That night, Jean and Jahir went to the port. Perhaps because it's a port, it's lively even at night. Sailors from other countries sang while getting drunk, and merchants sold unusual items.
In particular, items that cannot be sold during the day are sold at night.
"Hmm."
Jean looked at the items for sale and was confused. Even if he sells such things, he wonders if anyone will buy them.
"What is that?"
"It's a silkworm."
"Silkworm?"
Jean answered and Jahir tilted his head.
"If you unravel the cotton of a silkworm and make it into thread, it becomes silk."
"Oh really..."
"It's a silkworm that has already been boiled and dried, so there's only one dried insect inside."
"Is silk made from insect thread?!"
"Yes, it is."
Jean nodded.
"The silkworms are already dead. You can't pet them to make more silk even if you buy them. It would be cheaper to buy ordinary silk thread or cloth."
"That's right."
Jahir nodded as he held Jean in his arms.
"As expected, the products sold during the day and at night are different."
"I agree."
Jean nodded. When Jean says it's weirder at night, Jahir laughs.
"Teacher, please go near that ship."
"Okay. That ship, huh?"
"Yes."
"Okay. But please call me Dad. It would be bad if people found out."
"Yes, Dad."
When the two went to the place Jean had indicated, they found several merchants drinking alcohol and playing cards. All that was sold was cloth. There is an open box nearby, and there is almost nothing inside. When Jean and Jahir are seen, they try to sell clothes in a broken Urda language.
Jean thought it was Archia's cloth.
"One piece costs 500 Dali! It's cheap, it's cheap! Silk!"
A merchant said, and Jean held out his hand.
It's not silk, he thought.
"Silk is a lie."
Jean chose the words and said them into Jahir's ear. Jean's grandfather once told him to be careful when the opposite understands what they're saying.
"It's expensive. I'll buy it for 10 Dali."
Jahir said and they laughed. The person said to his companion in a foreign language Jahir did not understand, and Jean listened.
He gambles away their money, Jean says while translating their words in a low voice in Jahir's ear as he watches them.
"Mister, let's play the lottery. If you win, I'll give you the clothes."
"Huh. What if I lose?"
“If you lose, you will pay it for 500 Dali.”
"That's fine."
Jahir said, and they took out their cards and shuffled them neatly.
"Game, three times"
"That's fine."
Jahir said and they smiled.
He's clearly up to something, Jahir thought. However, Jahir doesn't know what specific tricks they will use.
The battle was simple. Each person takes a card and reveals it to the other person. Whichever is higher wins.
Jahir won the first time. The second time, the opponent won. Jean suddenly raised his hand as his opponent shuffled the cards for fairness. When Jean said he wanted to do it, Jahir put him down and told his opponent.
They said with a laugh that it couldn't be helped because Jean was a child. Then, they handed Jean a stack of cards that had been shuffled once. Jean shuffled the cards as if he were used to it. Then he placed the card on the table.
“Dad, can I take it?”
When Jean asked, Jahir laughed and nodded.
"Good."
"I'm sorry if I lose."
"No problem, it's only 500 Dali, so it's cheap."
When Jahir said this, Jean chose one with a troubled look. The opponent was also very worried and took one piece.
"Show me your card."
"Okay."
Then Jean showed him his card. It was the King's heart. The opponent had 8 hearts. Naturally, Jean won.
"Again."
Suddenly the other person said this, and Jean looked at Jahir for confirmation. Jahir nodded, and Jean also nodded.
"Okay, uncle, please go first."
"Huh, okay."
One man said and took the card. He is staring at the card seriously as if investigating something.
"Not yet?"
"Almost there."
He says, looking at the cards from above. Then, he had no choice but to take one.
"Then I'll take it."
"Yeah."
Jean took a card. Then he showed them his card. It was King's Clover.
"Please show me yours."
When Jean said that, the other person turned over the card. It was 2 hearts.
"Why··."
When he said this, his companion came, laughed, and handed the cloth to Jean.
"It's a promise. Take it."
"Thank you."
Jean took the cloth and showed it to Jahir.
"Is it good?"
Jahir asked.
"Good. Since we lost, I'll give you the clothes."
He said in fluent Urda, and Jahir smiled.
"Thank you."
Jahir said as he picked Jean up in his arms again, grabbed the cloth, and left. They still spoke the foreign language loudly, but Jahir didn't understand.
