On the corner of Lisbon's Martin Monets Avenue is a humble house, a two-story building of stone and heavy wooden pillars that can be seen everywhere in this coastal city, and the windows nailed to the wooden sheathing sometimes flickering around, or wafting out of the laughter of the partyers and the enticing smell of food.

Many people know the origin of the owner of this house, a merchant from Bariari.

The Castilian man named Mattheus Tiego had a good reputation, fair dealings, generous dealings, and was very religious, he was never absent from worship and prayer, and his neighbors often saw him going in and out of the church to confess to the clergy, and he was willing to do his best for the diocese by donating from time to time, so it can be said that he was a decent man who made everyone feel willing to associate with him.

It's been more than half a year since Matthews Tiego arrived in Lisbon, and in that time he has done a lot.

In addition to doing business normally, he threw a lot of the money Alexander gave him into the city, from the powerful to the merchants, from the priests to the prostitutes, Thiegor not only knew many people in the city, but also built an invisible network of connections among them.

Of course, there was a lot to be paid for it, but compared to the money he put in, the deals that Tiego made in private were the real ones.

Spending money from da Gama's uncle to buy the right to trade between a Mediterranean port and a new future shipping route may not seem like a big deal, and new affairs always attract enough curiosity and risky investment, but before it is known whether this new route exists, or even whether the people who explored the route can return safely, the exchange of the shares of the sugar cane plantations on the island of Crete for the first refusal of da Gama's uncle to buy the new future shipping route cannot but be called a big deal.

After all, a priority is so expensive, so what kind of conditions should be given if da Gama does return to Lisbon in the future?

Thiego had indeed guessed this at the time, and the terms of the negotiations with Vasco da Gama that Alexander had subsequently offered him proved his guess to be true.

In July 1499, a merchant ship called "Berio" returned to Lisbon, Portugal, after a long voyage, and the long-suffering ship was greeted like a hero as soon as it returned, although the captain repeatedly claimed that the flagship of the commander of their voyage had to dock somewhere in Africa for repairs because of trouble on the way, and that it would take some time to return, but people could not wait to tell the news of the new route.

It was at this time that Tiego again visited Vasco da Gama's hometown in Sines.

Da Gama's uncle, Markt da Gama the Elder, received the Castilian merchant in such a warm manner that he even left behind a crowd of friends to receive Tygo in a remote room, and when Tygo offered to meet the captain of the "Berio" alone, the elder Markt was happy to offer to help.

What Thiegor brought this time was a new offer from Alexander.

The temptation of the new route is enormous, and people see endless wealth, although they also know that this road is certainly not so easy to follow, but the huge profits drive people to risk their lives and possessions again and again.

But even so, many people are still unclear about what the new route means for the future, and their eyes are on gold, ivory and spices, and many people have not clearly understood that it is not just about money and status.

But now Thiegor did not think of these things either, and he only remembered to faithfully carry out the task that Alexander had commanded, and after some arrangement by the elder Marquet, he met the captain named Marcolli in his own home in Lisbon.

The captain named Marcolelli was a slick but out-and-out philistine in contrast to old Marquet, and when Tiego offered him a good sum of money, he immediately showed his greedy nature, and reminded the foreign merchant of how hot he was these days.

Although he had been prepared for this scene, Tiego was still a little annoyed, but he continued to deal with the captain quietly, and after offering to finance his voyage entirely on his own and not on the long-hopeful Vasco da Gama, Tiego offered a price that the man could not help but be impressed by.

"In the future, the new traders will have a half-percent stake," which is the condition proposed by Tiego, "and the naval commander of the newly occupied areas that can be recognized by the king." ”

Marcolliri's beard, which had just been smeared with a layer of butter, trembled, could not help but make his heart flutter.

Marcoliri knew that da Gama's ambitions for the new route were not just to gain wealth, but also to gain a respectable status, and although the da Gama family was also a prominent family in Portugal, it was much worse than the nobles of Lisbon.

Vasco da Gama hoped to gain the king's appreciation by opening up new routes, and he had begun to openly proclaim himself governor in some parts of Africa, a title that was not secure because it had not yet been recognized by the king, but it was not impossible for the sake of the great wealth to come.

Marcoliri was envious of da Gama, especially when only two of the four ships that went to sea were now left, and as the second most nominally in the expedition fleet after da Gama, it was impossible for Marcoliri not to think more about himself.

