《Son of the Poorest Count [Dropped]》


 Chapter 1 Prologue

    ¡°Forward!¡± The man on horseback beckoned with his blade. Men glancing at the endless golden ground were jolted temporary by the shout but quickly lowered their heads soon after. Holding their heads up high proved to be especially difficult in this harsh environment. They usually chatted as they marched, but they were silent as their parched throats did not want to lose even a sliver of moisture to the scorching heat. Some men¡¯s heavy armour made every step more difficult than the last.


    ¡°Khaled, this can¡¯t go on.¡± A close aid by the man advised. Khaled was silent, causing his aide to fall silent as he waited for Khaled¡¯s response. Taking another glance at the exhausted man behind him, he sighed and stopped. The men on horseback behind him stopped, causing a domino effect on the rest of the army. The army stopped in its tracks as the men gazed at their Commander¡¯s back.


    Khaled steered his steed to meet his men¡¯s gaze. Taking one more glance at his aide, he declared, ¡°Bring out the camels from the supply wagon!¡± A cavalryman rode off at his behest to the supply wagon in the army¡¯s centre. While waiting for the man to carry out his orders, Khaled rehearsed the following actions in his mind, preparing his body to perform its required act.


    Twenty rather plump camels were retrieved and brought to Khaled¡¯s side. Dismounting from his mount, Khaled unsheathed a blade from his sword. A couple of officers dismounted and stood around him.


    ¡°Hold the camel down.¡± He ordered, and his officers began holding the camel down. The animal panicked as Khaled slowly walked over with his blade.


    Caressing the animal to calm it down, Khaled declared,¡± If you¡¯re looking for water, here is your water!¡± He brought down his blade against the neck, ending its suffering quickly. With another cut, he began cutting away the mounds of flesh and brought out what seemed to be a giant fleshy waterskin.


    ¡°Their stomachs contain the water that you seek.¡± Khaled raised the camel¡¯s stomach for his men to see. Officers who understood it quickly rode forth to their respective soldiers and relayed his words to the rest of the army. Khaled lay the stomach back into the corpse of the camel and urged the men at the front to sate their thirst. Like wolves who have not eaten for days, the men rushed forward disorderly, but the officers around Khaled helped to maintain some semblance of order.


    Khaled rode up onto a dune and observed the never-ending landscape of brown for any unusual sights. But as usual, the environment was primarily unchanged, except for the footsteps that could be seen in the sand his men left. A man rode by his side and asked, ¡°Khaled, our water supplies¡­.¡± Before continuing, the man paused, ¡°could only last about two weeks. Let¡¯s not forget about the return trip. We are in a mostly foreign land; there may not be any oasis nearby to replenish our supplies. What¡¯s the plan?¡±


    ¡°Khalil, how long do you think our enemies will chase after us? I¡¯m sure they rushed over to crush us as soon as possible.¡± Khaled smirked as he gently brushed his horse¡¯s mane. ¡°And when their supplies run low¡­ we shall launch an offensive.¡± A cheeky grin appeared on Khaled¡¯s face as he thought of his enemies¡¯ impending doom. He shared it with Khalil, who nodded.


    ¡°There¡¯s only so much the men can take drinking water from camel¡¯s stomachs. Let¡¯s not make it a long-term thing.¡± Khalil warned and left Khaled with his thoughts in this wasteland.


    The men marched on for about a week, and morale fell as the day passed. The camels that were constantly decreasing in number caused the men to worry about their falling supplies. Being an excellent aide to Khaled, Khalil naturally informed him about the men¡¯s thoughts. Khaled immediately ordered the supply caravan to move at the tail end of the army, keeping their gazes away from the caravan. He dispatched half of his elite cavalry to sit in front of the procession, obstructing the increasingly scrutinising looks his soldiers gave. Even if his elite cavalrymen could not keep their mouths shut about their current supply situation, it did lessen the gross exaggerations that the ordinary soldier gave to his comrades.


    ¡°Khaled, it¡¯s been about a week. It will take us about a week to march back to the nearest oasis. I suggest we march back and hit our enemies. I sent a couple of scouts to keep track of our enemies¡¯ movements. They are following our trail closely.¡± Khalil advised.


    ¡°Not yet; keep moving,¡± Khaled ordered.


    ¡°But we¡¯re going to run out of supplies¡­.¡± Khalil let out a minor complaint.


    ¡°Keep moving forward.¡± Khaled brusquely replied and kept moving forward on horseback, causing Khalil to sigh.


    Three days of supplies remaining. The men were growing restless, but they obediently listened to Khaled. A commander who never lost a battle, there was no doubt he would work his magic and somehow bring forth their victory. Rumours that only one day left of supplies were spread among the ranks, bringing much anxiety amongst the men. It got so bad that the men refused to move on step forward unless Khaled explained his intentions.


    With a mutiny on his hands, Khaled rode forth to find his friend Khaled. He finally found Khaled by riding around the camp to find the tallest sand dune nearby. Before stating his presence, Khaled raised his hand, making Khalil fall silent. ¡°It¡¯s time,¡± Khaled murmured and rode back to camp.


    ¡°Khaled!¡± An officer called out to him as the two men rode back to camp. The officer opened his mouth to say something but closed his mouth a few seconds later, not knowing how to put his thoughts into words.


    ¡°Call everyone to the centre of the camp. I have a speech to give.¡± Khaled ordered, and the officer quickly scampered away, relieved that he did not have to give Khaled the bad news. Khalil observed Khaled as he walked away to the centre of camp. Soldiers were quickly ushered out of their tents and jogged to their respective preordained positions. Khaled stopped his mount at the front, straightening his posture as much as possible.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    ¡°It is time to strike our enemies back. My soldiers, are you not tired of running like rats? It¡¯s time for us to be the hunters!¡± Khaled bellowed as the officers repeated his words to their men, who could not hear him at the back of the army.


    ¡°While we are at it, we shall take their supplies!¡± Khaled continued his words, causing smiles to appear on the weary faces of his men.


    ¡°After this battle, we can return home, bring our families to this new land, and grow endless wheat fields. My men, are you not excited for the final battle?¡± Khaled rhetorically asked, letting cheers be returned from some men. The officers added their special touches to Khaled¡¯s words, ensuring that they would target the hearts and minds of the soldiers they led. The men cheered ever so louder. But he ended the final nail to the coffin, ¡°I will bring out all of our camels, and we shall drink as much as we desire. I believe in our forthcoming victory.¡± The men salivated at his words as the water that was precious as gold was brought out. As blades fell, a joyous occasion was celebrated that day as the men drank their fill.


    ¡°The enemy should reach us by about tomorrow. Let¡¯s hope our enemies are fatigued. You realised you have burnt our only remaining lifeline by burning our remaining resources, right?¡± Khalil queried as he frowned at Khaled¡¯s seemingly reckless decision.


    ¡°We have no other choice but to fight to the death, and we will take our enemies¡¯ supplies once we are victorious.¡± Khaled firmly replied and dismissed Khalil¡¯s words with a single handwave, causing his eyebrows to furrow even further. Realising the futility of any further conversation, Khalil sighed.


    ¡°I pray for our victory,¡± Khalil uttered before leaving Khalil¡¯s tent.


    Men watched men across the desert. A new sight has dawned on the armies as foreign banners flew on each side. The scouts had already carried out a couple of skirmishes, but casualties were light on both sides. The troops stood at a distance away from one another. Soldiers dressed in heavy armour stood at the front as the cavalry flanked their wings. Archers stood behind them, ensuring that their weapons were in place. Minor skirmishes between the cavalry on both sides occurred throughout the field. None of them was taking place too near any one side, lest they expose themselves to the arrows of the opposing side. The skirmishes were pretty even, where no side was winning with an overwhelming advantage.


    A soldier gulped, seeing the large numbers of men on the other side of the field. His heart rate increased as his mind began playing up the threat of his incoming obliteration. His nerves spiralled out of control as a thousand needles seemed to prick about his stomach, constantly keeping him on edge. A man patted his shoulder, causing the man to turn around. ¡°You must be new. Have some faith in Commander Khaled; he never lost a battle.¡± The man gave some advice to the nervous soldier. ¡°What¡¯s your name, soldier?¡±


    The soldier gulped before replying, ¡°Bob. The name¡¯s Bob.¡± His hands fidgeted around his blade as he took a couple of deep breaths, unable to stem the oncoming unease.


    ¡°Bob? A rather foreign name. Where did you come from?¡± The other man asked Bob. Another soldier scurried up to the man and whispered in his ear. Nodding at his newfound information, he turned back to the men he was responsible for and shouted,¡± Alright! We are ordered to move forward. Get in formation!¡± He turned around to glance at Bob before running back to his soldiers.


    Very soon, Bob was called up by his officer in charge, and he got into formation. He stood right in front of the formation and held onto his blade for his dear life. ¡°Forward!¡± His officer ordered, and the men began their descent into the chaotic battlefield. They moved forward steadily, and Bob could only watch the enemy foot soldiers behind the small glimpses that his shield gave. Arrows pelted onto his shields, and he could feel the weight of the arrows striking his shield. They constantly forced him back, but he kept his feet on the ground and used his lower body to support himself.


    ¡°Charge!¡± The officer gave the dreaded command, and Bob decided to suppress his fears. He began charging forward, raising his sword in an overhead strike as he pushed his shield to the front as much as possible.


    ¡°Bob! Get back in formation!¡± The officer called out, making Bob temporarily stop his charge as he turned around to look at his commanding officer. The men gave him strange gazes as the officer had an enraged look.


    ¡°Eh? Did my hearing go bad?¡± Bob sheepishly smiled and quickly scampered back as fast as he could.


    ¡°Behind you!¡± The officer screamed, and before Bob could turn around, a strong force struck against the back of his head, sending him to the ground. Losing his consciousness by the second, his eyes immediately closed, sending him to the endless abyss of the night. Before he fell into the dark, he felt a large rumbling coming from the ground before the night consumed him.


    His body shook as night disappeared. Bob struggled to dispel the shades as he struggled to open his eyes. ¡°He¡¯s awake!¡± A man remarked as he held Bob up. Bob glanced about him and immediately took notice of someone¡¯s legs right before him. He looked up, suppressing the pain at the back of his head.


    ¡°You did this?¡± The man asked, causing Bob to turn cock his head to the side in response. He took a much deeper scan of his surroundings as he wondered what happened between then and now. Another man helped Bob up as he scanned his surroundings. His face paled at the sight before him.


    Bodies littered the ground. Bits and pieces of human flesh appear in places where they do not belong. Tens, no¡­ hundreds lay on the ground, never to take another breath. He studied his attire and found as much blood, more blood to be sprayed all over his clothes. His mouth hung agape as he struggled to find justifications for his current situation, but the other man patted his shoulder, sending him a sympathetic gaze.


    ¡°What is your name?¡± He asked in a somewhat respectful manner. The man holding him up was taken aback by his tone but held Bob up.


    ¡°The name¡¯s Bob. What happened?¡± Bob muttered as he tried to comprehend the incomprehensible. He looked at his hands, which were stained with blood. There were no open wounds on them, but it was soaked with blood.


    Tightening his hold on Bob, the man explained,¡± Bob, you had taken down an entire unit all by yourself.¡± He sorrowfully added, ¡°Your comrades are all dead.¡± Bob lowered his head, not sure how to react to the situation unfolding in front of him. He was a little sad due to his fellow soldiers¡¯ death, but they did not know each other for too long; thus, he was not too attached to them. But he somehow fell his enemies?


    Bob opened his mouth to explain himself, but the man beat him to the punch. ¡°I understand how you feel, Bob. No need to explain yourself to me. As Commander of the army, I order you to rest.¡± Khaled demanded and strode away. The man holding Bob up sent him a pitying gaze as he followed behind Khaled, leaving Bob by his lonesome.


    Unable to explain himself, Bob tried his best to remember what happened, but no answers were returned. Shrugging at this unexpected development, he decided to go along with Khaled¡¯s story.


    Bob the Berserker. A young boy gazed at a portrait of a heroic-looking man hung in the centre of the room. He could only admire his bravery and sympathise with sorrow in that fateful battle. Considering the craftsmanship of the painting, it said a lot about the artist¡¯s thoughts on preserving their work if it could survive hundreds of years. The doors of the hallways opened with a soft creak, breaking away the boy¡¯s thoughts.


    A hooded man scampered in and walked on the carpet until he was only a couple of steps from the boy. ¡°My lord, how can I serve you?¡± The man bowed before asking respectfully.


    The boy smiled and beckoned the man to follow him. He began walking to a nearby meeting room, causing the man to follow behind him. The man closed the wooden doors, letting the two have a private conversation among themselves, away from the prying eyes of others in the castle.

 Chapter 2 Expedition

    ¡°How¡¯s the preparation for the expedition?¡± The boy asked.


    A sigh could be heard from the hooded man, and he raised his head, letting the boy give him a glimpse of his facial features. His skin tone was dark like all other natives living in the desert, and his eyes were sharp, making him seem unapproachable to others. ¡°We have some issues procuring the supplies. Our usual supplier, the old Steward, has suddenly jacked up the prices.¡± The man explained, lowering his head in shame, hiding most of his facial features from sight.


    ¡°I suppose he wants to meet with me. Very well, I shall make sure the expedition is not delayed.¡± The boy replied with a frown. He nodded and remarked, ¡°Nonetheless, Wasifi, I must thank you for your hard work.¡±


    ¡°It is not a problem, Mehmed.¡± Wasifi bowed once more before taking his leave.


    Just as he was a couple of footsteps away from the door entrance, Mehmed asked,¡± Wasifi, when will you show me your face? As a Steward, it is rude for the lord not even to have a glimpse of your face.¡± Wasifi turned around to face Mehmed and pulled down the top of his hood, even more, making it barely cover the tip of his nose.


    ¡°When you ascend to the role of a lord, then I will allow you to have a glimpse of my royal face.¡± Before it quickly disappeared, a slight grin could be seen under the hood.


    ¡°I will respect your wishes, your majesty.¡± Mehmed played along, chuckling as Wasifi left the room. Once footsteps grew softer and softer, Mehmed¡¯s eyes furrowed.


    Alkhadra was a city on the outskirts of a desert. It sits by a nearby oasis that provides the city with water that allows it to survive. Population numbers obtained from the latest census were 5000, subject to change.


    Rudimentary roads made from hardened mud lined the streets, allowing the people to move about. A young boy stopped in front of an establishment made with hardened mudbrick. Holes on the wall which allowed air to flow throughout the building gave passer-bys a look into the building. Tables and chairs with patrons eating and drinking could be seen with a glance. Due to it being a couple of hours before dinner time, the only ones in were the eccentric ones. As Mehmed took a couple of steps to the entrance, a man was flown out of the establishment. He raised his upper body and struggled to gain momentum to push himself off the ground.


    Mehmed peeked into the door and could see a seemingly drunk individual standing menacingly by the doorway. He turned back to face the man tossed outside, finally standing up. The man ignored the boy by the door and hollered, ¡°You fool! Trust me; I found gold!¡± He rushed back into the building, and the commotion increased as the sound of fists increased.


    ¡°That¡¯s a fool¡¯s tale for fools like you to come to this place!¡± Another voice shouted in return, and furniture being moved about muffled the rest of the sounds. Mehmed took another peek into the door, and he saw an individual walking away from the bar to the two men fighting.


    ¡°No fighting in the establishment.¡± The bartender gently warned, but the two men continued to brawl. His eyebrows scrunched up, seeing the men who did not heed his warnings. He sighed and revealed his scabbard hidden under his robe. Unsheathing his blade, he pointed it at the rowdy men. Seeing the blade, the two men began beating a hasty retreat, making Mehmed end his sightseeing. Mehmed watched the men run with their tails behind their backs, not even looking behind them. The same bartender walked out of the establishment, returned his blade to the scabbard, and studied the newcomer.


    ¡°Mehmed? Looks like you¡¯ve been growing up. Last time I saw you¡­.¡± He remarked.


    ¡°No need for pleasantries, Nadim. Tell me why the prices of supplies increased. I have been keeping track of the continent¡¯s news; there was nothing of note.¡± Mehmed brusquely asked, causing the old Steward to walk back into the establishment. The heir apparent followed behind him, watching the other patrons minding their own business. Cards scattered around the ground as tables and chairs were overturned in differing positions due to the earlier brawl. A worker was cleaning up the mess made by the two men earlier, grumbling about the extra labour that they had to take on.


    Nadim led Mehmed to his office, where many items were neatly arranged. He grabbed a nearby tea set and poured two cups of tea as Mehmed took a seat in front of him. The two looked at one another, waiting for the other party to begin the conversation.


    ¡°Mehmed, tell me. Why do you want to lead the expedition?¡± The ex-steward asked an unrelated question, causing Mehmed to bite his lip in annoyance.


    ¡°As the old steward, you should know it the best.¡± Mehmed smirked, before continuing,¡± Alkhadra is exceptionally undeveloped, and little will change that fact. The crown pays more attention to the arable lands in the north, so little can be done to change our current situation. While we might have found gold, I think it is a hoax by the former lords to stimulate business. That is why we can only rely on exploring the desert and perhaps find something that can reverse the situation.¡±


    Nadim placed his teacup onto the table and studied the gloating expression on Mehmed¡¯s face, looking as if he had explained his case perfectly. ¡°This is all based on the fact that there is something in the desert even worth pursuing. For all we know, all of this could be a giant sinkhole that will not net anything in return. Hundreds of men have perished in our expeditions; I want you to understand that your life may be in danger. I¡¯m sure being cooped out in the castle all day must be dreadful for a young boy like you, and you would like to see the world. But this isn¡¯t a game; you will be responsible for the men under your care.¡± Nadim watched as doubt visibly entered Mehmed¡¯s expression, and he began filling up the teacups once more.


