• 859
• Merchant
  You are Player, aren't you.
  I have a letter here addressed to you from a foreigner I met in India.

• 860
• Player! As we talked of before, I want you to take on the mission of opening up trade routes.

• 861
• Negotiations are currently under way in Calicut, but they are being hindered by Arab merchants and we are at a severe disadvantage.
  I know this is asking a lot of you, but if you are willing to help out please come to Calicut.
  Alvero is looking forward to seeing you again too.
  Yours, Admiral Vasco de Gama of the Portuguese India Expedition Fleet.

• 862
• Voice
  Hey! Player!

• 863
• Alvero
  I knew that was your ship.
  Glad I came down to see you arrive! We've got our fair share of trouble here, I can tell you.
  An Arab merchant called Mahadi holds all of the spice routes, and that's causing problems.
  Well, we can catch you up later.
  Come to the Portuguese Company House and see Admiral Gama.

• 864
• Alvero
  That's from the square in front of the palace...Don't tell me Mahadi is causing trouble again...! Curse them! Player, I'll go and take a look!

• 865
• Gama
  Player, good to have you with us.
  Ah, did you not meet Alvero? He did go to greet you...
  I have a job for him, actually.
  Could you go and fetch him please?

• 866
• Officer
  This place was given to the Gama fleet as somewhere to stay during the negotiations by Zamorin, principle of the town.

• 867
• Officer
  Honourable Mahadi, if you would just reconsider the price...

• 868
• Mahadi
  So what you are saying is that our pepper simply isn't worth what we are charging for it? Is that it? Very well, in which case we need discuss trade no further...

• 869
• Officer
  T-That most certainly isn't what I meant! Please, wait!

• 870
• Mahadi
  All you are going to achieve is to get in the way of our own business.
  You man, our guests are leaving.
  Please see them out.

• 871
• Officer
  Ahhhh!

• 872
• Alvero
  Just you listen here! All that one-sided talk and then you just throw us out?!

• 873
• Officer
  A-Alvero, hold your tongue!

• 874
• Alvero
  ...I won't hold anything! You think we will just let this idiocy pass? All you are doing is forcing your own fixed price down our throats and then getting physical when we don't swallow it!

• 875
• Mahadi
  I will have you know that my business is endorsed by Principle Zamorin himself! How dare you talk to me that way! Barbarians from the unknown west, indeed.
  After I did you the courtesy of giving you an audience!

• 876
• Alvero
  ...What?! Didn't you hear anything I just said?!

• 877
• Mahadi
  Take him!

• 878
• Alvero
  Uwah?!

• 879
• Mahadi
  You shall be our insurance until Gama arrives.

• 880
• Alvero
  Player, I'm sorry...
  I didn't expect it to come to this.
  Go to the Admiral...!

• 881
• Alvero
  Gah...
  this is bold, even for them...!

• 882
• Bystander
  What? What's happening?

• 883
• Bystander
  Those visitors from the distant west are going at it with Mahadi again.

• 884
• Gama
  Player, good to have you with us.
  Ah, didn't you meet Alvero? He did go to greet you...

• 885
• Gama
  Player, good to have you with us.
  Ah, didn't you meet Alvero? He did go to greet you...

• 886
• What do you want to do?

• 887
• Tell him about the incident in the market.

• 888
• Tell him nothing.

• 889
• Gama
  I see...
  I have a job I need him for.

• 890
• Gama
  What...? The merchants have taken him hostage? Player, it looks like you aren't going to have to wait to see any action.
  I'd better go and rescue Alvero.

• 891
• Gama
  Alvero, Mahadi is apparently going to recommend to Zamorin that we are driven out, as a direct result of this incident.
  If this marks an end to our progress in India then the impact on the future of our country will also be large.
  Your responsibility in this matter is most grave.

• 892
• Alvero
  ...

• 893
• Gama
  I understand that their actions are hard to stomach, but to them we are nothing more than invaders, cutting into their market.
  I have been constantly telling you not to rise to their taunts, haven't I?

• 894
• Alvero
  You have...
  I was careless...

• 895
• Gama
  I shall be removing you from negotiating duties for a while.
  Cool off and get your head straight.

• 896
• Alvero
  Very well...

• 897
• Gama
  I'm sorry, Player.
  Can you watch over Alvero for a while?

