With the majestic capital looming on the horizon, Aqua declared it was time to disembark from their magical flight. "We'll go incognito from here," he said, as the carpet descended gracefully to the ground.
"Whoa, that was a ride to remember!" Aqua exclaimed, his eyes twinkling with the thrill of the journey.
Tien, still clinging to his last shred of courage, managed a weak smile. "I'm just hoping I'll live to tell the tale," he said, half-joking, half-serious.
"Don't fret, Tien. With Night and me by your side, we're an invincible trio," Aqua reassured him, clapping him on the back.
Night, now the size of a thumb, chimed in with a tiny but confident voice, "Fear not, skinny boy. We're stronger than we look!"
Tien, looking skyward, muttered a silent prayer, "Oh, divine guardians, keep a watchful eye over this humble traveler."
Aqua, ever the innovator, scribbled a mysterious symbol in his diary, and voilà—a small cube-shaped box materialized out of thin air.
"What's this sorcery?" Tien gasped, his eyes wide with wonder.
"This little marvel is a dimension box. It's our portable vault for all our treasures," Aqua explained, as he effortlessly tucked the flying carpet into the box.
Handing Tien an elegant Arab robe, Aqua continued, "In the capital, we'll be known as magical merchants. These robes are our disguise to blend in, sell our wares, and uncover the capital's dark secrets—all without revealing our true selves."
Clad in their lavish new identities, with Night snugly hidden within Aqua's robe, they were ready to venture into the bustling heart of the capital, where adventure and mystery awaited at every turn. 🧙♂️📦🏙️
At the grand entrance of the capital, the towering wooden gates stood as a testament to the city's might, guarded by soldiers as stoic as the walls they protected.
"Halt! Who goes there?" barked the lead guard, eyeing Tien and Aqua's exotic attire with suspicion.
Tien, trembling like a leaf in a storm, stammered, "Sir- we, we are—"
Cutting through Tien's nervousness with the ease of a hot knife through butter, Aqua chimed in, "Sir, we hail from distant lands, seeking business opportunities in your illustrious capital."
The guard, unamused yet satisfied with the response, pointed them towards the merchant house. "For business, you say? Register at the merchant house first," he instructed, his face as unreadable as a stone carving.
Once inside the city, Aqua couldn't help but tease his jittery companion. "You were shaking like a jelly in an earthquake," he chuckled.
"I was just… overwhelmed by the soldiers," Tien admitted, his cheeks flushing a shade of pink.
The capital unfolded before them like a scene from a storybook, a tapestry of diversity and splendor. Men and women donned in finery strolled past vibrant houses, their laughter mingling with the calls of street vendors.
"Is that a cat woman? And there, a dog woman! And an elf! Am I living in an isekai novel?" Aqua marveled, his eyes wide with childlike wonder.
As Aqua daydreamed of his own harem—his thoughts abruptly halted by a short man with a grin as sly as a fox.
"Excuse me, sir, I noticed your interest in our Yulian citizens," the merchant said, his hands rubbing together greedily.
Aqua leaned in to Tien, whispering, "What's Yulia?"
Tien whispered back, "Yulian people are non-human species, like beastwomen and men, and other fantastical beings."
Before they could further their hushed conversation, the merchant, Noorlan, interrupted. "Why don't you come to my shop? It's sweltering out here; we can talk business in the cool shade."
Tien's mouth opened to decline, but Aqua interjected with a confident "Okay."
Tien, panic-stricken, hissed into Aqua's ear, "We don't have money, you fool! Did you forget?"
As Aqua and Tien, disguised as the affluent Mr. Shiki and Mr. Rosse, followed Noorlan through the inn, they couldn't help but feel like two actors in a play that had gone off-script.
"Sir, I am Noorlan, and by the cut of your jib, it's clear you're not from around here," Noorlan observed, eyeing their lavish attire with a mix of amusement and dollar signs in his eyes.
"Oh yes, Mr. Noorlan, we are exotic merchants from the far-off land of… Cashalot," Aqua replied, his smile as wide as the gap in Noorlan's understanding of geography.
"Ah, Cashalot! Famous for its… er… vast wealth, I presume?" Noorlan chuckled, rubbing his hands together like he was about to show them the world's most expensive magic trick.
"Indeed, we're here to sprinkle our gold like fairy dust in search of labor for our… very legitimate business ventures," Aqua continued, his voice dripping with so much faux sincerity that Tien had to stifle a giggle.
"Hire labor? Sir, with pockets as deep as yours, you should be buying slaves, not hiring peasants!" Noorlan suggested with a grin that was probably meant to be charming but missed the mark by a mile.
"Sell? As in, people? Is that even legal here?" Aqua asked, feigning ignorance.
"Mr. Shiki, of course, it's legal! Our beloved majesty has decreed it so. These folks were practically born with a 'For Sale' sign on their cribs," Noorlan said, his smile growing wider with every word.
Aqua, doing his best to hide his brewing storm of anger, replied with a smile so fake it deserved an award. "Oh, absolutely, you are spot on, Mr. Noorlan!"
"Shall I give you a tour of our… merchandise?" Noorlan offered, gesturing towards the back of the inn with the flair of a game show host revealing the grand prize.
"Lead the way, good sir!" Aqua said, his smile now so strained it could snap at any moment.
As they stepped out into the back courtyard, a large, long building loomed before them, its walls as silent as the secrets it held. Tien leaned in and whispered, "This is it, the moment of truth."
Aqua nodded, his plan unfurling in his mind like the plot of a heist movie. "Just follow my lead, and remember, keep smiling—it confuses the enemy."