Our arrival at Palermo, our last stop in the Mediterranean, reminded us of
what true prosperity looks like. Field crops and cattle populate the
countryside while ships come and go from their busy harbour, unlike our former
lands in Thrace and Morea, ravaged by war, plague, and betrayal. Always under
the constant threat of pirates from the Barbary Coast, the powerful Aragonese
fleet kept them mostly out of their shores. A humbling reminder that power
and prosperity usually go together, and we have lost both.
Knowing this could be the last chance we set foot on land, at least for a time
, some of our nobles took an interest in exploring the city and seeing what it
could us, since though there was no more room for supplies, every opportunity
must be explored.
During the day, while Theophilos dealt with merchants and various curious
people, Konstantinos wandered around the city and stumbled upon a mercenary
from Valencia named Sebastià Miquel, who offered his services as commander of
his seventy four men. "It may not be much, but our experience in Iberia and
the Reconquista have made us experts on scouting and fighting in hostile lands
.", said the rough man.
Interestingly, when the sun was about to set, Konstantinos did not come
back alone; a young woman accompanied him, fair and blond of hair,
with a determined look in her eyes. It was obvious she knew more than most...
especially for a complete stranger. "She is very persuasive", argued
Konstantinos to his surprised cousin, gazing upon her as she boarded the Agia
Theotoke. "Aurelia is her name", said with a smile.
https://i.imgur.com/fZsb4zR.jpg
西西里岛的晴天
抵达地中海的最后一站巴勒莫，让我们想起了真正的繁荣是什么样子。大田作物和牛群遍
布乡村，船只在繁忙的港口进出，这与我们以前在色雷斯和摩里亚的土地不同，这里饱受
战争、瘟疫和背叛的蹂躏。强大的阿拉贡舰队始终受到巴巴里海岸海盗的持续威胁，将他
们大部分拒之门外。这是一个令人谦卑的提醒：权力和繁荣通常是相辅相成的，但我们却
失去了两者。
知道这可能是我们踏上陆地的最后一次机会，至少在一段时间内，我们的一些贵族有兴趣
探索这座城市，看看它能给我们带来什么，因为虽然没有更多的补给空间，但每一个机会
都必须被探索。
白天，当狄奥菲卢斯与商人和各种好奇的人打交道时，康斯坦丁诺斯在城里闲逛，偶然发
现了一位来自巴伦西亚的雇佣兵，名叫塞巴斯蒂亚·米克尔，他作为七十四名士兵的指挥
官提供了服务。 “可能不多，但我们在伊比利亚和收复失地运动中的经历使我们成为了
在敌对土地上侦察和战斗的专家。”粗野的人说。
有趣的是，太阳快要落山的时候，康斯坦丁诺斯却没有来。
独自回来；一位金发碧眼的年轻女子陪伴着他，
她的眼神里充满了坚定。很明显她比大多数人知道的更多……尤其是对于一个完全陌生的
人来说。 “她非常有说服力，”康斯坦丁诺斯对他惊讶的表弟说道，当她登上阿吉亚·
西奥托克号时，他凝视着她。 “奥里莉亚是她的名字”，微笑着说道。
雇用雇佣兵。我们可能需要他。
等待！你认为她有妹妹吗？