    ¡°Besides, it seems your information network is weak. Bandits have appeared on the nearby roads, briefly blocking all trade. The Alwaleed-Duchy has quickly dispatched troops to handle them, briefly stabilizing prices. Nonetheless, current prices are much higher than before.¡± Nadim brought the teacup to his lips and enjoyed his tea.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Mehmed clenched his teeth and looked downwards, not wanting to look at the smug grin that Nadim probably had on his face. Clink! Nadim placed his teacup onto the table and interlocked his hands together. Resting his head against his hands, he said,¡± On account of our relationship, I will sell you the goods you need for the expedition at the usual prices. But it will be just for this occasion. I hope you will be able to take away a few lessons from this conversation.¡± Mehmed raised his head to see Nadim give him an amiable smile.


    ¡°Thank you, Nadim. I will take note of these words.¡± Mehmed nodded his head and bid Nadim goodbye, leaving Nadim sighing in his office.


    Mehmed watched from the castle¡¯s second floor as soldiers loaded up camels with supplies. Horses munched on procured hay, and servants heaped buckets of water in troughs for the animals. Mehmed went back to his living quarters and studied rudimentary maps created from previous expeditions. Much of the mapped areas had little things that were noteworthy, just kilometres of endless sand. Yet there was an area circled in all of them labelled as ¡°Do not enter.¡± He had endless questions about its origin, but it seemed few knew why. It was supposedly a tale from one of the first few expeditions, where everyone perished except one or two survivors who lived to tell the story. Mehmed didn¡¯t know why, but he felt as if something in that area probably contained something that would reverse these lands¡¯ poverty.


    Slotting his feet into the stirrup, Mehmed hoisted himself up onto a horse. Turning around, he observed members of the expedition getting everything into order. Nervousness, anxiety and anticipation could be seen on some of the faces of the group. Steward Wasifi stood by the side, still keeping his face hooded. Wasifi glanced at Mehmed, who gestured towards Wasifi¡¯s hood. The mysterious Steward shook his head, making a slight tinge of annoyance show on his face. Once everything got into order, Mehmed urged his horse forward, causing the rest of the group to follow behind him to the endless oasis.


    At first, the expedition went ahead at a steady pace. Mehmed occasionally glanced at his map, checking the group¡¯s route. He constantly confirmed it with the explorer he rode by his side. Naturally, he asked about the giant no-go zone on the map, but the explorer shifted his eyes to the side and explained using justifications already known to the boy. Nonetheless, the beauty of the dunes as the golden rays of sunlight basks it in golden colours was striking. Steps in the sand left behind the group left the only traces of life in this desolate land. The only sounds to be heard were the sound of occasional winds bringing temporary relief interspaced with the chattering of the group.


    While it was fun at first, the endless similar sights and sounds eventually stopped bringing novelty to the boy. Mehmed¡¯s mind slowly became dull, and he increasingly looked at the map brought with him.


    They sat up camp as it was getting dark, and Mehmed felt alone as he felt no connection to the people around him. He watched as people made merry and ate their meals as he sat alone. ¡°Expeditions are boring, ain¡¯t it?¡± The explorer sat by his side, causing Mehmed to shift a couple of paces to the right.


    ¡°I suppose. How should I address you?¡±


    ¡°Call me Basil.¡± The man shifted the posture of his back and grinned at the boy.


    ¡°Basil, how do you do this for so long?¡± Mehmed asked.


    ¡°The anticipation of something new. And, your family is paying rather handsomely to look at some sand.¡± Basil remarked.


    ¡°Have you gone into the zone?¡± Mehmed reached out for his map nearby at pointed into the no-go zone. He observed using the light from the fireplace as Basil¡¯s pupils shook. Seeing that Basil kept his mouth shut, he asked once more, albeit louder,¡± Have you gone there?¡± He tapped on the parchment. Basil¡¯s lips twisted and distorted at Mehmed¡¯s line of questioning. It opened and closed, with no words coming out.


    A weak smile appeared, and he brusquely said,¡± All I can say is that you must not enter that place, young master.¡±


    ¡°You know that makes me want to go there, right?¡± Mehmed sneered and dismissed the fellow. Basil hurried away, seemingly relieved to escape from further questioning. Mehmed watched as his back grew smaller and smaller into the distance.


    The two chatted to pass the time as they continued their track. Every so often, they would spot a cactus or two. Men would grab their shovels and begin digging for underwater reservoirs while the others went to harvest the liquid inside. Basil always kept Mehmed entertained by teaching him how to harvest the juice from the cactus safely. He used a small straight dagger to peel off the skin unharmed. Mehmed tried once, but he got injured soon after, causing him to storm away in frustration, much to the delight of the rest of the group. Mehmed then tried digging for underground water reserves, and he took on the task. It was hard work, but at least he was not bored sitting by the side doing nothing. And so that was his assigned informal task, as no one dared to give the future Count of the land menial labour.


    ¡°Truthfully, Basil, what kind of riches do you suspect are in these lands?¡± Mehmed asked one day.


    Basil chuckled, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you ask your family why they bother to search through these wastelands?¡± He stopped and narrowed his eyes,¡± In my professional opinion, this is a massive sinkhole with not profitable results. But as a speculator, who knows? I¡¯m being paid here, so keep speculating, young master.¡± Mehmed frowned but continued looking forward, hoping to find something to soothe his boredom.


    How many days have passed? Mehmed didn¡¯t track. But on one of those days, Basil opened his mouth,¡± Young master, we should probably head back the way we came. Our supplies would not be able to last any longer if we continue forward.¡±


    ¡°Forward.¡± Mehmed stoically replied. Before Basil could issue a protest, he placed his index finger to his dry lips, causing Basil to bow with a certain glint in his eyes.


    ¡°I understand, young master,¡± Basil replied, and the group continued.


    ¡°Urgent rationing will have to be done if we go back the way came. Mehm ¨C no, young master, you may be my superior, but even your supplies will have to be rationed. We may have to starve or lack water for some days.¡± Basil coolly explained.


    Mehmed turned around to see the worried gazes of the men behind him; they seemed unruly and sent hostile looks his way. The boy turned to face Basil, who smiled, ¡°I don¡¯t think we should take any step further.¡±


    ¡°I have a brilliant idea. We have passed by the outer rims of this.¡± Mehmed pointed at the no-go zone before continuing, ¡°And I saw nothing. We can proceed with our supplies of consumption as usual if we...¡± Mehmed pointed at their current approximate location, which Basil sketched out on an updated map. He dragged his finger down on the parchment towards the city of Alkhadra in a straight line. ¡°We must go through here. Anyone opposes my decision?¡± Mehmed put on a pleasant, friendly smile.


    Half of the men sighed in resignation, while some showed curiosity at the zone specifically meant for no one to pass. ¡°Those who disagree can take a percentage of our supplies.¡± Mehmed continued his gentle smile, which seemed more like a demon¡¯s grin to those who disagreed. ¡°You will have to ration your supplies, of course. This young master must have three meals daily and drink water paired with those meals.¡±


    Basil dropped his head low and murmured,¡± I knew something like this would happen.¡± He looked towards Mehmed¡¯s overbearing gaze and sighed. ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t too late for the young to learn a lesson.¡± He thought to himself as he guided his horse to Mehmed¡¯s side. He nodded and announced,¡± We shall follow young master¡¯s orders! Let¡¯s go!¡± The group began taking a 180-degree turn and started making their trek back in a straight line. Naturally, this led them through the no-go zone passed down throughout the ages.


    Foolish fools.

 Chapter 3 Humiliation

    The expedition made its way to the boundaries of the no-go zone. Mehmed could see the group slowly down behind him, but he could not determine the cause. As the leader, he led the way with Basil by his side as they passed into the zone. There was little indication that such a boundary existed, for any two places in the desert looked highly similar. Basil claimed that he could tell where the border lay, but no matter how hard he tried to observe the sand, he could notice no changes.


    Seeing the two leading members being unscathed from their entry, the rest of the group members followed behind them. A couple of hundred metres in, the other members began to relax and chatted amongst themselves as if everything was fine. They teased members who expressed abject fear of coming here and made fun of those who still could not control their nerves. Mehmed observed those who could not keep control of their nerves; there was an unexplainable glint in their eyes as if they knew what was to come.


    ¡°You made a mountain out of a molehill. It¡¯s just endless sand.¡± Mehmed remarked. Basil turned to face the source of the voice and smirked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just continue, and we shall see.¡± Basil cautioned before turning around to face the front. Basil wrapped a cloth around his mouth, tying a knot at the back of his head, completing his Shemagh.


    A feeling of a horrible mistake that he had made welled up within Mehmed, but he continued forward, curious about the area¡¯s contents. He followed Basil and wrapped his face, thinking that it was probably best to follow his actions.


    The group stopped on one of the highest dunes to take a short break. Basil dismounted from his horse and unsheathed his blade, attracting strange looks from the others. He stood there as if he was waiting for something. After a while, the group left him be and grabbed their supplies from some of the camel¡¯s backs. Mehmed unsheathed his blade as well and clumsily held it in his hands. ¡°You look like a kid playing with something you shouldn¡¯t touch,¡± Basil commented.


    ¡°Explain yourself.¡± Mehmed pointed the blade at Basil. Some eyes looked towards the two¡¯s confrontation, but they looked away as they thought Basil could easily take care of things.


    Basil¡¯s feet began tapping the ground rhythmically as Mehmed approached him. Not meeting the boy¡¯s gaze, Basil looked downward, and his feet suddenly stopped tapping. ¡°Now.¡± Basil pointed out, and a strong gust of wind blew by. Basil dropped to the ground, and the strong winds blew a couple of members to the floor. The strong winds also brought large quantities of sand, creating a miniature sandstorm. Temporarily blinded, Mehmed raised an arm to shield his eyes and crouched to steady himself. But the winds continued to blow and the sounds of objects scattering about circulated around his surroundings. Mehmed dropped to the ground, landing on the sand with a thud, displacing the sand around him. Clenching his sword by his side while shielding his eyes, the boy held on for his dear life as the winds spread chaos among the group. The animals wailed and neighed as they panicked due to the sudden change in the environment. Their owners tried to scurry to their animals to calm their steeds down, but the strong gusts forced them to the ground, and they could watch in horror as their supplies scattered to the winds.


    As the gusts of wind came, they dissipated about a minute later, allowing Mehmed to pick himself up. He scanned his surroundings, watching the group salvage whatever supplies they could from the ground. Dusting the sand off his clothes, he shook some of the sand off his blade. He looked around and found Basil looking unscathed from the sandstorm. His eyes were looking behind Mehmed, so Mehmed turned to see a couple of black dots by the horizon. They stood on a dune. The black dots leapt, and they began sliding down the dune in a couple of seconds.


    ¡°What is that?¡± A scout hurriedly fished for his binoculars as he looked around for his superiors¡¯ orders.


    ¡°Not again¡­¡± Another member commented as he unsheathed his blade.


    ¡°The supplies! Quickly, scavenge them!¡± A member in charge of the supplies wailed.


    As the black dots grew closer and closer, a humanoid shape could be gleaned from the naked eye. They wore dark hoods that covered their entire bodies from head to toe, allowing none even to glimpse their features. They slid on the sand, treating it like ice, providing no friction to their movements. Mehmed bit his lip and looked toward Basil. Basil sent a benign smile his way and said,¡± Whatever comes next depends on you, young master.¡± The explorer began taking steps forward to meet the newcomers, and Mehmed followed behind him, unsure of his words.


    The hooded individuals divided themselves into two as they skid to flank the group. Surrounding the group in seconds, they whipped sands into the air, forcing the group to shield their eyes. The members unsheathed their blades and dropped everything that they were doing. They huddled together into a tight formation, surrounding Mehmed and Basil. Archers stood behind the frontline and pointed their bows at the newcomers. Basil gave a stoic look as he waited. A short brief period of silence passed between the two strangers, and neither dared to make the first move.


    ¡°Look at the rats who entered our land.¡± One of the hooded individuals declared with a feminine voice.


    ¡°My apologies. Our supplies are running low, so we must pass directly through your lands.¡± Basil spoke in an extremely humble tone that made Mehmed feel a little indignant. Basil had never talked to him like that before, and his family is his employer!


    ¡°Pfftt. Just hand over your belongings or die.¡± The hooded leader demanded and took a step forward. Some armed members began dropping their weapons, causing Mehmed¡¯s eyes to furrow.


    ¡°Are you all going to submit to a bunch of bandits! Attack!¡± Mehmed demanded, causing those who dropped their weapons to pick them up in response immediately. Mehmed clenched his teeth and glared at the lone individual robbing them in broad daylight.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°Young master, while you¡¯re from my employer¡¯s family, I highly recommend that you shut up.¡± Basil walked over and whispered into his ear. Mehmed bit his lip.


    ¡°How can I, the future lord, submit to mere bandits! I won¡¯t shut up! Attack!¡± Mehmed ordered, causing Basil to rub his forehead in agony. Members of the expedition clenched their blades and huddled in their defensive formations, waiting for the enemies to strike first.


    ¡°A feisty one. Very well, take care of the trash.¡± The feminine voice ordered, and the hooded individuals rushed forth. In mere seconds, they were in their enemies¡¯ faces, causing them to bring down their blades in response. The hooded individuals raised daggers and parried the edge to the side, causing the armed swordsmen to stumble. The bandits used another hand to shove them, causing them to fall. Archers took the opportunity to fire their bows, but the bandits shifted their bodies to the side, dodging the arrows. Landing on the ground, they leapt and lunged at the archers. The archers quickly drew their short blades, but with their superhuman speed, the bandits closed the gap and brought down the handle of their daggers onto their foes. Knocking the archers out, they rushed back and knocked out the sworders trying to get up from the ground, leaving Basil, Mehmed and some stranglers. The other bandits picked off the stranglers, leaving the leader to close the gap between the group¡¯s two core members.


    Unlike her counterparts using superhuman strength, the leader slowly walked and stopped a couple of metres away from the two. ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± Mehmed weakly muttered, and Basil scowled at the boy but put on the most amicable smile he could towards the leader.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, madam, we will never do it again.¡± Basil dropped his knees to the ground and bashed his head onto the floor in total submission to her. Mehmed watched in horror as the explorer lost all will to resist.


    Mehmed tightened his grip on the blade and stared at the hooded individual, trying to distinguish any features from them. It was complete darkness; the hood provided full shade from the sun, not letting one get even a glimpse of their identity. Mehmed raised his blade as his arms shook and pointed it towards her.


    A sneer could be heard as she slowly walked closer and closer to the boy. His arms shook with even more uncontrolled fervour as each step grew ever so close. Within the range of his blade, the boy strengthened his will and slashed at her. She ducked and let the blade pass overhead and caught Mehmed¡¯s sword arm with a single hand. Mehmed tried to shake her off, but her grip was iron tight. Pulling on that hand, Mehmed stumble forward towards her. Then, the bandit struck a hand towards his chest and pushed him upward, flinging him into the air before plummeting onto the ground. Mehmed groaned as the pain welled up in his abdomen, slamming on his belly. He rolled and looked upwards to see the individual standing over him.


    ¡°Any last words?¡± The leader seemingly mischievously asked.


    ¡°Fuck you,¡± Mehmed uttered before a strong force struck against his head, sending him out cold.


    A bumpy ride could be felt underneath him. Shaking his head, Mehmed reached for his scabbard but did not feel his blade. Opening his eyes, the endless dark sky of the night greeted him. ¡°Where¡¯s my blade?¡± He demanded and slowly raised his upper body. The bumpy ride stopped, and an individual bringing over a lamp shone it in his face. Mehmed¡¯s eyes narrowed as he adjusted to the sudden change in brightness.


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re awake.¡± The man grinned. Mehmed¡¯s eyes furrowed as he looked at the man greeting him. ¡°Regarding your blade, we lost all our weapons and armours. Half of our supplies are gone as well. So, we¡¯re in a bit of a rush.¡± The person in question hurried away, and the ride continued. Mehmed scanned his surroundings and saw others on horseback sending him piercing gazes. He sighed, laid back down on the wooden floor, and closed his eyes, hoping to wake up from his horrific nightmare.


    ¡°It was a complete disaster; a sandstorm scattered most of our belongings. But at least we are alive.¡± Basil made his report to some administrative officials, who scowled at the disaster of the expedition. Basil weakly smiled before turning around to get some rest. Mehmed, who followed behind him, uttered,¡± Why didn¡¯t you tell them about the mmph¡­.¡± The explorer placed his hand on the boy¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°What¡¯s the use of telling them? Could the local militia take care of them? I don¡¯t think so.¡± The explorer increased his pace, putting some distance between the boy and him. Mehmed remembered the piercing gazes sent by everyone during their trip back; he had never felt so humiliated before in his life. There was no way he was going to let those bandits scot-free. Plus, that excuse Basil gave? That sounded like bullshit! He ran back to the administrative official, handling some other paperwork.


    ¡°Sir. The truth is that some bandits ambushed us.¡± Mehmed declared in a voice full of conviction, causing the official¡¯s eyebrows to be raised.


    ¡°Where exactly are the bandits located? And why didn¡¯t Mr Abbas report it? ¡°Doubt was depicted on his face as the official sent a pitiful gaze toward the boy.


    ¡°Right here.¡± Mehmed unfurled a scroll onto the table and pointed toward the no-go zone.


    ¡°Alright¡­ I will write a report, and the local militia will handle it if there are any other reports.¡± The official politely replied with a tinge of annoyance. Mehmed felt that he was being flattered and quickly ran off back to his home.


