Watching the Bulgar envoy leave with a smile he couldn't decipher, Rostislav was truly perplexed.
The Bulgar Khan's intention was clear to anyone with a modicum of sense, and would certainly be rejected, yet he still chose to proceed.
Rostislav felt something was amiss, but he couldn't quite pinpoint it, so he decided to temporarily set the matter aside and summon the remaining petitioners.
The subsequent petitioners were not important figures; they were either foreign merchants selling or presenting goods, or farmers and citizens requesting the Prince to mediate disputes.
The merchants were selling and gifting luxury items, none of which interested him, but out of courtesy, he accepted their goods without purchasing anything.
He only placed an order with one slave merchant from Persia, specifically requesting skilled Christian slaves.
As for civil disputes, Rostislav delegated all of them to his subordinate judges, who were well-versed in the Rus' Law, while he observed the entire process and made the final judgments.
Thus, Rostislav spent almost an entire day handling a full month's worth of affairs, both large and small, in Rostov.
Afterward, he felt utterly exhausted, yet he knew he had to do it; handling affairs was the best way to assert authority, the most effective way to appear before his subjects.
Fortunately, this was a special circumstance; the severe backlog was due to his absence from Rostov and his failure to exercise his power, and it wouldn't be so severe in the future.
Such a grand assembly brought benefits to the people of Rostov; the nobles discussed the Prince's various decisions of the day to gauge his potential future inclinations.
The citizens, on the other hand, were more interested in their young Prince's personal life, such as his beautiful wife, as policies didn't concern them much.
However, for the residents of the Old City, this audience held significant meaning.
Nevertheless, the crowds did not disperse after the meeting, because along with the Bulgar delegation came a large number of merchants from the south, bringing a wealth of in-demand goods, which were now set up in stalls in the New City market, attracting a large number of merchants.
While the New City was bustling with the arrival of merchants, the Old City remained remarkably quiet.
Ordinarily, merchants were not allowed here, and the residents had few recreational activities; only a small number of Old City residents who participated in the audience passed through the wooden wall separating the two cities under the watchful eyes of the militia, returning to their homes.
As Vanigo returned to his blacksmith shop, content, and had just closed the main door, he was immediately surrounded by his friends who had been waiting in the room for a long time, while the elders of the Old City were much more composed, simply sitting silently in the back.
On the table were several large cups of kvass, but they were almost all drunk; it seemed they had been waiting for a long time.
"How was it, Vanigo? What did that kid from Kiev say?"
"Did they agree to the terms this time?"
"What's the situation like?"
A barrage of questions came at him, making Vanigo quite flustered; he pushed past the crowd, went straight to the table, and gulped down a cup, only to find it nearly empty.
"Damn it, you drank all my kvass! Are you drinking it like water?"
However, the others clearly weren't in the mood for his antics.
"Stop messing around, Vanigo, we'll buy you some! Just tell us what happened!"
"Alright, alright, you people are really impatient."
Seeing how anxious everyone was, Vanigo lost his playful mood; he waved his hands.
"The Prince didn't agree to all the terms, but he agreed to some; we can now sell our goods to anyone."
"Oh, wait, what did you say?"
Many people initially thought it was the usual rejection and said so instinctively, then immediately realized that what Vanigo said next was that he had agreed!
Although only one request was granted, it was still granted! Granted!
"Vanigo, don't lie to us!"
"Yes, yes, what did those lords say?"
"This kind of joke isn't funny!"
Suddenly, his surroundings became incredibly noisy, with people clamoring to confirm if it was true, making the blacksmith's face flush red with rising anger.
"By Christian above and the gods below, I, Vanigo, speak no falsehood! And the announcement should be posted tomorrow; then you'll know the truth at a glance."
Christian above and the gods below, this was a product of the clash between Christian and polytheistic beliefs in this land, and a consensus that existed in many regions of Rus'.
The common people simply regarded Christian as the deity of the earthly world, while the ancient gods ruled the underworld.
Both were venerable authorities, differing only in the scope of their power and dominion, and therefore deserved equal respect and belief.
And in church circles, this idea had a more fitting name—Dual Faith.
Seeing Vanigo swear so solemnly, everyone present no longer doubted him, for if he were to deceive, both the gods above and below would inflict ruthless punishment upon him, and his soul would never find peace.
"Stop arguing, everyone. Since Vanigo has brought good news, let's start making preparations."
Just then, the elders, who had been silent all this time, spoke up; they were the most influential group in the Old City Veche.
"Since the Prince has agreed, that's perfect. Many merchants from Bulgar have arrived today; everyone go and talk to them. Bring out all your goods. No matter how things change in the future, let's seize this opportunity to make some money first."
The elder's words received unanimous approval, as their struggle for power was ultimately for money and a better life, and now that the opportunity was at hand, they naturally had to seize it.
Everyone immediately began to calculate; some had collected a lot of furs, but due to crude processing methods and Rostov's refusal to accept them, these goods were almost rotting, but now they could all be sold.
Some had large quantities of honey and beeswax, but selling them to the lords was practically working for free, only able to smuggle some to supplement their household income, but now they could finally sell at a normal price.
Some had organized residents of the Old City to produce many handicrafts such as cloth and hammers, but they could only sell them at low prices to designated merchants in the New City; now they could finally sell them freely.
These were all prominent figures in the Old City; as people discussed business, the conversation grew more intense, and gradually the atmosphere became more harmonious.
Watching this scene, the elder smiled; such a sight had not been seen for many years, and then he thought of Rostislav, who had brought all this about.
"Rostislav… This Rurik Prince is truly decisive, agreeing right from the start… It seems this land is about to undergo great changes."
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