The most important thing is to avoid the government. If they discover what we have, the king will not rest until he steals it from us.– And do not rule out the intelligence agency either sensing the existence of our treasure. Do not forget that magic in Babylon is controlled from the top.– I mean that they use their own tulpas to monitor all parts of the kingdom, and it is possible that the rituals in their possession can reveal the secrets of suspects.– Suspects of whom?– Every mysterious sorcerer, those with organized routines, spies who play the role of vagrants, those who provide information to the police, and us.
This was a council at a triangular table, with a mosaic floor whose tiles resembled a black-and-white chessboard. The walls were very old, and the light of a single candle gave insufficient illumination to reveal the faces of the three present. All three were wearing robes that were perhaps black, or perhaps their color could not be discerned due to the low light.
It seemed that they possessed something valuable.
The discussion took place between two of the three mysterious men, while the third remained silent until one of the others addressed him:– Why are you silent?
He replied in a confident tone:– I know what we are going to do.
.......
All of this solemn meeting was taking place in a two-story house, which appeared abandoned, like houses rumored to contain evil spirits or jinn. But on planet Earth, in this particular era, and in the city of Babylon specifically, neither jinn, demons, nor any hidden supernatural creature dared to drive humans out of their homes, because it was the age of magic, and this was its capital. A large proportion of people possessed the spiritual ability to subdue, expel, and kill any troublesome creature, while the other small proportion possessed sufficient general knowledge and wisdom. Those belonging to this latter group lacked only the time and money to practice.
In short, one of the most important conditions for practicing magic was financial sufficiency, which led to the availability of time for practice. This meant that magic was, almost and relatively, restricted to the wealthy class of Babylon in that era. However, there were always exceptions.
......
Directly beneath that secret meeting hall located on the second floor was the first floor, which did not appear interesting at first glance. It contained an old mat in one of its corners, and in the opposite corner there was another square mat whose side did not exceed one meter, on which old bread was placed, some of which had begun to rot due to bacteria. In the same corner, there were worn and rusty construction tools, except for a single gemstone that was new and carefully placed, clearly having been well cleaned.
Outside this dilapidated house was a street about one hundred meters away from the vegetable market. For this reason, the street was crowded with people heading toward the market.
When you walk south along the same street, you will find a café where conversations revolved around a single topic, and an aura of contempt emanated from the place:– Hmph, the law of entitlement is doing its work.– Yes, in the end it seems that the reverence and praise he received were not deserved.– He is truly pitiful. I must tell my children his story so they do not follow in his footsteps.
The conversations revolved around a single man sitting in the corner of the café, wearing old, dirty clothes filled with holes, some sewn and others not yet sewn. He was a man between youth and middle age, drinking a cup of poor-quality wine, staring at the walls, and thinking.
These men are indeed hypocrites. When I was famous as the best construction worker in Babylon, they worshiped me and dreamed merely of having a discussion with me.Now, after I lost my reputation and my dignity because of the collapse of the palace I built for one of the wealthy sorcerer families, and my reputation worsened, they treat me with contempt… It is as if they are watching a wrestling match between two men, one blond and the other white. If the blond wins, they applaud him and despise the white one; if the white one wins, they applaud him and despise the blond. Such is the nature of failures, and it will remain so throughout the ages.
He fell silent for a moment, then smiled with half his mouth and thought again:How ironic fate is. It is natural that these people treat me this way. In the end, I come here because they serve poor wine. And did the other customers come for magical tea?Of course not. We all frequent the same place. Moreover, I was once successful, but these people never tasted a single bite of my achievements. So what mockery could affect me or sour my mood? I am content with the life I am living at the present time.
He stood up from his seat, drank what remained in the clay jug, and said to himself:I must now return to my home. Fortunately, I live on a somewhat crowded street.
He sighed: my large, spacious home… cooked food, and my silk bed. I miss these things now at times, but I have what compensates for them.
He sighed again, but with stronger resolve:I fear that something might happen to my precious gemstone. It is the most valuable thing I own, after all, and above all, it is the legacy of my ancestors.
His ancestors were very famous, for they contributed to the construction of the Great Tower of Babylon, which embodied the utmost capabilities of humanity. Of course, after seven hundred years of construction, the tower has not yet been completed, but rumors say that it has already reached the sky. His grandfather also told him a story he lived on the two hundred and ninetieth floor: the higher one ascends, the more difficult breathing becomes. He told his grandson that it was a curse from God to prevent humans from challenging Him or reaching Him.
He dismissed the random thoughts and focused on instincts:I am very hungry, and I crave some of the bread I left on my grandfather's mat... I obtained a job opportunity yesterday to paint tiles in the street. I will use the five dirhams I have to go to the tailor and sew my clothes.
This man had no other garment. He was forced to let the tailor sew the holes in his clothes while he was wearing them. Sometimes the tailor would prick him with the needle unintentionally, and sometimes intentionally.
His reputation was at rock bottom.The common people prefer to escape their reality by despising and harming those they believe to be beneath them on the social ladder.
The man left the café and slowly waited until the café owner was distracted so he could flee without paying for the wine, as it cost three dirhams, which was very expensive.
The man had a somewhat handsome face, with short gray hair tending toward white, a medium-sized nose, light blue eyes, a mouth resembling those of East Asians, ordinary white skin not tending toward darkness, a body that was not very strong but adequate due to the nature of his work requiring physical effort, and a height of approximately one hundred and eighty centimeters.
He was heading toward his home, his steps clearly showing that he was tense and anxious that the café owner might catch up to him and seize him.
Until he heard a voice calling his name:"Ya Mater, ya Mater."
He turned around and saw behind him a small child running toward him.
Mater smiled toward him and believed that the pure child, who loved others with unconditional love, had instinctively realized that the truth was that the palace collapsed for natural reasons and that Mater was not a failed construction worker.
– Come, Hazard. Do not approach this evil man again.
The child's mother was shouting. The child stopped running, his smile vanished, and he said hesitantly:Are you the evil one?
– Come, Hazard. I will not repeat myself.
The child stepped back and did not look at Mater one last time, then ran quickly toward his mother.
Mater was accustomed to this. Children and the elderly usually do not hear the news early. Some of them believed that Mater was still a construction worker with an exceptional reputation.
Mater continued on his way toward his home, and after dozens of steps, he arrived. He opened the old wooden door. His house was not locked or protected from thieves. Any thief who noticed this would sneak in and find nothing to steal. Mater would sometimes even find a few dirhams left behind by sensitive-hearted thieves.
It seems that my gemstone is fine.