    ¡°Poor Basil, having to cover for this little brat.¡± The official sighed as he wrote a simple report on the matter, placing it onto the low priority pile. He purposedly slotted into the very bottom of the bank, where some of the most absurd reports lay.


    Books were strewn all about the tiny library. The flipping of pages echoed throughout the room as Mehmed scoured the literature for any hints of the zone. There was little to no reference to the area in the small array of books he had. Sighing, he closed the current book he held and turned back to gaze upon the map. Circling his finger around the area, he observed the land¡¯s surroundings for any notable landmarks. It was not depicted on the map he currently had, if there were any. Furrowing his eyebrows, he turned to grab another book.


    As he flipped through the pages of his current book, a thought settled in his head. The humiliation that the bandits landed on him was something he could not shake off. He constantly touched his sheath, filled with another blade he borrowed from the armoury. Dropping the book on the table, he unsheathed the sword and took the time to admire his reflection on the handle. Returning the blade to the sheath, he decided to put his study session on hold. He ran out of the room and encountered a hooded individual.


    He reached for his blade by instinct and wrapped his fingers around the handle. While pulling it out, a familiar voice came out,¡± Mehmed? What¡¯s the problem?¡± The hooded individual tilted his head to the side and gestured with a hand that was full of a book.


    ¡°Steward Wasifi, nothing.¡± Mehmed calmed his hands and rushed away from the steward.


    Frowning, Wasifi headed into the library and placed back the book in his hand. Looking at Mehmed¡¯s mess left behind, Wasifi grumbled as he put the books back in their proper places. However, Wasifi stopped by a desk, which contained a map. It had scribbles on it, and an X was labelled with ¡°bandits?¡± in the middle of an annotated area, ¡°Do not enter¡±. In big capital letters, the X was circled with the word ¡°Why?¡± by its side.


    Inspecting the parchment, Wasifi grasped it. Scoffing, he rolled it up and slotted it into a pocket of his hood. Wasifi then returned the books to the right places, but he ensured to flip through them to scan their contents. Nodding his head as he looked around the tidied up library, he took his leave from the area.

 Chapter 4 The Blade

    Being the son of an impoverished lord in a county, Mehmed never had the best of teachers. All he had were the individuals that worked in the county. For example, the Marshal, Steward, and Spymaster did provide some lessons to him from time to time. While that role usually lay to the clergy, few clergymen were willing to come to this town by the edge of the wilderness. Most of them headed to the capital of the Alwaleed Duchy to engage in their proselytising. Even then, the numbers are minute due to the general poverty of the region.


    Mehmed made his way to the county Marshal, currently looking over some papers in the working space. Knocking on the door to inform the Marshal of his presence, Mehmed made his way to his office. The Marshal raised his head and greeted,¡± Mehmed. How can I help you today?¡± The Marshal returned his gaze to his papers. The loss of some arms by the expedition somewhat emptied the armoury, and he had to restock that inventory.


    ¡°I want to master the blade, Marshal Hassen!¡± Mehmed enthusiastically declared, causing one of the Hassen¡¯s eyebrows to raise.


    ¡°I never knew you were so enthusiastic about the blade; what brought the change? The expedition made you realise how weak you were.¡± Hassen queried.


    ¡°Well, we were attacked by some bandits, marshal,¡± Mehmed explained.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t receive that in a report. Nonetheless, can you explain why bandits would be in the middle of nowhere?¡± Hassen¡¯s eyes narrowed as Mehmed failed to produce an answer. Sighing, he continued,¡± The interest in the blade is a good thing, and I know a good instructor for you. You went with him on the expedition; his name is Basil Abbas. He¡¯s probably drunk in that tavern run by that old Steward.¡± Hassen refocused back on his papers as Mehmed hesitantly left the room.


    ¡°Anything wrong with him as an instructor?¡± Hassen asked as he glanced at the boy and gleamed his true thoughts.


    ¡°Nothing, sir!¡± Mehmed replied and hurried away from the office, leaving Hassen by himself, grumbling about cleaning up after someone else¡¯s mess.


    ¡°I found gold on the ground, lying there innocently! It was waiting for someone like me to take it! But I took it, and the next thing I knew, a couple of hours were gone!¡± A man hollered inside the establishment.


    ¡°Go back home if you¡¯re drunk, you fool! Why the fuck would gold be here?¡± Another voice chided.


    ¡°Fuck off! Don¡¯t come crying to me for the gold once I find gold!¡±


    Mehmed walked to the entrance to see a man leaving the establishment with a bottle in his hand. His nose was bright red, and he looked at the boy with a cloudy gaze. Mehmed quickly looked away from the individual, and he grinned as he walked away. The boy walked into the establishment, and he could see a large group sitting by one corner. He saw familiar faces amongst the group, members who went on the expedition with him. Basil Abbas sat in the centre of the trio, dumping wads of cash into one of the staff¡¯s hands while demanding more drinks. Basil looked towards the establishment entrance and saw a boy shyly looking at him.


    Beaming at the newcomer, he called out, ¡°Mehmed! While I will invite you to drink with him, your father will probably kill me if he finds out.¡± He gestured towards the boy, who fought the nerves within himself to walk towards the group. The rest of the expedition members laughed at his words, and Mehmed did not know when to interject into the group¡¯s conversation. ¡°So Mehmed, why are you looking for your old friend Basil?¡± Basil¡¯s nose grew redder as he gulped down another serving of alcohol.


    ¡°Marshal Hassen recommended you as an instructor,¡± Mehmed explained.


    ¡°Oh really?¡± Basil clumsily pushed himself up and dismissed himself from the group members around him. Before leaving the tavern, he staggered towards Mehmed and gestured to follow him. Mehmed glanced towards the bartender, who seemed somewhat aloof, but had his eyes on him. Mehmed smiled, and the ex-Steward Nadim smiled back before Mehmed scurried after Basil.


    Basil headed right by the edge of the town, near the desolate sands where only sand could be found. He wrapped his grip around the handle of his blade before sheathing the sword back. ¡°Alright, the first thing I want to teach would-be arming yourself. An assassin can strike in mere seconds, so you need to dodge or grab a weapon to protect yourself. So, you would be practising unsheathing the blade.¡± Basil removed the sword sheath from its holster and gripped it in his hands.


    ¡°I want to learn how to fight with the blade, not do these dumb exercises!¡± Mehmed insisted, but Basil lunged and struck the boy on the head. ¡°Ouch!¡± The young boy shrieked as the hardwood tapped on his head.


    ¡°Too slow; I¡¯m going to attack again in a few seconds.¡± Basil leapt backwards and relaxed his posture. He seemed non-threatening and feeble at that moment.


    ¡°Unsheathe your blade, and let¡¯s see how long you can survive if someone wants to take your life.¡± The explorer grinned menacingly, and Mehmed quickly drew his blade. The man charged at the boy, and the boy barely released the edge from its confinement before his weapon arm got tapped by Basil¡¯s unsheathed sword. Caught by surprise, Mehmed released the grip on his weapon. It clattered onto the sandy ground, displacing some of the sand. Basi then raised the scabbard towards the boy¡¯s neck, putting it mere inches away from his flesh.


    ¡°Second lesson, never lose your grip over your blade.¡± He warned before backing off. Mehmed sighed as he quickly picked up his blade and sheathed it. Basil returned to his usual benign stance before suddenly lunging at him. Mehmed drew his sword and raised it to block a strike. Basil ran to Mehmed¡¯s side and got behind him. Before the boy could turn around, his head was tapped by the scabbard, inducing a groan.


    ¡°Too slow.¡± Mehmed joyfully uttered, making Mehmed clench his teeth as he sheathed the blade. The two underwent this exercise for a couple of hours under the glistening light of the full moon.


    As Mehmed heaved and hawed, Basil patted his back. ¡°It¡¯s a good first lesson. Well, see you again.¡± The man walked away, sneaking some glances at the young master behind him. Seeing that he was all fine, he continued his merry way.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°What is your¡­ relationship with the bandits?¡± Mehmed asked, footsteps to be abruptly stopped.


    ¡°There is no relationship. I was robbed too!¡± Basil pouted in a fashion that would be cute on a child but was horrifying on a grown man¡¯s face. The two stared at one another before Basil turned around. What was once an annoying expression changed into pure stoicism as all emotions were erased from his face. Mehmed stared at the back that grew ever smaller in the dark night, wondering about his subsequent actions.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Steward Wasifi asked as he glanced at the request written on a sheet of paper he held.


    ¡°The paper should clearly explain it.¡± Mehmed balefully glared at Wasifi. The boy looked into the dark recesses underneath the hood, making out some humanoid features before continuing,¡± Send a letter to the Alwaleed Duchy. I want to pay my respects to the liege and¡­.¡± Mehmed paused, unsure about phrasing it. ¡°The future liege.¡± The boy stopped and glanced at the Steward.


    ¡°Which one?¡± Wasifi¡¯s lips curled up as he asked.


    Mehmed shrugged and said,¡± Shouldn¡¯t you assist your liege in figuring out which one?¡± The hooded individual¡¯s head bobbed up and down.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the role be left to the chancellor? We could wait for Akel to come back with the lord and lady.¡± Seeing no response from the boy, Wasifi swiftly replied, ¡°I understand.¡± Wasifi left the room, glancing at the boy behind him before leaving him in the study. Mehmed sighed and sat by his desk, which had books piled upon it. Scrutinizing did him no good; it led him into endless rabbit holes with no tangible results. Perhaps the records in the Alwaleed Duchy hold some information about the superhuman bandits, and maybe he could leverage the duchy¡¯s forces to rid them of these pests?


    Seeing the sun falling by the horizon, he left the study as it is, knowing that Wasifi would clean up his mess. He went to the edge of the Alkhadra to see a man standing there. Explorer Basil always arrived 5 minutes early or late; his arrival was based on the sun¡¯s position, which is different from one¡¯s current location. This time he was before; it seems he did not travel too far away from Alkhadra today. ¡°Mehmed, shall we continue?¡± He grinned as some of the boy¡¯s limbs brought memories of past pain. Basil lunged at the boy as the boy quickly drew his blade. The explorer swung an overhead swing which Mehmed dodged to the side. However, the boy stumbled a little and took some time to regain his balance. That was all Basil needed before he lightly shoved Mehmed with a thrust to the chest, pushing him into the sandy ground.


    Basil looked toward the fallen Mehmed, and the boy had some Deja-Vu about the current situation. Instead of being knocked out like last time, Basil extended a hand, which Mehmed thankfully grabbed. As the man pulled the boy up, the young master asked,¡± Are you still not going to explain anything?¡± Basil released his grip on Mehmed¡¯s hand, sending him tumbling to the ground. As Mehmed glared at Basil, Basil extended his hands once more.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mehmed. But you should know better than to ask pointless questions.¡± Basil looked around his surroundings as he pulled him up. Brushing some sand off the boy¡¯s shoulders, he praised the boy,¡± Better than last time. Let¡¯s try again.¡±


    Looking out the carriage window, Mehmed could only feel glad that he no longer had to look at its exterior. But the interior was not any better to look at, so his eyes could only enjoy the endless sands around him, which nauseated his stomach. His family was poor, one of the poorest nobles in the kingdom, and the carriage reflected its complete glory. Yet somehow, an ancestor rebranded it as a good thing. It showed the Spartan nature that Bob the Berserker passed down, and it should be something that should be celebrated. Perhaps peasants might be fooled by these words, but the nobles knew the brevity behind it. And so what others call the pride and joy for the family was utter humiliation in Mehmed¡¯s heart.


    Even the glance outside the windows brought no relief today, as it brought up memories of that failed expedition that Mehmed led. Because of his rash decision, he almost had everyone killed. Still, it wouldn¡¯t have happened in the first place if those bandits were gone. And thus, he firmed his resolve and grabbed a book by his side. It was a book borrowed from Wasifi, who procured it from who knows where. The book talked about the life of an ordinary peasant and how the lords have it easy. No, it heavily emphasised the latter point, which made Mehmed a little uncomfortable, but it was better than staring outside the window all day long. Thus, Mehmed enjoyed the uncomfortable book he held in his hands.


    A slot by the coachman opened as a voice announced, ¡°Young master, we have company.¡± Mehmed glanced away from the passage regarding the peasantry¡¯s abuse before looking outside the window. Outside, he saw a couple of black dots by the horizon. Gulping, he immediately reached for his blade and drew it. The coachman was a little taken aback by the drastic actions of the young master.


    Mehmed ordered, ¡°Hurry! Get away from them!¡± And the dazed coachman nodded and quickly whipped the horses into a frenzy as they ran across the sandy land. Mehmed bit his lip, and he continued to observe the black dots by the horizon. They did not descend from the dune but instead moved to disappear from his sight. Breathing a sigh of relief, he rubbed his eyes to ensure that his eyes were okay. They were fine.


    ¡°Should I continue, sir?¡± The coachman asked as the horses sped down the sand. Feeling a little pleased by the title that the coachman addressed him, Mehmed took some time to savour the feeling of respect.


    ¡°Continue for about a few minutes before resuming to a steady pace,¡± Mehmed ordered. The coachman slid the communication slot shut, leaving Mehmed with his privacy. He placed the book by his side and continuously looked towards the window. A gut feeling told him that the situation was not over; thus, he kept his blade unsheathed in his hands.


    The slot reopened, and the coachman explained,¡± Sir, there is a carriage right ahead.¡± Mehmed moved his head out of the carriage window and glanced at the comparatively luxurious carriage that travelled at a steady pace. A couple of camels hauled cargo stored in wagons.


    ¡°Slow by their side; I would like to hail them,¡± Mehmed replied, and the coachman nodded, closing the slot.


    The horses slowed down to a crawl, and the carriages met side by side.


    ¡°Greetings, from the lordship of Alkhadra.¡± Mehmed¡¯s coachman greeted the other coachman, who panicked at the sudden sight of the impoverished carriage. It looked too similar to the carriages of bandits who used hit and run tactics on fellow merchants.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ what a relief; I wanted to see my wife and kids.¡± The merchant¡¯s coachman mumbled in a tone that he thought was soft, but his fellow coachman could hear it audibly. He hailed the other party, ¡°His majesty¡¯s Merchant Union, Desert Division, Coach #45. Trading in cabbage, carrots and dates.¡± The coachman dutifully replied and glanced towards his employer sitting in the carriage behind him.


    Mehmed looked towards a boy who looked similar in age and greeted, ¡°Mehmed Alkhadra of the Alkhadra Lordship.¡± The boy was scrawny and held a pen in one hand while holding papers in another hand. With his attention stolen by the newcomer, he gulped upon hearing the other¡¯s title.


    ¡°Hakim Zaki, merchant-in-training for the His majesty¡¯s Merchant Union! How can I help you, milord!¡± The boy nervously uttered as he tried to remember the political entanglements of the region but gave up soon after. The fact that the other party was holding the blade like a bandit did not bring much reassurance to him.


    Mehmed beamed at the boy¡¯s address and took some time to imagine a future where everyone greeted this way. Daydreaming for a while, he snapped out of it and replied with a tinge of disappointment, ¡°I¡¯m just an heir, not yet a lord.¡±


    ¡°I see. Nice to meet you.¡± Hakim nodded and made a mental note in his mind.


    But before the two could continue their conversation any further, Mehmed¡¯s coachman hollered, ¡°Sir, they¡¯re back.¡± Mehmed looked outside the window behind Hakim¡¯s carriage and saw the black dots on the horizon. He tightened his grip over his blade.

 Chapter 5 Bandits

    ¡°What are they?¡± Hakim queried as he glanced at Mehmed¡¯s face. He turned to face the horizon, where a lone dune stood with a couple of black dots. Hakim rubbed his eyes, and the black dots were still there.


    ¡°I think they¡¯re bandits,¡± Mehmed explained as he took a couple of deep breaths. He tried to remember the few lessons that Basil had imparted to him. They were not helpful in fighting, but it would help him survive.


    ¡°Bandits? The nearest water body would be a couple of miles away. Where would they set up camp?¡± Hakim¡¯s coachman asked. The black dots grew more prominent in size as they slid down the dune. The coachmen grabbed a pair of binoculars and observed the humanoid figures gliding down the dune. Their feet blended with the sand as they skid down the dune in mere seconds.


    ¡°Are they even human¡­¡± The coachman uttered as the hooded figures crossed hundreds of metres.


    ¡°Coachman, full speed!¡± Hakim demanded as his limbs shook. He dropped a pen he held in one hand onto the ground. Papers were scattered over the carriage floor as he lost strength in his arms.


    ¡°What about the cargo?¡± Hakim¡¯s coachman looked towards the camels carrying much of their trade goods. Hakim hesitated and looked at Mehmed. Mehmed continued to observe the black dots similar to the bandits he encountered during the expedition. Their cloaks were as dark as the darkest night, which reminded him of the black vulture.


    ¡°Abandon the cargo! Better to live another day!¡± Mehmed ordered, and Hakim got his nerves under control.


    ¡°Listen to the young master! Abandon them!¡± Hakim ordered, and the two coachmen quickly whipped their horses into a frenzy. Desert sand flew into the air as the disgruntled horses began throttling ahead.


    A dust cloud erupted from the backs of the black dots, hiding them from view. Mehmed could feel a breeze begin to shape, blowing over some of the displaced sand. He drew the curtains; As the winds grew stronger, creating a miniature sandstorm. Mehmed held his seat as the carriage shook left and right due to the winds.