"An expedition under my command?" "So what do you want, I mean do you want to establish your own trading post in the East, or do you just want to open up a trade route through trade?" ”

"Of course it's the former, we won't limit ourselves to a few simple trades, which is why I promised you to become the commander of the navy, because we don't just want to gain wealth, but also to open up new worlds in the future."

"New World?" Marcolelli asked, a little puzzled, he had heard too many descriptions of the New Seaways, the New Markets, and the Rich East, but he had not yet heard of the New World.

"Yes, don't you think we're actually standing at the door of a new world?" Tiego asked casually, of course he didn't expect this man to agree with him, or that his real target wasn't the greedy philistine captain of the Berio.

Tiego had two objectives in Lisbon, one of which was da Gama, which kept him on the lookout for news about the expedition.

Although da Gama had not yet returned to Lisbon, Berio's early return had caused the frenzy of Lisbon himself, and all sorts of chambers of commerce seemed to pop up overnight, and countless people were full of fantasies about the road to riches leading to the East, and the most exciting of them was King Manuel I of Portugal.

Although various preparations had been made for the opening of sea routes as early as the time of King John I of Portugal, and it was also the time of John I that the famous navigator Dias discovered the Cape of Good Hope, when Manuel I ascended the throne, his plan to resume sea exploration was still opposed by various nobles, in addition to the fear of labor and money, but also because of the fear that they might focus too much on the sea, giving their powerful neighbor an opportunity.

Both Castile and Aragon were too powerful for Spain, and the two countries were now showing signs of unification, so even though Manuel I married the daughter of the couple, the Portuguese were still cautious of their proximity.

So Vasco da Gama was able to make this trip not only because of the king's support, but also because of the great assistance of the merchants, who enthusiastically provided him with supplies and experienced crews, and what they demanded in return was simple, a new route to the East, which had never been known before.

Manuel I himself was under a lot of pressure to show his nobility and people what he was capable of with several brilliant achievements, especially for a king who was succeeded to the throne by various coincidences and was called "lucky" behind his back.

Finally, the much-anticipated merchant ship San Gabriel of da Gama finally appeared off the coast of Lisbon, and at that moment the whole of Lisbon seemed to be boiling.

The King's dispatch of a ship flying the royal flag to escort the St. Gabriel into the harbor was an honor that attracted the attention of many nobles who had greeted the expedition on behalf of the king, apparently deliberately to embarrass them, and the great welcome ceremony that followed in St. George's Castle brought the welcome feast to a climax.

However, Manuel I was clearly not satisfied, and after ordering that all this be recorded in detail as a basis for future recounting of this great moment, he ordered celebrations to be held throughout the country to celebrate this great discovery and "the feat that changed the whole country."

Manuel I was so happy, and the reason why he was so happy was also inseparable from the "next-door neighbor".

The discovery of a new route to the East by a man named Columbus had been spreading in Portugal for a long time, and it is said that the man had already brought back a great deal of coveted wealth from the East on more than one occasion.

This was a source of good fortune that had always spurred Manuel I, but he knew that the couple had a strict grip on the new shipping lane, and just thinking that they had immediately invested heavily in shipbuilding knew that they would never allow anyone else to covet their new route.

Now that Portugal also has its own new routes, it is impossible for the trade routes to the East to be monopolized by Castile alone, and this alone gives Portugal enough opportunity to compete with that neighbor.

The King of Portugal was thrilled and even carried away by these benefits, but fortunately he had not forgotten the greatest contributor to this expedition.

The king entertained da Gama at the castle of San Giorgio, at which he appointed him "Commander-in-Chief of the Portuguese Navy in the whole East" without consulting anyone, and then he generously declared da Gama the life beneficiary of the Portuguese royal family, a status that even made a large nobleman present express his displeasure on the spot.

But while da Gama was grateful for the king's appreciation, he was most concerned about how much he would gain from the adventure in which he had lost a full half of his crew, and even his brother had put his life on the line.

Many people offered da Gama an olive branch, hoping to cooperate with him or sponsor his next expedition, but da Gama had to negotiate with a Castilian with a right of first refusal.

A right of first refusal was exchanged for a stake in a sugar cane plantation in Crete, and even da Gama, who considered himself well-informed, could not help but be amazed by such a large sum.

And after some conversation with the merchant from Bareari, da Gama had to admit that his old Uncle Markt was not wrong.

