Three weeks later...
Tenur had a bad time since his departure from Amri.
He had suffered no punishments from his master's servants or slaves higher up in the hierarchy of that ship. But even so, he had worked intensely every day, serving as the driving force of it.
In this world, no technologies could replace animal driving forces on boats or carriages. Not only that but the ships were not developed to the point of using the winds and reducing the need for animal power.
Thus, Tenur and his fellow slaves suffered daily to make the journey to Cusca possible.
Amid this, he had the generous possibility to feed himself before and after the start of the day, although he could not take baths.
Apart from this, he had not done anything significantly different in this period.
His master had not called him once, and when he was not working, he usually took the opportunity to eat or rest.
He had lost a few more kilograms, reached his ideal weight, and gained a little more strength.
He had improved his situation with the slaves closest to him, helping them with small tips that were not big things but that changed the situation of these people enough for them to view him favorably.
...
"My lord, you should perhaps review the situation of slave Tenur. Some captives view him favorably in a way that I consider dangerous." One of Mero's servants, a tall, strong, balding man, said to the young man sitting next to him.
Mero continued watching the calm river his group was sailing on and asked. "Why do you think this could become dangerous?"
"While some view him favorably, others seem to harbor negative feelings about him being 'favored' by those other slaves."
"Oh? How is that?"
That servant replied. "It seems that Tenur helps some captives, and in return, those individuals lessen the burden of his responsibilities by doing some of the services that should be his instead.
That has been making him work less, consequently irritating those who work harder without receiving any help from him."
"So that's it..." Mero looked at his man and understood that the dissatisfied captives could create a minor conflict among themselves because of this if the problem were not resolved.
That would be a problem for their group if it happened in the middle of the trip. After all, there were more slaves there than servants and nobles!
The young leader of the ship then made up his mind. "Very well, bring Tenur to me."
"Right away, my lord!" One of the servants near where Mero was said before running towards the slaves on this ship.
...
"Tenur, our lord is calling you!" The person who ran to that area shouted as he looked at the several men moving their arms on the ship's sides.
"Hurry, there's no time to waste!" One of the servants leading the slaves shouted, gesturing for Tenur to leave quickly.
The other slaves heard that but saw no problem. There was a big difference between Tenur being benefited from the actions of other slaves to getting along on behalf of their master.
If Mero wanted to give Tenur fewer functions, these people wouldn't feel so bad. It was their master's job to distribute functions and give or take away opportunities.
As belongings of their master, these people knew and accepted possible misfortunes generated by the decision of their owners.
So Tenur quickly left his post without anyone there complaining or expressing displeasure.
In this society, meritocracy and equal opportunities did not exist. Someone talented might benefit from it, but no one would defend them in public against an oppressive power just because maybe they should have rights.
There was no idea of fair or unfair. One would either favor the prevailing order or be against it!
As individuals fully adapted to the circumstances in which they lived, these slaves saw their work increase in Tenur's absence without uttering a sound of complaint!
...
"My lord, Tenur is here at your command." This slave knelt in front of Mero, fearful of why, after weeks, this young man had called him. 'Have I done something wrong? Is he going to punish me? Maybe take away that opportunity?'
But amid Tenur's worried thoughts, Mero asked. "I hear that you have good relations with some of the other slaves... They even do you favors. Why is that? Are you trying to divide my slaves and create a conflict?"
"No," Tenur said without looking at Mero. "I have no intention of causing trouble for the lord.
I just helped some comrades with small things, and they were grateful.
There is nothing more. I swear, lord!"
"Oh? Did you help them? Tell me about it." Mero ordered, as his men looked at Tenur with thirst as if they wished this individual would make a mistake so they could torture him.
But Tenur went straight to the point, surprising these men a little. "My lord, I will tell you what I did with fellow Usi.
He had an injury, and I helped him by stopping the bleeding and reducing his pain.
Because of this, he has been covering some of my duties after he got better.
Similar situations happened to me and other captives, which gave me a well-liked position among some of them."
"So you know how to heal wounds?" One of the servants there exclaimed in surprise.
Mero asked. "You can do that? What else have you done?"
"Yes, depending on the wound and what I have to use... Anyway, I also helped a companion use the oar properly, showing them how to get to sleep more easily and stay sober during the journey." He said.
Losing one's sanity was effortless to happen to individuals in the situation of Tenur and the other slaves on this ship.
Excessive fatigue, poor nutrition, irregular and low-quality sleep, hostile environment, etc., all contributed to the degradation of mental structures.
All these characteristics could be identified in the lives of captives like him.
Mero and his servants knew it was common for some men to lose their sanity after such trips. So they did not find Tenur's final words absurd.
'He really does have above average knowledge, like a scholar indeed...' Mero thought about it, considering that Tenur's words had little chance of being false.
"Very well, if you are as capable as you say, I will allow you to leave your jobs with those men. From now on, I want you to help me solve some problems." Mero said, putting a smile on Tenur's face.
"I will do my best, my lord."
"Don't celebrate so quickly." That young nobleman said. "If you cannot fulfill the tasks I will pass on to you, I will punish you exemplarily."
"I will not fail." He said, confident he could solve the problems of these primitive people. "The lord need only tell me what I have to solve, and I will give you a useful answer."
Mero nodded to Tenur with a smile on his face.
He then looked at one of his servants and said. "Mido, show him some of our problems on this trip.
He must give us solutions or less harmful alternatives than those used on at least one of these problems by the next dawn.
If he fails, give him 50 lashes on his back and leave him without food for three days."
That servant smiled upon hearing that, soon after pulling Tenur from there to show him the rest of the ship.
Tenur followed that man without despair until they came to a cabin where three men were lying under blankets on the wooden floor.
"Slave, these are some of our crew members. Unfortunately, their conditions have worsened for the past few days... We've tried everything, but nothing seems to work." He said, indicating the various cuts on the bodies of those people.
The people of this place believed that they could improve the symptoms of an illness by spilling the blood of the sick.
So leech treatments or simple cuts on the bodies of sick people from this area were not uncommon to find.
Tenur immediately noticed this, as well as the problems of those men.
'Irritation on the skin, bruises, rashes... Hmm, they probably have fever and pain.' He saw some of the symptoms of these people and immediately muttered. "Scurvy."
"Uh? What did you say?"
"Nothing. You can solve the problem of these three by diet. Fruits like lemon, orange, guava, you name it, you can solve their problem in a few days." He said as he crouched beside one of those men, taking a closer look at their situation.
"Fruits? But we've given them everything, and nothing has worked. How are fruits going to do this?" That servant asked.
"I don't know what to tell you, senior. That is the simplest resolution. But, in any case, my mission will not be accomplished through them, so I am anxious to get on with the tests passed by our master."
Hearing that, that servant clenched his fists, feeling that Tenur thought he was too clever.
'Fucking slave...
Let's see if you can say something to that.'