Ali waited patiently as a guard went through his bag. As soon as he mentioned that he was a delivery boy, the guards seemed more suspicious and demanded a full search. The guard who did a body search was very swift with the process. The other guard took more time but the bag lacked any weapons or things that could be viewed as dangerous. The teenager was simply relieved that the guard was careful with the crate when he mentioned he was delivering the items inside. Once the search was over, two guards escorted him inside.

Where are they escorting me to?

The teenager thought he simply needed to leave the crate and be given a piece of paper indicating he had finished his delivery. He never thought he would be entering the residence of the customer nor did he intend on doing so. Being unfamiliar with the local customs and cultures, he could accidentally insult those who held his life in the palm of their hands. As he was led deeper, he began to regret the whole matter. Sadly, it was too late for him to back out. Any action like that would make the guards suspicious of him and their hands were already close to their swords. He didn't need to give them a reason to draw their weapons.

“We have a guest? Why did no one tell me about him?”

One of the guards escorting Ali hastily walked over and whispered to the girl who was surrounded by a dozen guards and two attendants. She nodded her head a few times while listening to the guard. Then, she simply walked closer towards the teenager.

“Show me what you are delivering!” she ordered.

Assuming she was the daughter of the owner, Ali followed the order. He carefully removed the crate from the bag and placed it gently on the ground. He then removed the lid and placed the contents inside on display. Since he received the crate sealed, even Ali had no idea what was inside. As he placed them out, the teenager felt himself intrigued by the many animals that were carved out of wood. He didn’t recognize many of the animals but he could feel the life that was given to them by the artisan. The teenager made a mental note to ask the store owner about the artisan responsible for such masterpieces.

“These are incredible!” exclaimed the girl. “No wonder my father purchased them for me!”

She then went through every carving as she said the name of every creature. Ali backed away to give her space. He watched as she happily complimented each carving before she turned her attention back to Ali.

“This is all you brought with you?”

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“Yes, this is all that was ordered.”

“I will tell my father to order more then!”

Just like that, the girl and her entourage walked away. Ali waited until they were out of sight before he went to gather the carvings, doing his best to return them in the order he took them out. Once the carvings were safely inside the crate and the lid was back on, the teenager asked the two guards to lead the way. The rest of the walk was uneventful and Ali soon found himself in front of what appeared to be a warehouse. One of the workers then greeted him. Once the man looked through the carvings and compared them to a sheet of paper, he handed over the proof of delivery to the teenager. Before Ali could leave, he was once again intercepted by the girl, though a man who could be her father was with her this time. A glance at the lowered gazes of the guards and attendants told Ali all he needed to know about the man.

“Those are the carvings, father! I want more of them!”

“I’ll order several crates for my little princess then. What animals do you want in the next batch?”

Ali stared in awe as the girl listed animals off the top of her head with ease. He then noticed the poor scribe who tried desperately to keep up. A quick glance at the guards was enough to convince him that he wasn’t going anywhere. He, like everyone present, had to patiently listen to the girl. After what seemed like hours, the girl finally stopped. Ali found it amusing when he caught a quick sigh from the scribe who was no doubt the most relieved.

“Delivery boy!” said the girl’s father. “Deliver the order documents to the store owner. I expect all of these to be delivered within a month.”

Following a wave of the man’s hand, the scribe walked over and handed over the documents. Knowing the consequence of refusal, Ali accepted the documents and placed them in his bag. Once the large entourage left, he let out a sigh. The guards then led him out of the residence into the streets. They didn’t exchange any words but the teenager felt less hostility from them. Like him, they seemed relieved to be done with the earlier encounter with the family head and his daughter.

Maybe standing through that whole experience helped us bond.

Not wanting to push his luck further, Ali went straight for the borders. He returned to the slums without problems as the guards were more lax with people leaving the Badger Sector. After he returned with the proof of delivery and the order documents, Ali was about to leave when the store owner stopped him, asking him about the large order. With a sigh, he gave the store owner a quick summary of what happened.

“You’ll be coming back tomorrow to help me complete the order,” said the store owner as soon as Ali finished talking.

The teenager stared back, wondering if he misheard the man.

“Get some rest! I will let your employer know about this arrangement! I promise that both you and your employer will be rewarded handsomely!”

Following that, the store owner guided Ali out of the store before putting a closed sign on the store door.

What exactly just happened? Did I just get hired for another job?