Chapter 460 - Wishes

"More than enough! Admiral!" 

Antonius smiled and helped Fisnik weep his ungroomed face full of tear marks. "You see, it is not that hard to make a response right? Fisnik, we have been working together for eight years, and even if we are going to put an end to our corporation, I want to draw a perfect full stop to not leave behind any regret or dismay when it is time for you to go. Tell me Fisnik, what other concerns do you have? Do not worry, I shall try my ultimate best to fulfil whatever things you have wished for today" 

It seems like Fisnik has calmed down despite him still having a pale face. He stopped weeping, with a few spasmodic sobs occasionally. 

"I hope that my family gets taken care of after I leave." 

"No need to worry about that, they shall receive a similar treatment from us just like when you are still alive." 

"I wish that my children have no knowledge about what their father have done before, and I wish that they can grow up in a safe environment unlike what I have been through back in my youth…" 

"Your children shall only hear tales of their father's bravery and sacrifice on the battlefield, they shall be enrolled into the best school of Thessaloniki growing up healthily without any serious concerns."

"I am grateful for what you have done for me, admiral, I have nothing more to ask for." 

"Great, great…" Antonius sighed and looked up at the sky, always a piece of art painted in a mixture of a blue and grey on a palette never changed by anything, decorated with an array of fluffy white clouds floating across the sky. Indeed a perfect weather to leave, Antonius thought to himself as he turned to Fisnik, who seems to have completely made it through his mind struggles, now staring blankly into the unknown looking like he has aged into his forties suddenly. Antonius sighed and ordered. "Listen, Fisnik, I must see with myself that whether you really deserve all of these coins, so I shall only grant you the amount of money that you can actually carry on your back, come lie on the ground. Guys, please help me to take off his armour!"

Helio stepped out first followed by several other commanders and slowly took off the armour plates of Fisnik one by one, they want to give their friend a farewell ceremony and this is just like waving their old friend goodbye. Fisnik just lied down there and let his friends do whatever they want to his body like a puppet. And finally, Fisnik is being stripped entirely naked except for his inner clothes, Antonius ordered to the surrounding treasurers and guards to place one after another bag of coins on Fisnik's back.

They started with the sacks of silver ingots first, lying it evenly on the bound back of Fisnik with the sacks opened almost blinding every onlookers with the reflected light, showing everyone including the commanders about the value that each sack carries. Helio joined in with the treasurers too transporting one after another sack of silver onto his friend's back, with his hand trembling slightly.

Fisnik laid still without moving his fingers by an inch, the weight of the silver almost felt like nothing to him as he stared at the blue sky, trying to remember what it looks like with his own eyes before he loses the opportunity to do so.

One sack of silver, weighing around two hundred grams, that is already more than what the poor youth running around in the docks of Avlonya for a year, an amount of money that he could only anticipate for in his deep sobbers.

Five sacks of silver, weighing over a kilogram, a sum of money that Fisnik could make over a week when he is already a petty captain under Antonius' fleet, ransacking one after another Ottoman ship transiting between the straits while evading the search of the enemies.

Ten bags of coins, that is the amount of reward he received when the admiral conquered the city of Thessaloniki. It was the biggest sum of reward he has every received for his entire life, his hands are shaking when he received this reward from the admiral himself as the later gave him a gentle pat on his shoulder asking him to keep up his work building the sentry unit.

Fifty bags of coins, by this time Fisnik could already hardly breath with all the weight being pressed on his entire body, he can hardly open his eyes, nothing but darkness filled his eyes. He tried moving his hands, and found with no surprise that he can no longer even feel the presence of his limbs. The lose of senses actually made his minds and thinking processes even sharper as he began thinking about all the things he ever cared about, his brothers back then in Avlonya, the wife who is still in her mid twenties, and the child who has just barely learnt how to walk.

He suddenly regretted agreeing to Antonius so fast, as he now has this urge to appeal to Antonius to marry his wife off after suddenly remembering about her being stashed beneath the pile of coins. His wife is only in her mid twenties and although he did have many women outside, he still love her, by a lot. He has no hope in seeing her becoming a widow and spend the rest of her life in an Orthodox church in the bright of her years according to local traditions. But it is too late now as he could not even move an inch of his muscle in his throat.

Slowly bit by bit, his life faded away with the layer after layer of coins and silvers being stacked on top of him.. And by the time when more than a hundred bags of silver on top of his body, everyone including Helio who is still carrying coins over to his friend knows that he has already passed away.