• 898
• How will you respond?

• 899
• I understand.

• 900
• Why me?

• 901
• Gama
  Because I think you understand him the best of all of us.

• 902
• Gama
  Thank you.
  I know how well you understand him.

• 903
• Gama
  Alvero has a strong sense of justice and often acts accordingly.
  I hope he takes this chance to reflect, rather than thinking of it simply as a punishment.
  Anyway, you too must be tired from your long voyage to India! Please rest yourself.

• 904
• Officer
  I've been aware for a while that Mahadi has no intention of dealing with us.
  So even if this hadn't all occurred, I had been planning on breaking off negotiations with him soon anyway.
  Alvero just made that decision for me.

• 905
• Gama
  You take care of Alvero while he is on good behaviour.

• 906
• Alvero
  What should I do...? The entire fleet's plan might be ruined by my mistake.
  This Mahadi is a favourite of Zamorin, so there's probably nothing we can do...

• 907
• Rotund man
  Nothing you can do? Hah! All you need to do is get Zamorin to like you more than Mahadi!

• 908
• Alvero
  ...Easier said than done...!

• 909
• Alvero
  ...Who are you, anyway?

• 910
• Alvero
  He's kind of...
  familiar.

• 911
• Rotund man
  I hear that Mahadi is causing problems for you.
  How about you share the details with me? I am Sanjai, the greatest merchant in India.
  I might be able to help you out.

• 912
• How will you respond?

• 913
• Sounds good, let's tell him about it.

• 914
• Let's just ignore him.

• 915
• Alvero
  (A merchant? More like a con-artist! Let's just ignore him.) Player? Did you hear something just now...?

• 916
• Sanjai
  Hey! I'm trying to help you out here!

• 917
• Sanjai
  I see, I see.
  You want to create a route for pepper to your country in the west but Mahadi is getting in the way.
  Fear not, then! With me on your side everything is going to be fine!

• 918
• Alvero
  (This guy certainly is forward...!)

• 919
• Sanjai
  ...I don't like Mahadi much either, you see.
  He's called me ugly more than once.
  Ugly?! ME?!

• 920
• Alvero
  ...Let's go.
  We'd be better off not getting involved.

• 921
• Sanjai
  H-Hey! Listen to me, at least until I've finished!

• 922
• Alvero
  (Don't turn around, don't turn around! Pay him any attention and we'll never get rid of him!)

• 923
• Sanjai
  W-wait! Don't you want to know how to become Zamorin's favourite?

• 924
• Alvero
  ?

• 925
• What do you want to do?

• 926
• Pretend not to hear.

• 927
• How?!

• 928
• Sanjai
  ......

• 929
• Alvero
  ...Look at him.
  He's eyes are literally watering up over there! I guess we should just listen to him.

• 930
• Alvero
  (No, Player! That's exactly what he wants!)

• 931
• Sanjai
  Allow me to enlighten you, then.
  You know that Zamorin is searching for a giant bird?

• 932
• How will you respond?

• 933
• I do.

• 934
• I don't.

• 935
• Alvero
  What...
  a giant bird?! I haven't heard that?!

• 936
• Sanjai
  Let me explain, then.
  Zamorin has been devoting himself to a new mistress, of late.
  A woman who is overly keen to keep a giant bird from the Arabs as a pet.
  Zamorin has had almost all of his men out searching for the creature but he still hasn't managed to find one.
  I, however, have located a scroll detailing the location of this bird!

• 937
• Alvero
  So you're saying we should use this scroll to find the bird and get into Zamorin's good graces.

• 938
• Sanjai
  That's the idea!

• 939
• Alvero
  Show me this scroll, then.

• 940
• Sanjai
  Not for free, I'm afraid.
  If you promise to help me search for the bird using your ship then I might consider it.

• 941
• Alvero
  So that's your motive...
  But you're right, catching that bird is a great chance to help Gama out.
  But I don't have a ship at the moment...
  I know this is asking a lot, Player, but can you help me help him out?

• 942
• What do you want to do?

• 943
• Let's help him out, sure.

• 944
• I'm too busy at the moment.

• 945
• I don't want to help this guy out.

• 946
• Sanjai
  Okay, okay.
  I'll just find someone else.
  See you around!

• 947
• Alvero
  Hey...
  wait! Sanjai! (Player, I know what you're saying...
  but if this is a chance to save the Gama fleet, we need to take it! Please, let's help him out!)