When he saw some documents about the free trade zone alliance that Tiego brought him, da Gama was not very convinced at first, he didn't know how in the two years since he left Portugal, such a staggering trade alliance appeared in the Mediterranean, you must know that the da Gama family also has a wealth of experience in the Mediterranean, so he felt that to form an alliance of this scale as this person said, it is not possible to achieve it in just a few years.

At this time, however, some of Tiego's friends at the Portuguese court came into play.

Many people, whether they know or don't know the FTA Alliance, praise him as a kind Castilian, a wealthy, reliable, and seemingly well-connected businessman, and more importantly, someone who does business in the Mediterranean confirms to da Gama that all this is true.

"From Amsterdam on the north coast to the Moors on the south side of the Mediterranean, there's a lot of buying and selling in this free zone."

Such a statement made da Gama finally decide to take this Castilian merchant seriously.

A contract was soon signed, a sharing agreement signed under the name of the Free Trade Alliance with da Gama's New Voyage Expedition.

In this agreement, the FTA will be the only organization that has the sole right to trade on the new Vasco da Gama route, which means that anyone in the Mediterranean who tries to do business through this route will have to pay a fee to both parties who sign the agreement, otherwise they will be seen as infringing on the interests of both parties.

Unbeknownst to da Gama, Tiego's hands were trembling when the agreement was signed, for the terms he had offered da Gama for the agreement had made him almost lose his heart when he signed his name.

The 240,000 florins paid in 12 times, as well as the 1 percent annual interest of the free trade zone, all these things make Tiego wonder if it is worth paying such a large price, after all, in order to recover such a huge investment, it will have to invest the same huge cost in the future to open up new markets, and whether it will really be enough to get enough returns is still unclear.

Vasco da Gama was also struck by the courage of the Count of Montina, and he couldn't help but be very interested in the young nobleman who was said to have single-handedly created this free trade alliance, so after signing the contract, da Gama made a slightly curious request to Tiego: "I don't know if I have the pleasure of meeting that count of yours, to be honest I think he is even more powerful than King Manuel, so I wonder how he can have so much confidence in me, I know that you went to visit my uncle in November last year, You know, I was still dealing with the natives in India. ”

Listening to the great explorer's curious inquiry, Tiego smiled reservedly, and at this time he suddenly felt that he had spent most of the year in this strange and hostile country.

"I can't say exactly when it will be, but with the Earl's siblings' keen interest in your new route, I'm sure you'll have the opportunity to meet them soon. Trust me they will not disappoint you, I have never met anyone like Lord Earl and Miss Count, they both have a fascinating temperament and charm, Lord Count is a visionary, and Miss Count is intelligent and decisive, I am sure you will think so when you see them. ”

Tiego's unsparing praise made da Gama's curiosity even stronger, and he couldn't help asking, "I notice that you mentioned the sister of the Count of Montina more than once. ”

"Oh, yes, but now we should call her Her Majesty the Queen of Naples," said Tiegellius, smilingly, "but many people are still willing to call her Mademoiselle Countess, especially her old subordinates like me. ”

"It's really interesting, it doesn't sound like you're talking about a noble lady than a general." Vasco da Gama said with some amusement.

"Yes, in the eyes of many, Josa Kosenza is more of a general than a queen." Tiego smiled proudly.

The signing of the agreement with da Gama was a great relief to Tiego, although I don't know if the contract was worth it, but at least he had completed half of his two missions in Lisbon.

As for the other mission, although it made Tiego very confused, he still fulfilled it to the letter.

After sending a letter to Alexander to report that he had finally completed one of his tasks, and receiving Alexander's reply, on a rainy afternoon in mid-September, Tygo came out of his house on Martin Monets Street, and went to the nearby church to pray, as usual, and then entered the door of a convent perpendicular to the gate of St. George's Castle.

Tiego knocked lightly on the somewhat heavy door, and as a small window opened, a crumpled face appeared in the window.

"It's you, this time you're here to donate the lamp oil money again?" Although the old man who guarded the door asked, he opened the door without stopping, "Come in, speaking of which, I really rarely see such a devout person as you, and it is said that you have given money to almost all the churches and monasteries in Lisbon, right?" ”

"Offering to God is a virtue and the only way to save our souls in this sinful world." Tiego replied reverently, and then he raised his head and smiled at the old man, "But this time I'm here to see the dean, or rather, to see Her Royal Highness Princess Juana." ”