31 ENTRY BADGES

At a random spot in a forest, dozens of monkeys ganged up on an already beaten man and stripped all the gold off his body, scratching and biting him in the process. By the time the monkeys finished their work and left the scene, he lay on the ground in torn clothes, and not a single gram of gold could be seen anywhere on his body, other than a few of his hidden golden teeth.

He even lost some of his fingers, for the monkeys simply bit his fingers off when attempting to get the rings. That man was none other than Dalkan, who often get called as the 'man in gold'. Now, the only piece of cloth covering his body that didn't have a hole in it was his underwear. The huffs and puffs alone took away most of his remaining strength. After getting beaten at the bar, he escaped out with not-so-major injuries, but never in his dreams did he think that a bunch of monkeys would change his fate to such an extent.

Am I going to die in a pathetic place like this? He still couldn't believe what had happened to him. He ached to get up and get going, but he lacked the energy to do so. Fighting the monkeys took all of his strength. The monkeys didn't even give him the time to remove all the gold items from his body. They were like a congress of pissed-off baboons — the loudest, the rowdiest, and the least intelligent group one could hope to come across. He had never seen such ferocious and obnoxious monkeys before.

The bar stationed at the top of the cliff was noticeable in the background. He remembered the time when he jumped off the cliff, and luckily, the river happened to be underneath. But now, all that hard work felt like it amounted to nothing at the thought that he would end up in some wild beast's stomach.

While misery engrossed his mind, the ever-increasing sound of footsteps somehow managed to reach his ears. At first, his heart skipped a beat. But when his eyes saw a person, the pounding of his heart lightened.

"Whoa, whoa," the simple-looking yellowish-haired person came hurriedly running to Dalkan. He smelled like a jungle. "Look at you, sir. You are all bloody. Did you get mobbed by the monkeys?"

Dalkan nodded and squeezed out some words. "They took my gold."

"Gold? Who would wear such shining things and enter the Stand of Apes? "The bloody you were asking to get offended if you've come wearing anything in excess to a normal clothing."

"I wouldn't have come here if I knew about the monkeys. Take me out, to my place, please!" Dalkan said desperately, not minding the way the guy spoke to him. "I will give you money."

"Oh, But I only help birds," the guy said, "even among birds, only those that are birds of peace and aren't birds of prey."

His words left Dulkan in puzzlement. "C-Consider me as that bird, bird of peace!"

The guy paused a moment. "I was thinking about going to the Bush Bar, but…I think I will consider the bloody you an exception, as a green bird."

Dalkan couldn't help but ask. "What's a green bird?"

"A prey that often gets preyed. How much can sir give?"

"As much as you want," he said in an anguished tone. "Save me and your life will change, I guarantee."

"Sounds like a passerine's promise," the guy placed Dalkan on his shoulders. "I am in."

Dalkan was elated. "What's your name?"

"Apa Chong." He walked away, in the opposite direction to that of the cliff.

On the tenth deck.

Zentzu was sauntering in a street. Many people approached him. Some of them acknowledged his presence. Some tipped their hats to him, while a few handed him sacks of money as well, all of which was collected by the guard behind him. Though he was wearing tall shoes, some of the kids who visited him were taller than him, but not even they showed any disrespect.

The guard leaned forward and said, "Commander, can I ask you something?"

"Go on," Hands placed on his back, Zentzu seemed to be in a sociable mood.

"That girl we just met was a pleasant one," the guard's voice contained respect, "Did you not ask her out because she didn't believe you were a commander when you first said it?"

A short-stayed smile surfaced on his face. "Many of my unpleasant experiences taught me that girls prefer bald guys or even unemployed guys before they do short guys."

"But commander, you can't be so sure," the guard's voice was charged with assurance. "Who knows? You might find a girl who might like you even before knowing you're rich."

"Your joke doesn't sound too funny when not a single woman ever approached me prior to knowing who I am," Zentzu just smiled and washed out all the negative emotions. "World isn't a fair place for short guys, you know." His voice turned intransigent, "Short guys can be silly, but short guys can never be cute."

The guard's chest pained a bit. "I wouldn't dare joke with you, commander. But now I think I understand why my words would have sounded different." He wanted to say sorry, but he knew that Zentzu didn't like receiving an apology when matters related his physique. So he refrained himself from speaking out. "Nevertheless, I think you will one day find a girl who will like you the way you are."

"I hope that's the case…" Zentzu said in a shallow tone and took a breath. He rubbed his chin with the long side of his finger. "Where did that Lirzod go? Surely, he didn't leave the deck yet. Just where would he be staying at?"

Though the guard wanted to speak, he didn't. It was sort of obvious to him why Zentzu was looking for Lirzod. It was most likely to know whether or not Lirzod was taking Geragorn's place. If not, he could have easily ordered a dozen hollows to go and look for Lirzod. Since that wasn't the case, it meant that Zentzu didn't want many people to know about the incident.

If he was attending official matters, Zentzu often came riding Pupuu. Because most people on the tenth deck knew about it, they came and greeted him.

