📌 Previously in Chapter 30:
Zayd and Qadir visited the estate of Salim al-Dhahabi, where Zayd left a strong impression with both words and wisdom. He gifted a symbolic scroll, held his ground during subtle questioning, and earned an offer to enter Salim's network. The doors of power have opened… now, the foundation must be laid.
📍 Scene: Baghdad – Leaving Salim's Estate – Late Evening
The air was cooler now. Zayd and Qadir stepped back onto the lamp-lit street, their cloaks brushing dust from polished stones. Nimr glided overhead, wings catching moonlight like silver.
QADIR (sighing):
"Now that's a house. Did you see the marble courtyard? It had its own shadow. So, what now? Back to the village?"
ZAYD (smiling faintly):
"No. We stay. Baghdad's the heart of trade. This is where I'll establish myself."
QADIR:
"Alright then, merchant prince. What's my role?"
ZAYD (clasping his shoulder):
"You return to the village. Take 250 gold dinars — half our earnings. Your job is to manage the transport of carriages from there to here. Ensure they arrive clean, whole, and safe."
QADIR (grinning):
"Finally! My own job. I'll make sure not a single wheel squeaks."
They laughed under the stars, but Zayd's mind was already calculating. He had a product. He had funds. Now he needed position — and that meant one thing: location.
📍 Scene Change: Baghdad Market District – The Next Morning
Zayd spent the day walking through neighborhoods of varying wealth. He found many shops — some spacious, some central, others affordable — but none were right.
A shop tucked in a broken alley might be cheap… but no noble would buy a 500-gold cart from there.
A wealthy area shop, however, demanded bribes, taxes, and the jealousy of competitors.
By late afternoon, he was frustrated — sitting on the stone edge of a fountain, scribbling numbers in his ledger.
ZAYD (to himself):
"I need placement and protection. Not just coin… reputation."
That's when he looked up… and knew where he had to go.
📍 Scene: Salim al-Dhahabi's Estate – That Evening
Salim welcomed him in a study filled with scent of rose oil and open ledgers. He motioned for Zayd to sit.
SALIM:
"Already tired of riches?"
ZAYD (calmly):
"I found no place worthy of the cart. So I came to the man who owns half of them."
Salim raised a brow.
ZAYD (continuing):
"I want to rent one of your shops — the ones in the central market. In return, I offer 3 percent of all my sales. Not just today, but every month."
Salim said nothing. He leaned back and tapped the desk.
ZAYD (firmly):
"I know my carts can sell for three to four times the price of normal ones. But value is not just in the craft. It's in perception. If I stand in the center of the market — under your banner — people won't just come… they'll come respectfully."
SALIM (smiling):
"And if they respect you… they fear losing favor with me."
ZAYD (nodding):
"Exactly. You'll gain silent loyalty from my success — and profit from every cart I move."
Salim stood and walked toward the window.
SALIM:
"Three percent, huh? That's not a small amount if your business grows like I suspect."
ZAYD:
"Then may we both grow, Ustadh."
A long pause.
Then Salim turned.
SALIM:
"Deal. I'll have the shop prepared. My men will handle the decoration. And my scribes will see to announcing your grand opening in the tea houses."
Zayd bowed his head deeply.
ZAYD:
"Barak Allahu feek, Master Salim."
SALIM (grinning):
"Don't thank me yet. You're walking into a world where one good deal earns praise… and one mistake earns enemies."
📍 Scene: Rooftop Overlooking Baghdad – Later That Night
Zayd stood alone under the moon. Below, lamps lit the marketplace where his future shop would stand.
Nimr landed beside him.
ZAYD (softly):
"The first stone is placed. Now we build."
End of Chapter 31