"Hey? Look at that!"
"The magnificent Portuguese are here!"
Many people smiled as they watched the Portuguese ship approaching the shore.
Because Portugal is very far away from here, it requires both land and sea travel, which takes several days.
If the weather is bad and the waves are big, it will be impossible to reach here without a week or two.
At this moment, in addition to the Portuguese fleet, ships from many civilizations and kingdoms have also arrived here.
The harbor near Delos Island has already become extremely bustling.
"Their boats are pretty good, but they're still a bit inferior to ours."
The person who said this was a shipyard owner in Athens.
When they were in Athens, they had heard that the ships of the Holy Egyptians were very good, so they came to the island of Delos to "observe them carefully".
Of course, the main reason they come here is to sell the ships they produce.
So, the dozens of shipyard owners who were in Athens gathered here. They were all summoned to attend the ship exhibition of the World Conference.
Of course, this kind of exhibition has nothing to do with the official activities, and is actually organized by caravans.
Not only that, for most people, this event represents not only the collision of civilizations and cultures, but also a rare business opportunity for businessmen.
Under the awning of a dock, a group of shipyard owners from different city-states were having a conversation.
Most of them were men around fifty years old, wearing simple but high-quality Greek tunics, with various tool bags or leather bags hanging around their waists.
"My friends!"
At this time, a burly shipyard owner waved his hands and spoke in a loud voice.
"All of Athens knows that the cargo ships produced by my shipyard can carry one-third more cargo than ordinary ships, and they remain as stable as a rock in a storm!"
Another shipyard owner from Athens sneered.
"Oh? Is that because you never go sailing on the high seas?"
"In my shipbuilding workshop, every piece of wood is seasoned for more than five years, and every nail is forged from a special bronze alloy."
"Last winter, my three warships survived the Aegean Sea hurricane unscathed, while all the other ships took refuge in the harbor!"
Everyone burst into laughter, some whistled in appreciation, and some shook their heads in disdain.
This kind of scene of mutual comparison is common in gathering places of shipyard owners.
Of course, people also like to watch this kind of "quarrel" between them.
At this time, an older shipyard owner also joined the conversation.
"Speaking of warships, have you heard about the new fast warships that the Spartans recently ordered?"
"It is said that it can deploy a hundred heavy infantrymen ashore within ten minutes, and the hull design allows for the rapid evacuation of soldiers without the overcrowding of traditional landing ships."
Another shipyard owner scoffed: "Ha! How's that for innovation?"
"We had a similar ship design on our island twenty years ago. The Spartans simply copied our idea and call themselves military geniuses!"
"I can only fool an old fellow like you!"
The conversation continued in such a relaxed yet slightly tense atmosphere.
Each shipyard owner was actively promoting his own product and disparaging the designs of his competitors.
Some brought out exquisite ship models, while others displayed various unique ship equipment and accessories.
As the discussion became more heated, a younger Greek man wandered between the booths, looking hesitant.
His attire indicated that he was a businessman with some means, but not enough to afford the finest ships.
So, he is deliberating, he is thinking.
"Hey, young man! Look at the design of this medium-sized merchant ship! It combines the speed of an Athenian ship with the capacity of a large cargo hold. And the price is reasonable!"
"If you place your order now, I can guarantee delivery within this year!"
The potential buyer looked at the boats on the beach with interest, nodding from time to time.
But just as he was about to make a decision, someone came over.
He lowered his voice.
"Hey, don't rush into making a decision, young friend!"
"I heard that some of the newly arrived kingdoms will also be exhibiting their ships this time. They are said to be of excellent design."
"Of course, I'm not sure if they'll sell it, but... why not wait and see?"
“The most important thing is to choose the vessel that suits you best. You don’t want to rush into making the wrong decision.”
When the buyer heard this, he immediately became hesitant.
"A new kingdom?"
"But are those foreign ships really better than the Greek ones? Oh, by the way, when I came here, I heard that the ships of the Holy Egyptians seemed to be very good, but I always felt that it was just an exaggeration."
"Besides, I don't know if they're selling it or not, or what the price is."
When the man heard the buyer's words, he just shrugged.
"Who knows? But at least it's worth looking forward to, isn't it?"
"After all, you don't need these few days of hard work."
When several shipyard owners saw that the buyer suddenly lost his hesitation, they immediately showed some anger.
"I heard it! You old man!"
"Listen to what you're saying! All of Greece, including those barbarian Persians, and even the longships of those savage Vikings in the north, can't compare to our Athenian ships!"
"Do you have any common sense?"
Then, the shipyard owner who was speaking patted his chest and raised his voice.
"You know, even several of the Athenian navy's triremes were built in my workshop!"
"That's the Holy Fleet that defended all of Greece from Persia!"
"What's the value of the ship I built? Do I need to say more?"
These words immediately resonated with the people around him, especially the Greeks who were also Athenians.
More and more listeners gathered, some began to ask questions, and some shared their views on different types of ships.
And among the crowd, one could also hear praises for the Athenian ships.
"Well said!"
"Our Greek shipbuilding technology inherited the wisdom of the ancient gods. How could it be surpassed by those desert nomads?"
"In my opinion, those rumors are not credible. After all, seeing is believing, hearing is not!"
At this point, others began to echo.
"How can a desert people build a good ship when they don't even know what the sea is?"
"That's right! It's all just hearsay!"
"Any civilization that can build a good ship is a powerful civilization!"
"Holy Egypt? If it weren't for this World Conference, I might never have known this name!"
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