Chapter 46: Hidden Message From the Queen of Bali Discovered Between the Walls of Venice

Walking down the street where the famous Marco Polo had his home is a special feeling for Lintang.Rinota had this unusual feeling that they were in for a surprise.Of course, Rinota did not know that right next to Marco Polo's home was the residence of the Subadar and Queen Dowager of the Bali Kingdom, which was then already under the vassalage of the Majapahit Empire.First, they took a gondola ride along the canal past buildings that are said to have once been home to members of the Polo family. In front of the building there is also a staircase by which tourists can cross from the gondolas to the mainland.Lintang and Rinota saw a sign that a hotel and theatre was now located there on one of the floors of a four-story building."It's really nice that we can see the Malibran theatre in Venice, but where is Marco Polo's home, " they asked.The guide explained to them that Marco Polo's home burned down in a fire many years ago, that's why the last building of the complex of several four-story buildings was the home where he spent the last years of his life, and now there was only a marble plaque on the wall that said in Italian:"Here were the houses of Marco Polo who traveled to the most distant parts of Asia and described them".There is even a small portrait of Kublai Khan on stone.However, there is one house that was really Marco's home, it was discovered by Marco Polo's living relatives, I think the mystery is solved. The great family of Marco Polo was owner of many houses and villas in Venice, and this area "Second Court of the Million" was like a palace residence with many buildings, just like the Diocletian palate or like emperor court Song dynasty or other courts he visited during traveling in Asia.The white building was well maintained, but other walls showed signs of needing repair as plaster and paint was peeling off the walls from other surrounding buildings and the old red brick terra cotta wall was visible.Lintang glanced over and was speechless when she saw a thin panel of dry palm leaf which in Indonesia people call lompar sticking out between the two layers of bricks.She slowly pulled it out to see what it said and was surprised that it was a message for her."Lintang, when you stop by Marco Polo's house, this is my sign that once upon a time I stayed in Venice."Seeing the message for her on the lompar was more than delighted."Maybe someone is following us," said Rinota cautiously, turning around and looking around."No, look, this is a very old lompar, perhaps from the time of the Majapahit empire, in Indonesia still in good condition. Writing on lompar from the Majapahit era was found last year.I'm telling you, the Queen of Bali visited Marco Polo.""But, why would she come to Marco Polo all the way to Venice?""Because they were business partners in the overseas trade of spices, have you already forgotten the movie about the Kingdom of Bali? You were the main actor.""There must be more messages", they both agreed and carefully scanned the walls of which there were more, all in vain, there was no sign of any other message for Lintang."We checked everything, there are no signs of any other lompar, This is really tiring, let's rest on the bridge next to Mark's house."They sat down to rest, and other tourists who passed by looked at them with amazement that they were sitting on a stone in the middle of broad daylight and cold winter."If there were more messages from the queen they may have fallen into the canal or burned in the fire.""Yes, it is absurd to believe that there are more, but isn't there a museum in the city about Marco Polo, not even the tomb is known and it is claimed that the coffin with Marco Polo's body disappeared without a trace from the tomb where he was buried.""There is a Marco Polo airport here, and in China even an old bridge is named after Marco Polo in his honor.Marco Polo was governor for 3 years there, let's not forget that.""The Marco Polo Museum exists in the town of Korčula because many claim that Marco was born there, that the Polo surname originates from around the town of Šibenik, there is even a home of the Polos on Korčula today, and Mate, the brother of Marco's mother Ana, worked in Venice with Marco's father Niccolo, so bought buildings in this complex after returning from Asia. In the Middle Ages, those parts of the Adriatic coast were part of the Republic of Venice, but near the city of Šibenik, Varvaria was once a Roman governorate, and then part of the Subic dynasty, whose noble origins were partially also the mother of Marco Polo.Long ago, the Poles had large shipyards in the cities along the Adriatic coast and on the island of Korcula, where the Marco Polo museum is now.Subadar, the father of the Queen Dowager of Bali, was a business partner with Niccolo Polo, and later with Marco, because they were also shipbuilders, because Niccolo was wellthy man who start as a merchant who sells jewels and silks from Asia, letter he developed import of spices from Majapahit.Korcula is closer to the Suez Canal than Venice, does this mean that they managed to shorten the overseas route and the transport of goods by ship to Indonesia.The goods were already sent from the port of Venice, they were picked up by Subadar ships anchored in Korcula and the trade flourished successfully economically, it brought both Venice and the Majapahit Empire to a high standard of living because they had the shortest route for the flow and transport of goods.""Of course!""As early as the Song Dynasty, and continued by Kublai Khan in the Yuan Dynasty, business partnerships meant that one partner invested funds and provided loans and capital as an investor.""Well, it's like today.""That they laid the foundations of business investment back in the Middle Ages.""Just like that, such an economic investment partnership was unknown to feudal Europe, which did not invest in the economic development of the underdeveloped areas they conquered."Yes, I understand, like the Netherlands, which extracted all the mineral wealth of Indonesia and changed agriculture to its foundations, using the land for the production of other non-autogenous agricultural crops that the Netherlands placed on the market, so the workers in the sugar factory rebelled against the poor working conditions.""So, do you want to go to Korčula from Venice?""First to Varvaria because it is closer to Venice."