• 948
• What do you want to do?

• 949
• Let's help him out, sure.

• 950
• Aren't you on good behaviour?

• 951
• Alvero
  You're right, I am.
  But I can't just sit around and do nothing...!

• 952
• Sanjai
  ...I'm patient, I can wait a little.
  But if Zamorin locates the bird while I wait, well, that's the end of the plan.

• 953
• Sanjai
  Sounds like we've reached an agreement! I've hired you, so you can call me Master Sanjai, thank you very much!

• 954
• Alvero
  (...He's enjoying this, isn't it!) Sorry, Player.
  Please, put up with this.

• 955
• Sanjai
  So, are you ready to help me search for the giant bird?

• 956
• What do you want to do?

• 957
• Let's help him out, sure.

• 958
• I'm too busy at the moment.

• 959
• Sanjai
  ...I'm patient, I can wait a little.
  Without this scroll I guess Zamorin probably won't locate the bird.

• 960
• Sanjai
  Sounds like we've reached an agreement! I've hired you, so you can call me Master Sanjai, thank you very much!

• 961
• Alvero
  (...He's enjoying this, isn't it!) Sorry, Player.
  Please, put up with this.

• 962
• Alvero
  (A way to get Zamorin to like us...? Could he just be leading us on...?)

• 963
• Alvero
  So, Master Sanjai.
  Could we please take a look at that scroll now?

• 964
• Sanjai
  Sure, sure...
  here you go.

• 965
• According to the native people of Mogadishu island a massive bird appears at a certain time of year.
  They call it a Rukh.
  It is a bit like an ostrich but many times bigger, capable of lifting an elephant in its talons, flying up into the sky, dropping it, and then eating it.

• 966
• Alvero
  ...You seriously want to capture a bird that can lift an elephant?!

• 967
• Sanjai
  Don't worry about that! Legends are always exaggerated.
  Even if this is true, we'll just bring back an egg or a chick.

• 968
• Alvero
  (Easy enough to say...) Next issue, then.
  Where's Mogadishu?

• 969
• Sanjai
  I don't know.
  There is a town in Africa that has the same name, however.

• 970
• Alvero
  ...Great.
  All we can do is go there and check it out, then.

• 22070
• Several days later, Player was given a letter from a pedlar down at the port.
  It was an invitation to India from Gama.
  According to it, the negotiations to secure the pepper trade were in trouble due to interference from an Arab merchant.

• 22071
• Player arrived at India's trading capital of Calicut.
  Waiting down at the port was Alvero, and the two of them headed to the Portuguese premises where Gama was waiting.
  Upon arriving in town, they heard a noise coming from a shop in the square near the Royal Palace.

• 22072
• Running over to investigate, they came across Mahadi, the merchant who owned all of the rights in the spice trade, in a heated argument with an officer of Gama's fleet.
  In response to the officer demanding that he lower his wholesale price for the pepper, Mahadi used his bodyguard to drive the officer away.
  Alvero openly criticised the merchant's tactics, and in response, Mahadi ridiculed him as a barbarian of the west.
  Refusing to listen to the officer's attempts to stop him, Alvero drew closer until he was stopped by the bodyguard and taken into custody.
  Just before he lost consciousness, Alvero asked Player to report what happened to Gama.

• 22073
• Upon hearing the news from Player, Gama hurried to make a deal for Alvero's safety.
  Alvero was released unharmed, but he was reprimanded for his carelessness and ordered to repent for his misdeeds.

• 22074
• Hanging his head low, Alvero left.
  Gama then asked Player to take care of Alvero for him.

• 22075
• Alvero lamented that he had no way of opposing Mahadi when just then, a plump Indian merchant approached them.

• 22076
• The merchant's name was Sanjai.
  He boasted that in order to oppose Mahadi, the best way was to gain the favour of Mahadi's supporter, Zamorin, who was a person of authority in town.
  Hoping to convince the sceptical Alvero, Sanjai said that he knew how to approach Zamorin.
  Alvero and Player stopped and decided to listen to his story.

• 22077
• According to Sanjai, Zamorin wished to find the legendary giant Arabian bird known as a Rukh for his newest mistress.

• 22078
• And so, Player and Alvero set out to help Sanjai find the bird.