572 Chapter 572:- Desert Ship
After their visit, Aditya and Riya got ready to leave Huda's house. Huda's parents really wished they could stay longer, but they understood.
As they stepped outside, Riya's excitement was clear. She clung to Aditya's arm, her voice bubbly as she asked, "Where to next?" In her excitement, she didn't notice how close she was to him, but Aditya didn't mind at all. In fact, he was enjoying the softness and firmness of her chest. Even if she had realized what she was doing, she wouldn't have moved away. Riya held onto his hand tightly, a special thing she did only with Aditya. He was the one she loved more than anyone else, the man she was going to marry.
As they walked down the street, people passing by saw them as a perfect, happy couple. Aditya, with a thoughtful look, said to Riya, "There are still many people who need your help to get rid of the curse. Do you think you can...?" He didn't want to ask too much of her.
Riya answered with a big smile, "Yes, I can do it."
Aditya, seeing her smile, couldn't help himself. He stopped walking, gently held her face in his hands, and kissed her right there on the street. He didn't care who saw them. He just wanted to show her how much he cared and how happy he was with her.
"So, where to next?" Riya asked, holding onto Aditya's hand with a big smile on her face. She felt a bit tired from using a lot of her magic to heal people in the city, but she was happy. She liked being with Aditya and not having anyone else around to interrupt them.
"We're going to buy a Desert Ship!" Aditya said excitedly. They were walking towards the market area.
"What's a Desert Ship?" Riya asked, looking a bit puzzled.
Aditya explained, "A Desert Ship is like a normal ship, but it travels on sand instead of water. They use magic stones to move. There are big commercial Desert Ships that carry many people from one city to another. People who want to travel on these ships have to buy tickets. The cost of the tickets depends on things like how big the ship is and how far it's going. But we're not going to use those big ships. We'll get our own smaller one for our trip."
Riya listened carefully as they walked, interested in learning about these unique ships that could travel over the desert like boats on water.
"Also, those big Desert Ships aren't very safe. Sometimes, desert pirates stop them and ask the passengers for a lot of money to let them go. And these ships aren't always safe for girls," Aditya added, thinking of all the reasons why buying their own Desert Ship was a better choice.
Riya just nodded in agreement, not worrying too much about it.
Aditya really wanted to buy their own Desert Ship because it would give them privacy. On the big ships where lots of people travel together, it's hard to find a quiet place just for themselves. This is especially important for girls, who might want more privacy than boys. Plus, the big Desert Ships might not go exactly where they wanted to go. Having their own ship would mean they could choose their own path and travel more freely.
His long white beard fell down to his chest, and his head was almost bare, with just a few wisps of white hair left. His skin was a deep shade of tan, and he was dressed simply in a brown shirt and shorts that came down to his knees. Around his waist, he had wrapped a long red cloth, and on his feet, he wore plain sandals.
He appeared to be about 60 years old, his face lined with wrinkles, and he had a bit of a stoop as he stood.
"What do you need?" he asked, sounding a bit uninterested and lazy. Aditya didn't appreciate the man's manner but kept a polite face. "How much for this ship?" he inquired. The old man sized up Aditya and Riya, looking them over with a skeptical eye. He seemed to doubt that this normal-looking pair was actually serious about buying the ship. This ship wasn't just any ship; it was a fancy desert ship, made especially to be very comfortable.
The old shopkeeper seemed to be in no mood for business. His eyes closed slightly as he spoke lazily, "Why bother asking about the price? It's not like you could afford it."
He waved his hand dismissively, clearly wanting them to leave him be. It was his resting time, and he was visibly annoyed by the disruption.
"Just go away," he said, motioning for them to move on.
Aditya's right eye began to twitch, a sign that he was struggling to keep his anger in check. "Please, just tell us the price," he said, his voice still calm. He reminded himself there was no point in getting upset over a grumpy old man who was probably closer to his last days than his first.
His one foot was already in his grave. At most, he had only a few years left to live. "Five hundred thousand gold coins," the old man said, without even opening his eyes.
The other sellers around them couldn't hide their surprise. The old man had deliberately quoted a price that was five times the usual cost. The actual price should be a hundred thousand gold coins, not a penny more.
The price the old man asked for was way too high for a desert ship that size. There were even huge desert ships, as long as 1000 meters, that didn't cost more than 150,000 gold coins. Everyone around expected Aditya to just say no and maybe even get mad for such an unfair price.
However, contrary to everyone's expectations, Aditya's answer was different from what they had expected. "I will take it." Hearing this even the old man was shocked. The old man turned around and looked at Aditya. He couldn't hide his surprise.
"What did you say?" The old man asked not believing what he heard just now. "I said I will take it. Or have you changed your mind already?" As Aditya said the last part, the gentle smile on his face disappeared and was replaced with a cold chilling look that deeply frightened the old man. ----------------
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If you are curious to know what the Desert ship that Aditya is buying looks like or what Savannahclaw city looks like, then you can check the comment section.