Morning broke, and Aziza prepared to depart. She sharpened her sword, inspecting it meticulously to ensure everything was in good condition. As she finished, Sanaa approached her.
"In order to reach Nefertari, head west until you reach the city gates," Sanaa instructed. "Nefertari has the highest concentration of Juju, so you'll feel it as you draw near. Be cautious, Aziza, and whatever happens, don't let anyone see you use your innate Juju."
Sanaa hugged Aziza before bidding her farewell. Aziza mounted her camel and began her journey.
As the sun rose over Kemetnya, Aziza felt a surge of optimism. The city's vibrant atmosphere was serene, with sunlight dancing through the trees. People went about their daily lives, blissfully unaware of the world beyond.
In Kemetnya's bustling streets, merchants traded goods, craftsmen offered services, and women gossiped at hair shops. The aroma of delicious meals wafted from bars and restaurants.
However, Aziza's optimism was tempered by a practical concern: she had no money. Scanning her surroundings, she spotted a sign outside a bar: "Waiters wanted." Entering the establishment, she found it unremarkable – neither ugly nor beautiful.
At the bar, Aziza met the bartender, who called the owner, a portly man. He regarded Aziza briefly before saying, "Begin work, and collect your pay after hours."
Aziza was perplexed but relieved to have secured employment. Her tasks were straightforward: serving drinks and meals. Compared to her rigorous martial arts training, this seemed effortless.
Working in a bar was a far cry from her life in Thebes' prestigious houses. Yet, serving drinks yielded valuable insights into the land. As patrons drank and loosened their tongues, Aziza learned about the Chuso Zaroka's family dynamics – specifically, the power struggle between twins Jabari and Zuriama.
She also witnessed the deep-seated discrimination against Nefertari's people, who were labeled "savages" and "heretics." One drunk customer yelled, "Why doesn't the Chuso exile them from the Kingdom?" Another suggested enslavement.
This banter went on for quite a while until it was nighttime and the bar reached it's closing hours. Aziza headed over to the owner's office to collect her day's worth of pay.
She reached the man's office and knocked twice, "come in," the man beckoned. Aziza went in and the man offered her a chair to sit which, the room had a strong stench of booze mixed with something else she didn't know but definitely didn't like.
The man stared at Aziza intently as if trying to undress her with his eyes, "you came to collect your pay but first I'll have to inspect you firs…" Aziza unsheathed her small knife cutting off the man's beard and placing the knife on his neck before he could even complete the statement.
"Please I'm sorry don't kill me," the man begged, "All the money in those bags over there just take them but please don't kill me".
"I wasn't going to…" Aziza cut her words, "you know what I'm going to take the money and spare your life this time but if I see you again I can't promise you the same mercy," Aziza said before rendering the man unconscious.
As she bent to pick up the bags she realized the man had peed himself and the stench filled the room intensely as found it difficult to breathe. She left the office with her loot, saddled up her camel and continued her journey with smiles on her face as everything ended up working out.
***
That night Aziza decided to take a rest at a nearby inn, she went in and the receptionist asked her, "you're taking a room yourself?"
"Yes… I am," replied a confused Aziza. She paid the room fee which cost 2 Nilei silver pieces (approximately $10). She was given the room key and the receptionist showed her to her room and said, "Hope you have a pleasurable time,"
"Thank you!" what a nice receptionist Aziza thought to herself.
She entered her room, locked the doors and got ready for her night's rest. The room was dimly lit with a color theme of light red which she found strange.
The room was also filled with an aroma which could only be described as sweet with some tiny bottles filled with some colorful contents. She didn't think much of any of it and went straight to sleep but as she was about dozing off she began to hear moans coming from the room to the left of her and at first she feared someone was being hurt but as she listened closely and realized the moans were not of pain but of pleasure and soon after the room to the right of her began to give of the same moans, it didn't take too long for Aziza to realize what was going on.
This made the rather innocent Aziza curl into a fetus position and blush so hard that she didn't even get a wink of sleep. Morning came and Aziza got dressed and left the inn before the sun had time to fully lift itself onto the sky.
As she left the inn walking along the streets Aziza realized she was in the pleasure district and she had in fact slept in a pleasure inn, filled with embarrassment Aziza wanted to leave and forget that the events of the previous night never happened.