    ¡°It¡¯s too ¡­ dan¡­.¡± Mehmed¡¯s coachman whimpered as the carriage stopped. The carriage shook and shook until just as suddenly as the winds came, they subsided simultaneously. By opening the curtains, Mehmed could see hooded figures about 100 metres away from the group. He could see the rattled Hakim, who failed to close his curtains on time, drenched in the sand. He looked towards the coachman, who promptly opened the privacy slot.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Cough!¡± He sputtered some sand from his throat as he rubbed some debris from his eyes. Mehmed contemplated his options as the bandits surrounded the group in a similar formation. A circular ring was formed, which encircled them, providing no route of escape. A hooded figure stepped out and approached the group.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Mehmed adjusted his tone, knowing the capability of these bandits.


    ¡°¡­¡± The figure did not reply as it approached Mehmed¡¯s carriage. The figure stood with the sun behind their backs, hiding most of their facial features from proper scrutiny. A silent scoff could be heard as they observed the Mehmed¡¯s carriage and peeked their head into it. Seeing nothing of value, another scoff could be heard. Mehmed clenched his fists as he silently assumed what the other party was thinking.


    The figure then went over to Hakim¡¯s carriage. They observed the merchant, still trembling in fear, as he rubbed the sand off his belongings. Hakim brushed the sand off his face and mouthed out some words,¡± How¡­ can¡­ help¡­?¡±


    ¡°Get out.¡± A masculine voice came out of the figure, and the merchant in training heeded in words and crawled out of his carriage exceptionally slowly. Fear was impacting the speed of his movements as he failed to grasp the carriage door handle numerous times. ¡°Faster.¡± The figure stoically demanded as he drew his blade.


    ¡°Eek! Yes, sir!¡± Hakim wailed like a little girl as he threw everything he had on him and left the carriage. Standing on the ground, he watched as the figure snapped his fingers. A couple more bandits grabbed the goods off the camel¡¯s back and placed all of them into the carriage.


    Mehmed watched the bandits carry out their work right before his eyes. The staff in charge of managing the camels submitted to the authority of the bandits, especially when they heard that their boss had almost abandoned them just now. The leader turned around to face Mehmed and glanced at his blade. Mehmed sighed as he sheathed his sword and watched the leader nod in approval. An approval he would rather not have.


    Hakim¡¯s coachman got off the coach soon after as another bandit took it over. The travellers watched as the goods were taken right in front of their eyes. With a carriage full, the bandits began fleeing with the full carriage in tow, leaving camels grunting in happiness with the missing burden off their backs. Furious glares of betrayal were sent to the merchant¡¯s back, causing Hakim to lose his nerves to an ever-greater degree. Some nasty looks were Mehmed¡¯s way, but none would dare to be too direct with an individual associated with a noble family.


    Mehmed watched these individuals left behind and wondered what to do with them. He looked at his carriage, it should be enough to fit them, but some may have to sit at the front. The trip¡¯s length will be increased due to the additional strain on the horses, and his lack of punctuality with be an insult to the Alwaleed Duchy, especially since he was the one who brought up the proposal to meet in the first place. He tapped his wooden seat as he pondered his thoughts.


    ¡°Sir, if I may interject, I suggest picking them up and bringing them to the Duchy. After all, they are part of the Kingdom¡¯s Merchant Union, which carries out substantial trade in these lands.¡± The coachman interjected, and Mehmed marvelled at the coachman¡¯s ability to say things that only nobles would care about. The boy also thought about the miserable lives peasants led from the book he read earlier and made up his mind.


    ¡°Very well. Come along, Hakim; we can take you all to the Duchy capital.¡± Mehmed put on a diplomatic smile as he waved at Hakim.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°Thank you very much, milord!¡± Hakim bowed. And the carriage door opened as the convoy members huddled into the carriage. Hakim¡¯s coachman sat by Mehmed¡¯s coachman¡¯s side, and the two continued by their merry way.


    However, the banaler of matters entered his mind. The supplies they brought along weren¡¯t sufficient to feed the entire convoy. Mehmed pouted as he looked at the camels standing there, awaiting orders. ¡°We won¡¯t have enough supplies for all of us. Kill those camels and harvest its meat.¡± Mehmed remembered a story about a specific general and camels before adding on, ¡°Harvest whatever liquid is there in their stomachs.¡± He grinned as he temporarily imagined himself as Khaled ordering the stomachs of the camels to be harvested.


    ¡°Very well.¡± Uttering acknowledgements, some members of the group went away to do the deed.


    ¡°Thank you, Mehmed, for all you have done for me.¡± Hakim thanked as he disembarked from the carriage with the rest of the convoy. ¡°And, regarding the camels, we will just carry out as was discussed.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all the bandits¡¯ fault!¡± Mehmed giggled as the two boys bid each other goodbye. Hakim entered the Merchant Union branch in Khaled to report the theft with the rest of his men. He held an eyewitness account signed by Mehmed in his hands, favourably explaining the events. The signature of an individual from nobility should be worth something, even if their influence is minuscule.


    The coachman began building up a pace for the horse as they headed for their destination. Not even bothering to take a stop at a nearby inn or hotel to clean himself up, Mehmed knew he looked like a mess. His indignity is nothing compared to attracting the ire of his future lieges.


    The capital city Khaled of the Alwaleed Duchy, named after the great general Khaled, was one of the largest cities in these sandy lands. All trade flows in and out starting from the city, resulting in a grandeur apparent to all visitors. Buildings are multiple stories tall, and the streets are sometimes full of people, a rare occurrence in these sparsely populated lands. Merchants come from all over the desert, hawking their exotic wares in the general districts of the city. The nobility and wealthy merchants who live separately from the common folk live in areas where merchants are banned from hawking their wares, giving the inhabitants peace from the hustle and bustle. Most nobility owned a building in this district, but the impoverished Alkhadra Lordship prevented Mehmed from enjoying such luxuries.


    In the centre, a castle similar in colour to the ground¡¯s sand stood tall with a wall surrounding the perimeter. Mehmed¡¯s carriage stood outside it and got their papers checked for a couple of minutes, no doubt to inform the masters of the land of their presence before they were let in. Impressive due to the wealth required to create such fixtures in their environment, a small fountain amid a lush garden greeted his eyes. The carriage stopped in front of the fountain, and Mehmed got off the carriage. Nodding to his coachman, the carriage was directed to a designated parking spot. Mehmed took a deep breath as he looked upward at the stony steps.


    Two boys stood there. One was an extremely athletic-looking figure who grinned while standing in full heavy armour. The other held a book in his hands and perused through it. He glanced toward Mehmed and pushed up his glasses before looking downwards and nodding his head.


    ¡°Mehmed Alkhadra! You look like a mess. I was about to berate for wasting our precious time, but I shall hold back my words.¡± The athletic individual exclaimed as Mehmed sent a weak smile.


    ¡°Thank you for your kind words, Tarik


    Alwaleed.¡± Mehmed bowed at a 45-degree angle, widening Tarik¡¯s smile.


    ¡°I agree, Tarik. While I would like to hear your words, perhaps you need a break. Shall I escort you to suitable accommodations?¡± The boy wearing glasses recommended.


    ¡°I can prepare some refreshments! What would you like, Mehmed? Tea or coffee? Any side dishes to go along?¡± Tarik jumped in, and the two brothers stared at one another.


    ¡°How kind of you, Salih Alwaleed. I shall take you up for your offer, and I prefer tea.¡± Mehmed told the two boys and began climbing up the steps. The two boys ended their staring contest and amiably grinned at their visitor.


    ¡°Alwaleed¡¯s tea is truly the best.¡± Mehmed thanked them as he took a sip. He took the time to clean himself up with new clothes that his coachman fetched. He placed the teacup down on the table and looked at the three teenagers who sat right across from him.


    ¡°Halimah Alwaleed.¡± The girl briefly introduced herself as she sat on another seat across from Mehmed. She was draped in an elegant looking red sari which juxtaposed the plain colours the boys were wearing. The three Alwaleed heirs studied one another before sending a beaming smile towards Mehmed¡¯s way.


    ¡°Mehmed, I¡¯ve seen the letter you sent our way.¡± Salih paused before glancing at the gazes of his siblings. Seeing that everyone was on the same page, he continued,¡± I heard you require the Duchy¡¯s help resolving a bandit problem. Could you please elaborate?¡±


    Mehmed reached for a map amongst his belongings and unfurled it on the tabletop. His finger circled the no-go zone before tapping on it. ¡°Our explorers label this place with Do Not Enter. It lacks a proper name. I have been calling it a no-go zone. Thus I decided to name it Nogo Zone. I will have to discuss it with our mapmakers, but it should be fine.¡± Mehmed looked upwards at the faces of his fellow nobles. Salih nodded his head as he noticed his gaze.


    ¡°During an expedition I joined, I was attacked by bandits. They are hooded and seem to have superhuman strength.¡± Mehmed paused as he raised his head to wait for comments.


    ¡°I have received a report from your coachman and the kingdom¡¯s Merchant Union; apparently, you¡¯ve been attacked along the route towards Khaled. My apologies; we have been receiving reports all over the Duchy regarding the very same bandits.¡± Tarik weakly apologized as he lowered his head, seemingly in shame.


    ¡°From my reports, their attack patterns start with a simple sandstorm to blind their enemies. I believe it is artificial due to the consistency of their appearance. They will use the sandstorm to close the distance between their target, and before the target could react, they will surround the target. In the reports where targets engage in combat, they are usually defeated with non-lethal means.¡± Halimah elaborated before grinning at the two boys who raised eyebrows.


    ¡°Nonetheless, the Duchy has been sending teams out throughout the lands looking for a base of operations for these bandits. So far, we have had no luck doing so. More time is needed if we want to do a full survey.¡± Salih explained, adding,¡± Nonetheless. We will take your report into account.¡±


    ¡°I will personally lead our forces to clear your bandits personally!¡± Tarik declared.


    ¡°I will ensure such expedition will be well-supplied!¡± Salih contested.


    Halimah looked at the two before sighing. ¡°I still have matters to attend to. So, I shall take my leave for now.¡± The girl did a slight bow before walking off.


    The two remaining brothers grinned as they watched their sister walk off. ¡°So, Mehmed, can I ask for your support in my claim to the Alwaleed Duchy?¡± Salih bluntly asked, causing Mehmed to bite his lip.


    ¡°Damn it, Salih! I wanted to ask that first! Anyway, Mehmed, would you support me instead of that fool? I will strengthen Alkhadra Lordship¡¯s armies to prevent another bandit attack on your territory!¡±


    ¡°If you support me, I will pour more investments into your territory. How about a couple of schools or more funds for your expeditions?¡± Salih counteroffered, and the two bickered among themselves. Mehmed gave some non-committal answers before leaving the boys to their showmanship.


    Before Mehmed could leave the building, Halimah blocked his path and demanded,¡± According to reports I have gathered from the territory, no reports of the bandits surfaced in any of them? Mind explaining yourself?¡±


    Mehmed¡¯s eyebrows scrunched up as he remembered giving a report. But he sighed and opened his mouth to explain.

 Chapter 6 Gamble

    ¡°I¡¯m sure I did; perhaps your information is outdated? I did send the report a couple of days ago.¡± Mehmed insisted and stomped his feet, wondering whether the official did take his report seriously.


    ¡°Relax, Mehmed, this is not a test.¡± Halimah held some papers in her hands and looked at them before raising her head. ¡°A sandstorm had most of your supplies lost. This does not sound appropriate for an expedition force who have gone on many expeditions. If there were bandits, why were they missing from the report?¡± The girl frowned and sent a sharp gaze to the boy¡¯s way.


    ¡°Truthfully¡­¡± Mehmed took some time to ponder everything that had happened. ¡°I think that some people in the county have ties to the bandits. I will have to launch an investigation, but it must be discrete.¡± The young master sent a look of despair to the girl, causing her to nod.


    ¡°How bad is the corruption among your ranks? The Duchy may have to keep a greater eye on Alkhadra County. We lack the manpower unless you have something to offer. We have some agents in the lordship, which would be a good foundation for a spy network. What do you say?¡± Halimah stretched a hand out, seemingly wanting a handshake.


    Mehmed shook his head, causing Halimah¡¯s eyes to narrow. ¡°I thank you for your offer, but I must personally handle it since this is an internal problem for the county.¡± Halimah temporarily scowled at his response before smoothing out her expression.


    ¡°Very well then; I wish you the best of luck.¡± The girl bid her goodbyes in a slightly strained tone as she took her leave. Mehmed bid her goodbye as he took his leave, admiring the capabilities and generosity of the Duchy¡¯s heiress.


    ¡°My treat!¡± Zaki Hakim thanked the boy and his coachman in front of him. The coachman took the time to enjoy some of the cheap wines that Hakim had ordered, savouring every drop. Mehmed could only sigh as the coachman prohibited him from drinking a single drop, no doubt due to instructions from his family. He could only enjoy some lukewarm tea, as ice would be too costly for the poor Merchant-in-training Hakim.


    ¡°It is not an issue. So how are things on your side?¡± Mehmed curiously asked, looking into the boy¡¯s eyes. Hakim¡¯s complexion had improved much when he last saw him. He was a nervous wreck during the trip they had together, but he seemed much more confident and relaxed in Khaled.


    ¡°My superiors were understanding.¡± Hakim sipped on his cheap wine, savouring its fruity flavour. ¡°There have been many bandit attacks around these parts. But the Merchant Union is cheap. If they increase the armoured guards to bring along each convoy, they wouldn¡¯t be able to make a profit.¡± Hakim popped a couple of dates into his mouth.


    ¡°Status quo?¡± Mehmed queried, grabbing a date from a plate on the table.


    ¡°The Desert areas aren¡¯t the main focus for merchants. Profit margins are thin, and the people are generally impoverished. The big money-makers come from foreign imports, which the nobility by the capital are willing to pay top dollar for! No offence, young master! But last time when I was there, I witnessed a strange invention that could send sound from one end of the city to another.¡±


    ¡°Really? What does it look like?¡± The coachman idly asked, receiving a stare from Mehmed. The coachman stifled his laughter as the boy seemed to want him to leave.


    Hakim didn¡¯t care who said the question and continued,¡± You pick up the device and speak a couple of words into it. And those very same words will come out at the other end. The pale foreigners gave an extremely technical talk; I didn¡¯t get the details. But I thought it seemed terrific. I wonder what other cool things the foreigners have?¡±


    ¡°Sounds interesting.¡± Mehmed nodded his head and made a mental note to travel to the capital to peruse some of the exciting items showcased there. ¡°Nonetheless, thank you for the meals.¡± Mehmed got up, and the coachman sighed as he grabbed a couple of dates in his hands.


    ¡°Not a problem. You could see me anytime in the city. The guild is limiting convoys due to the attacks, so I¡¯m assigned to complete some low priority paperwork.¡± Hakim grinned as he stretched his hand. Mehmed caught it, and they shook hands. As they released their grip on one another, the coachman grabbed as many dates as possible before getting up. The two left the dining establishment.


    Mehmed currently sat in the Alwaleed Duchy¡¯s public library and scoured all sorts of records pertaining to explorers who explored the desert. Ancient, Present and Speculation written by all individuals were on public displays. Naturally, the Speculative records were all towed in the back, hidden from the usual public library goer. The records include things like doomsday predictions and ramblings by madmen. There were also foreign books, which were tucked away in another section, which required the personal permission of a family member that ruled the lands. Mehmed began his search in the public records and spent an entire day making a mess of a shelf. When he saw that the skies had become dark, he made his leave.


    ¡°Stop right there, young man! Where do you think you are going, leaving such a mess?¡± The local librarian chided Mehmed as she gestured at the scrolls and books cluttered about his desk.


    ¡°I seek your forgiveness for the mess made. But I shall take my leave now.¡± Mehmed strained his voice in a polite tone, and he suppressed his annoyance in his heart.


    The librarian grasped his arm and demanded,¡± You¡¯re not going anywhere until you clean up this mess!¡± Mehmed looked towards the library entrance and saw the coachman standing there waiting for him. The coachman seemed to have spotted Mehmed and beamed a wide smile as Mehmed gestured for him to come over to help him out. The coachman turned around and bent his body forward, seemingly as if he was vomiting.


    Mehmed frowned but wiped the frown away when he faced the librarian. ¡°Yes¡­ madam¡­¡± He weakly sputtered and quickly put the books back in the right places. After a couple of minutes, the librarian seemed satisfied and let him scurry away. When Mehmed reached the entrance, he heard giggling noises from the coachman. Slapping him in the back, Mehmed spitefully ordered, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°Alright¡­ hah¡­ Perhaps you learned a lesson or two, young master.¡± The coachman smoothened out his expressions and headed to the coach.


    With the book that he borrowed from Wasifi in his hands, he enjoyed the cool night breeze through his window. Sitting on a chair in his cheap room, it creaked as he gently fidgeted. The book was very uncomfortable as he had to take a couple of seconds to look outside the window to calm his thoughts before continuing. Yet, it was the only book he had, and he would like to complete it before returning it to Wasifi. While disturbing, its contents were rather enlightening, and he became a little more interested in the lives of daily peasants. He was halfway through the book when he decided to do just that and take a walk and see the nightlife of Khaled. Opening the creaky wooden door, he left his room and locked the door.


    Taking a step outside the inn, he could see a mostly dark city while some oil lamps illuminated stalls that dotted the city. Hawkers hawked their food as patrons sat on dining chairs and tables set outside their booth. The nightlife was undoubtedly busy, licit and illicit, hard at work without the sun¡¯s watchful gaze. He wandered, taking the time to enjoy the sights. The young master had to occasionally avoid the pushy salesman who seemed not to take no as an answer, coming into contact as soon as he was a couple of footsteps from the stall. Even if he wanted to purchase something, he had to retrieve some funds from the coachman, which he didn¡¯t bring along. So innocent penniless, Mehmed could only truthfully confess his poverty to the salespeople, causing them to show their true colours with a wide array of scowls that drove the boy away.


