"Thank goodness, Dante is here," Amir said to himself.
The name of the man that helped is Dante. He got the man's name after they introduced themselves to each other.
Truly, the man is so generous to help him. Or so Amir thought. But in fact, Dante only helped him because he was hunting for the melanistic crocodile which was coincidentally the beast that was chasing after Amir.
"Say, young man, why is the melanistic crocodile chasing you?" Dante asked as he was taking the valuable parts of the melanistic crocodile.
Amir thought for a while, however, he could not recount what exactly happened.
He was following a lead to the whereabouts of his sister, then all of a sudden, he heard a roar not too far away from him. Then, as he turned his back, he saw the melanistic crocodile.
At that moment, he knew he had to run.
Of course, he did not say that he was following someone. He only said that he was following his prey. Then suddenly, the melanistic crocodile began chasing after him.
"I see, but's strange… melanistic crocodile won't simply chase without reason. Although it hunts humans, it does not love its meat because humans are after bony. However, there are cases in which they hunt humans…"
Suddenly an idea struck Dante.
"…the melanistic crocodile has eggs and they were about to hatch!"
He figured.
Of course, if Dante could figure it out, Amir could also figure it out. Melanistic crocodiles love to feed their offspring human meat.
"I gotta go, take the rest of the melanistic crocodile's carcass," Dante said as he left in a hurry.
Meanwhile, just as what Dante said, Amir did not hesitate and began dissecting what was left of the carcass of the melanistic crocodile.
"Dante had already taken the heart, the liver and the blood."
"Goodness, that man is greedy… hehehe."
Since Dante's real purpose is to hunt the melanistic crocodile, he took all the valuables in the body of the crocodile. And if he is not in a hurry to leave, he could have taken all of it.
"All that's left is the skin. However, I can still sell its bones for a high price. The skin could be turned into armor while the bones could be turned into a weapon."
"But… that's not all. With the eggs that I have stolen, I could earn big. I could buy better equipment and continue looking for Leyla."
What Dante did not know is that Amir had already taken and hidden the eggs of the melanistic crocodile and that is one of the reasons why it was chasing after him.
…
A few hours later, Amir arrived in an Egyptian city.
When one looked inside, there is not much difference between the cities that we have today, except for the pyramid at the center of the city. The pyramids have four doors and would house the statue of the great Ra.
Aside from the pyramid, there is also the statue of sphynx that is facing the east.
Meanwhile, Amir did not come to see the sphynx, nor to enter the pyramid. Instead, went to a shop where he regularly sells his spoils.
"The skin of the melanistic crocodile is 10,000 Nub, the ribs and other bones would be 15,000 Nub. Plus the other parts, 2,000 Nub. A total off 27,000 Nub," the merchant said after the appraisal.
"Since you're a regular here, the appraisal fee this time would be free."
"Really? Thank you, old man," Amir said in a cheerful voice. However, deep inside, he was complaining.
"Free my ass, the prices you gave me are too low."
"What about the eggs?" Amir asked.
"There are seven eggs. Each will be sold for 5,000 Nub. Total of 35,000 Nub."
The price was low, however, he knew that since he is weak and did not have a backer, the other stores would bully him and offer lower than the pricec that the merchant offers.
After selling his spoils, Amir went to the nearest inn to rest for the night. He had been traveling for days and he needed a good night's sleep. He did not return to their house in fear that his safety would be compromised as he take the night's rest.
As he was lying down on the bed, he couldn't help but think about his sister, Leyla. He wondered if she was safe and if she was still in Egypt. He had to find her soon, but he knew it wouldn't be easy.
The next day, Amir woke up early and headed to the market to buy some supplies. He needed food, water, and some equipment for his journey. He needs a weapon to protect himself.
As he was walking around, he noticed a group of men gathered around a bulletin board. Curious, he went to check it out.
The bulletin board had several notices posted on it, but one in particular caught Amir's attention. It was a notice from a wealthy merchant who was looking for adventurers to escort him and his goods to a nearby city. The reward was generous, and Amir knew he needed the money.
However, the money is not what caught Amir's attention. It was in the name of the merchant the posted the task.
"Razaq of the House Seti."
The House Seti is one of the prominent families of Egypt.
And when Amir asked his neighbors about the disappearance of his sister, the only lead that he had is the logo of the House Seti.
Hence, he followed their members to the wilderness which led him to the nest of the melanistic crocodile.
Meanwhile, Amir couldn't believe his eyes. The name of the wealthy merchant who posted the notice on the bulletin board was none other than Razaq of the House Seti. The same House Seti was the only lead he had in his search for his missing sister, Leyla.
He knew he had to take this job. Not only would he get paid, but he might also get some information about his sister's whereabouts. Amir quickly made his way to the location listed on the notice.