Lis needed Mahya’s help with a project he was working on, so I went to the clothing wholesaler without her. She gave me ten thousand euros and told me to buy her stock, preferably in bright colors. Alfonsen joined me for the shopping trip. Apparently, he wasn’t interested in going over blueprints.
When I walked into the biggest fabric wholesaler warehouse in Beijing, I felt like I had stepped into a rainbow explosion. The place was enormous, with rows upon rows of fabric rolls stacked from floor to ceiling. It was initially overwhelming—just a sea of colors and textures as far as the eye could see. I could smell new fabrics and a hint of chemicals in the air. It didn’t smell bad, but it was still a bit too strong.
Fabric bundles were all over the place in every color you can think of—reds, blues, greens, and every shade in between. Some rolls were so colorful they almost stung my eyes. From every direction, I could hear a mix of voices speaking Chinese. I thought about spending the mana to learn Chinese for a moment, but a smiling lady approached me before I could.
She asked in English, “Hello, sirs. How can I help today?”
Well, no Chinese required. “I’m here to buy fabric, but I want to look around first.”
She nodded and motioned towards the aisles. “Please go browse. When you reach decision, call salesperson.”
I strolled through the aisles, feeling the various fabrics—silky ones that slipped through my fingers like liquid, velvets with a pleasant weight, and soft cottons. You could easily lose track of time here. With Mahya’s instructions and a sizeable amount of cash, I knew I was going to walk out of there with some serious loot.
Browsing between the aisles, I glanced at Alfonsen and asked, “You said you wanted to fill the missing class slots. Do you know which ones you want?”
He shook his head slightly. “No.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, what classes do you have?”
“I am a Monarch [in training] and a Heavy Warrior, and I hold the Profession of an Alchemist,” he said, with his nose up in the air and sounding very proud of himself.
“Heavy Warrior?” My eyebrows shot up. “How did you even get that?”
“I cleared dungeons and mana occurrences.”
“Alchemist sounds interesting.”
He frowned and looked disgusted. “I find it unpleasant. To be more precise, I derive pleasure from the brewing process, but it compelled me to dig in the mud to gather the plants. I lament that I pursued this profession.”
“Then why did you take it?” I asked, puzzled.
He sighed. “It awards 4 points to vitality, and I aspire to extend my life,” he said, his voice tinged with resignation.
I nodded slowly. “So, you’ll probably have to level it up to benefit.”
“Yes,” he admitted, though he didn’t look happy about it.
“And what do you have to do for the Monarch class [in training]?” I asked, genuinely curious.
He hesitated for a moment before responding. “It is incumbent upon me to conduct myself in a regal manner in every circumstance and project a dignified image.”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “Doesn’t sound right to me. From what I learned from Lis, to advance a class, you have to study and then do things based on what you learned. Just acting in a certain way or projecting an image doesn’t get you anywhere.”
“I am uncertain as to which subject to pursue,” he said, sounding uncertain and again getting the lost puppy look.
I patted him on the shoulder, offering a reassuring smile. “Let me think about it; I’ll find you something.”
After buying a large stock of fabrics for Mahya and me, I returned to the hotel and looked into my Storage. I sifted through all the books I bought to find something suitable for Alfonsen. I came across The Republic by Plato, but after some thought, looked for something more practical and grounded in universal values—something that wouldn’t just philosophize about justice but would provide clear, actionable principles. After a few minutes, I found a small booklet on Human Rights. Unlike Plato’s idealistic vision, I felt human rights focused on the inherent dignity and freedoms everyone should possess, regardless of status or societal role. It seemed like a good starting point.
I gave the booklet to Alfonsen and told him, “Study this, and we’ll discuss it.”
He took the booklet and looked at it with disdain, his lip curling. “I do not comprehend how this might be of assistance,” he remarked, his tone dripping with skepticism.
“Read it, and you tell me.”
Article 1
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Article 2
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
Article 3
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
Article 4
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
Article 5
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 6
Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
Article 7
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.
Article 8
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.
Article 9
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
Article 10
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.
Article 11
1. Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.
2. No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.
Article 12
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
Article 13
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1. Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
2. Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.
Article 14
1. Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
2. This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 15
1. Everyone has the right to a nationality.
2. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.
Article 16
1. Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
2. Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
3. The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.
Article 17
1. Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
2. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.
Article 18
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
Article 19
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
Article 20
1. Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
2. No one may be compelled to belong to an association.
Article 21
1. Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
2. Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
3. The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.
Article 22
Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.
Article 23
1. Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
2. Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
3. Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
4. Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.
Article 24
Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.
Article 25
1. Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
2. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
Article 26
1. Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
2. Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
3. Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.
Article 27
1. Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
2. Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.
Article 28
Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.
Article 29
1. Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.
2. In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
3. These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 30
Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.
I went looking for Lis and Mahya and found them still busy with their blueprint. Their heads were bent over it, and they argued about some placement or something. I Cleared my throat to get their attention and said, “We need to rent a warehouse or something. I bought a large stock of fabrics and need to tell the factory where to deliver them. The hotel won’t be too happy to receive deliveries by the truckload.”
