Flame rising from the magic lamps shone even more dazzlingly in the night, unobscured by even the fiercest storms and waves.