sovereign Irshahchan times and the road to the rich Liss region was cut off forty kilometers away from Assalah by the second largest Empire river. Shavash was happy to inform the guests that the state had already allocated funds for the road and the bridge construction.
Why, would you think though, should the government bustle about? If Assalah needs it, let Assalah build it, Assalah has loads of dough, why would you spend budget money in a starving country?
Large investors are an intelligent crowd and they all took a note of Shavash's part at the presentation and the very polite attitude displayed by the first minister Yanik towards him. Five people or so asked Bemish if he was going to limit himself to Assalah or to create a Weian stocks investment fund.
After Shavash's speech, Trevis, having met Shavash in person for the first time, approached him trying to clarify the tax referral situation. Shavash, however, avoided a direct answer.
'Don't worry, either way this company will not pay taxes,' he said imperturbably.
Here, a cute girl appeared in front of Trevis, the girl held a silver tray, of ram grilled with plants and roots, in her hands. The girl bowed and sang that an ancient custom commanded to meet a guest with a black sacrificial ram.
Trevis took a piece with pleasure.
'A great custom,' he noted, trying tender meat out, 'so coming back to tax exempts…'
'The custom is great,' Shavash replied, 'but it's not exactly like this.'
Trevis raised his eyebrows.
'The ancient custom says to meet a guest with a grilled black dog,' the official explained.
Trevis almost dropped the plate and, then, he burst in laughter.
'Why doesn't he want to become a first minister?' Trevis asked Bemish, when Shavash stepped aside.
'The Emperor will never allow it.'
'He is an amazing man.'
'Yes. Once he expressed his regret about the Earthmen not having conquered the Empire and enslaved him. He said that by today he would have been the Earth Emperor's senior trusted personage…'
Trevis grinned.
'I would like to have slaves,' he said suddenly, 'especially people like Shavash. Do you have slaves, Bemish?'
Bemish frowned slightly. Adini was his first slave.
'Yes. These three, cleaning up the tables — but I haven't bought them, I have obtained them as gifts from different people.'
'We are investing money in a funky business,' Ronald Trevis muttered.
Bemish nodded heedlessly.
'By the way,' Trevis said, 'when we were driving by your villa, I noticed a tall peasant standing in the crowd, he was missing his left ear. I am sure that I saw him next to the hotel in the capital and he was not dressed as a peasant then, he sat deep inside a Hurricane.'
'You are as watchful as usual, Ronald,' Bemish said. 'He is not a peasant, he is one of the best known Weian criminals.'
'Oh, my God! Does he want to fleece some foreign sheep?'
'To the contrary, doing a favor to some influential people, he is protecting these sheep from some lice.'
'What are you whispering about?'
Bemish turned around. Kissur stood in front of him, dressed in Earthern clothing and not even a bit drunk. During the whole evening, Kissur hadn't caused any disturbance yet — he hadn't broken a single investor's jaw and hadn't washed anybody in a pool. The reason was very simple — Kissur was with his wife, Idari.
'Let me introduce you,' Bemish said, 'Ronald Trevis, the head of LSV bank. Kissur, an ex-owner of the same villa.'
'Also an ex-minister of the Empire,' Kissur finished with a grin. And he added right away, talking to Bemish. 'I didn't know that the sovereign bestowed you with immunity.'
'You see, Kissur, after you gave me the villa, the local official herded the peasants to fix the road for free, to curry my favor. I don't want the local officials to curry my favor this way. And I promise you to fleece the peasants three times less and to hang five times less criminals.'
'That's exactly wrong,' Kissur stated. 'In order to be respected, you have to hang twice more, otherwise why do you need this immunity? What do you think, Trevis?'
It was ten in the evening, when the temple abbot noiselessly approached Bemish, standing on a lawn and encircled by the guests, and whispered in his ear that Shavash wanted to talk to him in private. Bemish finished the cocktail and left the guests unnoticed.
He found Shavash on the temple tower second floor — the small official stood with a wine glass in his hand and he seemed to clink the glass with a goddess dancing in the alcove. Having heard the Bemish's steps, he turned around. Bemish brandished his hand welcomingly and sat in an oak-backed armchair standing to the right of the window.
'Trevis says that you will raise twice more money than you need. People really stand in lines to buy a piece of Weia if Bemish himself handles their finances. What are you going to do with the extra money?'
'I could create a couple of funds,' Bemish said.
Shavash, half turned to the window, gestured with the glass. Outside of the window in the sunset light, the dense gardens' greenery and the even squares of rice patties gleaned. Ivory imps danced above the window and smiled mockingly at the official. Bemish noticed that Shavash was drunk — not as much as he was at Weian feasts when everybody walked on their hands and knees by a night's end, but much more that it was customary on Earthmen's business meetings.
'This planet,' Shavash said, 'is a planet of mad opportunities. It has the least developed natural resources in the Galaxy. It has human resources. It doesn't have money.'
Shavash turned around abruptly.
'You will bring this money in, Terence. How much can you raise for your funds?'
Bemish contemplated.
'I could raise five hundred million in the first year. Then it depends on the fund's profitability.'
'You will sell what I say and buy what I say. First year your profit will be seven hundred million. Your real profit will be one billion. But you will give three hundred million to me. Do you understand it?'
Bemish paused.
'They jail you for such things.'
Shavash leaned over the Earthman.
'You are mistaken, Terence. They jail you for such things on Earth. On Weia, they cut your head off.'
'Why are you risking your head for money?' The pale vice-minister's face with mad golden eyes and raised eyebrows' tips moved right to the Earthman.
'You understand nothing here, Terence. I don't need money. I need to turn this country in something decent. It is possible only if I become the richest official in this country. For that — I need money. I need huge money, money that this country doesn't have. But, the Galaxy has this money and you, Terence, will deliver this money from the Galaxy to here.'
To conclude, the reception worked out great if not for an accident at its very end. It was already midnight, the time when men liked to have fun was getting closer and the wives of several higher Weian officials hurried to take leave and disappear and women's laughter started to come out of the temple gazebos. Bemish and Trevis walked down a garden path under falling cherry petals by the gods cramped in the darkness. They had discussed everything already and they simply enjoyed in silence the dark and tart night, dusted by the fragrance of night flowers and the faraway singing of expensive whores.
The road led them to a small pond, where a marble god in a brocade caftan stood on the bank.
'Here is Shavash,' Trevis said, 'but it looks like the timing is wrong.'
Shavash half sat under the god's statue and fondled a midnight cowgirl. Something made Bemish hearken and he stopped.
'Let's get out of here,' Trevis restrained him.