"They said they would return to their home country and this cloth was meant for the queen."
Jean said while looking at the cloth.
"Queen? Is that so? Queen of Ircandia?"
"The only queen in the west is the Queen of Ircandia, so I guess so."
Jean nodded.
"Is there a gun on that ship?"
"I think there are probably some, but not many."
"Why do you think so?"
"Because, since they're going back home, they'll only use guns to protect themselves. Maybe to protect them from pirates..."
"I see."
Jahir nodded.
"However, there are people who can speak Urda quite well..."
Jahir said, remembering Sabadda's words.
Archia was defeated by Ircandia, who had a gun.
That means sooner or later the Ircandians will come to Urda. Jahir thought this was no time to fight for the oasis.
"If they have guns, does that mean it's dangerous to attack that ship now?"
"Hmm, maybe."
Jean tilted his head.
"If they die in this country, it could be a problem."
"Was that happened in Archia?"
"Yeah. And they do all kinds of sneaky things. For example, we got this cloth for free, right?"
"Yes?"
"After a while, they start making a fuss. They say it's been stolen! Of course, the culprits are us."
"Huh?"
Jahir looks at Jean and blinks.
"He made a scene and told the security guard we were the culprits."
"That would be bad."
"They do this to check whether foreigners are valued in the country. If the security forces deal with and arrest us, they will move on to the next stage."
Besides, the cloth in Jean's hand has a special pattern, so there's no way they can get away with it, Jahir said, and Jahir thought about it.
"What if the guards don’t deal with us?"
"They will be thinking of something else. The most dangerous person is someone who can speak Urda, and I don't know what they'll do."
I see, thought Jahir. He looked at the cloth in Jean's hand and thought to himself. What should he do?
"Vice chief."
The commander of the Tareq family's Third Division appeared from the darkness. Jahir walked over to him and turned his gaze back to the ship.
"I heard that the people on that ship bought a lot of cloth and decorations."
"Is it like a normal business?"
"Yes, they are."
The captain nodded, and Jahir thought. After a while, they started making noise. Jean was right, Jahir thought. He saw one of them calling for security.
A person who is good at the Urda language has started to move.
"Be careful of those on that ship."
"Yes, Sir."
"Maybe they'll make Jean and I as thieves from now on."
When Jahir said this, the captain was surprised.
"Do you want us to kill them?"
"No, not yet."
Jahir shook his head.
"Jean, can you climb a date palm tree?"
"Yes, I can."
"Then, put the cloth on the date palm tree."
"Understood"
"When you get off, say in a low voice that you're getting off, then just jump in and I'll catch you."
"Yes, Dad."
Jean nodded and looked around. There was a date palm tree that was just the right height, so the three of them walked under it.
"Trust me."
"Okay."
Jahir said and Jean nodded. Then he quickly climbed the tree and placed the cloth on top.
"I'm getting off."
Jean said in a low voice, and Jahir moved. And when Jean jumped down, Jahir jumped in and caught him.
"Hahaha!"
When Jahir caught Jean, Jean burst into laughter. The Third Division's commander of the Tareq family looked at Jean with a relieved look.
The three of them walked towards the inn, singing. When Jean imitated Jahir's song, the captain clapped his hands and followed the rhythm. Customers at food stalls near the inn laughed happily when they saw little Jean singing. It was so lively that some people even sang along. Jean got down and sang loudly while dancing with the guest. People are laughing, singing and dancing.
"Those two! They're thieves!"
Suddenly someone called them out loudly. It was the same man from earlier, who brought the security guard and shouted. The guard looks at Jahir and Jean, then back at the Ircandian.
"There’s no way someone with children would steal it, right?"
"Leaving the child behind, the father opened a box outside the ship and stole the contents. Someone saw them."
The Ircandian said, and Jahir quickly picked up Jean.
"Cry, Jean."
Jahir said into Jean's ear, and Jean blinked.
"Waaaaaaaaaaah! I'm scared! Dad, that person is scary! Waaaaaaaah!"
When Jean cried, people got angry and protested to the guards. The captain also got furious and complained to the guard, who looked troubled. The commotion became so loud that Sabadda and others left the inn.
"Dad, I’m scared!"
Jean cried loudly and saw the Sabaddas coming out of the inn.
"What are you going to do by making my son cry?!"
