One tablet, here, was significant because of the brevity and impact of the record called for. There were so few relevant details, anyway. It wasn't like a murderously complicated property boundary dispute, for instance. Or a tally of gifts to the Emperor, so many articles of gold, so many chalices of silver, so many horns of incense, and so on. Or worse yet, an Imperially granted Honor. For Honors, you had to get everybody's relations correct and in order, an exacting task which could take long and leave her hollow-eyed over such labors.
Borla moved to stand close behind her shoulder and watched silently as she made her marks.
She used to grow nervous when he did that, but she had since learned that all he desired was to make sure she put in all the truly relevant details, made no unnecessary errors, and left out that which was obviously unnecessary.
Under such impromptu tutelage from Borla, Si'Wren had soon learned what to put in, what to leave out, and how best to arrange it, working swiftly, neatly, and accurately. Now she unconsciously strove for greater excellence than ever before, as Emperor Euphrates questioned the trader further.
Halfway through, Emperor Euphrates paused and turned his head to regard
Si'Wren's progress, and said, "Another tablet shall be wanting, Scribe."
Si'Wren nodded as she quickly finished the first frame and picked up another, and bent to her writings, expertly marking the smooth clay. After that, there were a few more details to be recorded by Si'Wren, who paid diligent attention to whatever else Borla might see fit to prompt her to enter into the record.
The Royal Advisors, wise men all, and known to Si'Wren to be wicked beyond measure, conversed with their Emperor, occasionally directing pointed questions to the trader concerning various particulars, while she caused her ivory marking sticks to fairly fly over the smooth glistening clay of her tablet.
Unbidden, she finally pulled out a third clay tablet for the record, and none challenged her decision.
Listening anxiously to the story of Noah, the attitude of Emperor Euphrates and his Royal Advisers gradually changed from frightened alarm, to nervous mockery. By and by, the Royal Advisers became unanimous in advising their concerned Emperor to disbelieve this weary traveler's mad tale. Besides which, this so-called Prophet Noah didn't even have true religion. A single god who could not be seen, and the universal worship of idols spoken so openly against as a vile and divinely forbidden practice? The very idea!
But Emperor Euphrates would not be placated. He was very much afraid of the words of this prophet and his one Invisible God, this Patriarch called Noah.