After the discussion about the gods, everyone was actually a little confused. When winter is approaching in the Mediterranean, there is always a lot of rain, even in winter, and it is often rain and snow that fall together, and the cold that makes people cold to the bone is really unbearable, of course, this is the exact words of Captain Messos.

Naga, Mnachi, and Choi Shiba, who had never seen snow before, had a great curiosity about snow, but the rest of the crowd was bored by the never-ending drizzle in front of them. For a few days, only occasionally the sun stingily sprinkled a few rays of sunlight from the middle of the clouds, followed by a continuous drizzle.

Although there was a slight sea breeze blowing through the sea, it was not a good feeling that the ship was wet everywhere, except for Al Hesyn, his butler Maxod, and his nephew Nuralman, who used to walk in the middle of the desert all day. Places like Cairo may still have some rain, and the rest of the Arabian Peninsula is dry and rainless all year round, where have Mesoud and Nuralman seen such a rainy weather all day? They were blessed to thank Allah for the blessing they had seen in their prayers, but it also made the people who were impatient with the rain look at them with nothingness.

At this time, the sailing of ships basically depended on the captain's grasp of direction and speed, because technology such as the compass or compass had not yet been born in Europe, or it had not yet spread from the East to the West. Therefore, the captains in the Mediterranean Sea are very remarkable, they basically have a good ability to control the course and speed with one hand, perhaps they are used to running on the Mediterranean Sea all year round, and Mussos slightly exaggerated that he can find the direction of Athens even in the dark.

"It's a skill the gods have given me!" This boastful Athenian gained a lot of white eyes.

"Don't brag about yourself, Mussos, I admit you're a good captain," Old Luo stopped Mussos's flirtatation, and then pointed to a faint line of black in front of him on the left, "Look, what's over there?" ”

"Oh ha! We're in Crete, we're in Crete! Mussos looked into the distance for a moment, then leaned on his steering wheel and shouted loudly.

The people on board, along with the sailors and the merchant ship of Soratinouk in the right rear, shouted excitedly. It seems that the rain for days has brought a lot of depression to everyone's hearts.

At this time, as if God had played a joke on everyone, the clouds far away in the west leaked a gap, and the sun passed through the gap, with a little colored glow of the sunset, reflecting on the approaching island of Crete, a wisp of golden white and the surrounding dark sea formed a sharp contrast, the scenery in front of them was like a god's domain, so that the cheering crowd's open mouths could not be closed, and there were already sailors who still believed in the Greek gods praying silently.

For more than ten long days, on the day of coming out of Alexandria, there was basically no sunny day, and all the people were about to be driven crazy by the humid environment, and at this moment, all the people were almost crazy and shouted, and the sailors on the ship were even busier, and the lookout climbed up the mast and shouted.

Time seemed to slow down at this moment, as if the time near the shore had become a century long, and everyone was in a bit of a trance until the moment they set foot on land.

A small town at the eastern tip of Crete, called Sitia, with a small port, was only the smallest supply point on the edge of Crete. People who have been tired for many days and depressed for days on the ship really don't have the energy to go to the central cities of Crete such as Heraklion, where the wine is famous.

Even seasoned sailors don't want to stay in wet cabins anymore, but the small town of Sitia has a lot to offer, with a tavern catering to all sailors, and a small inn with dry and clean beds for all those accustomed to living on land.

Of course, these people do not include Lao Luo, a professional soldier who used to carry out missions in the Amazon throughout the rainy season. At the first glance of disembarking, Lao Luo noticed the most obvious mark of a building on the shore - a cross, which was absolutely absent in North Africa at this time, even in the chaotic city of Alexandria.

The rest of the ship was naturally the business of the captain of the ship, and Lao Luo and his party were responsible for finishing dinner and going to sleep, and of course the old leather merchant Soratinok on the other boat stayed in a hotel with them.

The next morning, the sky was clear, as if all the rain before yesterday had been in a dream. After discussing with Lao Luo, Mussos decided to rest for two days, and Soratinok did the same, but in the morning, when everyone was leisurely basking in the sun, Soratinok found Lao Luo.

"Mr. Bartol, may I ask you a question?" Old Soratinok asked Lao Luo seriously.

