Ku Wei looked up from the book full of Coptic writing as Tomo sat down across from him. “Have we arrived?” he asked with a hint of nervousness.
“Not yet, but we'll be arriving shortly. I was hoping to speak with you for a moment, if you have time. How are your studies coming?” Tomo replied.
“My ability to speak Coptic should be passable, no one is expecting a foreigner to be fluent after all. However, reading has been challenging. So, what did you want to talk about?”
Tomo paused for a moment and sighed, “I'm worried about how you'll handle this trip. You spent so much of your life in that tower, you have very little experience with the outside world. Egypt will be a very different experience and I don't want you to be overwhelmed.”
Ku Wei gently closed the book before him, the feeling of the cover was rough against his fingers. “I can tell from their writing that they are a... coarse people. Not unlike their territory, full of sand and heat. I know they take their caste system very seriously and those seen as beneath them are treated poorly...”
“Reading about it and seeing it are two different things,” Tomo interjected.
“My own brother tried to kill me. Thank you for your concern Grandfather, but I think I can handle some highborn brats giving me nasty looks,” Ku Wei countered.
“Maybe so, but you'd be lucky if it stopped at just looks. They can be quite harsh and the law is generally on the side of the one with the highest status. As such, I've made some arrangements for you.” Tomo's hand moved toward his dantian and with a light pulling motion he produced a wispy ball of light.
“This is a soul contract,” Tomo introduced as he handed it to Ku Wei. On closer inspection Ku Wei could see Coptic writing swirling within. After a brief pause Tomo continued, “It declares that the whomever possesses it owns another individual.”
Ku Wei almost dropped the contract with a combination of surprise and disgust. “Grandfather, given your ideals, I thought you above such things as owning a slave!”
“I promise it will all make sense in time. Now, bind the contract to yourself by placing it in your dantian.”
“Y-y-you want me to do what?” Ku Wei was so shocked that he became convinced that he must have nodded off while studying and that this was all just a bad dream.
Tomo stood and approached Ku Wei and lightly pressed the contract into his abdomen. “I'm sorry Grandson, but you'll come to understand that sometimes doing the right thing can be rather unsavory.”
-Khalfani greets his new master,- a gruff voice echoed in Ku Wei's head, rousing him from his momentary stupor.
Seeing his grandson's contorted face, Tomo counseled, “Focus on the contract to convey your intent.”
Ku Wei followed his advice, -There is no need for you to call me that. I'm no one's master. My name is...-
-Apologies Master, but it is safest if I remain ignorant of your true name. A slip of the tongue could cost us both our heads. Master Tomo has made me aware of the situation. I am happy to be of service. For the sake of your mission, I will only refer to you as 'Master' or, if needed, the alias Ren Amun,- Khalfani suddenly interrupted. -If you will excuse me, there is much I must prepare for Master's arrival.-
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Ku Wei absentmindedly repeated the name, “Ren Amun.”
“I see Khalfani let that slip,” Tomo laughed.
“How do I dissolve this contract?”
“You mustn't!” Tomo snapped. “Let me explain before you do anything rash. Khalfani has his reasons for being under contract and if you terminate it you'll be putting his life in danger.”
Ku Wei nodded silently. It was obvious that he was hesitant about holding someone's life in his hands.
“Good. Now listen carefully. Khalfani was originally contracted to an up and coming merchant named Ur-Atum. We did some business and I mentioned my interest in the soul contracts so we made a trade for Khalfani's. I offered to get him out Egypt, but it's his home and he didn't want to leave. I had no need for his services so I left him in the employ of Ur-Atum, where he was paid and able to keep me up to date on local affairs. I lifted all of Khalfani's restrictions, he is contracted in name only. People of his status in Egypt don't have many protections, but being contracted deters troublemakers that are worried about offending the contract holder. Do you understand? This is his choice.”
Ku Wei just nodded again, waiting for Tomo to finish his explanation.
