Racing Against Time

At that time Valentin had learned that the ship would leave next week and we started a race against time for necessary preparations.

The Khan's Chancellery sent a questionnaire 144 items.

- "Unit name?"

"The Great Valentin's Squad."

- "Number of warriors?"

"How much we already have?" Valentin asked me.

"15," I replied.

"I fill in 300, will we have 300 next week?"

"I very doubt."

- "Number and types of weapons?"

"This state will be destroyed by bureaucracy," Valentin said and filled out the form further approximately.

***

A messenger from The Chancellery came running, something was not liking in our questionnaire. Valentin went out to dinner and I had to deal with it.

The messenger and I ran to the office. I was on the street and correcting the questionnaire, the messenger was bringing it to the office and returning with comments.

Gulnara, a chancellery principal officer, forbade me to go inside. Once, while in the office, I sneezed heavily and a Ming vase fell off the shelf and broke.

***

"Good afternoon, why is your weapon not cleaned?" Valentin asked bearded Persian.

"Iranian people themselves are capable of resolving their own issues within themselves without any interference from outsiders. They have seen the consequences of foreign power in the region and elsewhere such as in," Irenji-Neamat insolent retorted.

"Where did you find that impudent bearded ass?" Valentin asked me.

"I don't know, I hired Nicolas and this one came with him," I responded.

Valentin looked questioningly at Nicolas.

Nicolas, a Breton nobleman, considered it beneath his dignity to explain something to arrogant Astrakhan Valentin and kept the proudly silence.

"Nicolas and this Persian were in the service of a Moscow merchant," I tried to get out of this awkward position. "They sailed from the south and had to move on to Muscovy, but their employer made a small layoff. They wandered around the port hungry and without money."

But Valentine was no longer listening. He stopped near Nicodemus, the young man had not cut his hair for a whole month.

"I want to be in a service for The Grand Prince!" Nicodemus said valiantly.

Well, we know such young people, he wants robbing and to drive home two female slaves.