When Green, an elderly man in the twilight of his years, appeared aboard the caravan ship leaning on a cane, the captain could hardly believe his eyes!
"Hey! Who sold them tickets? My ship absolutely will not take old geezers who'll die halfway through the journey! That'll bring cursed bad luck! Damn Thomas, how dare he disobey my orders? I'll drown him in the toilet!"
The burly man, standing over six feet tall, roared as he pushed against the stream of travelers in the corridor. People hurriedly made way for this imposing giant, and even the baby in a woman's arms began to cry. Green trembled as he leaned against the deck railing, his eyes beneath dark skin gazing into the distance at the endless, lush green prairie.
Yet Thomas, the withered little man barely five feet three whom the captain had appointed as accountant, was behind him directing two laborers carrying a stretcher. Upon it lay a pale old woman who looked as though she might breathe her last at any moment, apparently the old man's wife. The sight left the captain utterly stunned!
"You—"
But before the captain could speak, Thomas hurriedly pulled him aside.
After fumbling with his trembling right hand, Thomas took out a handkerchief and unfolded several layers of wrapping, revealing a level-three Sand Crystal. The sight immediately startled the burly man. He covered Thomas's hand and calmed down as well.
"It's at the request of Grand Duke Walnut Blossom. We must deliver these two distinguished guests to the designated oasis kingdom; we can't refuse! And this Sand Crystal alone is enough to cover several voyages. Taking this job means we've struck it rich!"
Having calmed down, the captain looked at the old woman on the stretcher carried by the two sailors, then at several