Chapter 43

"In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there."

"Here, the maritime trade office can only collect taxes in rice, one-tenth of the cargo. If there is no rice, the tax rate will rise to three-tenths or even four-tenths. Merchant ships without rice will not unload here unless they need to stop over; they will go to Guangzhou or Quanzhou. Different maritime trade offices have different regulations on the goods for taxation, but there are ten types of goods that must be sold to the maritime trade office and cannot be sold privately."

"For these questions from Hong Tao, Luo Youde didn't need to think; this was his expertise."

"Which ten?" Hong Tao's heart skipped a beat. He was afraid that the ten goods included something he planned to trade in the future. If so, it would be a disaster, as all would have to be purchased by the government at fixed prices, leaving little profit.

"Hawksbill turtle shell, ivory, rhinoceros horn, steel, crocodile skin, coral, carnelian, frankincense, purple ore, and brass." As Luo Youde spoke, he pulled out a silk scroll from his chest and handed it to Hong Tao.

When Hong Tao opened it, he immediately felt a good impression of the Song Dynasty's maritime trade office. It was the first time he had a good feeling about a tax department. The silk scroll was actually a list of goods for purchase by the Song Dynasty's maritime trade office. It not only listed the ten goods prohibited from private sale but also included illustrations and descriptions, which deserved praise for the service attitude.

"In my hometown, crocodile skin is very common, everywhere, and very fierce!" Among the ten items, there were no names that worried Hong Tao, so he was relieved. However, he didn't understand what Luo Youde meant by three of the items. After looking at the illustrations and descriptions on the list, he finally understood. Crocodile skin was what he meant by "crocodile skin"; the illustration looked like a gecko, which was actually a crocodile. As for why the court needed crocodile skin, who knew? It was probably rare, and certainly not for making shoes or bags. Purple ore was red copper ore, and brass was natural yellow copper ore.

"Hong brother's hometown is truly a wonderful place..." Luo Youde didn't know how to chat with Hong Tao. If all the precious things in the Song Dynasty were common in your hometown, it was really a blow to the ego!

"Once I build a large ocean-going ship, if Brother Luo is interested, I would be willing to take you to see if it's really like that... hehehe!" Hong Tao also picked up on Luo Youde's undertone, but as long as he wanted to brag, he could keep it up. Who could verify it?

"How capable is your large ocean-going ship, Brother Hong?" Luo Youde was quite proud. He thought everything in the Song Dynasty was high-tech. Once someone said something was better than the Song Dynasty, he would argue. This wasn't his fault; the Song Dynasty was indeed more advanced than other countries at the time.

"This is a secret for now!" Hong Tao felt he was being too secretive. If this topic continued, the lie about Australia would be exposed. If you have such a good ship, why have you never come to the Song Dynasty?

"Secret... secret..." Luo Youde and Hong Tao had been together for less than a day, and there were already dozens of new terms to summarize.

Luo Youde's colorful bird ship anchored about half a kilometer from the port. Luo Youde took Hong Tao and a few maids on a small boat and stopped directly at the dock. After landing, they passed through crowds of porters, people, soldiers, and clerks, finally leaving the dock area. Luo Youde, who knew the way well, led Hong Tao and Xiao'er to a bamboo archway with red lanterns.

"Brother Hong, let's rest here. My family has already gone to get a carriage. The tea and snacks here are quite good." Luo Youde extended his hand, inviting Hong Tao to go in first.

"Not in a hurry... Is this a tavern or something else?" Hong Tao looked at the archway decorated with silk and flowers, feeling something was off. Who visits a brothel in the middle of the day?

"Zhenhai Tower, the best tavern in Zhenzhou... Does Brother Hong have any other thoughts?" Luo Youde was taken aback by Hong Tao's question and reintroduced the tavern's name, finally understanding.

"Hehehe, I was just being paranoid. In my hometown, only brothels hang red lanterns and flowers at the entrance..." Hong Tao realized he was wrong again. Well, this blame still falls on Australia.

"Ha ha ha ha... Brother Hong is truly a remarkable person. In our Song Dynasty, brothels also hang red lanterns, but they are placed inside bamboo cages. Zhenzhou is a small place, and these are just places for sea travelers. The best places are in Guangzhou and Quanzhou. If Brother Hong is not in a hurry, I will be going to Guangzhou next month. That's a great place. How about we go together?" Luo Youde understood Hong Tao's meaning and laughed heartily, not thinking Hong Tao's thoughts were dirty. He even introduced the scale of the entertainment industry in the Song Dynasty to Hong Tao.

At this moment, a group of people wrapped in headscarves and wearing long robes walked over from the dock. Their attire suggested they were Hindu, but their appearance was dark and thin. Hong Tao thought they were from Indonesia or the Malay Peninsula, where there were also Hindus before being invaded by Islam. Hong Tao didn't understand Hindi, and although he had learned a few phrases from Singh, it was basically the same as not knowing. He wasn't interested in Hindus. Behind them were a few slaves with their hands bound and tied to the barriers at the tavern's entrance like animals.

Song Dynasty high-end taverns were quite interesting. Besides the large archway with red lanterns, there were two rows of barriers on both sides. Luo Youde said they were to prevent carts from crashing into the archway and that guests could tie their donkeys and mules to them, like a parking lot in modern hotels. Of course, if you wanted a higher level of service, the tavern staff could take your mount to the stable in the back, where it would be washed, fueled, waxed, and maintained, all for a fee.

Hong Tao wasn't concerned about these Southeast Asian merchants or the Song Dynasty's valet parking service. The three slaves tied to the barriers caught his attention. Slavery was no longer common in the Song Dynasty, but many Southeast Asian merchant ships had slaves, who were the main labor force for rowing. Sails weren't very useful in navigation at this time, so many ships had two rows of oarsmen. These oarsmen were very tired, and few people would do this job, so slaves were used. The sources of these slaves were varied, including even Africans, who were likely transported by Persians or Arabs from the Middle East. Hong Tao had seen many of them before they even reached the dock, so it wasn't surprising.

However, one of the three slaves was clearly different from the others. He had red hair, greenish-yellow eyes set deep in his sockets, a high forehead, a prominent nose, and a pointed chin. This was clearly a European! How did he end up as a slave? To confirm whether he was mistaken, Hong Tao walked up to him and examined him closely. Yes, a pure European, from Northwest Europe, not a mixed breed like those from Turkey or Greece.