When Jahir said this, the Sabaddas immediately understood. They glared sharply at the guards.
"I suspected that you guys stole something from that person, so I came to check on it."
"You're not kidding! I came to this town with my friends to sell yarn and fur and buy rice. If you're interested in that, just look into it!"
Jahir said out loud.
"In the first place, what did they steal?"
Sabadda asked, and the guard asked the Ircandian again.
"It seems like cloth."
"That’s not true."
Jahir said as he took Jean down and removed Jean's clothes in front of many people. Then he took off his own clothes and stood in front of the guard.
"Nothing?"
"It seems so!"
Jahir dresses Jean who cries again and then puts on his clothes. People started complaining and defending them.
"In the first place, there was nothing like that outside the ship. My son thought the ship looked interesting, so he went to see it, but the only people in front of the ship were drunk."
"So, you lied?!"
The guard who heard Jahir's words looked at the Ircandians furiously. The Ircandian shook his head in panic.
"He might have hidden it inside the inn."
When he said that, the people started making noise again. More and more people have gathered and are looking at them, wanting to know what happened.
"Maybe you should check their luggage!"
Someone said from among the onlookers, and the people nodded. The guard entered the inn and asked the inn servant about Jahir and Jean. The security guard heard the two staying overnight and walked toward their room without checking further.
"Um, officer?"
The innkeeper heard the commotion and called out, and the security guards turned around.
"What?!"
"If possible, it would be better not to cause problems with those parents and children."
When the person at the inn showed him his accommodation book, the guard's face turned pale.
"Sabadda Tareq, the child is Jean Tareq...by any chance, is that the Tareq family?"
"Yes. I heard that they came with their troops to go shopping."
When the troops and the guards heard those words, they turned pale. It is a story known to government officials that the Tareq family is famous in the center of Urda and highly trusted by the king. They are so much a part of the family that they can even have their own troops.
Moreover, the country's first general is also from the Tareq family.
It would be impossible for someone from such a famous family to steal a single piece of cloth. Besides, there were no witnesses other than the sailors on that ship to see if there was a theft.
"Are they really going shopping?"
"It's true. We saw their luggage. They had bought a lot of rice, raisins, dried figs, wheat, walnuts, sugar, etc., so they rented one of our rooms and put their luggage there. I helped to put them in."
When the person at the inn said this, the guard's face turned red, and he started to get angry and ran outside. And he struck the Ircandian.
"You liar!"
While saying this, the security guard punched him and immediately came in front of Jahir.
"Mr. Sabadda, I’m sorry!"
When he said this, Sabadda was surprised. Apparently, Jahir was mistaken for Sabadda. However, Jean cried loudly again.
"Liar! I hate liars! Huh!"
Jean cried and pointed at the Ircandian, and the people glared at him with hostility. When some onlookers threw stones at them, people got angry and started throwing stones they had picked up randomly.
Then someone hit him on the head with a large stone, and the Ircandian fell down and became motionless.
However, the anger of the people did not subside, so they kicked the people who had already fallen down, dragged them to the port, and then attacked the Ircandians in front of the ship one after another.
When the angry people entered the ship, the Ircandians inside the ship fired back with guns.
Jahir saw this and immediately gave a signal to the Third Division.
Jahir signaled that they should not let them leave the country alive, and the members of the Third Division immediately sprang into action.
Under cover of darkness, the members of the Third Division mingled with the people, climbed onto the ship, and immediately dispersed to various locations. Then he threw a knife at the armed Ircandians from behind, killing them instantly, and then snatching away their weapons. However, it accidentally hit an oil lamp inside the ship, causing a flame to erupt immediately.
"Peep!"
Sabadda whistled, and the Third Division inside the ship quickly retreated. The people immediately left it, taking with them the stolen goods. When the guards arrived at the port, it began to move out to sea, still on fire.
The anchor rope broke. And best of all, the sails of the ship were raised. When Jahir saw what was happening, he quickly turned around.
"If you don’t do something like that, it will be bad."
One man said and Jahir nodded. Jean looked at him and blinked.
"That's right. Thank you."
"That’s our line."
The person smiled and pinched Jean's nose in Jahir's arm.
"Ouch!"
"Hahaha, it’s been a while, Jean."
"It’s been a long time, Brother Salam."
When Jean says this, Salam laughs and looks at the burning ship on the sea again.