Sinbad, this is Crystal.

Chapter 15

Back in Reim...

King Rashid, Crystal, and Sinbad were sitting at a table in a restaurant.

"Mentor, thanks for all your help," Sinbad said excitedly, "The Union approved my request to join. Now that I'm in, I can do business with Napoleia without a problem. I can't wait for the new goods from Imuchuakk to get here."

Rashid smile at his pupil in pride.

"So while you're waiting, how about a performance?" he suggested.

"Really?" Sinbad looked taken aback. "I'm not so sure, mentor. The only reason I was performing was to raise funds for the Union admission fee. That's not a problem anymore."

"You're quite mature for your age, Sinbad. But to be blunt, you're still naive when it comes to being a merchant. You joined the Union, but you still haven't set up shop. How about a warehouse to store your inventory and a carriage to transport goods. You must also advertise your new shop and work hard to build a strong foundation."

"You got it," Sinbad said, slightly taken aback by Rashid's explanation.

"I'm sure you're already aware, but in Reim, there's a policy to sponsor various amusments for the population. There are gladiators in the Colosseum, gambling houses, bath houses, and theater. However, the gladiators and the theater attract the most citizens by far."

"So you're saying Sinbad should try for one of those?" asked Crystal.

"Wha-where have you been this whole conversation?" Sinbad asked.

"Honestly, I kind of just zone out when you and King Rashid start talking about trade and business..and oh man that's really boring stuff."

"Speak for yourself, Crystal," Sinbad chuckled.

"Whatever, Sinbad," Crystal laughed, "Though I do like the idea of the theater. It's a great way to popularize Sinbad among the citizens of Reim."

"That's right, Crystal," King Rashid said, "Besides, you're next bet is the Colosseum. And I wouldn't advise becoming a gladiator. It's a severe spectacle where you're forced to do battle. At times you will have to fight terrible beasts. At present, your body is the only asset you possess. You mustn't expose yourself to danger."

"Right," Sinbad replied.

"But as for your adventure stories, they would make solid performances. It would be the talk of the town. If you perform in a theater, I truly believe this is the best thing to do for your business to flourish. Well?"

Sinbad turned to Crystal, looking for clarification. She smiled at him with bright and determined eyes.

"You can do anything you want to do, Sinbad. And I will believe in you no matter what. Go for it," she said softly.

Sinbad smiled at Crystal and turned to Rashid.

"Bring it on!" he declared. "I'll start preparing right now!"

Sinbad and Crystal rose from their seats and ran out of the restaurant.

Sinbad ran back to Rashid to play, "Thank you for everything."

~

On the Imuchuakk ship...

Rurumu and Hinahoho were playing with their new son, Kikiriku. Rurumu help up Kikiriku as Hinahoho made noises at Kikiriku.

"Baa!" Kikiriku giggled.

"Hey, are you laughing at your funny daddy?" Hinahoho laughed.

While the Imuchuakk was laughing, Ja'far was working hard on his assignments. He walked up to Rurumu to turn in his work.

"Here, I've completed my assignment," he said firmly.

"My, you've finished your work so quickly," said Rururmu.

Hinahoho held the papers in front of her to grade.

"Very nice work. All your answers are correct."

Ja'far sighed in relief.

"I'm proud of you, Ja'far," Hinahoho said.

"Now that I'm done with that," Ja'far gestured at his work, "I'll go and help Vittel."

"Wait, Ja'far," Rurumu said as she placed Kikiriku in Ja'far's arms.

"We're going to head upstairs and make dinner for everyone. Would you mind looking after Kikiriku?"

"Isn't he adorable?" Hianhoho remarked. "Be a good boy while Daddy gets some work done! Have fun playing with your big brother, okay?"

As Rurumu and Hinahoho walked along, Ja'far realized that he had gotten himself into a huge mess.

~

Meanwhile in Reim...

At a large, open theater house,  a bustling crowd was waiting for Sinbad's big debut. It was night time and barely any lights were on.

"It says here that, he's the infamous dungeon capturer. You think it's true?"

"Looks like a last-minute edition to the program. For all we know it could be bogas. Look at it this way: if we don't like the show we can always leave."

Just then, snow began to fall, causing the crowd to look up.

"Welcome, my friends!" Sinbad's welcoming voice boomed. "To a world of action packed adventure!"

He drew his sword and blue light came shooting out of it, covering the entire arena with light. The show that had fallen down was suddenly shining fluttering and sparking towards the audience.

The people loved it.

"Amazing!"

"I've never seen anything like it!"

"They look like shimmering stars!"

"Wow!"

"You're in for a treat, tonight!" Sinbad hollered. "Prepare to hear the heroic tales of a boy named Sinbad. From the bottom of my heart, I hope you enjoy the show!"

The crowd rang in excitement, loud enough to hear all over the city.

Sinbad's stories of the dungeons, coupled with his showcase of the Djinn's power entralled the audience. It kept them coming back night after night. When compared to any theater production or grandiose chorus, the audience rated Sinbad's performances as the best in the land. It's reputation spread beyond Napoleia to all of Reim. The exciting shows attracted larger audiences each night, as lines of people stretched further than the eye could see. In this way, everyone in town came yo know the name, Sinbad.

After one of his performances, Crystal and Sinbad rode with Rashid in his carriage.

"I'd say this was a great success," Rashid commented.

"Yeah, like I said it's all thanks to you, since you gave me the idea and all." Sinbad said," and because of Crystal's hard work, I've got plenty more stories to choose from."

Crystal smiled warmly at Sinbad and grabbed his hand sitting on his lap.

"Thank you, Sinbad. But with that being said, it would still be better if we could get more people to come to see you," Crystal pointed out.

"That's right," agreed Sinbad. "Maybe we could find a way to help the people that weren't able to get into the theater to see the show. I'd like to work on that next time."

Rashid smiled, quite amused at Sinbad's naviete.

"You are a shameless business man if I've ever seen one."

"You think so?" Sinbad grinned in return.

"Oh, I know so," Crystal replied sarcastically, trying to mimic Rashid's voice.

The three laughed together when a loud rumble followed by a roar of applause came echoing down the road into the carriage.

Sinbad and Crystal peeked outside the windows to see a large, open dome-like structure.

"What's going on?" Crystal asked Rashid.

"So, you've never seen it before?" Rashid said. "That's the Colosseum."