Chapter 31 Gladiator

The White Iliana, having loaded its cargo at the Ochakiv Port in the Duchy of Kyiv Rus, began its return voyage.

It was said that after the Emperor suffered a defeat at Manzikert, orders for shipping to the Black Sea skyrocketed by tens of times. The sharp-eyed merchants had already predicted that the southern trade routes from Asia Minor across the Ilanian Plateau would definitely be intercepted by the Seljuk Empire.

The only way to maintain normal trade with the Dragon Country in the East was through the Salmatian-Mongolian Prairie route north of the Black Sea.

This route, being too far north, could only be traversed during the summer. Come winter, heavy snow would block the roads, and the cargo carts would hardly be able to move.