The merchant continued inspecting the Pegasus Zoom X.
He crouched beside it, examining the wheels and the magical components beneath its frame.
His fingers ran along the body as he checked for scratches, damage, or signs of poor maintenance.
Then—
he opened the vehicle and climbed inside.
He inspected the controls, the interior mechanisms, and the various magical components that powered the machine.
After examining it from the inside, he stepped back out and moved toward the Dark Hawk T-26.
He went through the same process.
He checked the exterior.
The wheels.
The engine.
The magical components.
The interior mechanisms.
He carefully inspected both vehicles from top to bottom before finally stepping away.
After several moments—
he looked at the two vehicles again.
"Hmm..."
Ryke waited.
The merchant crossed his arms.
"The Dark Hawk T-26 is in good condition."
He glanced toward the Pegasus Zoom X.
"And this one isn't bad either."
Ryke nodded.
"Isn't bad?"
His expression changed.
"It's in great condition."
The merchant gave him a strange look.
Ryke immediately cleared his throat.
"I mean..."
He gestured toward the two vehicles.
"You should offer a great price for them."
Aldric sighed.
"Sure took your damn time."
He looked at the merchant.
"Just give us the price already, will you?"
The merchant glanced at him.
"You really don't like wasting time, do you?"
Aldric's expression remained blank.
"No."
He folded his arms.
"So let's get to the point."
The merchant looked back at the two vehicles.
"Alright."
He paused for a moment.
"I can give you five hundred gold for both."
Ryke's eyes immediately widened.
"What?"
The merchant frowned.
"Is there a problem?"
Ryke stepped forward.
"Yeah."
He pointed toward the Dark Hawk T-26.
"That's way too low."
The merchant shrugged.
"That's the price I'm willing to pay."
Ryke shook his head.
"Not going to work."
He walked around the vehicle.
"You're trying to rip us off."
The merchant's eyes narrowed.
"I don't like what you're implying."
He gestured toward the vehicles.
"You said you wanted to sell them."
"Yeah, I do."
"Then what's the problem?"
"The problem is that you're offering less than they're worth."
Ryke crossed his arms.
"I know these vehicles."
The merchant stared at him.
"You know them?"
Ryke nodded.
"Yeah, of course."
He pointed toward the Dark Hawk T-26.
"That model isn't common."
His finger moved toward the Pegasus Zoom X.
"And neither is that one."
"The modifications alone are worth a considerable amount."
The merchant remained silent.
Ryke continued.
"You're buying both at once."
He looked directly at him.
"That should make this easier for you."
The merchant gave a faint smile.
"You're pretty confident."
Ryke's expression hardened.
"I know what I'm selling."
Kaelira looked toward Pythia.
"Ryke's actually serious."
Pythia smiled.
"It seems so."
Aldric glanced toward Draven.
Draven remained silent.
His eyes were still on Ryke.
*He's completely different when he's not scared shitless.*
Ryke pointed toward the vehicles again.
"So?"
The merchant sighed.
"Alright."
He raised one hand.
"Six hundred gold."
Ryke immediately shook his head.
"That isn't much different from your last offer."
The merchant's eyebrows lifted.
"You're negotiating?"
"Of course."
Ryke stared at him.
"What did you think I was doing?"
The merchant chuckled.
"Fine."
He looked toward the two vehicles.
"Give me your price."
Ryke paused.
His eyes moved toward the Dark Hawk T-26.
Then—
the Pegasus Zoom X.
He calculated their value in his head.
Finally—
he looked at the merchant.
"A thousand gold for both."
The merchant's expression immediately changed.
"What the hell?"
He stared at Ryke.
"Why don't you just rob me?"
He pointed toward the two vehicles.
"That's way too high."
Ryke shrugged.
"They're good vehicles."
The merchant stared at him.
For several seconds—
neither of them said anything.
Then—
the merchant slowly smiled.
"You really know their value."
Ryke smiled back.
"That's what I've been trying to tell you."
The merchant glanced at Aldric.
Then at Draven.
Then back at Ryke.
He sighed.
"Look."
He gestured toward the vehicles.
"I understand what they're worth."
"But I can't give you a thousand gold for both."
Ryke frowned.
"Why not?"
The merchant folded his arms.
"Because I'm not buying these just to keep them."
He tapped the side of the Dark Hawk T-26.
"I'm going to have to sell them again."
Ryke nodded.
"So?"
"So I need to make a profit."
The merchant looked at him seriously.
"If I pay you a thousand gold, I won't be able to sell them for enough to make that profit."
Ryke's expression became slightly more serious.
The merchant continued.
"And there's another problem."
He lowered his voice.
"These vehicles don't exactly come with clean documents."
Ryke's expression stiffened.
The merchant gave him a knowing look.
"Vehicles like these need proper ownership papers if I want to sell them openly."
He gestured toward the Night Market outside.
"I can buy stolen goods, yeah, sure, easily, without asking too many questions."
"But that doesn't mean I can simply bring out two expensive vehicles with questionable ownership and sell them anywhere I want."
Ryke remained silent.
The merchant continued.
"I'd have to deal with forged documents."
"That costs money."
"So by the time I deal with all of that..."
He looked at Ryke.
"There wouldn't be any profit left."
Ryke slowly nodded.
*Guess those are valid claims.*
The merchant sighed.
"I'm willing to pay more than five hundred."
He glanced at both vehicles.
"But a thousand is too much."
He paused.
"Unless you have clean ownership documents."
Ryke's expression became awkward.
"...I would've come here if I did."
The merchant nodded.
"That's what I thought."
Aldric sighed.
"Then give us a price that actually makes sense."
The merchant looked at him.
After a moment—
he began calculating again.
Ryke watched him carefully.
This time—
he didn't interrupt.
He knew exactly what the merchant was considering.
*If he buys them too cheap, we get ripped off.*
*If we ask for too much, there's no reason for him to buy them.*
*There has to be a middle ground.*
The merchant finally looked up.
"How about seven hundred gold for both?"
Ryke's eyes narrowed.
He glanced toward the two vehicles.
Then—
he looked back at the merchant.
"Seven hundred..."
He rubbed his chin.
"Hmm."
Kaelira leaned slightly toward Pythia.
"Is that good?"
Pythia smiled.
"Let's see what Ryke thinks."
Ryke remained silent.
For once—
everyone waited for him to make the decision.