Chapter 851 851 Off To Aezam’s Capital (2)
"Amira certainly did not look too pleased when we told her we wanted to take the land route." Mrazivý said once they had exited the government building.
"Yeah, but she still told us she would see to the preparations. Plus, when we told her we had item boxes and would make sure to bring several thousand liters of water, her face visibly relaxed a bit. I imagine that with us going along, this trip will not be nearly as harsh as what she is expecting." Marcus responded.
Getting back into their carriage, Marcus asked the driver to head toward the nearest market where they could buy large quantities of water.
While between him and Mrazivý they had about seven hundred liters of water on them currently, that was far from the amount hat they had promised to procure.
"Water certainly is expensive here." Marcus grumbled when he returned to Mrazivý after paying for twelve thousand liters of water.
It has cost him nearly five times what it would have in Borealia.
"We are in a desert. Even if there is a river that flows through the city, water is bound to be expensive. It is not like we are hurting for money anyway. You earn far more off a single piece of equipment you make than what you just paid." Mrazivý said, chuckling a little.
She found it funny that at times Marcus was fine with blowing huge amounts of money on rare items, but the second something mundane cost more than he wanted to pay, he would get upset about it.
After making their purchase for a large quantity of water, Marcus and Mrazivý, along with Jed headed to look around the city while their water was being prepared. They had just ordered a massive amount and it would take time to procure it along with the containers necessary told hold such a large volume.
For several hours the three of them explored the city and bought a few items that interested them.
Just before sunset they returned to the company that dealt in water where they had made their purchase and were led to a warehouse where they water was being held.
A thousand large ceramic container were neatly arranged in the warehouse, each one holding around twelve liters of water.
"Here is your order. Feel free to check that everything is correct." The merchant leading them around said.
Opening a few of the container at random, Marcus and Mrazivý found that they were filled with clean potable water.
"Yes, this will do. Thank you for procuring all of this water so quickly." Marcus said.
The merchant bowed his head in appreciation, before looking around in confusion.
"If I may ask, when are your carriages going to arrive to pick up all of your water."
"Hm, we do not have any other carriages other than the one outside. We can take all of this ourselves." Marcus said.
He and Mrazivý then opened up there item boxes, and began putting the ceramic contains inside.
The merchant went wide eyed with shock when he saw this. Especially when Marcus and Mrazivý quickly surpassed what the capacity for what small item boxes could hold.
Naturally this merchant tried to recruit Marcus and Mrazivý on the spot. Item boxes were not the most common skill to have and those with item boxes that were above small were very rare.
"Sorry, we have no interest in becoming merchants." Mrazivý said, a cold look in her eyes that put an end to the discussion.
Soon the two of them had put five hundred containers into each of their items boxes and made their way back to their hotel.
…
Two days later during the evening they received a letter from Amira that the preparations for their journey had been completed and that they would be leaving early the next day.
"Looks like it is finally time for us to head to the capital city." Mrazivý said with a smile on her face.
Certainly they had been enjoying exploring Tijara, but it was mostly just a mercantile center and in two days they had seen a fair bit of the city. Now they were ready to move on and explore the heart of the nation.
From what they knew of the capital it was even bigger than Borealia's and there was going to be plenty of interesting sights to see and events to participate in.
Frankly neither of them could help being excited about their upcoming journey and destination.
In fact, both Marcus and Mrazivý were too antsy to go to sleep. Instead staying up through the night and pouring over the information they already had and making plans for what they would do during the trip and when they arrived at the capital.
"Looks like it is time for us to go." Marcus said when the very first beam of light came over the horizon."
Swiftly he and Mrazivý put on the gear that they would wear while heading out to unknown and possibly dangerous locations. Decking themselves out in several magical items.
"Your circlet is still visible." Marcus said before they left their room.
With a look of realization, Marcus activated the cloaking enchantment within the circlet Marcus had made for her, and the powerful magic item disappeared from sight.
The two of them already knew that walking around with amethros and adamantine items plain to see on their persons only attracted unwanted attention.
When the two of them headed down to the lobby, they found Jed already waiting for them.
"The carriage is waiting for you outside. It pains me to say his, but it is time that I head back now. From this point on you will be on your own, but if you need my master's help, know that they are willing to do all that they can." Jed said, bowing his head.
"We are going to miss you as well Jed. You have been a big help, but we will manage to get by. You already seamlessly intruded us to Amira, and she will be acting as our guide from here on out. When you arrive back at your ship, please tell the captain and everyone else that we wish them luck." Mrazivý said, before Jed left.
Once he was gone, Marcus and Mrazivý got into the carriage Jed had arranged for them and began the short trip to the government building they had first met Amira in.
As they got closer, both of them could see that several carriages had already been prepared and Amira, her head guard, along with a half dozen other guards that would be considered knight level in Borealia were standing out front. Waiting for Marcus and Mrazivý.
"It is good to see you again Amira. We Thank you for making all the necessary preparation for our selfish request." Marcus said after exiting the carriage.
"Think nothing of it. The Eazim Clan is committed to assisting the two of you in anyway that we can. The Chelmer resort is a valued trade partner, and we are happy to help the two of you in your endeavor." Amira said, putting on a cordial smile.
"I see that neither of you have any luggage with you." Amira said, looking around curiously.
Of course she already knew that Marcus and Mrazivý possessed item boxes, and it was clear from her expression that she was more interested to find out if they had really brought all fo the water they said they would.
"There is nothing to worry about. Everything we might need is stored in our item boxes and our magic bags. As for the water, we made sure to obtain plenty." Mrazivý responded.
This brightened up Amira's mood quite a bit, and she said, "I thank both of you for the consideration. Having to worry about conserving a limited amount of water can be quite nerve racking, and I am sure you can both understand how it can wear down on you to be covered in sand and not able to clean yourself off for fear of running out of water."
Nodding their heads Marcus and Mrazivý agreed with Amira's sentiment, though they did not have any experience running out of water themselves.
Back on earth Marcus had never been somewhere without running water nearby, and after coming to Mirrion as a ghost, he had no need for water any longer. Mrazivý on the other hand, being a princess, always had ample access to water. Even while adventuring.
"Now let us be on our way. We need to head to the outskirts of the city where we will be able to board the vehicles that will take us to the capital." Amira said, beckoning Marcus and Mrazivý to get into the same carriage as her.
However, the two of them in response gave Amira puzzled looks. They figured that they would be traveling to the capital by carriage, but apparently that was not the case.
"What means of transportation are we using if not carriages?" Mrazivý asked.
"Oh, I must have forgotten to mention. There are no paved roads from here to the capital and the sand is far too loose in many places for a carriage. We will be going by a vehicle unique to Aezam called a sand boat."