26. Setting Out

Amin Baba's hands shook as he picked up the biggest piece of ore he could find. Large veins of gold were clearly visible, trapped within the black rock. Even from far away, everyone could tell that this was the real deal.

"Where did you find it?" He asked, "Is there more? Tell me quickly!"

Old Li nudged Gray who finally stepped forward, "Hi, my name is Gray."

Amin Baba looked at him and turned back to Old Li, "Who's this?"

"The gold belongs to me." Gray said, "I need you to transport it to the nearest city where it can be sold."

"Is there any more?" The merchant asked.

Gray shrugged, "There's no more gold. I mined it all. This is everything."

His voice was clear and the other villagers heard his words. There were snorts of disbelief and mutterings of discontent. There was going to be a gold rush after this but he didn't care. They were all bound to be disappointed.

"Oh, I see… Well, hauling gold is quite problematic, it's going to cost you."

"It's just two tons of rocks. Don't try to swindle me." Gray countered. "Give me the standard rate. Five gold per cart, ten gold in total!"

Amin Baba sputtered angrily, "Don't play with me, boy! This is gold ore, not a bunch of rocks. It needs extra security and there's more risk of bandits and thieves along the trip back!"

"Fine, double rate." Gray gritted out.

"Not enough!"

Gray and Amin Baba entered into some heated negotiations with Old Li playing the mediator. Gray's dislike of the merchant grew with each passing second. Amin Baba felt the same and his face became more and more purple.

They eventually agreed to a percentage of the gold ore so that Amin Baba would be incentivized to protect it well. Five percent of the ore wasn't enough to affect Gray's goals but it still stung. Even a small portion equated to many, many gold coins. It was more wealth than he had ever known and he was forced to just give it away.

The deal was struck and Gray was given an advance payment of five gold coins with the promise of more coins once the gold ore was fully processed back. He would ride with the caravan back to the nearest town which was called Jade Hill Town. There, the expert metalsmiths would extract the gold from the ore and Gray would be paid in full. He would then be free to go wherever he chose and spend his wealth however he chose.

Amin Baba gave out orders to his men and they started hauling away the gold. Gray followed, keeping a close eye on them to make sure he wasn't cheated.

In this aspect, Amin Baba was an experienced trader and knew how to protected his profits. A wagon carrying ore was emptied out and the gold ore was loaded first. It was covered by a layer of thick leather and tied down securely. Common ore such as copper and iron was then dumped on top to form a protective layer. To a passerby, the wagon looked just like any other and did not give away any hints of the valuable cargo within.

After this was finished, Amin Baba found Gray and put an arm around him, suddenly friendly like an old friend.

"Handsome brother, so you want to experience the world? Not a problem, not a problem!" He said, "I shall send you safely to Jade Hill Town in luxury. Food, lodging, and protection shall all be provided by me during the trip."

He called out to one of his servants who came over. "Yara, this is our esteemed passenger, Gray. He's going to be a very rich man soon, please take care of him."

"Yes, master." Yara gave Gray a bow and a blushing smile, "Sir Gray, wow you're so handsome!"

Amin Baba laughed and left the two alone.

Gray was left confused by this exchange. Up close, Yara was even less attractive. Her hair was messy and frayed. Her nose was crooked. Her eyes were small. Her lips were a little too big. The general shape of her face wasn't appealing at all.

"Sir Gray, have you got all of your stuff?" She said.

Gray nodded blandly, showing the many sacks in his hands filled with food and spare clothes. Besides those and the clothes he wore, the only other thing he had was the money in his pockets and a couple of pickaxes.

"Great, come on then!"

She grabbed his arm and led him to the caravan. Along the way she made sure to press her chest into his arm and lean her head as close to him as possible so he could smell her perfumed scent. Gray stiffened from the attention and walked awkwardly. He wasn't attracted to her but he was still inexperienced.

She pulled him to his carriage and helped him stash his items inside while still doing her best to touch him way more than necessary. She rubbed his arm, his shoulders, and even brushed against his hand. He didn't know what to think at all.

"Sir Gray, please get on. We will be leaving soon. During this trip, if you need me for anything else… don't hesitate to find me!" She giggled and rubbed his chest one last time before running off.

"…" He was weirded out but shrugged it off.

He climbed onto the carriage and found a place to sit on a crate. Inside was half-filled with goods of all kinds, those that needed to be protected from the wind and rain. His sitting spot was next to the window and it gave him a good view.

Old Li was still in the village center with the other villagers. The goods that they couldn't sell to Amin Baba, they could only barter among themselves. The men of the trade caravan worked hard and finally loaded everything. The carts of the caravan were much bigger and designed for long-distance travel. One open-aired cart could hold all of Gray's ores without much problem. Once all the goods were tied down and secured, Amin Baba and the servants returned to their carriage while the guards and drivers took to their places.

"Set off!"

"Go!"

Cries spread through the caravan, combining with the noises of horses and oxen.

He was about to leave Blue Lake Village that had been his life for as long as he could remember. While some might feel sour and unhappy about leaving their childhood home, Gray felt nothing but excitement for the things that lay ahead.

He felt a jerk as his carriage started. The scenery outside of the window finally started to move. He was finally setting out!