Finding and contacting the Cardinal should be your utmost priority to resolve this urgent matter. While starting at a church or basilica may seem logical, it's not a service day, and the higher-ups in the church are occupied with other duties beyond daily routines like cleaning and praying. If anything, you can probably find him at work in either his palace or perhaps he is in a temple, though you should probably ask around for his location first and foremost.
Pocantello bustles with the constant flow of boats, merchants haggling, travellers rushing, and crusaders preparing for their armed pilgrimage. It is a bustling city that never seems to sleep. The harbour reminds you of the one at Libau, though this one is a lot bigger and more chaotic. And instead of the cogs traditionally used for cargo and transportation in Libau, here you see a variety of ships. All of them are galleys, an ancient class of ships used since before the old empire and crewed primarily by oarsmen who relentlessly row through the relatively calm waters. The waters of the open oceans further out west are too rowdy and dangerous for these types of vessels, which are best used in inland seas. Since you will probably journey on one of these boats, it's essential to inspect them in advance to ensure a smooth voyage. You make a few mental notes about which ships are best suited to your needs before riding on to find the good cardinal.
Fortunately, your search doesn't last long. At the market square, quite a scene seems to be unfolding between a bearded old man in a ragged brown robe and another old man in a red robe with a scarlet galero. It seems you have found your man. Both of them look like they came out of the previous century; this could easily be true as well.
You dismounted to talk to Dellagatti one-on-one and see if he could understand what the two were arguing about. <span class="mu-i"> ''Hmm, one of them calls the other a coward in front of our heavenly lieges; the other argues that as the senior clergyman here, he is to make the decisions regarding the crusade; he also says that fanatic preaching is a wasteful practice while there is an actual war going on. And that he should disperse his rabble of followers because they have no way to secure the passage across the sea. And-'' </span>
The mathematician abruptly stops speaking as he observes two men restraining the ragged old men. <span class="mu-i"> ''Il Cardinale says that his patience has run thin; he will tolerate the antics of a gaggle of flagellating beggars and other miscreants. He also says that the instructions from the holy see were clear: only those properly equipped and led armies may go on crusade; a rabble of pitchfork-wielding peasants would only get themselves killed. He's talking too softly for me to hear. But considering how the monk is being dragged off, I think the conversation is over.'' </span> And so it is. Without sparing a glance at the monk, the cardinal promptly turns away, instructing his escort to clear a path to his palace.
