Before long, a Black warrior dressed in flamboyant attire arrived at the scene. Compared with the nearby natives wrapped in crude cloth and the plainly dressed East African soldiers, this Black warrior was clearly of no low status in the Yeke Kingdom.
"I am His Majesty Msiri's guard. His Majesty has agreed to receive you. Please follow me, gentlemen," the Black warrior said.
"Please." Becker returned the gesture with courteous politeness.
The Black palace guard of the Yeke Kingdom led Becker and the others toward the Yeke Kingdom's capital.
After walking for an unknown length of time, they saw a city. Large and small slums surrounded it, while a magnificent palace rose in the middle.
The city's environment was naturally too dreadful to bear looking at. The East Africans had to cover their noses and mouths before they could make their way through the muddy roads mixed with who knew what liquids.
This made the Yeke Kingdom's palace guard feel utterly humiliated, but these East Africans were guests His Majesty Msiri had specifically named to see, so he could not very well lose his temper.
Once they passed through the slums, it was as though they had suddenly entered another world. The muddy roads became stone-paved streets. The palace they had seen outside the city was surrounded by a wall, but it was too low and had been hidden by the slums, which was why they had not seen it earlier.
This was presumably the royal city of the Yeke Kingdom. It exuded a strong Arab architectural style. The stone pillars and carvings were clearly not things the natives could have made themselves. Msiri must have specifically invited craftsmen from the Sultanate of Zanzibar to build it back then.
The Black guard led Becker and the others through the city