    Bored with the brighter parts of the city, he decided to go into the darker corners with the sounds of lust that could occasionally be heard. But as he seemingly walked alone in the street, a cloaked individual passed by him. Mehmed turned around and looked at the individual who reminded him of the familiar bandits. He stopped and rubbed his eyes to find that they were still working. With curiosity demanding to make some killing, the young boy decided to go on an adventure. He sauntered, tracking the figure as it made its way across alleyways and streets for a couple of minutes before entering a nondescript building. It looked like any other building around the area, a two-story building situated ten buildings away from the bustling marketplace. Mehmed observed the figure enter the building, where no light came from. He watched from a distance as the building remained dark.


    Suddenly, the lights turned on, and the soft sounds of conversation could be heard. It was so quiet that he could not make out the details, but he could tell that people were talking. Unlike the heroes in the books he read, he understood that he was not someone who could fight. So, he took note of the location and scurried away to his room before being found out.


    ¡°Young master, what have been you doing at night? The red-light district? I see you have been growing up.¡± The coachman¡¯s lips curled up as he teased the boy right outside his room. ¡°It must be a horrendous experience; you look like a mess.¡± The coachman remarked as he observed the beads of sweat running across Mehmed¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°Go to sleep.¡± Mehmed harshly ordered as he opened the door. As the sound of creaking wooden entered his ears, footsteps that caused the floor to croak echoed throughout the lonely hallway. ¡°By the way,¡± Mehmed asked as he turned to face the receding back, causing footsteps to stop. ¡°What is your name?¡±


    ¡°Can pigs fly? Or has heaven fallen onto the Earth?¡± The coachman remarked as he turned around to see a visible scowl on his cute employee¡¯s face. ¡°Adnan Abad. Have a good night¡¯s sleep.¡± The coachman bid his goodbye as he left the boy be.


    ¡°Adnan Abad. Adnan Abad.¡± The boy mumbled as he tried to remember the name paired with the face. The face was owned by a man with an olive-like skin tone who kept his hair short. However, little could be discerned due to the fez hiding much of its contents. A short moustache on top of his lips was adorned with a short stubble on his chin. Mehmed made a note of all these details before turning in for the night, thinking about the lives of the ordinary peasantry.


    ¡°Mehmed, I heard that you require my presence? Have you made up your mind?¡± The girl innocently queried in a red dress which was much more simply designed.


    ¡°I would like to know how to build a spy network. I can¡¯t find these kinds of topics in books.¡± Mehmed asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m just an innocent girl who helps out with the administration. I don¡¯t engage in skulduggery, but I do know a little. But it depends on the price?¡± Halimah¡¯s eye glinted with greed as she saw a little morsel right in front of her.


    ¡°A possible trace for the bandits currently in your territory.¡± Mehmed¡¯s lips curled up as Halimah¡¯s eye bulged.


    ¡°So this is the deal? But it seems unfair; both of us want to hunt the bandits after all.¡± Halimah countered, straightening her posture as she adopted a poker face.


    ¡°But if an incident erupts here because of the bandits, I would not be harmed. It would be the Duchy who suffer.¡± Mehmed played what he thought was a strong card onto the table.


    ¡°Those are some treasonous words coming from a vassal.¡± The girl scowled openly as she leaned forward to pressure the boy. But the spymistress concluded,¡± Nonetheless, if the information you provided brings lead, we can negotiate further. I will organize a search with the local militia. Would you like to come along?¡± Halimah invited benignly, but Mehmed felt intimidated somewhat as he felt a tinge of malice in her tone.


    Gritting his teeth, he furrowed his eyebrows and declared,¡± Of course, I must see this to the end.¡±


    A couple of lightly armoured guardsmen escorted the two nobles to the noted building. Halimah put on a stoic expression, but Mehmed could feel her sending threatening gazes his way if he was wrong. While they are laws and procedures in place, nobles can override them from time to time. If they are correct, they win the people¡¯s approval. If they¡¯re wrong, they will be utterly humiliated. Halimah was staking her reputation on the line, and Mehmed admired her strongheaded attitude, but he still feared the consequences if he was wrong. As he walked, his footsteps momentarily grew slower and slower as all of the worst scenarios appeared in his hand. He may not die, but there are many things worse than death.


    Knock, knock! A guardsman knocked on the door, arousing much grumbling and footsteps from the house¡¯s interior. ¡°Damn it! I want to sleep¡­.¡± The individual opened the door only to be greeted with what seemed to be an entire army.


    His face paled as his hands shook. Clasping his hands, he smiled and uttered, ¡°How can I help you today? I¡¯m just a merchant who pays his taxes on time.¡± The guardsmen looked toward the mistress in charge of the operation.


    ¡°Search the building!¡± was all she ordered, and guardsmen apprehended the man and brought him in front of the two nobles. The rest rushed into the building to search.


    ¡°Introduce yourself.¡± The guardsman holding him ordered as he grabbed him by his shoulder.


    ¡°Muhdati Dar! I run a small trading network between the capital and Khaled. We import grain.¡± Muhdati put an innocent baby face as he explained.


    Halimah sighed in relief as Mehmed observed her. ¡°Young mistress, we have uncovered two books.¡± A guardsman ran over and brought two books along. Halimah thanked the guardsman before flipping them over. Opening the books on the same page, which seemed to list out the business¡¯s accounts, she passed a book to Mehmed. The boy looked over the book and did not understand much of the financial statements.


    ¡°Tax evasion. Tsk. As expected from a merchant.¡± Halimah scowled as she tapped on two rows in both books. Mehmed could feel the menacing glances from her dissipating as she made that comment.


    ¡°We have found something!¡± A guardsman announced, and the group outside moved inwards to see what the fuss was about.

 Chapter 7 Subterfuge

    A stick wrapped with steel in some places was hidden deep in the basement of the building. A guardsman brought it out, letting Halimah inspect the device. She gleefully smiled as she caressed the device in various areas. Mehmed was curious but did not interrupt her session with the device.


    Halimah suddenly stopped and glared at the tugged Muhdati. ¡°Firearms. A foreign design that does not seem local. Continue the search; there must be ammunition for this firearm!¡± She ordered, whipping the guards into a frenzy.


    ¡°The only legal means is through the local Merchant Union. Everyone who owns these is put on a registry, and your name wasn¡¯t on it. Mr Dar, this is a capital offence.¡± She calmly elaborated and placed a finger against her throat.


    ¡°¡­¡± Muhdati stood there and stayed silent.


    ¡°This is enough to have you imprisoned. Send him away.¡± Halimah waved her hand at the guard accosting Muhdati and sent him away from the building. By now, a crowd had gathered outside the building, wondering what had happened. Muhdati could only watch with shame as he was hauled away with guards ordering the public to make way for them.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Mehmed opened his mouth, seemingly the only idiot in the room.


    The girl sighed and closed her eyes while scrunching her eyebrows, but Halimah changed her expression to an understanding one. ¡°I supposed your family would have little need for them. Think of them as self-propelled bows that fire arrows that can penetrate heavy armour.¡± Halimah explained as she observed the various trinkets that the guards brought over.


    ¡°Sounds like a mighty weapon, but what¡¯re the drawbacks?¡± Mehmed queried as he joined the girl in observing the various foreign goods in the merchant¡¯s possession.


    ¡°Firstly, it¡¯s expensive. Secondly, the weapon is ineffective, especially for people like us who rely on light cavalry and infantry and fight similar foes. There are many drawbacks, but you may find some books on the subject matter when you¡¯re a frequent visitor to the local library.¡± Some fear trickled down Mehmed¡¯s spine as he wondered who had sent her such information.


    Halimah clicked her tongue as she observed all sorts of illegal foreign goods that should not be in a simple grain trader¡¯s hands. ¡°Something¡¯s up, no doubt.¡± She remarked as she grinned.


    ¡°Nonetheless, you have done the Duchy a great favour, even if the information may be wrong. I can arrange some things for your education. I¡¯ll see you on another day. One of my men will send the date and time to your coachman.¡± Halimah escorted Mehmed out of the building and bid him goodbye, leaving him by his lonesome. The boy scampered off to Khaled¡¯s public library, seeking to learn more about firearms.


    ¡°Tarik!¡± Salih rushed over to find his brother at the training field. He was riding laps with his warhorse. Tarik stopped his steed right by his brother and dismounted the horse.


    ¡°What seems to be the problem, brother?¡± Tarik wiped some sweat off his brows as he looked at the rare urgent gaze Salih sent him.


    ¡°Halimah! That bi ¨C cough!¡± Salih cut his words short as some guardsmen passed by. Tarik snorted at his brother. Narrowing his eyes in annoyance, he continued,¡± Our sister led a search on some merchant and found some extremely illegal stuff in his possession!¡±


    Tarik stomped his feet and huffed in a fury, ¡°If our sister is willing to do something so publicly, doesn¡¯t this mean she¡¯s finally coming out of the shadows?¡±


    Salih grinned, ¡°Naturally. Maybe we can finally purge some men from our ranks. I know some of them have been spreading what I have been up to her. But¡­¡± The boy kept silent, unsure of how to continue.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can purge my men. They have been loyal and performed their duties well, even if they are sister¡¯s underlings.¡± Tarik spoke instead of Salih, but the boy did not react to his comments.


    ¡°Let¡¯s work together and take her down, Tarik. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s unfair how she doesn¡¯t fight face to face, always using schemes!¡± Salih proposed to his older brother, putting on an admirable expression.


    ¡°Once we take her out, then what? You¡¯ll be coming after me?¡± Tarik took a step towards Salih, forcing him back by another step.


    ¡°We can work together in managing the Duchy! We don¡¯t need to destroy each other!¡± Salih stomped his feet in irritation. Oh why, oh why did he step back and let himself be intimidated?


    ¡°You criticize sister for her vile schemes, but it¡¯s not like you¡¯re one yourself. Hmmph, begone from my sight.¡± Tarik growled, and Salih could run with his tail between his legs.


    ¡°The most important thing when building a spy network is money.¡± Halimah sipped on her cup of coffee as Mehmed sheepishly sat across from her and listened to what she had to say. ¡°You need money to recruit people and keep them loyal to you.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t have much money¡­.¡± Mehmed rolled his eyes and mumbled.


    Sending a strict gaze toward the boy, Halimah elaborated, ¡°Let this big sister tell you one of my techniques to amass wealth.¡±


    ¡°I rather not have you as a big sister¡­.¡± Mehmed grumbled.


    Frowning, the undeterred girl continued, ¡°The guards in your territory confiscate numerous items from criminals. You can gather them, sell them on the open market, and pocket the profit without expenses. Just talk to your territory¡¯s Marshal, who is in charge of such affairs.¡± Mehmed nodded, and Halimah cheekily grinned.


    ¡°This is pretty ingenious.¡± The boy remarked.


    ¡°Now, here¡¯s the important part. With the minuscule money you¡¯ve earned, go to your local prison and hire some individuals with skills like lockpicking or grunts to get some eyes around town.¡± Halimah continued.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°But won¡¯t the peasants be angry seeing criminals walking around in broad daylight? Plus, I feel uncomfortable working with criminals.¡± Mehmed interjected.


    ¡°You¡¯re a noble; you can get away with it. The truth is that most criminals don¡¯t want to be criminals. If they can achieve their end goals legally, they will do so. And if you¡¯re scared of them backstabbing you, threaten to execute them. And if they try to run off, they probably can¡¯t because you confiscated all their belongings in the first place!¡± Halimah chuckled in an ambivalent tone, sending shivers down Mehmed¡¯s back.


    ¡°The problem is, you will need to source a long-term and sustainable income. So I suggest starting a business. Since you can¡¯t buy over a business, this is the best substitute.¡± Mehmed got out a piece of parchment and a reed pen. Halimah then went to fetch a bottle of ink for her guest. The young master started noting down all of her words. The Alwaleed heiress could only smirk, seeing how her student treated her words like gospel.


    ¡°The merchants control the market. How am I supposed to start a business with little capital?¡± Mehmed queried as he wrote a couple of question marks on the parchment.


    ¡°Ask people what they want or need. The merchants won¡¯t be able to fulfil everything. Some areas of the market are unfulfilled due to the low profits, but beggars can¡¯t be choosers. And I think that¡¯s the gist of how I started my spy network in the Duchy.¡± Halimah tapped against her chin and pondered whether she had missed anything important.


    ¡°You make it sound so easy. Too easy.¡± Mehmed complained.


    ¡°That¡¯s because this big sister simplified it so that someone of your intellect could comprehend it.¡±


    ¡°Marshal Hassen! I have something I want to say!¡± Mehmed burst into the Marshal¡¯s office. The Marshal raised his head and gestured towards the boy to speak up.


    ¡°I would like to take the items confiscated by the criminals.¡± The boy requested, causing Hassen to baulk at the sudden request.


    ¡°Did your parents give permission?¡± Hassen left his pen in the ink bottle and straightened his posture.


    ¡°Father made me the temporary Lord! So, it should be fine.¡± The young master reassured Hassen.


    ¡°Well then, go ahead. You can take them all if you want; there¡¯s nothing too valuable.¡± Hassen remarked, thinking that Mehmed would take a couple of items.


    ¡°Mehmed! Coachman Adnan said you wanted to see me¡­.¡± Steward Waifi¡¯s words were cut short as he gazed at the large array of items in the cart. ¡°Where did you get all of them from?¡± The Steward wondered if he had to clean up the young master¡¯s mess.


    ¡°Just stuff confiscated from criminals. Hassen said I could have them all. The cart was also part of them.¡± Mehmed beamed as Wasifi felt an oncoming migraine. ¡°Wasifi, help me liquidate these goods.¡±


    The hood lowered as Wasifi looked towards the sandy ground. He then pinched himself. Taking a deep breath, he reluctantly uttered, ¡°Yes¡­ young master¡­¡±. Wasifi imagined the break granted by the absence of the Lord and Lady evaporating at this moment. He thought about who he could conveniently assign the task to when Mehmed passed something into his hands.


    ¡°By the way, here¡¯s the book I borrowed. It was an interesting read.¡± Wasifi looked down and paled at the book¡¯s title.


    ¡°Mehmed¡­ where did you get this book?¡± Mehmed choked out some words as he imagined the Sword of Damocles hanging over his neck.


    ¡°I had to look even deeper into your personal library. I removed the books until I reached the very end of the shelves, and I found this book. What¡¯s wrong? Are you sick?¡± The boy asked, with a mischievous glint in his eyes.


    Wasifi weakly shook his head as Mehmed took his leave. The first order of action, find a new place to hide his banned books! Then find some poor schmuck to dump the goods onto.


    Footsteps echoed in the dark corridors as Mehmed walked down the stairs. The prison was primarily silent, except for a few that seemed to have gone insane. The poor boy could not only pretend that the noise pollution did not exist as the warden escorted the boy to a cell.


    An individual sat in a dark corner, resting on the ground. He looked towards the newcomers with a despairing gaze. ¡°Taslim Aman, arrested for breaking into a house. He was sentenced to having his hands cut off. The procedure will take place in a few days. I shall leave you with the privacy you desire.¡± The warden stomped off.


    ¡°Are you the angel sent by God? I prayed and prayed, and it seems that salvation has come!¡± Taslim got on his knees and pathetically crawled over bars adorning his cell door. Mehmed scrunched up his eyebrows in disgust as he took a couple of steps back.


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯ve read your report. You were caught trying to break into a merchant¡¯s house. Why?¡± Mehmed demanded.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. Please let me keep my hands! I admired Maher¡¯s blade and wanted one like it. But I will never be able to afford it if I worked for the rest of my life. I got greedy and broke into¡­.¡± Taslim began breaking down in tears, making Mehmed even more uncomfortable in this uncomfortable location.


    ¡°Taslim, what if I give you a chance to redeem yourself.¡± Mehmed squatted and faced Taslim.


    ¡°God! God has answered my prayers!¡± The man wailed as he uttered prayer after prayer.


    ¡°I¡¯m no god.¡± Mehmed scoffed before continuing,¡± My name is Mehmed Alkhadra, the heir to the county you stand in. If you don¡¯t want to lose your hands, you will be under my employment from today onward. Now, swear an oath to the very God you seek.¡± The boy coldly demanded in front of the pitiful mess of a man. Mehmed felt no pity for a thief who only stole because of his greed, unlike the sob stories he heard from others in prison.


    ¡°I¡­ swear to God! Before God, I solemnly swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Mehmed Alkhadra. If at any point I dishonour Mehmed Alkhadra, may my hands be cut off!¡± The man raised his upper body and kept his hand against his heart before collapsing. Mehmed spun a key in his hand and unlocked the cell door.


    ¡°Get yourself cleaned up, Taslim; we have some business to discuss.¡± Mehmed left the man to his own devices. Taslim could only wail and thank the heavens that he was able to keep his hands.


    Mehmed slid a piece of paper across the table. House breaker Taslim picked it up and looked at the list of names. ¡°My apologies, I am unable to read.¡± Taslim apologized before handing the parchment to the rest of the grunts, checking if any could decipher the strange text in their hands. The men were all cleaned up and looked presentable compared to their shabby prison selves. They looked like they would require some much-needed nutrition before returning to their prime, but it was a good start. Mehmed sighed and placed a map of the town on the table. It was circled with the various houses that the boy wanted his spy network to work on.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t all these the houses of merchants in the Alkhadra?¡± The man queried as he observed the houses all clustered around one another.


