The Ember of Beginning VI

Silora sat on a comfortable wooden chair in a spacious room with good lighting. In front of her was a wide, majestic wooden desk with eye-catching decorations. Behind the desk sat the farm owner, the woman with whom Silora would negotiate the sale of the horse.

Silora had arrived at the farm just a short while ago. Immediately, she mentioned selling her horse even before seeing it. She was led to this room at the back of the farm by the person in charge from the previous day. Of course, they brought her a glass of tea and some appetizers, but she didn't touch them. It would be embarrassing if the deal didn't go through, but she made herself comfortable with the food!

"You'll love our farm's tea; it's the best in town," said the middle-aged woman, smiling with her green eyes with all gentleness and elegance.

Silora nodded with a smile and said comfortably, "I'll love it more if we finish the deal first."

The woman wasn't bothered by her words and said, "Straightforward, I like that. But rushing a deal like this won't benefit either party."

Silora's smile disappeared as she said calmly, "This is your line of work; you have all the time you need, miss. But I see things much simpler. Name a price, if it suits me, we'll drink tea, if not, we'll discuss. It's that simple."

"That's not really how things work, but you seem serious about this sale." The woman pretended to think for a few moments while secretly observing Silora. When she didn't notice any change in her expression, she said with a smile, "250 gold shells... the price is negotiable."

Silora suppressed her laughter with difficulty under the woman's gaze, who pretended not to notice. She didn't think much about it and replied with a smile, "500 gold shells... the price is negotiable."

It was the woman's turn to widen her eyes in anger. She glared at Silora and said, "Why don't you just hit me with that stick of yours and take my money, this is unreasonable."

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Silora continued to suppress her laughter and said with absolute seriousness, "I said, the price is negotiable." She thought for a moment before adding, "And also, I think the price you offered,... well, it's closer to an insult."

The woman regained some of her composure and said defiantly, "It seems we're ignoring the fact that your horse is already old. How much longer does it have to live? Seven more years?"

"His age is 17 years, and the word 'old' is an exaggeration. Most horses live up to 30 years. Don't you have confidence in the quality of horse care at your farm?" Silora said with a smile. Before the woman could interrupt, she continued sarcastically, "And it seems we're ignoring the fact that my horse is easy to handle... you should know by now. And if you think about it, the price you offered barely matches the value I'm providing."

The woman continued to stare at Silora intensely. She didn't deny her words nor agree with them. But she knew well that Silora was right. 'I can't deal with this girl lightly; she knows her stuff.' Staring alone didn't help break Silora's cold facade, so the woman had to say something, "300 gold shells."

"I'll take 425 gold shells," Silora said nonchalantly, pretending not to hear the woman's offer.

The woman rose from her seat in feigned anger. She wasn't angry at Silora's reasonable offer; what angered her was her arrogant behavior. "Why do you have to be so difficult? I'm trying to be nice, but you're disrespecting me," she tried to exploit that to her advantage, to stir a sense of guilt in Silora to control the conversation.

Silora closed her eyes slightly, allowing her expression to soften a bit. "I apologize, my behavior was inappropriate. But still, I can't accept the offer you made." She pretended to think with a false expression of guilt, "I'll accept 375 gold shells, I won't go below that amount. Either that amount or I won't sell."

Silora knew well that if she pressed and took her time, she could sell it for 450 gold shells, or even higher if she visited other stables. But time wasn't on her side here; she just wanted to get the money and be on her way. She still had a trip at sunset, although the money she would make from the horse couldn't compare to the cost of the trip. But Silora didn't want to stay another day in this town. She was deeply affected by everything she had been through, to the point where she was trying hard not to think about those things.

The woman behind the desk pretended to think, her facial expressions changing each time to a different one. After a moment, she looked at Silora with a difficult expression. "Alright, I won't make it hard for you either. I'll accept 375,... happy."

Silora smiled from her seat. She lifted the cold tea cup lightly and said happily, "Now, let's drink the tea."