"I'm sorry to bother you, Chief Clerk. But, my friend here needs your help. I was wondering if you had some time."

Sergeant Adib made his request with due respect but with no sign of subservience in his tone.

"For you Sergeant, always! Come in, come in."

The Sergeant smiled lightly but politely turned down the Chief Clerk's invitation.

"I'm afraid I have to go back to my post at the gate. Hopefully, I can take you up on that offer next time."

Sergeant Adib nodded toward both Old Man Shi and the Chief Clerk before making his way out of the office. The Chief Clerk stood to the side and welcomed the old man warmly with a smile, shutting the door tightly behind him. The Chief Clerk trotted over to his desk and took a seat. Gesturing toward the seat across from him, the Chief Clerk politely asked the old man.

"Now, what do you need me for, old sir?"

Still holding a warm smile, the chief clerk regarded the old man with mild interest. Old Man Shi sat down in the chair and promptly responded to the Chief Clerk's inquiry.

"I need some identification for both me and my wife if it isn't any trouble for the esteemed Chief Clerk."

"Of course, it's no trouble to help a friend of the Sergeant."

The Chief Clerk's expression didn't change, and he nodded lightly to himself. Looking through his desk drawers, he pulled out a piece of paper and started filling it out.

"Well, old sir. I'll just need some information from you."

The Chief Clerk and Old Man Shi went back and forth with questions and responses.

"All right… Shi Yao. 55 years old. Retired, previously employed as a Mercenary. Desert Nomad. Xie Chen. 48 years old. Retired, previously employed as an Herbalist. Desert Nomad. That seems to be all in order. Here you go, you can bring these forms to one of the clerks and they will take care of it."

The Chief Clerk handed over the two forms as he spoke. Old Man Shi accepted the papers with both hands and bowed to the Chief Clerk saying his thanks.

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"Thank you, Chief Clerk. You've done this old man a great service."

"I don't deserve such great thanks from you, old sir. You've done much service to the Sultanate as a Mercenary. Guarding caravans is a noble line of work. Besides, I couldn't deny a request from the Sergeant."

The Chief Clerk humbly replied. Old Man Shi started to turn around and leave but was stopped by a question from the Chief Clerk.

"One more thing, may I ask what brought you to the capital?"

Old Man Shi turned around and thought for a second, curling his left index finger and placing it under his chin. When he found his answer, he spoke with a carefree attitude.

"I'm just here to take a gamble at a better life."

The Chief Clerk was stunned for a second, not expecting this answer, before bursting into laughter. He was barely able to rein it in and deliver his comment on the old man's answer.

"Gambling isn't healthy, old sir. Not to mention someone retired like you."

"Who knows, maybe I'll strike it rich in this big city."

The old man seemed unfazed by the Chief Clerk's actions and words and replied with a confident smile.

"Well, I wish you the best of luck. Welcome to Akhmim, old sir."

The old man gave his thanks and walked out of the Chief Clerk's office with papers in hand. He swiftly approached one of the clerks and handed over the papers. The clerk had seen the old man coming out of the Chief Clerk's office, so it didn't take long before he was handed two wooden plaques. Seeing the old man's confusion, the clerk quickly explained.

"These are temporary resident passes. One for you and your wife. If you report your name to the office in about a month, you can exchange them for your permanent ones."

Old Man Shi gave his thanks and walked out of the identification office. He headed straight for the gate, following the path that he had taken with the Sergeant in reverse. When he saw the gate, Old Man Shi found the old lady that had blocked his way waiting for him near the gate. Her eyes roamed the crowd and found him a few moments after he had spotted her. She immediately questioned him when he was a few steps away.

"What took you so long?"

Her voice was hoarse from dehydration, and she wore a look of displeasure. Old Man Shi responded coldly as he carelessly tossed her one of the wooden plaques.

"Don't lose it. Let's get on with business."

The old lady caught the plaque without any trouble. She eyed old man Shi with great annoyance, but he ignored her actions. The old man turned around and walked back into the city. Reluctantly, the old lady followed him. The pair walked through the long winding streets of the grand desert city navigating them with familiarity. Eventually, they ended up in a small alleyway that had little human activity. Old man Shi stopped and turned to the left raising his arm to knock on the wooden door. When the old lady saw the old man lift his hand, the old lady quickly reminded him.

"The jade slip said it would be the second door on the left. Are you sure we took the right set of turns?"

Without turning around, old man Shi questioned the old lady with a hint of anger.

"Are you doubting my ability?"

Hearing old man Shi's hostility, the old lady slightly stuttered at the beginning of her response.

"I just. I just wanted to be sure. We don't have any backup."

Seeing her distress, old man Shi didn't push the matter and withdrew his hostility. He didn't feel a need to apologize to her either, so he proceeded to knock on the door four times.

"Who's there?"

An innocent young man's voice came from the other side of the door. Old Man Shi lightly responded.

"An old friend."

"I'm not expecting any old friends today."

The voice was confused. Hearing this, the old lady tapped on old man Shi's shoulder. Old man Shi ignored the old lady and continued speaking to the young man on the other side of the door.

"Sometimes, we've just got to take a gamble in life. If the odds are right, you can turn one into two."

Old man Shi took two steps away from the door causing the old lady to become startled and stumble out of his way. The door opened shortly after revealing a tanned young man. He had warm brown eyes and short black hair. His eyes scanned over the elderly couple for a split second before he invited them in.

"Come in."

The voice was cold and authoritative, unlike the innocent-sounding voice from before. Old man Shi nodded lightly and walked into the house. The old lady was a bit disoriented, but she bowed slightly to the young man before entering the house as well. The young man swept the alleyway with his eyes before closing the wooden door tightly.