As they both neared towards a group of four boys that leisurely lay on the side of the road, the guard said in Zentzu's ears. "Those four fools are causing quite some trouble by stealing jewelry of whoever they come across. They are even calling themselves Jewel Juniors."

"Jewel Juniors?" Zentzu glanced at those four who were laughing out loud. "They look like kosher kids. Do they have some senior?"

"No, commander. Not as far as I know."

"Hmm," he took a moment to observe them, "they might just be wannabe Jewel Boys[1]."

As Zentzu got closer and closer to them as he walked in the street, it was clear that he just came out for a stroll and not for them. But they quickly went to him, with arched backs and folded arms.

"Commander, we are so glad to see you," one of them said, his voice simply carrying excess respect. "You look great."

"Thanks," Zentzu said, slightly stretching his lips. "But there's no need for you to praise me like this for no reason."

"We weren't praising you for no reason, sir," One of the four inflated his voice his splendor, "you are the commander of this deck. If you don't deserve our honor, then who else does?"

"Even a commander doesn't deserve over-respect," His reply startled them.

The four looked at each other with semi-sheepish faces. "We'll take our leave, sir." Without wasting any more time, they turned back, and their steps shaped a bee-line to their previous spot.

Zentzu minded them no more and resumed his walk.

"Such crooks," the guard still gave icy stares at them, "though they were talking to you, their eyes were on your dress and rings."

"They had the guts to come and talk to me after the things they've done. They are not just any cooks, but capable crooks," Zentzu glanced at them once more, only for a second. "As long as they limit it to looks, there's no need to bother about them. If the frequency of their job increases, then inform me. But first, send a word to Karak that I want him to give them a chance."

"For sure," though the guard felt like asking the commander to go and deal with them right away as he was asked by so many to report it to the commander. However, knowing that Zentzu might feel offended for asking him to deal with a small group of robbers, the guard chose not to break that news with him.

"Commander Zentzu," A voice called out, making the guard and the commander turn towards the source. It came from within a room. "Can you grace our room, please?"

The commander halted at the doorstep for a moment before entering the room. The guard closed the door while staying outside.

Inside the room, two people instantly got down and held Zentzu's legs. That room was the one that Lirzod broke into, during the birthday party.

"I'm averse to overaction," Zentzu glanced down, his eyes darting daggers at them.

The slender one quickly got back to his feet, but the big guy took his time, not because he wanted to, but he had to. He was easily twice as tall as the commander. "I'm extremely sorry, sir."

"Just come to the point," Zentzu voice was flat, his hands were at leisure on his back.

The big guy pointed his finger towards the bed, on top of which lay bread of tens of kilos.

"What's all that for?" Zentzu knitted his brows.

"For a Copper Entry Badge," the big guy hesitantly said, his roommate watching silently. Both had their arms lightly folded in front of their bellies.

"What's your best attempt?" Zentzu didn't wait or hesitate to ask bluntly.

"T-Twenty two seconds." Discomfiture was written all over the big guy's face.

"Ten seconds longer than the pass mark and yet you want the Copper Entry Badge?" Zentzu's voice turned slightly cold.

"Sir Zentzu, I'm facing many hardships," Looking down at the ground, the big guy uttered in a disheartened voice. "Please give me a little advantage. If I can climb from the tenth to the eleventh deck, it means I will get a decent job outside."

Zentzu sharply blew air through his nose as he tilted his head up to meet their gaze. "Do you know hard it is to lift one's head up to look at every single person they meet? I do. But you wouldn't understand it even if I were to explain it. Explaining solves nobody's situation. Don't bother telling me all your problems. I would most likely forget them."

The big guy didn't know what to say.

"If you have nothing else to say," Zentzu turned back, and the guard opened the door from the outside. As he stepped out, Zentzu spoke just loud enough so that his voice would reach the ears of those in the room. "I eat meat, not wheat. Pleb," he said as he strolled away.

The big guy nearly plucked his own hair out from catching the commander's words. "If I had offered meat, would he have accepted the deal?" He was deeply frustrated thanks to his roommate who gave the idea of bribing the commander with bread. Momentarily, the misused chance made him feel like a cripple. If only he was at least a bit more successful, he may have received a Copper Entry Badge. That thought alone twisted his gut.

On Extensive Voyage, the entries were awarded seven types of badges as per the number of decks they successfully climbed. These seven entry badges had the insignia of Extensive Voyage — its figurehead symbol — which would be on the front side of the badge with the highest deck number an Entry reached.

The Wooden Entry Badge was the lowest-ranked badge among the seven. All the entries on the tenth deck were awarded the badge in case they wanted to get out of the ship instead of climbing further. Every entry commenced their journey from the tenth deck. The second one was the Copper Entry Badge given to those who successfully reached anywhere from eleventh to ninety-ninth decks. The wooden badge wasn't a big deal, but the copper badge could be used to find a vast number of decent jobs outside on many continents. The higher the deck number, the more probable the individual was talented.

"Stop standing here, Ballu," The big guy's roommate pushed him outside, "Go and urge the commander more." He tossed a small sack of silver coins, pleasantly surprising the big guy.

"Nawaz…" The big guy, Ballu froze for a moment, his eyes wide and steadily making contact with his friend. All his bodily tensions swiftly released and synchronously filled his limbs with warmth.