Lis looked up and asked. “We’re not leaving Beijing?”
“Yes, soon, once we’re done with all the wholesalers. There’s an enormous selection here, and Mahya and I have a lot of money we need to convert into merchandise.”
Lis hummed quietly, nodded to himself, and said. “I should join you when you buy tools, especially small ones. I’m sure I’ll find various things here to help with my class.”
“Good idea,” I agreed. “Then I’ll start looking for a warehouse.”
I found a warehouse to rent for a short period, and the three of us went between wholesalers and bought stock. Alfonsen trailed behind us, alternating between the lost puppy look and judgemental huffs, looking at us down his nose.
Lis was not interested in buying goods for sale because, as he put it, “I have more money than I know what to do with; I’m interested in useful things.”
At the hotel, Alfonsen seemed constantly lost in thought, his brow furrowed as he paced around the suite’s living room. After three days like this, he finally came to talk to me.
“I disagree with the document you gave me to consider,” he stated firmly, sounding frustrated.
I looked up from the book I was reading. “What do you disagree with?”
He huffed slightly, crossing his arms. “The first section, for example: ‘All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.’ I am a prince; I have more dignity and more rights. It is unseemly to compare me to a commoner.”
I leaned back in my chair, meeting his gaze. “The fact that you are a prince is just a chance of birth. You could just as well have been born as the son of a baker or a shoemaker. So, think about it and tell me what gives you more dignity and rights regardless of the circumstances of your birth. What traits in your character or what have you done to benefit others that gives you more dignity and rights?”
He frowned and looked at me for a long time. A couple of times, I thought he wanted to argue; he even opened his mouth but then closed it. Finally, after two or three minutes, he nodded, turned on his heels, and left.
The next day, at breakfast, I was about to get up with Lis and Mahya to return to our room, but Alfonsen grabbed my arm and stopped me. I looked at him with raised eyebrows, but he was looking after Lis and Mahya.
After they were out of earshot, he said in a small, uncertain voice, “Nothing.”
It took me a minute to remember what I asked him and understand that he answered my question.
“So reread the declaration with this viewpoint and see if it makes more sense,” I suggested.
“I will, thank you,” he replied, sounding surprisingly sincere.
“You’re welcome,” I said, still processing his unexpected gratitude—it was the first time he thanked any of us.
Later that evening, he came to me again, his expression puzzled. “I do not comprehend Article fifteen.”
After reading the Article, I leaned forward, thinking about how best to explain it. “In the kingdom you come from, is there anything that indicates that a person is a resident of your kingdom and not of another kingdom?”
He shook his head. “No. Some individuals reside in our domain. They can relocate to another kingdom if they so desire.”
“So this specific article doesn’t apply to your kingdom. It applies only if a specific document states that somebody is the resident of one place and not another.”
He nodded but still looked mulish with pursed lips, and his chin thrust forward defiantly. “I also disagree with Article 21. We do not hold elections to choose the monarch. We are the ruling family and have been so since the kingdom was established.”
“Yes, monarchy and democracy work differently,” I acknowledged. “But is your family the only deciding ruling body, or do they have some kind of council or a body of representatives that can voice the people’s concerns or advise about a course of action?”
“We have the advisory council that is comprised of all the guild leaders.”
“Are those guild leaders chosen or appointed by your family?”
“The guilds chose their leaders,” he clarified.
“So, in your case, those are the ‘freely chosen representatives,’” I pointed out.
He paused and thought for a while, and then frowned again. “What about Article 22? I do not understand it at all.”
“In your kingdom, do you have a method or somebody responsible for taking care of the people that can’t take care of themselves for various reasons, like orphans, cripples, elderly, and the like?”
“I do not know,” he admitted, his tone uncertain.
“So, you should find out and ensure you have such a person or governmental position,” I advised. “Some people need help, and since you collect taxes from the populace, don’t you think you have a responsibility to care for the ones that can’t care for themselves? After all, a government, even a monarchy, is built on give and take—not only take, take, take. This is one avenue in which you can give back.”
Again, he looked at me for a long time and seemed like he wanted to argue, but then his expression changed, as if something clicked. He nodded and looked thoughtful, with a faraway look in his eyes. After a few minutes, I sensed something shift in the surrounding mana. Alfonsen straightened up, took a deep breath, and his eyes glowed brighter. A broad smile spread across his face—the biggest smile I had ever seen on him. Actually, I realized, I had never seen him smile before.
“What happened?” I asked, intrigued by this sudden change.
“My mana increased by 600 units,” he answered, his voice filled with awe, and eyes wide.
“What is your center of power?”
“Mind and Spirit. Our family possesses a double-mana heritage,” he said proudly.
I looked up and asked silently in my head, “How is it that he reads a small book and gets 600 mana, and I’ve already studied dozens of books and got nothing? How is it fair?”
Of course, I didn’t get an answer.