***
{Outside The Projection}
The projection paused, and the crowd was stunned silent.
It wasn't the deal. It wasn't the story itself. It wasn't their origin. The Dark Continent stopped being perceived in such a light long ago. Racism remained, of course; it could never be wiped completely, but it was frowned upon. So no one cared for that. It wasn't Ali Baba swindling his way into a shah's vault. A man able to trade sand for water. His eloquence. Personality. It wasn't the story of a caravan built on a thousand deals, a thousand lies, a thousand nights spent in pursuit of something greater. No. It wasn't their history. It wasn't their legacy, code, or way of life.
No. It was him.
Their Sultan.
Malik.
"Did he just say... 'okay'?"
"Yeah, like it was just a mild inconvenience!"
"You're joking. He has to be joking."