Lis needed Mahya’s help with a project he was w 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 ied 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 pce was enormous, with rows upon rows of fabric rolls stacked from floor to ceiling. It was initially overwhelming—just a sea of colors aures as far as the eye could see. I could smell new fabrid a hint of chemicals in the air. It didn’t smell bad, but it was still a bit to.
Fabridles were everywhere in every color—reds, blues, greens, and every shade iween. Some rolls were so colorful they almost stung my eyes. From every dire, I could hear a mix of voices speaking ese. I thought about spending the mana to learn ese for a moment, but a smiling dy approached me before I could.
She asked in English, “Hello, sirs. How I help today?”
Well, no ese required. “I’m here to buy fabric, but I want to look around first.”
She nodded and motioowards the aisles. “Please go browse. When you reach decision, call salesperson.”
I strolled through the aisles, feeling the various fabrics—silky ohat slipped through my fingers like liquid, velvets with a pleasa, and soft cottons. You could easily lose track of time here. With Mahya’s instrus and a sizeable amount of cash, I knew I was going to walk out of there with some serious loot.
Browsiween the aisles, I g Alfonsen and asked, “You said you wao fill the missing css slots. Do you know whies you want?”
He shook his head slightly. “No.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, what csses 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 evehat?”
“I cleared dungeons and mana occurrences.”
“Alchemist sounds iing.”
He frowned and looked disgusted. “I find it unpleasant. To be more precise, I derive pleasure from the brewing process, but it pelled me to dig in the mud to gather the pnts. I ment 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 be.”
“Yes,” he admitted, though he didn’t look happy about it.
“And what do you have to do for the Monarch css [in training]?” I asked, genuinely curious.
He hesitated for a moment before responding. “It is incumbent upoo duct myself in a regal manner in every circumstand project a dignified image.”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “Doesn’t sound right to me. From what I learned from Lis, to advance a css, you have to study and then do things based on what you learned. Just ag in a certain way or projeg an image doesn’t get you anywhere.”
“I am uain as to which subject to pursue,” he said, sounding uain and agaiing the lost puppy look.
I patted him on the shoulder, a reassuring smile. “Let me think about it; I’ll find you something.”
After buying a rge stock of fabriahya and me, I returo the hotel and looked into my Ste. I sifted through all the books I bought to find something suitable for Alfonsen. I came across The Republic by Pto, 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, aable principles. After a few minutes, I found a small booklet on Human Rights. Uo’s idealistic vision, I felt human rights focused on the i 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 prehend how this might be of assistance,” he remarked, his tone dripping with skepticism.
“Read it, and you tell me.”
SpoilerArticle 1
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and sd 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 Decration, without distin of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, nguage, religion, political or other opinion, national or social in, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distin shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdial or iional status of the try or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be indepe, trust, non-self-g or under any other limitation of snty.
Article 3
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
Article 4
No one shall be held in svery or servitude; svery and the sve trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
Article 5
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman rading treatment or punishment.
Article 6
Everyone has the right tnition everywhere as a person before the w.
Article 7
All are equal before the w and are entitled without any discrimination to equal prote of the w. All are entitled to equal prote against any discrimination in viotion of this Decration and against any i to such discrimination.
Article 8
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the petent national tribunals for acts vioting the fual rights granted him by the stitution or by w.
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 indepe and impartial tribunal, iermination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.
Article 11
Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed i until proved guilty acc to w in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defeno one shall be held guilty of any penal offen at of any aission which did not stitute a penal offence, under national or iional w, at the time when it was itted. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the ohat licable at the time the penal offence was itted.Article 12
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interfereh his privacy, family, home or correspondenor to attacks upon his honour aation. Everyone has the right to the prote of the w against suterference or attacks.
Article 13
Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residehin the borders of each state.Everyone has the right to leave any try, including his own, and to return to his try.Article 14
Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other tries asylum from persecution.This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts trary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.Article 15
Everyone has the right to a nationality.No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor dehe right to ge his nationality.Article 16
Men and women of full age, without any limitatioo raationality ion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as te, during marriage and at its dissolution.Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full sent of the intending spouses.The family is the natural and fual group unit of society and is entitled to prote by society and the State.Article 17
Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.Article 18
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, sd religion; this right includes freedom to ge his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in unity with others and in public or private, to ma his religion or belief in teag, practice, worship and observance.
