Meanwhile, I had sent a galley exploring towards the bit of land that was visible across water from the northeastern peninsula. The galley carried a warrior; I'm still looking for huts; didn't get anything significant from any on the continent.
Oops, although the warrior did survive. But then that galley makes a much more important discovery:
Hello, France! The galley did survive, although contact would've been made even if it hadn't. Because it survived, though, I can look for the other civs without buying contact from France.
Brokerages #5 and #6 then happen this turn: Mathematics from India for 135 and offered with 50 gold to Spain for Code of Laws; Code of Laws then traded to France for Horseback Riding, 70 gold, and her world map. I believe that sale to France was at monopoly price.
Paris completes the Pyramids a couple turns later. Cascade goes all over the place, but doesn't seem to threaten my Colossus.
Brokerage #7 is this: 215 gold to France for Polytheism, and resell it to India for 197 and Spain for 124 and the world map. I PROFITED by buying a tech!
Then Madrid completes the Oracle - uh oh - but the cascade goes mostly to the Great Lighthouse.
Greece apparently trades for contact with me - my galley was nowhere near them yet. I decide to trade for the last two contacts now by giving the world map to France and Greece. Korea is way behind, while England is at tech parity but has bupkus for current assets. I then trade around world maps to the civs on my continent, acquiring another 300 gold and a Spanish worker. I'm still hoarding contacts, though; it would take a suicide galley run to make contact, which the AIs won't do. It also, though, would take only a tribute demand of me to make contact.
And I score my first 2000 points. I can only guess the other civs weren't building wonders in coastal cities, although the AIs won't cascade to a 200-shield wonder if they have more than 200 shields in the box unless they have no other option.
Oh boy. Eventually, Spain researches Republic, and is the only civ with it. They want 1600 gold to buy it straight-up; or, here goes Brokerages #8 and #9. Construction from France for 370g, and resold with 240g to England for Monarchy. Those two techs together - selling to Spain at monopoly - are enough to pay monopoly price for The Republic.
Then I resell Republic to Greece, France, and England for a total of about 900 gold (again, more than I paid, and I got THREE techs!) They all have Monarchy already, so giving them Republic won't help them too much. I then give Monarchy - not Republic - to Rome for his 350 gold, forcing him into an extra revolt if he wants to see a Republic later.
I revolt in 570 BC, with 2,545 gold in the treasury. 5 turns of anarchy, not too bad.
And the Republic of Numidia is formed in 470 BC.
The city named "!" was founded there in emergency; its archer escort failed to kill the barbarian horseman next to it, so it was plop the city there or lose the settler. I opted for the former, of course; I'll move the city when I can. The swordsman in the next city over is an emergency rush to try and clear that barbarian camp before the Massive Uprising hits, which will happen as soon as anyone discovers Currency.