    Mehmed nodded. ¡°Instead of stealing, I want you to investigate if they commit any crimes. Check for any strange exotic items and their accounts for tax evasion. Let me warn you first. If there are any incidents of theft from these merchants, you will also face the punishments you were supposed to deserve in prison.¡± The room fell silent as Mehmed gave them some time for the words to sink in.


    ¡°What are accounts, and what is tax evasion?¡± A grunt asked.


    Mehmed snapped his fingers, and a couple of soldiers working for his family entered the room. ¡°Young master, what is the meaning of this? Why are we colluding with criminals?¡± The leader of the soldiers demanded as he remembered some of the faces in the room. The soldiers grew rowdy as they hurled accusations after accusation after Mehmed¡¯s newly recruited men.


    ¡°Silence!¡± Mehmed demanded, ceasing all commotion in the room. ¡°From now on, I would like you to teach these men how to read and write.¡± The boy elaborated the phrase ¡°read and write¡± succinctly. The room became rowdy among the soldiers as they protested his decision, but the captain silenced them with his speech.


    ¡°Young master, I do not understand what you are trying to achieve with these criminals. But, We will set out to accomplish the task that you have given us.¡± The captain subordinated himself to Mehmed, causing the rest of the soldiers to hang their mouths agape. Any further protests would be disrespectful to the captain.


    ¡°Very well. You can begin teaching them how to read and write starting from today. We can even begin now. Go and get along with one another.¡± Mehmed took his leave, leaving both groups awkwardly staring at one another.

 Chapter 8 Villagers and Nobility

    ¡°Adnan? Do you think it will work this time?¡± The boy wearing a shawl covering most of his features sat as he looked towards the front of the carriage.


    ¡°Pfft! Why bother asking this time, young master? How many times have you tried with all sorts of costumes?¡± Adnan absentmindedly remarked as the horses crossed the open desert. The two have passed by a couple of villages under Mehmed¡¯s family domain to check on them. The boy wanted to understand them and their needs for his new business venture, but none of the villages he went to believed he was an ordinary merchant, no matter how much he insisted. Even with the decrepit carriage entering the town, the villagers could tell he was an important person and treated him as much as a noble. No, Mehmed could feel that the villagers treated him like a noble; it¡¯s just that they were playing along with him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Maybe once or twice, they would find out. But all the time? Something must be seriously wrong.¡± The boy muttered as he pondered what appearance he should put on.


    ¡°Most people passing by the villages use camels. Few rarely use horses to travel from place to place. Only a noble or a rich merchant would use a carriage to travel. Considering the strong ties among the villagers, they could strike off the list of names in their heads. It only leaves one possibility, a noble.¡± Adnan enlightened the boy, making the boy nodded his head in understanding.


    ¡°So, I should stop with the costumes?¡± Mehmed tossed the shawl he wrapped around his head to the side and pouted at Adnan.


    ¡°Do continue. Maybe the next one will be fooled?¡± Adnan proposed, and he felt something impact his back. It was light and soft. He turned around to see the shawl that Mehmed was trying on. Laughing, he shoved the cloth back into the carriage slot.


    Villagers were tending to their crops by a nearby oasis, and the sun began to cast a red shade across the ever so darkening skies. The trotting of animals whipping out the sand in the air could be seen in the far distance, spreading a tinge of fear into the hearts and minds of villagers? Peace has prevailed too long among these desolate lands; the last instance of raiders making their presence known was a couple of centuries ago, especially during the wars during the formation of the kingdom. A boy began trembling at the sight as he remembered the tales passed by the elders. With his fight or flight response triggering, he scampered off to the elder¡¯s accommodations.


    Putting everything he had into his legs, another boy ran by his side, and the two called out to one another as they sped off. ¡°Wakil! I¡¯m going to reach the elder first!¡± The boy hollered to Wakil as they turned a corner.


    ¡°Not on my watch, Alem!¡± Wakil cried out as he leapt over a bush, gaining a couple of metres as Alem had to move to the side temporarily.


    As the boys were speeding off the elder¡¯s hut, the carriage stopped by the town¡¯s gates, where a couple of elderly watchmen stood on watch. Adnan dismounted from the carriage and went to the older men, holding up some doctored papers.


    The elderly watchmen¡¯s eyes bulged as they noticed the carriage, and numerous possibilities of the owner¡¯s identity appeared in his mind. ¡°Hello?¡± Adnan politely asked as he held some papers. Walking up to the elderly gent, who squinted his eyes at the individual approaching him, Adnan handed some documents to him. The watchman was silent as he looked at the strange scribbles on the paper.


    ¡°¡­¡± The man called over his friend, who he considered the wisest in the village. Handing the papers over to him, his friend glanced at the parchment before handing it back to his friend.


    ¡°They are merchants. Why are they here, though? Do we have anyone that made it big in the big cities?¡± His friend asked, and the elderly guardsman could only shrug his shoulders. Grunting, the watchman nodded and handed the papers back to Adnan. Their conversation wasn¡¯t so private after all, as coachman Adnan could only sheepishly smile at the questioning gazes sent his way.


    ¡°I will head over to the village headman,¡± Adnan explained, but the old watchman grabbed onto the man¡¯s arm, stopping him from moving.


    ¡°The headman is over here.¡± The watchman pointed at his friend, who stood by his side. His friend seemed tensed as he kept his eyes on the carriage.


    ¡°Well, that makes it easier! I will call the young ¡­ oops!¡± Adnan¡¯s lips could only curl up as he looked at the change of expressions on the older man¡¯s face. He shrugged his shoulders and decided to see how much of a fool Mehmed would make of himself this time. Heading to the carriage, Adnan walked to the carriage door and opened it.


    ¡°Do they believe we are merchants this time?¡± Mehmed asked as he grabbed the shawl by his side. Seeing Adnan nod, he quickly tied it around his head and got out of the carriage. The boy confidently began making his way to the village chief.


    ¡°Chief! Oi! Old man, come out here!¡± A boy hollered right outside the chief¡¯s residence, but no response was warranted. The other boy by his side began knocking on the door. At first, he respectfully knocked, but he incrementally increased the force on the door. It got so bad that his knuckles hurt, so he decided to stop with the act.


    ¡°So now what?¡± The boy asked the other boy.


    ¡°Guess we¡¯ll just wait.¡± The two boys began idly standing about.


    The merchant stopped a couple of steps in front of the elderly men whilst his coachman stood at his back, benignly smiling at the two men. ¡°Greetings, gentlemen. I am Makin Irani. Pleased to meet your acquaintance.¡± The boy confidently introduced himself as the two elderly men had to tilt their heads a little down to meet the boy¡¯s gaze. The watchman could see his friend move his lips without saying a word, but he did not understand and just left his friend doing his strange actions. Sighing, the village headman turned to face the boy and tried to remember the proper way of greeting.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°Please to meet your acquaintance, Mr Irani!¡± The elderly chief bowed at a 90-degree angle. Adnan observed that the chief¡¯s knees were shaking, looking as if he wanted to get down on his knees. The coachman could only nod, seeing how his fellow peasants knew how to act at times.


    Mehmed could nod with satisfaction, not noticing the almost buckling knees of the elder. He turned to face Adnan and sent a confident gaze his way. Adnan raised his thumb, stifling whatever expression that wanted to appear on his face. ¡°Tell me about yourself, sir. About the village and your wants and needs.¡±  Mehmed walked over to the village chief and patted him on his shoulder. The village chief¡¯s knees were about to collapse, but Adnan helped the old man up.


    ¡°He¡¯s a noble! But what¡¯s with the strange questions?¡± The village chief did not dare look into the boy¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Indeed, listen¡­ cough! Listen¡­ to Mr Irani!¡± Adnan helped the man up as he turned his face to the side and let out a couple of coughs. Mehmed sent a pitiful gaze toward his coachman.


    ¡°Apparently, my coachman¡¯s throat is parched. Instead of standing around, why don¡¯t we visit your place and talk?¡± The boy proposed as the chief could speed off towards his house with his guests in tow. The watchman could only shake his friend at the sudden illness that struck his friend and the coachman that the merchant brought with him.


    ¡°I¡¯m bored.¡± The boy muttered.


    ¡°Me too.¡± The other boy grumbled.


    The two boys stood there for what seemed like minutes. They played games that only required their fingers with one another to pass the time, but there were only so many games they could play before they got bored.


    ¡°It¡¯s about time I should go home.¡± A stomach grumbled, causing the boys to make their exit. As they left, a group led by the village chief encountered them as the boys greeted the village chief. They looked at the newcomers with wary gazes before heading home to get their meals.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind these boys.¡± The chief dismissed the boys that temporarily intruded on them. His hands shook as he pushed open the entrance to his home. Most buildings were similar in design. Single story mudbrick home with a couple of square windows cut to the sides. Clothes are hung out to dry in a yard nearby. The chief¡¯s house was special as it was two stories, but its design was as simple as the surrounding homes.


    ¡°I forgot to get some tea from the city!¡± The chief thought to himself as he slowly turned to face his esteemed guests. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, gentlemen. I lack tea for a man of your stature, but I have some water. My apologies for any offence taken.¡± The chief did another 90-degree bow, and Adnan was a little concerned as the older man¡¯s body shook as he maintained his bowing position for quite some time.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, sir. I am a simple merchant.¡± Mehmed waved his hands, and the headman scampered off to his water reserves. The boy sat on a chair and slouched on it. Adnan stood nearby, lacking the jovial attitude he had previously. Mehmed pointed at a nearby chair before pointing at Adnan. Adnan tilted his head to the side, but Mehmed only tapped the armrest, causing Adnan to nod his head. The coachman sat on the chair and relaxed on it. Although it was a simple chair with cushions that looked decades old, it was still somewhat comfortable.


    The man brought out a tea set and poured water into the teacups. Setting the set onto the table, he placed a teacup in front of his two guests. He stood up, waiting to hear what his guests have what to say. The boy gestured towards his seat, and the chief hurriedly staggered to his seat and plopped down on it.


    ¡°As I¡¯ve said earlier, do tell of yourself.¡± Mehmed urged as he sipped on the water. The water had a certain subtle taste to it, probably due to the minerals in the water.


    ¡°Imran Hashim, sir. I am the current village chief of Hashim. For our needs and wants, I don¡¯t know how to answer that question, Mr Irani?¡± The chief answered as he thought to himself, ¡°Or should I say Mr Alkhadra?¡± Imran tried to remember all of the nobles that inhabited these lands, and the only one he could think of was Bob the Berserker¡¯s descendants.


    ¡°For needs, think about what you need for your village¡¯s survival. For wants, think about the things your fellow villagers would like.¡± Coachman Adnan interjected.


    ¡°What ¡­ our village ¡­ need?¡± Imran mumbled to himself as he stroked his bushy beard. Brushing it helped put his mind at ease and allowed him to think at times. ¡°Well, we could use a lot more money!¡± Imran unconsciously let slip some of his inner thoughts. To his surprise, his two esteemed guests laughed at his response.


    ¡°Of course, Mr Hashim! Even a merchant like me would like some more money!¡± Mehmed played along.


    Imran shook his head in understanding, thinking to himself, ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t want more money?¡±


    ¡°It would be great if we could reach the city easier. A road between our village and the city would allow us to procure and sell our goods easily.¡± Imran made a probing statement, trying to see whether the individual in front of him could carry out infrastructure works.


    Mehmed nodded and remarked, ¡°Do you know, Mr Hashim? Every village headman I met previously have all said the same thing. They all asked for a road between the city and the village. But you should understand, I am a simple merchant; what profit can be made from a simple road? If I put a tow, you could walk around it without resistance.¡±


    Imran kept his mouth silent as his doubts vanished. ¡°So, he¡¯s saying he probably can make it happen.¡± The chief thought to himself.


    ¡°Anything else, Mr Hashim?¡± Adnan asked on Mr Irani¡¯s behalf.


    ¡°Anything else I ask for would require more money. We want to enjoy some of the luxuries that city folk have.¡± The chief honestly put forth, and his guests nodded in response.


    ¡°If that is all, then I shall take my leave. Mr Hashim.¡± The boy stretched his hand out, and Imran immediately went to catch it.


    ¡°No. Thank you, Mr Irani!¡± Imran emotionally thanked him as his two guests bid him goodbye. Collapsing back onto his seat, Imran made plans for him to rest for the next few days.


    ¡°That was so stressful!¡±


    ¡°I want to retire soon!¡±


    Imran smiled as he thought such enjoyable thoughts that he took a nap on his seat.


    ¡°Shall we head to the next village?¡± Adnan asked as the two headed to their carriage.


    ¡°No, go back to Alkhadra. We should be able to make it before the day ends.¡± Mehmed ordered, and they climbed into his carriage.


    ¡°So, have you figured out what you need to do? Are you going to build a road, Mr Irani?¡± Adnan chuckled as he ordered his horse to start at a steady pace. Mehmed tossed his shawl to the side and began thinking about Halimah¡¯s words as he rode through the night.


    ¡°They need a road. But how can I make money?¡± Mehmed thought to himself as he looked at the beautiful night sky. The moon was half-full and the stars accompanying the celestial object danced around its glamour. The environment became cold as Mehmed grabbed a blanket and wrapped himself in it. He watched the endless sand threatening all life that stood upon it, leaving only the toughest to thrive in this harsh environment.


    As he closed his eyes, a thought popped into his head. ¡°It is nice to be in a carriage. But what if I also offered such a service to the villagers.¡± Mehmed opened his eyes and let his brain start working rapidly.


    Horses will be fast but are expensive to procure and maintain. What is an animal that is cheap and widespread? Only one animal came to his mind, the camel! He could have the camel haul people to and fro. There will be some space left behind as the carriage will not be complete due to the low population in the villages.


    ¡°procure and sell our goods easily¡± Imran¡¯s words appeared in his head, and Mehmed began thinking in that direction. What if he stocked the empty spots with some goods that the villagers needed? Maybe he could take pre-orders!


    Mehmed let his mind run wild under the shadows of the night.

 Chapter 9 Spy Network

    The sight that greeted Mehmed in Alkhadra on the morning of the next day was perplexing, to say the least. Soldiers were dutifully mentoring the criminals, teaching them how to read and write. The Captain of the guards even regaled some tales where soldiers read stories to the criminals as they dutifully listened. Even Mehmed was a little shocked by the docility of the criminals in a manner of days, but the most important thing was his meeting with Taslim.


    The man had more colour on his cheeks than the pale wreck he was a couple of days. Dressed in a simple tunic, he bowed as Mehmed entered his sight. ¡°Have you completed what I have ordered you to do?¡± The boy swiftly asked as the rest of the soldiers let the contents of his words enter one of their ears and leave the next.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Taslim handed a piece of parchment. Grasping it from the housebreaker¡¯s hands, he looked at the messy handwriting akin to a child. Scowling, he could make out some of the words on there.


    ¡°Captain! Give this man penmanship lessons!¡± Mehmed turned to face the Captain of the guards and pointed at Taslim. The criminal paled as the Captain met him and captured his facial details. ¡°I supposed it¡¯s not bad for someone who picked up reading and writing,¡± Mehmed mumbled as he flipped the parchment to see a longer list of names and crimes. Mehmed clasped Taslim¡¯s shoulder and gave it a couple of pats, nodding his head in approval.


    ¡°Keep up the good work, and perhaps ¡­ you may obtain what you desire.¡± Mehmed encouraged before walking away as the housebreaker looked at the receding boy¡¯s back. Indeed, dealing with nobility was much scarier than dealing with anyone else for this lowly peasant. He wiped the brow of his forehead as the Captain accosted him, preparing him for a quick penmanship lesson. As he was about to groan instinctively, the fierce gaze paired with the menacing grin on the Captain¡¯s face shuttered all complaints.


    ¡°How relaxing,¡± Wasifi commented as he kicked back in his office. He was reading a foreign novel imported from a strange country called Burgundy situated in the far north. It was a simple tale about how a knight became a hero, filled with heart-pumping romances and lovable villains. There was even a particular arc where the hero and a villain fell in love, but they couldn¡¯t get together. That arc always broke Wasifi¡¯s heart; it severely enraged him every time he remembered that arc. If only he could find out where the author lived, he could give them a piece of his mind!


    ¡°Ah, Steward Wasifi, good to see that you¡¯re free! I got something for you to do.¡± Mehmed suddenly barged into his office and grasped a certain piece of parchment in his hand. Wasifi quickly hid the book under a mountain of scattered papers, grabbed a piece of paper, and looked through it.


    ¡°I still have some paperwork, Mehmed. I¡¯m a very busy person, unlike some people.¡± Wasifi glared at the boy, but the boy couldn¡¯t see it due to the hood covering his face.


    Stifling a giggle, Mehmed continued, ¡°Yes, Wasifi, you may be very busy. Help me arrange some meetings with a couple of merchants.¡± The boy placed the parchment on his desk and slid it across the messy desk.


    Groaning internally, Wasifi grasped the paper and looked at it. ¡°Who wrote this? Looks like some child¡¯s handwriting.¡± Mehmed whistled as the Steward continued grumbling about the work.


    ¡°I can arrange them. When do you need it?¡± Wasifi could barely suppress the annoyance in his tone as he wanted to rip the obstacle to his book to shreds.


    ¡°Now, immediately, as soon as possible. In fact, arrange them back to back, I don¡¯t mind. I like to meet with all the merchants; I will take charge of this territory one day after all.¡± Mehmed explained as he gestured about with his hands.


    Biting his lip, Wasifi got out of his desk and clenched his hands into a fist. He left the building, leaving to set up a couple of meetings. The sooner he gets it done, the sooner he can continue reading. The arc was hinting that his favourite pair might get back together again!


