Chapter 271 Classmates

There are two routes to choose from from Suez to Alexandria. One is to go directly north from Suez all the way to the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, which is the location of Port Said in Egypt in Qin Mo's previous life.

The other route is to go west from Suez, cross 500 miles of desert to reach Cairo, the former capital of Egypt, then follow the Nile River north to the Mediterranean Sea and then west to Alexandria.

Qin Mo wanted to head directly north to Port Said so he could observe the possibility of digging the Suez Canal up close. There was no engineering machinery in the world yet, and digging a canal by manpower alone would be an enormous undertaking.

"Your Excellency Qin Mo, the area north of Suez is a no-man's land, teeming with bandits. Unless it's a small team of warriors like yours, no other caravan dares to take that route."

Giulio wasn't surprised by Qin Mo's thoughts; after all, an Easterner wouldn't understand the complexities of this land.

"Oh! Are there many bandits in this area?"

Qin Mo was very humble. For a modern person to get along well in ancient times, humility was essential, because there were too many messy and complicated rules.

"There are many. Calling them bandits is an understatement; they're more like an army. Countless riches pass through this land every day, attracting hungry wolves from all sides: Ottoman warriors, bandits, and even... the Knights Templar."

"The Knights Templar? They rob people too?"

Qin Mo was shocked. The Temple he knew in this world had always been the embodiment of "light" and the terminator of all evil. The Knights Templar was a military force directly under the Temple. How could they do something as "evil" as robbery?

"Your Excellency Qin Mo, this land has always been chaotic. The Romans came, the Greeks came. Decades ago, the Ottomans came, and the Mamluk Sultanate, which had been glorious for more than two hundred years, collapsed. But many of the scattered troops became bandits."

“These bandits are well-organized and powerful, posing a serious threat to the safety of caravans. Many goods belonging to the Western Continent have been robbed by them. Therefore, the Temple sent a knightly order to protect its caravans in this land.”

Giulio shrugged and said helplessly, "But... bandits can disguise themselves as civilians, and civilians can disguise themselves as bandits. Even the Knights often mistake one person for another..."

Qin Mo understood that even the knights of the Temple might not be able to uphold their beliefs in the face of enormous wealth. They also had their own families and clans, and they also needed money.

Suez is about 500 miles from Cairo. Although there are many water replenishment points along the way, the dry sandy land still made Qin Mo realize the desolation of the desert.

The drop of "Shia Qin's Mark" on his neck provided Qin Mo with a constant moist sensation, making him think... Shia was still by his side.

"I once said I would find a mermaid's tear for my best friend, but I ended up wearing it around my own neck."

Qin Mo lamented the impermanence of life; several years had passed in the blink of an eye, and she had changed completely.

With excellent guides, Giulio Medici led a camel caravan from Suez to Cairo in just two days.

Cairo, meaning "victory" in Czech, is one of the oldest cities in the world and one of the few ancient cities that suffered the least damage from war. Through continuous construction and expansion by successive dynasties, it has become one of the most important cities in the world.

Qin Mo followed Giulio into Cairo, where the ubiquitous mosques and minarets made her deeply aware of the deep-rooted influence of Islam in this land.

As night fell, torches were lit on the minarets, and blind muezzins began to guide believers in their pilgrimage to Mecca with loud voices, plunging the entire city into a hum of devout prayer.

"Julio, do you know about the pyramids and the Sphinx?"

"Your Excellency Qin Mo, your erudition always amazes me. Even people from the Western Continent might not know about these buildings."

"Who built them? Egyptians? Slaves? Or someone else?"

"Your Excellency Qin Mo, I don't know about these either. They were all built when the sea race was at its peak. This land was once protected by the sea race, but after the sea race mysteriously disappeared more than a hundred years ago, no new pyramids have appeared since."

"Oh! So it really is a product of non-human beings!"

Giulio listened to Qin Mo's mutterings and couldn't help but laugh, "Mr. Qin Mo, although the pyramids are magnificent, they are inanimate objects. If you go to Rome, you will know what grandeur and magnificence are."

Qin Mo responded to Giulio's pride with a kind smile. He didn't mention how long the Great Wall of Great Xia was, nor how big the capital of Great Xia was, because these things were nothing in his eyes.

Have you ever seen a skyscraper hundreds of meters tall? Have you ever seen a ship weighing hundreds of thousands of tons? Have you ever seen a machine that lets ordinary people fly in the sky? One day... I'll show you.

Cairo is also 500 miles from Alexandria, but Cairo is located on the east bank of the Nile River, where water transport is very developed. Therefore, Qin Mo, Julio, and the others no longer had to endure the bumpy journey by land and arrived in Alexandria directly with the merchant ship.

Alexandria, located on the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, is an important window for the world to the West. Its harbor is far deeper and wider than Cairo's, and various ships from the West have appeared here, unlike Suez which prohibited foreign ships from entering.

Giulio Medici led Qin Mo ashore in Alexandria, where they found a huge merchant guild in the bustling commercial district, with a shield-shaped emblem with yellow background and red dots hanging at the entrance.

"Julio, is this your family crest?" Qin Mo asked curiously, looking at the strange family crest.

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