Adalric took the bait. Three weeks later, his flagship, The Proud Thorn , found the passage. The fog lifted to reveal a tableau of impossible generosity.
Island Three, the Eastern Garden, was the jewel. Fertile lowlands for hemp and flax, a massive meadow for cattle, and a vineyard hill that faced the sunrise. It also had a ruin—a crumbling Abbasid fortress—that promised a free nomad market if rebuilt. anno 1404 best map
Adalric looked at his three perfect islands, their harbors glittering. For the first time, he put down his ledger book and poured a glass of Eastern Garden wine. Adalric took the bait
He invited Serafine to visit. She arrived on a sleek corsair, smiling. Island Three, the Eastern Garden, was the jewel
"There is no perfect map," he said, dipping his quill. "Every island lacks stone. Every river delta is too shallow. The Orient always demands more spices than the desert can grow."
The battle lasted fifteen minutes. The pirates' mortar exploded their own magazine. The sandbar became a smoking crater. With the pirates gone, the Three Bridges awakened. The central bay was now a secure, glassy lake. Adalric built a massive warehouse on the sandbar's ruins, turning it into a neutral trade hub. Ships from the Western Keep could offload tools directly to the Southern Spire's ore barges. The Eastern Garden's wine reached the monastery in under a minute of sailing time.