The skies thundered with lightning, rain poured over the seemingly endless sea, and the waves violently swept to and fro. On the horizon of the sea, the farthest point the eye could look, there appeared a ship. The ship was large, made of wood, with its mast almost torn away, and fluttering because of the strong winds. The ship's crew were distressed, some clinging to a strong part of the sea, while others tried to get the ship forward with oars, but it seemed to make no difference; the waves kept tossing the ship here and there according to their wish.
Hours passed this way, and the crew tried desperately to keep the ship afloat and prevent it from turning over. The crew had almost lost all hope when one of them shouted to the others. They had spotted land. The others regained their spirits and did everything in their power to get the ship near land, and their efforts were not in vain.

The storm passed, leaving only a damaged ship and a wet crew. The ship was landed on the coast, and the crew rejoiced, back on dry land after what seemed to be ages. But their troubles had not ended; they were running out of food, and there was no sign of a settlement in sight. Moreover, their original purpose remained unfulfilled.


One hour later

The crew had been walking inland for some time in search of a city, a town, a village, anything. In total, there were thirty men. Seventeen stayed back at the ship to guard and repair it, while the others embarked on an inland exploration. Six of them were armed, four were responsible for carrying barrels and sacks, and one was dressed more formally, while the rest resembled typical sailors in ragged attire.

After looking around for a while, the group stumbled across a dirt path. This was good, as the path probably led somewhere, and they started following it. They walked along the dirt path for about half an hour. The midday sun's heat drenched them in sweat, and the scent of damp Earth filled the air. It appeared that it had rained here while they were enduring a storm at sea. Thus, they walked, until one of them gave an exclamation of joy. They had spotted a city. Seeing the city, the group hurried to the city gates. But they were stopped by people who appeared to be guards, and they were questioned,

"What is your business here?"

One man, who appeared to understand the language, whispered to another man who seemed to be the leader of the group. After a moment's thought, the leader whispered into the other man's ear, who then spoke,

"We are explorers and merchants, we seek an audience with your lord."

The guards laughed at this and replied,

"Well, why do you, strange-looking people, think the Daimyo will want to hear you?" One of the guards replied mockingly, eyeing the ordinary, dirty clothing of most of them.

Once again, one of the men whispered something to the leader. The leader smirked and gave orders to the men carrying the sacks and barrels. The men came forward and laid in front of the guards all the items. Precious stones, pearls, and spices were stored in the sacks, although not in large amounts. There was also a barrel, full of a red liquid. The guards examined the items. They had seen such precious objects before, but these were still different, especially the red liquid in the big jar. The guards nodded at the group, and one of the guards led them to a large, well-decorated, and 'luxurious' building at the center of the city.

As the group made their way to the palace, they couldn't help but notice the people in the streets staring at them. It was probably due to their strange clothing and looks. Everyone in this land wore different clothes, and the merchandise in the market was also very different.

Inside the palace

The Daimyo of the Land of Earth sat on his throne, leisurely eating fruits from a golden platter. The Daimyo was a slightly obese, short, clean-shaven, and was about 40 years old. Around him sat his secretaries, advisors, and ministers in their respective places. When a guard entered the chamber, and informed the Daimyo,

"There are some visitors who wish to see you, my lord."

The Daimyo told the guard to let them come, the latter bowed and left the chamber. A moment later, some thirteen men entered the court. They bowed respectfully to the Daimyo and one of them spoke,

"Greetings, my lord. I hope you're not annoyed by our sudden appearance?" The Daimyo nodded, the man continued,

"These people are explorers, my lord, and come from a distant country. They've also brought some gifts for you."

The four people carrying the sacks and jars came forward and placed the items in front of the Daimyo. The latter stepped down from his throne and began to examine the gifts. There were precious stones, some jewels, pearls, and fine silk clothing. One of the foreigners who was formally dressed, opened the jar, in which was kept a red liquid. The Daimyo fetched a goblet and filled it with the red liquid, then proceeded to taste it. The Daimyo put the cup to his lips and drank the red liquid. His expression told he liked it, and took another cup. The Daimyo was pleased, and asked the group,

"So, where do you people come from?" The Daimyo looked at the leader of the group, a staunch, tall man with a mild beard and light skin. One of the men, who had speaking the whole time, came to his aid.

