And the self-regulating nature of that trade was remarkable and pretty much unprecedented. I mean, the most amazing thing is that, except for a few pirates, all of this trade was peaceful. For the better part of 700 years, these merchant ships were free to sail without the protection from any state's navy. And this despite the fact that some pretty valuable crap was being traded. No, Thought Bubble, I meant that colloquially. Alright, we need to do the Open Letter before Thought Bubble tries any more puns. Magic!