"Speak, Mr. Soratinok." Lao Luo sat up from the recliner, Hua Biao rolled lazily on his belly, turned over and ran to the fruit shelf next to him, and continued to squint and nap.

"Well, will you stay in the West, or will you soon return to the East?" Soratinok's question was a bit cautious.

Lao Luo also heard this caution, so the distraction in his eyes quickly faded, "I may spend the winter in the Balkans, and then go to the East before spring comes." ”

"IMHO, why go? Here you can run a business as well. Soratinok's old face was full of seriousness, "I believe in my own vision, you are not an ordinary person. ”

"Why? I'm just an ordinary traveler. Lao Luo pretended not to care very casually, "There are people like me running around everywhere, and I am actually very ordinary." ”

"Alright, young man, relax, I have no ill intentions," Soratinok sat down in the chair next to him, the wood-framed and rattan chair creaking with some fear of collapsing, "I'm just a nosy old fellow. ”

"What did Mussos tell you about me?" Lao Luo's eyes were a little unhappy, but his complexion did not show it.

"No, no, Mussos is a dedicated young man," Soratinok took a grape from the low table and threw it into his mouth, "don't get him wrong, I can see it with my own eyes, don't you believe in your own performance?" ”

Lao Luo said with a little frustration: "Why do I always meet old guys like you?" Clever and cunning, like an old wolf in the desert? ”

"Because in this era, those who are not clever enough and cunning enough have died early, and only an old guy like me can be lucky to survive." Old Soratinok's words were full of vicissitudes and silence, "Many brave, kind, compassionate, and intelligent people have died, and only people like me, who know a little bit but are not good at anything, have survived." ”

"Well, tell me what you have to say, you cunning old fellow." Lao Luo sighed helplessly and said, "Don't think about it, I'm just taking care of the elderly." ”

"O young man who refuses to admit defeat," all the furrows on Soratinok's old face were full of cunning, especially when the words came out later, Lao Luo was eager to punch him, "Your later companion is Ibn al-Hatham of Fatima, right?" ”

"Ibn al-Hatham? I heard that he died in an accident at the docks," Lao Luo didn't believe that he had discovered Al-Hassen, and besides, he didn't have to worry about the pursuit of the Fatimid Kingdom on this island, "As for my new companion, his name is Elhesyn. ”

"Well, well, Ibn al-Hatham or Al-Hassin," Perhaps Soratinok found that he did not have enough cards, or perhaps he was too lazy to debunk Lao Luo's words, "I want to say that right now in Byzantium, the times are turbulent, and young people can do something here. ”

Lao Luo stared at Soratinok for a while, not intending to hide his idea of wanting to do something, and said, "Byzantium? No, I don't have any roots here, and no one will support me. ”

"I can support you, and my friends will support you as much as I do." Soratinok said without hesitation.

"You? You guys? Lao Luo shook his head, "Forget it, I don't see how capable you are, and I don't know who you represent." ”

"I am the largest fur merchant in northern Africa, and my friends are nobles or merchants at the top of the Byzantine Empire." Soratinok said unabashedly: "Aren't we the ones who have at least half of the power of Byzantium? ”

This old guy is so cunning, what is he doing with such a big strength? If you succeed, you are a puppet at most, and if you fail, you are a suitable scapegoat, and they don't have to take any risks. After pondering for a while, Lao Luo said: "To be honest, the strength of you and your friends is good, but not enough. ”

"Why not enough? At that time, Emperor Dante the Great had only a few thousand people, and few people supported him. Soratinok said with some annoyance.

"You also know that it was 700 years ago, when there were only a few people in the Balkans?" Lao Luo said with some disdain, the mind of a businessman is used for war? It's just a joke, "And now how many are there in the Balkans?" Moreover, there is the Holy See watching in the west, the Kingdom of Saxony in the north, and the Abbasid Kingdom in the east......"

"Maybe there will be a bloodless war...... "The old merchant Soratinok was still a little unwilling.

"What war can be bloodless?" Lao Luo's tone was surprisingly tough, "Even a simple dynasty king change will bleed!" There has never been an exception in history! ”