Chapter 213: Look At My Ships

The construction plans went in a incredible speed as the workers under the guidance and supervision of the 'professional' Orban erected from the lands in a short range of time with its foundation already laid for seeing the coming visions of its future. From the foundations, in the middle of the noises produced by shovels and hammers smashing against the Earth, accompanied with the shouting and sweating of the laborer, a substantial sized fortress started showing itself on the beaches rising from the ground with the tower looking like it is going straight up poking the sky, luminating its power over every passing ship to the Straits of Bosporus. 

The builders, consisting of mainly five hundred locals on the island of  with some other around two hundred from other islands forms the foundation of Antonius' work force. As locals they understand the strategic importance of why are they building this fortress as before they start work in every single morning, the old supervisor wearing a clergy's white robe would come down and explain to them, telling them stories of other islands which do not have a fortress protecting them and their miserable outcomes, invoking the compassionate heart and mind of the workers as they too have lived through that kind of life style merely a little more than a week ago before their new lord arrived. 

While of course some of the stories are true, but most of them are made up a night before, and Anjelo bet that these workers will never have a chance to know if it is true or not. The old man knows very well that after a lie has been passed around the community times after times, it becomes the truth.

Once the fortress is done, the village and the island shall be protected making it able to deter any pests from the sea bothering them, and they can shift their attention to the mine and the iron works. Mean while in the building site, the workers who spent half a day working up and down are having their lunch break, the guys and gals sat around in circles holding their bowls of vegetable pottage and slightly better freshly baked leaven bread provided for free, enjoying their sumptuous meal alongside with music singing out from the bards. They have never experienced life like this before, every thing still seems to be so fresh for them no longer having to spend their life just like in the past on fields and seas, and they know that their efforts are being used to improve their own home lands thus making them put in double the effort.

While for our Antonius, he found himself in that same old state again; There is simply nothing for him to do. Anjelo is handling the common market of the islands and the workers, Abdullah is busy with the collaboration with the subjects setting up a government structure on each island, Orban and Jacob is busy scaling the terrains finding the best place to start mining, Julian and Abraham are securing the surrounding seas chasing off all the pirates, leaving him as perhaps the most unoccupied person here now.

Perhaps this is what all bosses and superiors want to see, the followers being overly capable giving him completely no work at all.

So Antonius went back to Anna's tent to grind on those books once more.

…

The construction went smoothly for a month, transforming the Islands of Prince into a strategic forward base for Antonius and his fleet, with the island Prōtē being made into a centre of resource and manufacturing with irons being made transforming into blades, arrows, artilleries, ammunition. The Island of Prínkēpos and Chalkē being used as a port docking Antonius' fleet, the island of Antigonē planned into where the central government shall seat, with the foreign market and a dock for foreign goods.

With every thing planned and going on smooth fully, it is time to leave.

Although the Islands of Prince is a decent little place marvellous for some one to spend a living here enjoying the soft song of the marram sea waves, the lullaby of sea gulls that sang so damn well that it pulls the soul of any sailor who wants a piece of place called home, with this idea of settling down and living a feudal life just like what Giovanni has planned for himself.

But Antonius knows he cannot stagnate here decaying into those land lords he killed, and if he stagnates, he knows he will not have a unpleasing outcome getting devoured by all the surrounding hungry wolves who want a piece of the Aegean. His ambitious followers will left him in disappointment to seek a better lord, his men will sail away with his ships becoming pirates, and his sailors and varangian will become back to pirates and bandits raiding local villagers as there are not enough food and supplies here for them to use for a long time.

Antonius left the old man Anjelo on the islands, giving him a garrison force of one hundred and fifty men with three war galleys, giving him the full authority on behalf of military, law enforcement, economy, construction and religion of the Prince Islands as a bishop. Yes, Antonius appointed Anjelo as a bishop, although both of them knows that it is not legitimate through the process but they do not really care, as the Patriarch should have more flaming stuff in his mind.

Before all that in order to prevent some people on the islands from having some 'interesting ideas' showing up in their murky heads, and also to demonstrate his strength to the eyes of those right minded island folks with a principled thinking in order to boost their confidence and trust over his lordship, believing that he, Antonius, can truly protect them, Antonius decided to host a parade of the fleet.

The main battle fleet, joining with the sub fleet that sailed back completing their mission of supporting the Sicilian crusader operations in Epirus, now comprises of a total strength of:

Two Carrack Ships, both kindly 'donated' by Hispania merchants after Antonius' men boarded their ships as guests.

Forty one war galleys forming the bulk of Antonius' fleet, with over half of them installed with artilleries and pivoted swivel guns installed.

Fifty barques and cog ships used to transport supplies and manpower.

With two hundred Varangians and five hundred trained marines acting as the prominent land battle force, and over a thousand sailors just in case when things get out of hands.

The massive fleet, perhaps the biggest in the Aegean, sailed in circles of each and every island under Antonius making sure every resident can get a view. With each island they passes, the fleet fires a few shot into the Aegean water exhibiting the thrilling fire power of this new age weapon, often leaving the residents gaping in terror and stupor, some even kneeled down towards the sea praying thinking that it is the wraith of the sea, having heard of this weapon that defines a new age for the very first time.

After finishing the parade for the island of Prōtē, Antonius purposefully stopped by the dock side cheering with the workers constructing the fortress clapping and shouting their lord's name. Antonius came down the ship himself giving these people a hug, accepting the praises, kissing the baby of the baby hugged by her mother, and finally he found the one he is looking for , the village elder who had an interesting conversation with him a month ago.

"Elder!"

Antonius gave the elder a strong pat on his right shoulder, waking up the elder who seems to be still recovering from the visual shock of the fleet with a hundred ships lined together on the sea, and the tingle and drumming in his ears. The elder's body shivered violently turning and forced a smile on his dried grooved cheeks and greeted. "My lord…"

"Come. Come, come elder, come see my ships." Antonius pointed towards his war galleys. "Are my ships gorgeous?"

"My lord, they are as beautiful as Helena of Troy."

Antonius laughed pulling him off from the crowd down a few steps boarding his flag ship taking a closer look at the guns, which is still fuming with smoke.

"Elder! How are my guns!" Asked Antonius as he knocked on the iron hull.

The elder gulped and bowed. "It is like the lightening strike of God, my lord."

Antonius pulled Yuri by his side knocking on his chest and squeezing the muscles on his arm, turned around and asked. "Elder! How are my men!"

"Each and every warrior of Christ under you, my lord, is as muscular and durable as the Balaenoptera roaming the seas!"

Seeing the trembling poor old man is almost falling onto the ground, Antonius could no longer endure himself and chortled out loud, holding the hand of the elder tight asking him. "Final question! Elder! DO you think those evil land lords are a threat against me!"

"Those wicked beings are like grass hoppers trying to confront a eagle soaring the sky, my lord." The elder feel like crying.

After getting the satisfactory answers to all of his questions, Antonius finally let the elder be realising his iron grip off his hand helping the pitiful old man off his ship, then set sail under the cheers and cries of his subjects.