Chapter 413 - 292: The Blessed Tomb

Cilicia, Mamistra City

Eric and his men were quartered in a district of Mamistra City, the very same area where the Turkic people were detained.

It seemed intentional.

The elderly Jewish man, Modkai, who had argued on behalf of the Normans, was assigned as the liaison for Eric’s party, responsible for negotiations between the Normans and the citizens of Mamistra City.

This was the same role he played for the city in its dealings with the Turkic People of Syria.

Modkai was born in the Southern France Region. Although he could speak French, he did not write it. He also spoke Italian, Macedonian, and Greek. He had apparently run a bank in Marseille Port until the Jews were expelled from the city.

Afterward, he came to Syria, where he earned the appreciation of an Arab noble and worked for him. When the Turkic People destroyed the rule of the Arabs and Persians, he moved to Byzantine Anatolia. However, many of his relatives and colleagues were still in the service of the Turkic People.

This was why he was always able to negotiate favorable terms for the withdrawal of enemy forces from Mamistra City.

This had earned Modkai a great reputation in Mamistra City. The Municipal Official could only assert his supreme authority in the city on trivial matters; most of the time, he had to consider Modkai’s opinion.

The authority of Mamistra City’s Municipal Official came from Constantinople, but now, Constantinople felt impossibly distant in the hearts of all the Empire’s surviving subjects in Anatolia.

With Turkic raids occurring more than three times a month and frequent food shortages in the city, distant Constantinople could provide them with nothing. The only ones they could rely on were themselves.

They couldn’t care less about distant Jerusalem. Compared to the recovery of the Holy Sepulchre and the salvation of their souls, they were far more concerned with saving their city and securing more food.

In the seven years since the Empire’s catastrophic defeat, the Turkic People had become nearly invincible in their minds. They had once invited the few remaining organized Imperial army units in Anatolia to fight for Mamistra City, yet without exception, they were all easily defeated by the Turkic forces.

Mamistra City, on the other hand, had to pay reparations in food time and again, and those thuggish soldiers with their pitiful combat effectiveness had also caused considerable damage to the city.

Therefore, they were not optimistic about Eric’s contingent. Although they looked intimidating, the Normans’ reputation was already infamous. Who knew if this wasn’t just another scheme?

In the minds of Mamistra City’s citizens, the Normans were only a tiny bit better than the Turkic People.

For the first three days after Eric’s party entered Mamistra City, all the citizens hid in their homes and refused to come out. If they happened to encounter them on the streets, they would run far away.

This situation did not last long—only three days.

Why three days? Because on the third day, the Pisan fleet arrived at the port of Mamistra City, bringing with them twenty shiploads of grain.

Half was to be sold, and the other half was for relief.

Eric announced to the citizens that this was only the beginning. He explained that their purpose in coming here, bearing the cross, was not to fight wicked Heretics. Their goal was to reclaim the lands that once belonged to the Christ World, including Anatolia, so that all Christians could once again live, prosper, and practice their faith on these lands.

He stressed that their mission was not merely to rescue their oppressed brethren, but to rebuild the glory of Christianity and allow the teachings of Christ to take root once more in the places formerly ruled by Heretics.

He promised that more Warriors bearing the cross, more supplies, and greater Power would continue to arrive in a steady stream to ensure victory in this holy struggle.

Eric’s promises, combined with the arrival of the grain, almost immediately eased the atmosphere in Mamistra City. Taverns, inns, and brothels... all quickly reopened for business.

The citizens began to proactively engage with the Crusaders, selling goods and offering services in exchange for their currency to buy food.

...

Eric wandered through the market, feigning interest in the goods and striking up conversations with various merchants.

Most of the citizens could speak Greek, or at least make themselves understood in the language.

The content of the conversations was not important; Eric just wanted to show the citizens his affable side.

Modkai accompanied Eric nearly every day. Eric would ask him about the local dialect of Mamistra City and learn a few phrases. He would then use them in his conversations with the citizens, deliberately speaking them poorly to give them a chance to correct him.

This usually put the citizens in a good mood, and they became quite willing to chat a little longer with Eric.

As for Belem, on his very first day in the city, he took his men and wandered the streets, seeking out another, less conspicuous but equally important, type of trade in Mamistra City.

At one end of the market square stood several large houses with long benches placed out front. Many young women sat on these benches; like everything else in Mamistra City, they too were for sale.

One could purchase them outright for a certain price, and many men found suitable wives this way. However, for a lower price, one could buy a brief "wifely companionship."

This sort of companionship was most appealing to the Knights.