Reincarnated Into The Middle Ages

After Otto and Norn returned to the merchant's inn, they found that the payment for the silk had already arrived—1,500 gold nomismata. Everyone gathered around, looking at Norn expectantly.

Without any fuss, Norn divided the profits according to everyone's investment.

As the gold coins flowed into their purses, the group showered Norn with praise.

Even Otto, who was usually stern and not one for small talk, couldn't help but say, "Norn has grown up. He can take care of himself now!"

On the surface, Norn was modest and polite, but inside, he was thinking, "What on earth does that old fox want? Never mind, I'll be out of here in a couple of days. Let the chips fall where they may."

Time flew by, and soon it was the day before departure. Norn decided to take one last stroll around the city and visit the Hagia Sophia.

The Hagia Sophia is most famous for its massive dome. This ancient building, constructed during the reign of Emperor Justinian, is the epitome of Byzantine splendor: Roman fountains and colonnades, silk from the Silk Road, jewels from Africa, European carvings and crafts, and even Egyptian obelisks are all on display.

As the cathedral of the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Orthodox Church, the nave doesn't have any icons, but the walls are adorned with mosaics of the Virgin Mary and angels.

Norn stood on the colonnade, looking at a mosaic of the Virgin Mary. While admiring the exquisite artwork, he was also thinking about how much it would cost to buy one.

"Very beautiful, isn't it, my child?" Seeing Norn's interest in the mural, a priest dressed in black approached.

"Tell me, my child, what do you see?"

"Money," Norn thought to himself, but he said out loud, "Compassion and love."

"Praise the Virgin Mary," the priest said, looking pleased.

"In the Virgin, the wisdom of heaven and the wisdom of creation, the Holy Spirit dwelling within and the human personhood are all united..."

Norn looked puzzled as the priest kept talking, seemingly delighted to have found a kindred spirit.

"Thank you for your teachings. Please accept these 10 gold nomismata as a pious donation to the Lord's cause," Norn said, pretending to be devout as he dropped the coins into the donation box.

The priest was even happier now and grabbed Norn's hand, ready to continue his sermon.

But another priest came over and whispered something in his ear, and his expression turned serious.

"My child, while you are welcome here anytime, you must leave now!" the priest said sternly, pulling out two black robes from the prayer room. "These may offer you a little help. May the Lord bless you!"

Norn heard the distant noise and felt uneasy. He bowed and took the robes, then quickly pulled William out of the cathedral.

Back at the port, the others were still packing supplies for the journey. DeMol was directing workers to load some local specialties and goods that Norn had bought.

Marco burst in almost like he was crashing the place. "Gentlemen, things are bad. We have to leave today."

"What's going on?" Baron Otto asked.

"Emperor's cousin Andronicus has launched a coup. His supporters are in the navy and the army. The whole city is almost under his control," Marco explained anxiously.

"He's issued an edict to seize all the property of Venetians. The city is in chaos. The guards at the gate can hold on for a while, but if we don't leave today, it'll be too late!"

"Where's Norn?" Otto scanned the crowd, realizing that Norn and William had gone out early that morning.

"My little Norn, God bless you," Otto muttered.

Back with Norn, he and William put on the robes and slipped out of the cathedral. Many intersections were already under martial law, with soldiers in golden scale armor searching for "Latins" like Norn.

"Not good!" Norn hid in a nearby alley and watched as a foreign merchant was robbed and then killed on the spot by soldiers. Blood stained the clean street red.

The soldiers laughed at the corpse, then shouted something to their comrades. Norn could only faintly hear words like "child" and "capture."

"Whoa! That old fox wouldn't go through all this just to catch me, would he? I should have stayed in today."

"We'll just have to play it by ear," Norn thought, feeling a headache coming on. "The main roads are definitely out. We'll have to stick to the alleys."

Norn roughly figured out the direction of the port and led William through the maze of back alleys. While Constantinople was grand, the slums of every city seemed pretty bad. The dilapidated houses, chaotic streets, and raggedly dressed poor people were no exception here.