“As for your alias. Ur-Atum's wife passed giving birth to his daughter Chione. Two decades later, in an attempt to open a trade route with the Gaian Empire, he married his daughter off to Ren Bohai. As you know, the Ren Clan is a well known merchant family in Gaia. Bohai[1], true to his namesake, was put in charge of the Ren family's shipping lanes at sea. Shortly after Bohai and Chione had a son, Ur-Atum fell ill. The whole family made the trip to see him before he passed and the child, Ren Amun, was made Ur-Atum's heir. Unfortunately, during the return voyage the ship sank and the whole family was lost. The silver lining is that, Ur-Atum passed before word of their demise reached him. In the meantime Khalfani has been running the company. We released a false statement that Ren Amun was alive and well, studying in Gaia and would return to run the company when he was ready. That bought us a few years and now we can use that alias to infiltrate Egypt. The status that comes with the name will help open some doors that would have been closed to a foreigner.”
“So, the Ren Amun name comes with resources and status that would be difficult to obtain otherwise. And anyone that could reject my claim is already gone. That is quite convenient.” Tomo was happy to see that Ku Wei seemed to understand and accept the situation.
“Well, I doubt any members of the Ren Clan will show up to refute it, they gave up on Egypt when the war tensions between the two nations began to escalate. However, there are a few other merchant families in Egypt that have been trying to squeeze Khalfani out. They probably won't be too keen on Ren Amun's sudden arrival. That's another reason you need Khalfani's contract. Soul Purifiers, as Egypt's cultivators like to be called, can sense the bond between you. They won't be able to read the contents of the contract, but holding the contract of Ur-Atum's right hand man that's been running the company this last decade is a way of proving your status.”
The two sat in silence and split a pot of coffee. Finally, Tomo broke the silence, “We've arrived. When you're ready you should head out, shouldn't keep Khalfani waiting.”
Ku Wei finished his cup, bid his grandfather farewell, and stepped through the door. The first thing he noticed was the dry hot air assaulting every bit of exposed skin. The next thing he noticed was the looming shadow hanging over him. Thanks to a recent growth spurt Ku Wei was quite tall for his age, but the man before him stood a good head and shoulders above him. He could feel the bond between them formed by the contract he held. “Are you Khalfani?” Ku Wei asked in heavily accented Coptic.
“Indeed I am Master,” replied Khalfani, before adding through their bond, -I know you're uncomfortable with being addressed that way. I will only do it when speaking aloud. When speaking through the contract I will call you Mr. Ren.-
-That still feels too formal. This situation will be easier for me to tolerate if we became friends, so please call me Amun.-
-As you wish, Amun.- Khalfani motioned to the building they found themselves in, “This is one of several warehouses we own around town. This one isn't in a particularly good part of town, but it was important to Tomo that we secure it for his doorway. Speaking of which, the residence is across town. If we hurry we should arrive before nightfall.”
Ku Wei just nodded, “Lead the way Khalfani.”
As the two were making their way through the streets Ku Wei witnessed a man beating a child. He could faintly feel a connection between the two indicating that the child was contracted to the man.
Ku Wei was about to step in when Khalfani warning rang in his head, -Amun don't! If you defend the child you are claiming responsibility for it and the man will be forced to sell it to you.-
-And... that's a bad thing?- Ku Wei was confused, but still preparing to intervene.
Khalfani quickly clarified, -The court will handle the transaction. They will set the price equal to the highest price a similar contract has sold for in the last year. On the surface this seems fair, but if this man's friends orchestrate a sale of a similar contract for an exorbitant price before the court makes a final ruling they can bankrupt you.-
Ku Wei stopped mid step. He shut his eyes and turned away from the child, wishing that the whimpers would stop echoing in his ears. Thinking to himself, -I'm here to stop a war. It's more important than one child. It has to be. Damn it! Grandfather was right... reading about it and seeing it are two different things... this is going to be harder than I thought.-
Author's Notes:
[1] Bohai means “sea waves”