Seeing Serenus immediately back down, Gracio no longer paid attention or delved deeper, turning to lead his group to the residence Bosporus had prepared for him.
Serenus was left behind, and after confirming the other party's departure, he muttered a few angry curses.
The next day, after discussions were settled, Manuel, without any sign of slackness, personally and warmly hosted the Venetian envoys.
After a thoughtful luncheon for them in the Imperial Palace, he received the leading young nobleman, Benito de Gracio, alone in the small council room of the palace.
This promising young Venetian nobleman had flaxen curly hair and a pair of very expressive dark green eyes, which perfectly matched the rather luxurious grey-blue doublet he was wearing that day.
After a brief joint prayer and pleasantries, Manuel got straight to the point: "So, why has your esteemed nation returned to Trabzon so quickly? What urgent matters have brought you here?"
Gracio did not beat around the bush; instead, with a smile, he directly answered Caesar Manuel's question, "Last year, the Governor's Office informed Consul Lando, requesting him to send us over, primarily to discuss various legitimate rights and interests of our nation in Trabzon.
However, now, some even more troublesome situations have arisen."
At this, his expression became serious, "According to our observations of Genoa, we suddenly discovered that these Ligurians' activities in the Black Sea have suddenly surged to an abnormal level this year, especially the number of merchant ships.
Since their great defeat on the northern shore of the Black Sea, this is the first time the Genoese fleet in the Black Sea region has reached the scale it had when they still possessed Caffa."
"So, Your Excellency means," Manuel also grew solemn, "they are going to war again for their commercial interests in some place."
"Our nation dares not easily assert this," Gracio raised his cup, took a light sip of the tea to moisten his throat, "it's just that the Council of Ten believes this is highly likely to happen, and Governor Foscari boldly asserts," he stared intently at the monarch of a similar age before him, "Genoa's target is you, Bosporus."
A single stone stirred up a thousand ripples.
Facing the prospect of once again directly confronting the merchant republic before he had fully recovered, Manuel felt a moment of panic, which was then forcefully suppressed.
Fortunately, his face remained as calm as still water.
This made Gracio murmur to himself, how could this Roman show no reaction to such explosive news? This left him with no sense of accomplishment.
But official business was the most important.
Therefore, he pushed his personal desires aside and continued to ask the other party with a smile, "So, Manuel, what do you think?"
What can I think? I don't know.
Manuel initially wanted to answer that, but he immediately swallowed his words and thought carefully for a while.
Then, he cautiously leaned forward and tentatively asked, "Willing to share this intelligence with me, your esteemed nation must intend to cooperate as you did with my father back then, right?"
Being turned into the passive party by this Roman monarch, Gracio, who was not highly qualified, was momentarily stunned.
After about half a minute, he paused, then nodded in agreement with the other side's statement.
"Indeed," seeing the other party's attitude, Caesar began to ponder, "Are they coming to us again to curb Genoa?
Thinking about it carefully, it is indeed reasonable; Bosporus and Venice are, after all, still allies.
"Moreover, thanks to the expansion of Bosporus, while Genoa was squeezed out of the northern Black Sea, although our own Greek merchants benefited the most, many Venetian merchants could still come to the Tauris Peninsula and earn ducats like they do in other parts of the Eastern Mediterranean.
"So, it's completely normal for Venice to rush here, eager to incite me to curb the Genoese from restoring their sphere of influence.
To maintain this relationship, they even ignored the departure of Master Falero from the country.
"But as far as I know, the Genoese have only recently extricated themselves from Italian politics, haven't they? Even if Theodosia is an excellent large port, there's no need to rush over so quickly, is there?
"Unless someone told them that I am currently in Asia Minor, with an unstable foundation.
And based on my knowledge from my previous life and my understanding of these relatives in this life, Alexander's wife seems to be the daughter of the Lord of Lesbos, who is Genoese…"
After clarifying his thoughts, Manuel gritted his teeth and cursed his cousin in his heart, "Damn Alexander, he actually sought out the Latins? Why didn't he drown in the Black Sea on the way?!"
Thinking of this, he remembered something else, "Wait, I remember that when the Komnenos family operated in Trabzon, they were not only involved with the White Sheep and Genoa, but also with those messy Bey.
Could it be a containment strategy? Holy Mother, not this…"
Thinking that he might face enemies in a near-containment situation, Manuel felt a headache coming on.
Yet, despite this, his face remained calm.
Subsequently, given their common interests, they very quickly reached a secret alliance agreement that morning.
The alliance stipulated that if Genoa attacked either Venice or Bosporus, the other party must join in the defensive war.
Upon completing this mutual defense pact, Manuel was truly relieved.
With the help of Venice's powerful navy, Bosporus's shipping routes should be able to be maintained for the time being.
But this could not be free.
So Caesar immediately spoke, asking Gracio to state the other major reason for his mission, "Your nation sent you here, surely not just to deal with Genoa together, right?"
"Exactly," without waiting for the other party to say anything, Gracio immediately launched into Venice's demands, "Our demands are simple: to continue to maintain Venice's legitimate rights and interests in Trabzon, as they were during the Komnenos era.
At the same time, if Genoa actively attacks you, we should confiscate their illegal powers in Pontus."
Hearing this, Manuel's heart sank; what was bound to come, always would.
During the war with the Aq Qoyunlu Dynasty, due to the urgency of the war, he had to postpone dealing with the extensive trade privileges of the two great merchant republics in Trabzon.
Now it was time to make a final decision.
"Then how will Genoa's commercial powers be distributed?" Bosphorus Caesar asked calmly.
"Ninety-ten split," Gracio replied calmly!
"Wouldn't that be too much?" Manuel was overjoyed, not expecting to receive ninety percent of it.
"Your Majesty seems to have misunderstood something," Gracio reminded him, "It's ninety for me, ten for you."
"?!"