    Mehmed went to his desk and scoured true the messy piles of papers. Some of them were outdated, dating back to a couple of years ago. The boy shook his head at the poor example his Steward was setting as he scoured Wasifi¡¯s tabletop. Underneath a pile of papers, he found an expensive-looking book bonded with leather. The golden title said, ¡°Don Don¡¯s knightly adventures, volume 4¡±. He turned to the first page, which states, ¡®translated by His majesty¡¯s Book Council¡¯. Mehmed put away the book, intending to look at it perhaps at Alwaleed¡¯s library at another date.


    Opening the drawers, papers that were orderly and organised were placed there. One thing stood out from the rest of the documents on the desk, the royal seal of approval by the Royal Court was stamped on the top of the papers. Mehmed could only admire how much care and attention Wasifi placed on these papers, unlike those adorning his desktop. Nothing was incriminating, which should not be a surprise. If he wanted to find something like that, he would have to search through their homes.


    There was still an interesting place to search through, his bookshelf! The man always has weird and esoteric books from time to time; Mehmed always wondered whether some of them were banned due to the topics they discussed. So it was just like any other day when the boy began digging into the deeper ends of Wasifi¡¯s library, looking for any interesting finds.


    While digging out a book, Wasifi scampered over with a merchant in tow. ¡°Stop, Mehmed!¡± Wasifi wailed as he watched the boy placing some illegal novels onto the ground. The boy jolted from the sudden shout and put back the book he was pulling out.


    ¡°I really should move the books out from my office.¡± Wasifi thought to himself as he scampered to his library and began shoving illegal novels back into the back of his library. Quickly organising his library in minutes, Mehmed could stand back and watch his actions¡¯ incredible efficiency.


    Breathing a sigh of relief as he finished organising everything, he stood back up and beckoned the merchant he brought over. ¡°I have prepared a meeting room for the two of you. Wasifi ushered the two to a meeting room which he quickly set up before scampering away to his office.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Mehmed Alkhadra, how can I help you today?¡± The merchant bowed as he took a seat across Mehmed.


    ¡°Lutfi Khalili, you¡¯re a man that many in the county admire. The story of poor peasant climbing themselves into one of the richest merchants in this county.¡±


    ¡°No need for flattery. Get straight to the point, please.¡± Lufti urged and brushed away some dust from his silk tunic.


    ¡°Tax evasion, possession of unregistered firearms. Can you explain yourself, sir? Some of these could be capital offences if we decided to escalate it, of course.¡± Mehmed brusquely declared the listed crimes on the piece of parchment.


    Lufti smirked and glared at the boy. ¡°Little boy, you must understand what you are saying. These are not small crimes that you should accuse anybody.¡±


    ¡°I can bring a couple of guards and search your house. Do not worry about the false accusations; in fact, my men could pinpoint the exact location of the damaging items.¡± Mehmed calmly smiled. The table between them shook as Lufti clenched the table.


    ¡°What do you want from me?¡± The merchant sighed. ¡°You¡¯re not the type who believes in justice and all that nonsense.¡±


    ¡°We can discuss that later. Let me show you the number of people in our territory that have registered firearms.¡± Mehmed took out a piece of paper. He sent it across the table, and the merchant picked it up. Front and back, not a splotch of ink were written on the piece of paper.


    ¡°As you can see, nobody in our territory is legally allowed to own firearms. I want to know why you went ahead to procure these unregistered firearms?¡± The boy coldly asked as the Lufti sent the blank piece of paper back to Mehmed.


    ¡°The recent bandit attacks got people spooked. Even you were impacted by them, yes?¡± Lufti glanced at Mehmed, nodding before continuing.


    ¡°Considering how regular weaponry is no good against these foes, I have looked up for something else to protect myself and my caravans. There were some rumours of firearms stopping a bandit attack, and I decided to procure them for personal use. If you wondered why they are unregistered, his Majesty¡¯s production of firearms is not enough for demand. All the merchants in the capital have or are procuring firearms.¡± Lufti explained his position before pausing to let Mehmed comprehend his words.


    ¡°Where did you get them?¡± Mehmed interjected within Lufti¡¯s brief pause.


    ¡°The capital¡¯s underworld. Some gang in the capital got their hands on the plans and began manufacturing them on mass. Considering how deadly these weapons are, I advise avoiding the gangsters from the capital.¡± Lufti shivered as he reminisced the time he fired one of those weapons. Mehmed nodded in understanding.


    ¡°Now, I¡¯ll tell you what I want from you. From now on, you will be subordinate to me. And before you even complain, I won¡¯t even be taking your money. I want information about the comings and goings of the marketplace and the underworld. Inform me about such matters, and I will look away from your crimes. In fact, if you do a good job, I will even personally vouch for you to help gather permits so you and your men could use firearms. A noble¡¯s words should speed up the application by a lot.¡± Mehmed laid out his terms and watched the blank expression on the merchant¡¯s face.


    ¡°Heh heh. Young master, who is your backer?¡± Lufti leaned forward as he chuckled.


    ¡°You were a typical son of a noble, with nothing noteworthy to mention. Has the expedition rattled you? Or¡­¡± The merchant listed out his theories. Mehmed just smiled.


    ¡°Keeping silent? Looks like I might have to revaluate my conduct of business here. And don¡¯t worry, I will pay my taxes this time.¡±


    Mehmed dismissed the merchant from the room. Lufti could heave a sigh of relief as the entire discussion ended swiftly. Any longer, and he worried that the boy, no, demon, might start listing out all of his crimes. Leaving the corridor, he observed another merchant walking past him into the meeting room. Lufti could shake his head and walk faster. He needed to head back to his office and prepare for the new shakeup that the boy was causing; things were going to change. Good or bad? The merchant didn¡¯t know, but he rather stayed in the boy¡¯s good graces.


    ¡°Whew!¡± Mehmed sighed as the last of the merchants scampered away from the room. Many concessions were extracted from them, but he could never touch their money. There was a saying around these parts, ¡®You can get anything from a merchant, but you can never get their money. He tapped the armrest as he thought about his next move.


    House breaker Taslim entered the meeting room and greeted his tired liege. ¡°I heard that you wanted to see me.¡± The criminal bowed at a ninety-degree angle. Mehmed pointed at a chair, and Taslim rested his posterior upon it.


    ¡°Not all the merchants I circled came here today. Do you think that they conduct their business lawfully all the time? Surely there must be some slip-ups from time to time.¡± Mehmed rhetorically asked, and Taslim nodded.


    ¡°They¡¯re a bunch of laws describing the banned items in the kingdom. I will ask the guards to prescribe a copy for you and your men. Do remember some of them. If you can¡¯t, break your expeditions across multiple days for multiple categories of items.¡± Mehmed explained.


    ¡°I understand, sir.¡± The man acknowledged his words.


    ¡°I have some new targets to investigate. I want you all to investigate the homes of our Chancellor, Steward, Marshal, and the Captain of the Guards. Hmm¡­ soon I will be heading to Khaled to procure some carriages, so investigate all the staff who works in the castle. That includes the guards and the soldiers.¡± Mehmed demanded, looking into Taslim¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°We will do as ordered.¡± Taslim nodded and was soon dismissed by Mehmed.


    Just as Mehmed luxuriously spent time sipping his tea, a guardsman ran into the room and announced, ¡°Young master, there is a person in the prison who wish to see you!¡±


    ¡°What crime did they commit?¡± The boy asked, his eyes scrunching up.


    ¡°They stole something, and one of your men stopped them.¡±


    ¡°You mean the criminals?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the criminals¡­ stopped them.¡± The guardsman sheepishly explained.


    ¡°Ho,¡± Mehmed exclaimed, and he followed after the guardsman.


    ¡°Hello, sir.¡± The grunt bowed respectfully as Mehmed approached the man.


    ¡°Do give an account of what happened. I want to hear it from your mouth.¡± The boy raised an eyebrow as he sized up the grunt in front of him.


    ¡°I was heading back home when I saw a merchant carrying some goods. A man suddenly ran to the merchant and took a bag of goods. I quickly rushed after the man and beat him to the ground.¡± The grunt grunted as he regaled his simple tale.


    ¡°Not bad. You should help stop crime from time to time.¡± The boy walked over to the grunt and patted him on his shoulder.


    ¡°Thank you for your kind words, sir. But I must thank you for allowing me to pay back for my crimes.¡±


    Mehmed began heading over to the cell with the prisoner but could not help but see a blood trail leading up to the cell. He could not help but wonder how thorough his grunt was with beating the criminal. It firmed his resolve to be careful around his men, but how bad could they beat¡­


    A man with black eyes and a bloodied nose stared at Mehmed and the prison warden with a joyful expression. ¡°I¡¯m seriously paid too little for this!¡± The man exclaimed.


    ¡°You¡¯re paid to do this! Who paid you?¡± The prison warden yelled in a furious tone. The man shook his head.


    ¡°You will not comprehend my words, sir. Only the young boy over there will understand.¡± The man pointed towards Mehmed, who had an amused expression on his face.


    ¡°Big Sister says that she wants to see you. She has a task for you.¡± The man recalled.


    ¡°I see. But why did you steal?¡± Mehmed nodded his head and asked.


    ¡°She said it was a test of some kind. Bullshit! I didn¡¯t expect to get beaten to a pulp!¡± The man railed on about his indignity.


    ¡°Let him go.¡± Mehmed caressed his forehead as he ordered the prison warden.

 Chapter 10 Big Sisters Task

    ¡°Adnan, do you know a lot about carriages?¡± Mehmed asked as the two stopped in front of Khaled¡¯s Merchant Union¡¯s branch.


    ¡°Not a lot, young master. Your family¡¯s carriage is the only one I¡¯m familiar with.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    The two walked into the branch and saw many people in a waiting room. Many merchants sat around waiting to be called up to the counters that adorned the wall of the room. Merchants were being called up one after another in the span of a few minutes, allowing the two to be quickly called up.


    ¡°How can I help you?¡± The clerk politely asked as he lowered his head to face the boy. A hint of annoyance was strikingly present in his tone.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for Hakim. Tell him that Mehmed Alkhadra wants to talk with him.¡± Mehmed turned around to leave and sit on the numerous waiting chairs in the room. Coachman Adnan took a seat right by the boy. The two waited and looked at some of the paraphilia scattered about the room¡¯s tables.


    Another boy rushed out of a doorway and scanned the room. Seeing the two familiar faces, he ran over with a big smile. ¡°Glad to see you two again! Do you guys want to go out for lunch later? I still have some business to attend to.¡± Hakim lowered his head and apologized as Mehmed waved his hand.


    ¡°Not today, Hakim. In fact, I have some business I would like to conduct, and I would like you to be my agent.¡± Mehmed grinned.


    Hakim pinched himself as a smile quickly formed on his face. He jumped with joy, attracting judgemental stares from some in the room. ¡°An agent from a noble! Mehmed, I can¡¯t believe you think so highly of me! After all, I¡¯m still a merchant-in-training; many others are more qualified than me.¡± Hakim admitted as his cheeks flared from the looks others gave him.


    ¡°Nonsense, Hakim. Unlike the others, I think you will have my best interests at heart. Compared to the old farts, I¡¯m sure you will put your very best in every transaction.¡± Mehmed heaped praise after praise, and the merchant-in-training could not help but do a second leap of joy into the air.


    Hakim took a seat beside Mehmed and rubbed his hands together. ¡°How can I help you, Mehmed?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for some cheap carriages. It doesn¡¯t have to be brand new. Get me something that will provide a lot of value for my money. Secondly, I¡¯m also looking to procure cheap camels. I want to look at the prices to see if it¡¯s any cheaper than the camels in Alkhadra.¡± Mehmed explained before dismissing him.


    ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll immediately get working on it.¡± Hakim enthusiastically scampered back to his office.


    ¡°Are you sure that is wise, young master? The boy is still someone that is in training. To rely on someone like that seems foolish.¡± Adnan commented as they left the building. Mehmed entered his carriage as Adnan got in front of the coach.


    As he took his seat, the boy explained,¡± As I previously mentioned, he will have my best interest at heart. After all, we did help him when he was in trouble. He will be looking to pay back the favour by working his hardest to prevent any mistakes.¡±


    ¡°Not bad at all. Is the next destination the central castle?¡± Adnan turned around to see the young master nodding. Shaking the reins, the horses began working.


    ¡°My apologies, Mehmed. Our forces are busy dealing with the bandits. I assure you; I will personally lead them to defeat the bandits in your territory!¡± Tarik began beating his chest as Mehmed passed by him.


    ¡°Thank you, Tarik. I hope to see you then.¡± Mehmed slightly bowed before moving on.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Mehmed. Money is tied up in arms procurement to fight off these bandits. Especially his majesty¡¯s firearms. They apparently stopped a couple of bandit attacks.¡± Salih pushed up his glasses as he apologized to the young master.


    ¡°Salih, do what you need to do.¡± Mehmed bowed once more before heading to a meeting room.


    ¡°It seems you established a spy network, and your men are fiercely loyal to you.¡± Halimah sipped her drink.


    ¡°Hah¡­ not really.¡± The boy shook his head.


    ¡°Beating up a thief so badly even though they have no relations with the merchant. Are you sure you would consider that as not fiercely loyal?¡± Halimah elegantly placed down her teacup.


    ¡°It¡¯s only a one-time incident. I¡¯ll need multiple incidents to see if it holds true.¡± Mehmed placed down his teacup at the same time.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the task you need me to do?¡± The boy asked as he leaned back into his chair.


    Halimah leaned forward and softly whispered, ¡°Pledge your allegiance to me.¡± Mehmed shot forward from his chair and frowned.


    ¡°Become the Duchess, and we shall talk. As the son of one of the poorest counts, I can¡¯t help with many matters.¡± Mehmed shrugged his shoulders.


    Halimah shook her head, ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong. Many noble heirs in the Duchy refuse to support me because of what is between my legs. Sigh, if only I were a man, I would not have to deal with so much trouble.¡± The girl placed her head between her hands before raising them. She brushed a strand of hair that covered her fringe.


    ¡°You will be the one who gets the ball rolling. If you announce to everyone that you will be supporting me, the other noble heirs will wonder why you would support me. I would pique their interest and flip their support away from Tarik and Salih.¡± Halimah grinned.


    ¡°Sounds like a lot of benefits for you and not a lot for me. If you, let¡¯s say, lose the fight, wouldn¡¯t I be screwed? Tsk.¡± Mehmed frowned.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°But I have so many things to offer you. Tarik and Salih are more concerned with the other nobles. What are you to them? When I become Duchess, I will bring prosperity to your lands. Not even that, I heard that you are recently in the market for some carriages and camels. I can get you that at low prices. Naturally, they won¡¯t involve legal means, but considering that you listen to my advice, that isn¡¯t a concern for you, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°While that would be nice, I rather leave the matter to my¡­ friend in the Merchant Union. How would you like my proclamation to be made?¡± Mehmed sighed.


    ¡°Later in the year when we are all invited to the capital to celebrate the kingdom¡¯s founding. Make your declaration there before all of the other noble heirs.¡±


    ¡°Alright, sounds easy enough. Do elaborate further about the economic prosperity you would bring to the county, though¡­.¡±


    ¡°Like how a noble protect the people of the land, as Duchess, I will ensure that my vassals will be protected. Especially those who are part of my early supporters. I may not look honourable due to my use of subterfuge, but my men are loyal to me because I honour my words.¡± Halimah ended her speech.


    ¡°I will take it into consideration.¡±  Mehmed nodded before leaving the room.


    Climbing down a dark staircase illuminated by a couple of torches, a prison guard led Adnan and Mehmed into the murky depths. They had climbed about five stories of steps before moving into a corridor filled with cells. It was a silent corridor, making Mehmed feel goosebumps. The light from the torch was the only source of relief, so he moved closer to its radius.


    Stopping by a cell, the guard moved his torch to illuminate its contents. A feeble man hung by the wall. His feet and legs were chained to the wall. With his face facing the wall, his back was exposed to the newcomers. Mehmed turned away, repulsed by the sight.


    The guard sent a sympathetic gaze before explaining,¡± He refuses to speak no matter what we do to him.¡± He shook his head.


    ¡°Well, you can enter the cell door if you desire. Your ¡­¡± The guard rolled his eyes as he uttered the following words, ¡°Big Sister will handle anything if a situation arises.¡±


    Mehmed shook his head, and his eyes took in the deep wounds on the man¡¯s back. Blood sprayed over the merchant¡¯s back as the lacerations left by whips left a gruesome sight. ¡°I have seen enough.¡± The guard began heading off with his two guests.


    ¡°Help¡­ me¡­¡± A soft moan echoed in prison.


    ¡°A good coffee always helps when dealing with work.¡± Hakim cheerfully remarked as he sipped on his drink. His eyes looked towards the noble across the table. The boy¡¯s face was pale and seemed traumatized by some matter. The young master was not even touching the food ordered, only drinking plain water.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Adnan looked towards Mehmed before turning to face Hakim.


    ¡°How¡¯s the compilation of carriages and camels going?¡± The man asked, taking over the duties of the young master.


    ¡°It will take quite a while. I¡¯m planning on retrieving the prices from all of the territories in the Duchy. I will send them over to Alkhadra County once I¡¯m done. That reminds me of something!¡± Hakim uttered as he grasped a piece of parchment tucked away in his tunic.


    Unrolling it onto the table, he passed it to Mehmed, who took the time to peruse its contents. ¡°What is this?¡± The boy pre-emptively asked with relief as his mind shifted away from the earlier sights.


