📜 Previous Chapter Summary:
Zayd boarded The Al-Najm on a diplomatic mission to Oman. There, he discovered hidden gold smuggled on board, and used quiet diplomacy to avoid conflict while earning respect. He passed his first true test of political discretion — a trait that would define his future.
📍 Scene: Coastal Waters Near Bahrain — Early Morning
The ship rocked gently as it neared the shallow reefs of a pearl-diving village known as Dar al-Lu'lu. A stopover had been planned so Zayd could observe a lucrative but dangerous business: pearl diving.
He stood at the bow with a journal in hand, wind tugging at his clothes. Nimr, his loyal eagle, perched silently beside him.
ZAYD (quietly, to Nimr):
"Knowledge is everywhere. Even at the bottom of the sea."
📍 Scene Change: Dar al-Lu'lu — Village Shores
The small village had only fifty homes but bustled with activity. Barefoot boys carried oyster baskets. Men sat in circles, inspecting shells. Merchants haggled under woven palm tents. The air smelled of salt, sweat, and ambition.
Zayd met Sheikh Idris, an elderly diver and respected leader.
SHEIKH IDRIS (grinning):
"You do not smell like sea or sun, boy. Are you here to buy pearls or to sell dreams?"
ZAYD (bows):
"Neither, Sheikh. I came to learn how treasure is pulled from the deep."
📍 Scene Change: Pearl Diving Demonstration — Midday
Zayd observed the divers. They plunged with rocks tied to their ankles, returned breathless, often bloodied. One boy, no older than Zayd, fainted on the sand, his fingers torn.
Later that day, Zayd sat with Idris and two merchants. One offered the Sheikh a large sum for exclusive pearl rights for ten years.
Zayd saw the Sheikh hesitate.
ZAYD (softly, to Idris):
"He will take your pearls and leave your people hungry. One storm, and you'll have nothing."
IDRIS (quietly):
"And if I refuse, we have no buyer for the season."
ZAYD looked at the younger divers, coughing saltwater from their lungs.
ZAYD:
"Then change how you sell. Don't sell in bulk. Sell by auction. Let the buyers compete. Make them beg."
📍 Scene Change: Night — Under a Lantern Tent
Zayd drew a basic plan: hold a public auction, start low, build drama, keep a few pearls off-market to raise value.
The Sheikh listened. The others nodded.
SHEIKH IDRIS (after silence):
"You are young… but your eyes are old. Who taught you this?"
ZAYD:
"The road. The books. And failure — though I've only tasted a little of that."
📍 Scene Change: Two Days Later — First Pearl Auction in Dar al-Lu'lu
Ten merchants arrived. Zayd introduced the rules. One small pearl — flawless — was held back. Bidding drove prices higher than the village had ever seen.
In three days, the village earned enough to build a second freshwater well.
📍 Narration
Zayd left quietly, refusing payment. He only took a notebook full of observations and one phrase from the Sheikh:
SHEIKH IDRIS:
"Your mind is richer than any pearl, boy. Come back when it becomes a sword."
Zayd smiled.
ZAYD (to himself):
"It already is."
📜 Next Chapter Preview:
In Chapter 15, Zayd will arrive in a desert outpost that controls a major spice route. There, he will face his first attempt at bribery — and make a choice between quick riches or slow influence.