CHAPTER 331: CHAPTER-331.

Kaya turned to Veer, her brows slightly furrowed, and asked, "So... how much is this Calcutta salt? Is it expensive or something?"

Veer paused, looked at her, and then slowly raised three fingers.

Kaya blinked. "Thirty?"

He shook his head.

"Three hundred?"

He shook his head again, his lips twitching.

Kaya crossed her arms. "Then what, in heaven’s name, does three mean?"

With a deep sigh, Veer said, "Thirty white stones... and three golden ones."

Kaya froze. For a moment, she thought she had misheard him. "Wait—stone? As in... the beast stones? The ones you get after killing them?"

Veer nodded casually.

Kaya’s expression went through a whole emotional rollercoaster — disgust, disbelief, anger, and sheer confusion — all in one second. "Are you telling me someone actually kills beasts just to buy a handful of salt? What are these people even doing with their lives? Licking gold?"

Veer tried to suppress a smile. "Well... you could get about forty kilos of salt for that amount."

Kaya turned to him, deadpan. "It doesn’t even taste that good, Veer."

Before he could respond, she grabbed his hand and started dragging him away from the stall. The shopkeeper coughed dramatically behind them and muttered under his breath, "People without good taste always make excuses..."

Veer stopped mid-step, his head snapping toward the vendor, ready to say something—but Kaya yanked him harder. "Don’t," she muttered. "You think if he calls me poor, I’ll suddenly become rich? Please. I am poor, but at least I’m not stupid enough to buy overpriced rocks."

She’d seen too many kinds of manipulations before, and this one was classic — guilt mixed with mockery.

He wanted to protest, to defend her, but she didn’t let him.

"Let him talk," she said under her breath.

And he was right. She didn’t have a single coin on her.

Besides, if she wanted salt, she could get the best kind — for free — from the merfolk traders.

Why would she waste that much money on rock salt she’d have to break and carry everywhere?

She was practical, not foolish.

And honestly, she wasn’t even that big a fan of rock salt anyway.

Kaya had wandered through a few more stalls but didn’t really buy much.

Honestly, she avoided anything that looked fragile enough to shatter just by looking at it—let alone if she accidentally sat on it.

Then she stopped in front of a strange little shop.

The stall shimmered with rows upon rows of colorful bangles.

For a moment, she just stood there, blinking.

"Wait... are those glass?" she whispered, glancing at veer like he’d somehow know.

Because seriously—how did they even know how to make glass here?

Curious, she stepped closer, and the sight nearly stole her breath. The bangles glimmered in red, yellow, blue, even hues she couldn’t name. Each had its own intricate design, like every piece carried a different story in its pattern. She hadn’t seen this much color since the day she came to this world—it almost looked unreal.

As she leaned forward, she noticed a woman and three beastmen sitting behind the stall. The men looked around their forties, their hands darkened with soot. In front of them, a small coal burner glowed with steady heat.

The woman, probably the craftswoman, held a thick iron rod with a glowing tip, heating it carefully over the coals. As it softened, she began to pull.

The glowing strand stretched out thinner and thinner, until it looked like a ribbon of light. Then, with practiced precision, she snipped it, rolled it, and pressed it into a perfect circle.

Kaya’s eyes widened even more when the woman placed it on a wooden roller, almost as thick as her wrist, rubbed it with a cloth, and held it near the fire again. Within moments, that dull strip turned into something dazzling—a fully formed bangle that shimmered like melted honey in sunlight.

Kaya was absolutely stunned.

Her mouth might have actually fallen open.

The woman noticed her and chuckled softly. "First time seeing a laakh bangle, child?"

Both Kaya and Veer blinked at her, caught off guard.

Kaya finally pointed at the bangle and asked, "What... what is it made of?"

The woman smiled kindly. "Laakh," she said. "This is a laakh bangle."

Kaya blinked again, as if the word didn’t quite fit anywhere in her head.

"Lark?" she repeated.

The woman nodded, amused. "Yes. Try some."

And Kaya just stood there thinking, Try? What does she mean by try? Am I supposed to... eat it or wear it?

It looked so beautiful and fragile that Kaya couldn’t help but stare in awe. Still, when the woman beckoned her closer, Kaya hesitated only for a moment before walking over and sitting down at the small stall.

The woman smiled at her, pleased, and began to point toward the rows of bangles.

"These are laakh bangles," she explained. "And those white ones you see there—"

Kaya’s eyes followed her finger. The pure white bangles gleamed in the light, each carved with such delicate patterns that they looked like tiny frozen waves. There wasn’t a hint of any other color—just that clean, perfect white.

"The part at the side," the woman continued, "is made from elephant trunk."

Kaya froze mid-breath.

"You mean... real elephant trunk?"

The woman chuckled softly. "Yes, child. You’ve seen one before?"

Kaya shook her head quickly. She looked almost like a small child seeing something for the very first time—trying her best to stay composed, yet her eyes sparkled with open curiosity.

The woman watched her reaction for a moment, then nodded to the man beside her.

"Pass that one."

The man smiled and carefully opened a small wooden box, revealing a few bangles nestled inside. He lifted one out and placed it before Kaya.

She reached out hesitantly, touching it with the tip of her finger.

It was solid. Strong. But so smooth and gleaming white that it almost looked alive.

"Try it," the woman said with a smile.

Kaya blinked. "Ah—no, I don’t think so. I’m not planning to buy..."