    ¡°As part of graduation requirements to become a fully-fledged merchant, we need to look for someone to serve as an agent. If you sign this, I will officially become your agent in the Merchant Union!¡± Hakim grinned as he tapped on the numerous clauses in the parchment.


    ¡°Look me up if you need any transactions to be done through the Union. When you go to the branch in Khaled, present this parchment to one of the guards, and they will fetch me.¡± Hakim grabbed another piece of paper and handed it to Mehmed.


    It was relatively small and seemed more akin to a playing card. Rectangular, with sharp corners, it was emblazoned with the emblem of His majesty¡¯s Merchant Union. It stated ¡°Hakim Zaki¡± and the location of his office. A miniature portrait of the boy appeared beside the words.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Mehmed asked as he looked at the realistic portrait of the boy in front of him.


    ¡°The Union decided to copy some of the practices of the pale foreigners. They call it a Business Card, and they use it to introduce themselves to other people. The Guild has been mass-producing these for all its staff. If you want to confirm if anyone is truly part of the Merchant Union, ask them to show their card.¡± Hakim grinned as he took out another card and admired his dashing portrait.


    Reading the clauses of the agreement, Mehmed nodded and took out a reed pen from a pocket. ¡°I have an ink bottle here.¡± Hakim retrieved an ink bottle from a pouch of his and placed it on the table. Removing the cork, he passed it to Mehmed¡¯s side. Dipping the pen into the ink, Mehmed began signing his name onto the parchment before handing it to Hakim.


    Hakim bowed, clasping his hands together, ¡°Thank you very much, Mehmed! I¡¯m one step closer to graduating from my training. Anyway, I must go now! Still have much work to be done.¡± Hakim hurriedly dismissed himself and left the establishment.


    ¡°Are you sure that was the right move to be made? All business dealings with the Merchant Union will solely pass through Hakim. I¡¯m not sure whether the decreased commission fee can offset his inexperience.¡± Adnan said his thoughts out loud.


    ¡°You were peeping.¡± The boy coldly accused.


    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault that you¡¯re much shorter than me. My eyes do move about, you know.¡± Adnan rolled his eyes.


    ¡°There¡¯s another clause stating that the agreement will only hold for six months. Maybe a merchant who has much business with the Union would put more thought than me. But I don¡¯t necessarily rely on the Union for transactions. There are many other third-party merchants I can procure the carriages from.¡± Mehmed shrugged.


    ¡°I assume that wraps up most of your tasks in Khaled, young master. Is there anywhere else you would like to visit?¡± Adnan began grabbing a couple of dates before shoving them into his pockets.


    Mehmed took the time to ponder it as Adnan popped a date or two into his mouth. ¡°That should be all; let¡¯s head back home.¡±


    As the carriage rolled into the Alkhadra, Mehmed did not expect much. A usual, peaceful entry into the city as dusk fell. He couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that he was being watched. Looking outside the windows, he could see shadowy figures crossing alleyways to get closer to his carriage. He grasped the handle of his blade, imagining the worst possible scenario to happen. He had not trained with Basil in a long time, so he planned to resist before finding an opening to flee.


    The shadowy figures have coalesced into a line of figures in the castle¡¯s courtyard as the carriage pulled to a stop. A line of shadowy figures stood with their chests puffed up proudly. The soldiers from the castle walls could stare aghast at the sudden appearance of the figures on the walls. Yet none moved and seemed a little too relaxed for what appeared to be possible enemies.


    The boy stepped out of his carriage and relaxed, seeing no soldier moving to stop the figures. A lone figure stepped forward and removed the top of his hood. ¡°We greet the return of our liege.¡± The man bowed, and the rest of the figures removed their hoods before bowing simultaneously.


    ¡°Taslim, no need for such a grand entrance. Let¡¯s discuss matters while I was away.¡± Mehmed sighed as he followed Taslim to a meeting room. The rest of the grunts scattered and went off to fulfil their tasks, acting as the eyes and ears of the nobility. They caught any information, whether it be conducted in bright daylight or the seedy ones in the dark underbelly of the moon.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, sir. Some of the merchants did have some items that were considered illegal. I have compiled a list of them.¡± The man handed a thick stack of papers listing individuals and the supposed crimes. They even contain information about the location of the items. Mehmed nodded, seeing how the penmanship improved. The handwriting seemed utilitarian, written by a merchant, unlike the flowery cursive of the nobility. At least it was readable by all.


    ¡°What about the staff in the¡­ castle?¡± Mehmed leaned in and whispered.


    Taslim also leaned in and whispered,¡± We have found that some of the guards took up bribes. Some men have compiled witness testimonies and found inconsistencies in their homes. You are welcome to do whatever you wish with the information.¡± The man handed over another thick stack of papers.


    ¡°What about the Marshal, Steward and Chancellor?¡± Mehmed asked, causing Taslim to lean back. The man kept silent, unable to explain.

 Chapter 11 Business Prototyping

    ¡°Regarding the Marshal, we are unable to find anything incriminating.¡± Taslim slowly explained, closely watching the change in expression on Mehmed¡¯s face.


    Mehmed sighed, relieved that Marshal Hassen was as clean as he made himself out to be. He liked the Marshal; unlike a particular Steward, he was hardworking and cared for the territory and its peoples.


    ¡°And for the Steward¡­ How should I put this? We can¡¯t even enter his home.¡±


    ¡°Why? Locks too advanced for your men?¡± Mehmed pondered about training the skills of his men, but Taslim interrupted his thoughts.


    ¡°All of our men who entered the home will suddenly be attacked from behind. The next thing they know, the night passes, and they wake up right outside the ground of the home. No more men are willing to enter the home.¡±  Taslim shook his head.


    ¡°How about in the morning? Wasifi should be out and about or in his office.¡± Mehmed frowned.


    ¡°Too many guards are patrolling about the perimeter. While the guards are somewhat receptive, they distrust us a fair bit. Distractions will not work on them.¡± Taslim lowered his head in shame and shied away from looking at his liege¡¯s face.


    ¡°Well then, it can be postponed to a later date. How about the Chancellor?¡± Mehmed grinned.


    Taslim jolted and raised his head. His lips curled upwards. ¡°The Chancellor receives a lot of secret gifts from the other nobility. It seems his interests are not in the interests of the lordship.¡±


    ¡°Hoh. That¡¯s a problem. Do tell of the numerous gifts.¡± Mehmed grinned.


    ¡°I have made copies of the letters found in his abode. Do take your time looking through them.¡± The housebreaker dumped another stack of papers onto the table.


    Picking up a few, Mehmed¡¯s eyes bulged as he flipped through them. Bribes from merchants to deny permits and applications. Bribes from other counts to give a detailed account of all of his father¡¯s diplomatic actions. ¡°I can¡¯t believe my father harboured a traitor amongst his midst! Sigh.¡± The boy could shake his head and clenched the pieces of paper in his hands, scrunching them up.


    ¡°What are your orders, sir.¡± Taslim bowed as he anticipated the boy¡¯s following orders. Mehmed¡¯s eyes shone with a mischievous glint.


    ¡°Say, these bribes are off the books, right? What¡¯s stopping us from taking them? Is he going to report the theft? Heh, heh.¡± Mehmed chuckled.


    ¡°I do think so, sir.¡± Taslim smiled as widely as his liege.


    ¡°Then take those bribes for ourselves. And appropriate the numerous gifts. I might share some with the men if you do a good job. Tell me when father and mother come back with the Chancellor. We will immediately expose him then.¡±


    ¡°We will work on it.¡±


    ¡°Sigh, reduce to this, oh, the indignity!¡± Adnan wailed as he hauled a bunch of goods onto the carriages. They were a bunch of cheap goods that Mehmed pressured his subordinate merchants to hand over as gifts. Considering how they were simple everyday goods, the merchants were more than happy to offload the leftovers into his hands to curry some favour with him. His men selected the goods, went about the marketplace, and chatted with the villagers from the surrounding villager about the goods they procured. Some common goods were tea, coffee, hoes, wood, buckets and the banalest of everyday things that one could need.


    ¡°Why do I have to be the one doing this!?¡± Adnan kept grumbling as he hauled a couple of wood planks into the carriage. A couple of grunts helped out by placing a bunch of farming equipment in a corner.


    ¡°You know¡­¡± Adnan glared at the watchful gaze of Mehmed and commented, ¡°I think all of your ancestors will be turning in their graves considering what we are doing to the noble carriage.¡± The man hauled some bars of soap into the carriage before closing the door. There was some room left in the carriage for a couple of seats. The goods occupied about half of the carriage, and wooden boards were installed to keep them from bumping into the passengers.


    ¡°You consider this carriage as a noble carriage? I¡¯m looking for something more glamourous to serve as a carriage for our family.¡± Mehmed frowned as he looked towards the dingy, old carriage. The boy walked over and handed a short list that annotated the goods and prices to the Adnan.


    ¡°Whew. At least I don¡¯t have to memorize them.¡± Adnan heaved a sigh of relief and shoved the parchment into a pocket by his chest.


    ¡°What are you waiting for? Get going. The goods are rotting as we stand here.¡± Mehmed complained as Adnan rolled his eyes.


    ¡°I will be on my way.¡± The man grumbled and got onto the coachman¡¯s seat before speeding away.


    ¡°Wow¡± was all the boy could utter as he observed the dazzling array of coins littered his room. Bronze, silver and gold coins were separated into neat piles. Of course, the number of gold coins was fewer than the silver coins, and vice versa for the bronze and silver coins. Still, it was the most amount of my wealth that the boy had ever laid his hands on. The boy could only caress the gold coins with glee as he imagined all of the goods he could procure with the beautiful coin he held in his hands. A portrait of the current¡¯s king face adorned one side while the other was decorated with the emblem of the Kingdom.


    ¡°Taslim, is there a local bank nearby? I want to deposit these funds.¡± Mehmed began thinking about storing his ill-gotten gains. Well, he couldn¡¯t exactly say he got them with legal means, but it would be hard to explain where he got them.


    ¡°No, sir, all the merchants store their wealth in warehouses. The nearest bank would be in Khaled.¡± The man explained, not even daring to move close to the loot he obtained for his liege lest he suspected him of theft.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Reminiscing about the bandits who robbed the Merchant Union¡¯s caravan, he shook his head about transferring his funds there. An idea began seeping into his head; it was a crazy idea, but with all this money, why not?


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we start a bank? How hard can it be? Just lend and take deposits. Who would dare to mess with the nobles?¡± Mehmed mumbled, and Taslim baulked at his proposition.


    ¡°Sorry, sir, I know absolutely nothing about banking. I¡¯m sure the men are with me on this position.¡± The man sheepishly admitted.


    ¡°I know a man who is very good with finances, though.¡±


    Grumble, grumble. ¡°Annoying bastards.¡± Wasifi could only furrow his eyebrows as he remembered the men barging into his home every night. He saw sure that the men were some of the criminals that Mehmed freed; perhaps he should warn the boy. If he could remember, that is, but he could relax with this nice book in his hands for now.


    He took back everything he said about the author previously. Yes, the author is a literary genius, a god among men with the pen! His favourite pairing was back! He barely stifled a squeal when he read it at that time, causing a couple of guards to rush into the room to check on the situation. Luckily, he always wore his hood, so they couldn¡¯t see how red his cheeks were. Their relationship was progressing at a pace that he had always envisioned. Oh, if he could find out where the author lived, he would write a love letter to them, platonically, of course.


    ¡°Ah, my Steward, just the man I was looking for.¡± Mehmed barged into his room. Shoving the book into a pile of papers, causing some papers to scatter about the ground, Wasifi grasped a random piece of paper and looked at it. It was an empty piece of paper that should be enough to fool the boy.


    ¡°What is it this time, Mehmed? I¡¯m very busy. That reminds me, we should discuss about those criminals.¡± Wasifi coldly glared at the boy beneath his hood, causing him to take a couple of steps back.


    ¡°What about them?¡± Mehmed gathered his courage and took a couple of steps forward.


    ¡°You should know that some of these men break into innocent people¡¯s homes. For instance, my home. It is very annoying; I hope you understand that these men can¡¯t be trusted.¡± Wasifi bashed his fist on the table as he enunciated ¡®annoying¡¯.


    ¡°I understand. I will not trust them.¡± The boy nodded, realizing that the Steward did not know who ordered them to break into his home.


    ¡°Now, why did you come here today?¡± The Steward asked, and the boy took a couple of steps closer.


    ¡°I would like to establish a bank!¡± As Mehmed uttered those words, Wasifi slumped against his table as he felt an oncoming migraine.


    ¡°Who will run it, Mehmed? Banking isn¡¯t something that anyone can do. And running something like that isn¡¯t part of my duties when I signed up to be the Steward!¡± Wasifi complained as he raised his ever so tiring head from the table.


    ¡°Just lend money to people if they ask for it and help store money securely. As a noble, who else but someone like me can do it?¡± Mehmed confidently replied.


    ¡°A bank needs people to support it. You will probably need all merchants to back it if you want any funds to be put into it. I won¡¯t be able to help with this.¡± Wasifi dismissed the boy. Mehmed shrugged and left his office. Seeing the boy go, Wasifi grabbed his book from under the piles of papers.


    ¡°I plan on opening a bank. Are you interested?¡± Mehmed proposed to the merchant who was sitting by the desk. He dropped everything in his hands and looked into the boy¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not planning on taking all the money and run?¡± Lufti frowned.


    ¡°I heard all your money is stored in your warehouses in Alkhadra. It¡¯s easy if someone decides to steal it. It would be up to the land¡¯s lords to decide how much attention to it. But what if you store in a bank backed by the nobility. Then stealing from it won¡¯t be such a simple matter; we could even escalate matters to the Duke of the Alwaleed Duchy. All in all, it would be safer to put the money under the bank.¡± Mehmed explained, placing a piece of parchment that noted down the bank¡¯s affairs.


    Lufti snorted as he took a glance at the piece of paper. ¡°I could transfer the funds into the banks at Khaled. Why bother?¡±


    Grinning, Mehmed replied, ¡°With the bandit attacks ravaging the roads, you won¡¯t do it. The risk of losing huge sums isn¡¯t worth it in your eyes. You have funds piling up in Alkhadra but nowhere to ship them to. Aren¡¯t I helping you? Plus, I will care more if my bank gets robbed than if one of your warehouses gets robbed.¡±


    Sighing, Lufti could nod his head. ¡°Who will run this bank? I¡¯m sure; as a busy noble, you will not be running the bank yourself. I would prefer if it were someone who has some experience in banking.¡±


    ¡°That is something for all of your merchants to decide.¡± Mehmed placed another piece of paper on the table, listing out the names of merchants that Mehmed had put under his thumb.


    ¡°You can discuss with your fellow friends and nominate a manager. The warehouse where the funds are stored, and the guards can even be discussed.¡± The boy took his leave, leaving the parchment on the table.


    Grabbing it, he glanced at the names of merchants that dominated the market in Alkhadra. Like him, they too had money piling up in various warehouses. Raising his head from the piece of parchment, he looked towards the receding back of the boy. There was fear in his heart, fear of what the boy would do in the future. All of his future plans were being tossed out of the window, all because of this one boy. Yet, his senses as a merchant could smell a great opportunity if he sided with the boy.


    ¡°My secretary!¡± Lufti hollered as a man ran into the room.


    ¡°How can I help you, sir!¡± The secretary energetically exclaimed.


    Passing the parchment into his hands, Lufti ordered, ¡°Organize a meeting with all these men. We will have much to discuss.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± With a brusque reply, the secretary ran off.


    Mehmed walked through the marketplace. Unlike the previous times when the merchants did not bat an eye as he rarely spent a single cent here, he could see merchants stand on attention as he passed by each stall. Whispers passed about stall owners. Behind the boy were the various criminals who kept their heads low, staring at the bronze coins in their hands.


    ¡°Sir, are you sure this is okay?¡± Taslim nervously asked as he felt the gazes of merchants on them. They had stolen from some of these merchants, and they could feel that under their cold watch, malice ran underneath it.


    ¡°it¡¯s the first time we have made such a big profit thanks to you and your men. Naturally, that wealth should be shared. Keep up the good work, and the amount might increase.¡± Mehmed bid his underlings goodbye and left the marketplace, leaving the merchants staring at the convicts.


    Seeing the boy separated from the convicts, the merchants kept their gaze on the boy¡¯s back this time.


    ¡°Ahmad, have you heard about the new bank that the big merchants are planning? I heard that the boy is backing the bank.¡±


    ¡°Ali! Are you sure the boy won¡¯t run away with their money!¡±


    ¡°Ahmad, listen to me. All those big merchants get to decide who will run the bank. They also contribute to the guards. I don¡¯t think the boy could easily confiscate their money.¡±


    ¡°Hmmph, once they establish it, then I¡¯ll decide. At least I won¡¯t have to store my money under the mattress. Stupid bandits!¡±


    The merchants whispered rumours among themselves as the once-robbed merchants kept an eye on the criminals.


    ¡°Heh heh, young master. Long time no see. So, you decided to visit this old man after a long while.¡± Basil grinned as he looked towards the boy walking in the sands by himself.


    ¡°Come on, Basil. I haven¡¯t mastered the sword. I still like to beat up that bandit that beat me up.¡± Mehmed quickly drew his blade.


    Chuckling, ¡°You still have a long way to go, young master. Even I could not defeat her.¡± Basil did not even bother to keep his blade unsheathe his blade, grabbing the scabbard instead.


    ¡°So, the bandits are led by a woman?¡± Mehmed asked, and Basil smoothened out his facial expressions.


    ¡°No response. Tsk. It¡¯s okay if you won¡¯t say it. I will find it out myself.¡± Mehmed lunged at the explorer.