Article 19
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interferend to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
Article 20
Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.No one may be pelled to belong to an association.Article 21
Everyone has the right to take part in the gover of his try, directly or through freely chosen representatives.Everyone has the right of equal access to public servi his try.The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of gover; this will shall be expressed in periodid genuiions 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 iional co-operation and in accordah the anization and resources of each State, of the eic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.
Article 23
Everyone has the right to work, to free choiployment, to just and favourable ditions of work and to prote against unemployment.Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuion ensuring for himself and his family aence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social prote.Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the prote of his is.Article 24
Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of w hours and periodic holidays with pay.
Article 25
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, siess, disability, widowhood, old age or other ck of livelihood in circumstances beyond his trol.Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social prote.Article 26
Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fual stages. Elementary education shall be pulsory. Teical and professional education shall be made generally avaible and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fual freedoms. It shall promote uanding, tolerand friendship among all nations, racial ious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.Parents have a priht to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.Article 27
Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the unity, to enjoy the arts and to share in stific adva and its bes.Everyone has the right to the prote of the moral and material is resulting from any stific, literary or artistic produ of which he is the author.Article 28
Everyone is entitled to a social and iional order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Decration be fully realized.
Article 29
Everyone has duties to the unity in which alohe free and full development of his personality is possible.In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subjely to such limitations as are determined by w solely for the purpose of seg due reition 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.These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised trary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.Article 30
Nothing in this Decration 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 destru of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.
[colpse]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 pt or something. I Cleared my throat to get their attention and said, “We o rent a warehouse or something. I bought a rge stock of fabrid o 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 doh all the wholesalers. There’s an enormous sele here, and Mahya and I have a lot of money we o vert into merdise.”
Lis hummed quietly, o 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 css.”
“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 weween wholesalers and bought stock. Alforailed behind us, alternatiween the lost puppy look and judgemental huffs, looking at us down his nose.
Lis was not ied in buying goods for sale because, as he put it, “I have more mohan I know what to do with; I’m ied in useful things.”
At the hotel, Alfonsen seemed stantly 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 dot you gave me to sider,” 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 se, for example: ‘All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.’ I am a prince; I have more dignity and mhts. It is unseemly to pare me to a oner.”
I leaned ba my chair, meeting his gaze. “The fact that you are a prince is just a ce 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 doo be 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 waue; he even opened his mouth but then closed it. Finally, after two or three minutes, he urned on his heels, a.
The 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, uain voice, “Nothing.”
It took me a mio remember what I asked him and uand that he answered my question.
“So reread the decration with this viewpoint and see if it makes more sense,” I suggested.
“I will, thank you,” he replied, sounding surprisingly sincere.
“You’re wele,” I said, still processing his ued 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 prehend Article fifteen.”
After reading the Article, I leaned forward, thinking about how best to expin it. “In the kingdom you e 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 relocate to another kingdom if they so desire.”
“So this specific article doesn’t apply to your kingdom. It applies only if a specifient states that somebody is the resident of one pd not another.”
He nodded but still looked mulish with pursed lips, and his thrust forward defiantly. “I also disagree with Article 21. We do not hold eles to choose the monarch. We are the ruling family and have been so sihe kingdom was established.”
“Yes, monarchy and democracy work differently,” I aowledged. “But is your family the only deg ruling body, or do they have some kind of cil or a body of representatives that voice the people’s s or advise about a course of a?”
“We have the advisory cil that is prised of all the guild leaders.”
“Are those guild leaders chosen or appointed by your family?”
“The guilds chose their leaders,” he crified.
“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 uand it at all.”
“In your kingdom, do you have a method or somebody responsible for taking care of the people that ’t take care of themselves for various reasons, like orphans, cripples, elderly, and the like?”
“I do not know,” he admitted, his tone uain.
“So, you should find out and ensure you have such a persoveral position,” I advised. “Some people need help, and since you collect taxes from the popuce, don’t you think you have a responsibility to care for the ohat ’t care for themselves? After all, a gover, even a monarchy, is built on give and take—not only take, take, take. This is one avenue in which you give back.”
Again, he looked at me for a long time and seemed like he waue, but then his expression ged, 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. Alforaightened 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 ge.
“My mana increased by 600 units,” he answered, his voice filled with awe, and eyes wide.
“What is your ter of power?”
“Mind and Spirit. Our family possesses a double-maage,” he said proudly.
I looked up and asked silently in my head, “How is it that he reads a small book as 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.