"Don't look at me like that," Nawaz said and smiled. "Your Copper Entry Badge appears much more formidable than mine. When we go out, you better keep me in mind as well."

"Sure," Ballu gave an easy nod.

"How sure?" Nawaz tilted his head a bit and raised one of his brows, while the corners of his lips were lightly curled up.

He stepped ahead and hugged Nawaz tightly, and said in an emotion-rich voice, "As sure as the day I don't fast."

"That's what I wanted to hear."

After exchanging grins, Ballu left in the direction that the commander went in. His eyes rolled up towards the ceiling as he marched ahead, "God, you truly are great. You made Nawaz of all people help me. Thank you, Lord. I know 'thank you' is a small offering, but that's all I can give for now. Once I get the Copper Entry Badge and then get a job, I will make sure to arrange a great feast in your name!" He felt great at the moment and ran with newly found energy. After turning at the end of the street, and both Zentzu and his guard were not too far away. He picked up his pace, but before he took a couple of steps, he saw a face that forced his feet into a halt, and his visage warped into that of a vicious wolf.

Just as far away as he was to Zentzu, there was Lirzod on the opposite end. His appearance alone made Ballu fume like a frenzied bull. "You dare come to my block after what you've put me through?" His eyebrows lowered and pinched together. "You may be acquainted with the Darling Twins, but look how I will get commander Zentzu to deal with you. If I don't destroy you today, I won't call myself Ballu anymore!" He raced ahead, albeit at a slow speed, but just then he saw Lirzod enter a special room. "Hmph, entering a library won't save you."

Inside the library.

Ten bookshelves were aligned at a distance to each other, resembling a ring, with a couple of desks stationed in the center for the readers. The room was quite smaller than Lirzod expected. Only a handful of people occupied some of the twenty-odd seats available.

"Welcome sir," the librarian's voice was a bit rigid and felt lifeless. "Is this your first time?" He had to ask even though he was sure that Lirzod never entered the library before.

Lirzod nodded.

"This isn't an official library, but my own that I have established here. So don't expect to find great collections in here. For rare pieces, you must at least reach the hundredth deck."

"I came here for Surya Chand's collection of poems. Is there a copy of it here?"

"Yes," the librarian beamed faintly and pointed towards a book before him "Enter your name in the register first. If you want to read the book in here, it's free. If you want to rent it, then it costs three copper per day, as it's a leather-bound book."

"No. I only came for a peek at its contents," Lirzod began to write the name in the register, but at the same time, he noticed that there was a silverish spread on the librarian's forearm. "Whoa, what's that mark?"

"Uh, this is the mark left by a Silver Bug," the librarian's smile was somewhat bitter. "Luckily, I got saved by the good monk. If not for her, this Silver Spread wouldn't have stopped and I would have gotten my hand amputated in the least." He couldn't help but feel grateful towards her.

Lirzod raised one of his eyebrows. "You are talking about a bald girl, right?"

"Obviously. All the monks are bald."

Lirzod paused a moment. "Was it... Everna?"

"Yes, of course. There's no other monk on this deck. Maybe, on the entire ship too."

"Great," Lirzod's eyes widened and glowed. "Do you know where she is now?"

"I don't," the librarian was a bit weirded out by his elation. "Why do you ask?"

"I actually came here to write a letter to her."

"Oh." (I thought he wanted to mess with that monk. Things surely wouldn't have ended well for him.) "But this isn't the mailroom. It's in the next block in this direction." He pointed his thumb.

"You can mail from here?"

"You didn't know? You can basically mail to any place in the world, including to those who are on this ship."

Lirzod was quite surprised. "Then, will my letter reach Everna?"

"Most likely, unless she hid in some random place."

Lirzod pondered for a moment. "How does the mail get to her?"

"The Seal Service will do the job."

"Seal? You mean… the symbols or the creatures?"

"The latter," the librarian pointed his index finger towards the ceiling as he explained in a lively voice. "The seals are spread across on each of the decks and constantly obtain information. They communicate and travel through the network of water tunnels that go through the walls and the floors and almost connect the entire ship."

"Oh…" His lower lip pushed the upper one a bit.

"You might not believe me," the librarian put forth a knowing smile, "but at least one seal on this ship already knows who you are by your name and possibly even the room you're staying at."

Lirzod's eyes enlarged. "Are you for real?"

"As real as the wound on my arm," the librarian chortled. "And I won't laugh at anyone who gets awed by such a delivery network. After all, I used to feel the same way about it."

"No, I wasn't really awed by it," Lirzod's gaze wandered a bit, especially towards the floor. "I was just wondering if I can beat the seals that invaded my privacy and not face any punishment," he glanced at him, eyes asking for affirmation.

The librarian was startled. "T-That's probably not a good idea."

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[1] Jewel Boys: An infamous robbing group in the West whose members snatched hundreds of jewelry every day and killed tens of guards, sentries, and sentinels in the process of establishing themselves. The town they started their profession eventually came to be known as the Town of Thieves, where the people of the region shiver at the mention of a shining thing.