"These people come from a distant country called Rome, my lord, they can't speak our language." The Daimyo then asked,

"How come you know our language?"

"I am from here, my lord, a fisherman. They rescued me after a storm, and I soon learned their language. So I can help them." The Daimyo was satisfied with the answer, but curiosity could be seen in his eyes. He commanded,

"Your leader and this man, who knows both our languages, may come to my private chambers to talk during the evening. The guards will escort you there. But until then, enjoy my hospitality." Saying this, he walked out of the chamber, while several guards took the party to a guest house, where they were given food and water. The strangers found the food odd, rice and meat, with many local vegetables that were unknown to them. Moreover, they were given two pieces of stick to eat the food. Some tried to use these two sticks, while others just ate with their hands. They were also offered a white-colored drink, but the group couldn't decline. The drink was intoxicating, and they were told by the fisherman that this was called sake, an alcoholic drink.


During the evening

Time went by, and soon evening came. As agreed, the leader of the group, and the fisherman who could work as a translator, made their way to the Daimyo's private chambers. The lord of the Land of Earth sat on a sofa, with some fruits in front of him. This part of the palace directly overlooked the city and its walls. The Daimyo invited the two inside, who bowed in respect and seated themselves. The Daimyo first spoke,

"Let's start with a formal introduction. I am lord Asahi of the Land of Earth, and you?" The Daimyo looked at the leader of the group.

The fisherman spoke to the leader in his tongue, got a reply, and answered on his behalf,

"This is Captain Marcellus, commander of our ship and here to represent Rome."

Talks soon started, I will narrate this like a direct conversation between both the captain and the Daimyo.

"So, what is your purpose in coming here?"

"We set out from Rome to find new lands on this side of the world. Be assured, my lord, Rome only desires trade and good relations with your people and you. I am only the captain of a ship, so I can't speak much on behalf of the Senate, but I can tell you about our nation." The Daimyo nodded,

"I am interested."

"We have completed our objective of finding this continent, my lord. I will inform the Senate of your decision. We request your aid to prepare for our journey across the sea once more."

The Daimyo nodded and gave his word to help the foreigners in any way he could, as part of his hospitality. Before parting, the Daimyo also presented gifts to Captain Marcellus.

"By the way, what was the delicious and intoxicating red liquid you presented to me back in my court?" The Daimyo asked as the captain and the fisherman were leaving the chambers, the captain and fisherman whispered to each other, and then the latter spoke,

"It is an alcohol, my lord, called Wine." The Daimyo was satisfied, and the captain and the translator left to join their party.

The following weeks were spent preparing for the journey back to Rome. The foreigners bought provisions and supplies for the long journey ahead and also spoke with the Daimyo, telling him about Rome. Finally, the day came when they were to sail away. The thirteen men, who had enjoyed the Daimyo's hospitality for so long, bid farewell to their host and made their way back to the ship.

The thirteen men were walking back to the ship, along the same dirt path they had walked the day they had reached this land. It was morning, and summer's heat had not arrived yet. The weather was cloudy, it seemed as if it would rain. The party walked past an open field, where they witnessed two bands of warriors fighting. But then suddenly, one of the warriors jumped up into the air, and below him, the Earth itself raised to the sky. Some other warrior spat fire from his mouth, another altered the Earth itself, while the others did extraordinary things the men had only heard of in tales and legends of old. The group was amazed and terrified at the same time, and they hastily made their way back, but even on the way they couldn't keep their eyes off the fighting shinobi.

The party reached the ship, where they soon prepared to sail away, but before that Captain Marcellus questioned the fisherman,

"Who were those warriors we saw while on the road?" The fisherman answered,

"They are local warriors known as 'shinobi', I had only heard about them, this was also my first time seeing them with my own eyes. They possess extraordinary abilities as we saw, this is as much as I know."

The captain was amazed by this but soon made his way back to the ship. The fisherman will stay here.

As the ship sailed to the horizon, all the crew only had one thing in mind.

'What a strange land.'

While back in the palace, the Daimyo of the Land of Earth anticipated the arrival of more foreigners and tried to paint a picture of the distant land they called 'Rome' with the information he had got from these explorers.