A great variety of novel goods were presented at the auction. While not particularly powerful, their uses were wonderfully bizarre, broadening even Cassius's horizons.
Before long, however, he felt the urge to make some extra coin of his own.
And so, at Cassius's command, the "iron golem" drew forth scale after scale from a bag of holding.
"What are these?"
"There seems to be residual lightning energy lingering on them—a very volatile reaction."
"Are they dragon scales?"
The onlookers examined them closely, but none could discern their origin. Cassius merely smiled without uttering a word.
"They are behir scales," Lady Stars said with certainty.
"Armor crafted from the scales of such beasts offers protection against lightning. What's more, these scales still retain elemental traces, likely taken within the last decade. In the hands of a master artisan, they could even be forged into magic items capable of releasing evocation spells like Chain Lightning or Lightning Bolt."
Only then did Cassius speak up: "Your profound erudition commands my deepest admiration."
Lady Stars offered a slight smile, seeming rather pleased with herself.
"However... please wait a moment."
Several bags of holding were tied around the "iron golem's" waist. He inverted them, dumping out a heap that consisted entirely of behir scales.
"So many?"
"Heavens, how many suits of armor could that craft?"
"He must have slain a behir—or perhaps even more than one."
Amid the buzz of murmurs, Cassius named a figure:
"All of these, for two thousand gold coins."
Silence fell over the crowd; no one could produce that many gold coins in a single sum.
After a moment's hesitation, Grey Hawk said, "Five hundred gold coins. I'll take a quarter of them."
"Same for me," Seeker chimed in.
And just like that, half of the scales that had gathered dust in Cassius's hoard for years were sold off for a thousand gold coins. Yet, in truth, he had played a little trick.
The scales had sat in his lair for years, making him intimately familiar with them. As such, he could use his draconic innate spell-like ability, Locate Object, to pinpoint their position across a range of several kilometers.
Furthermore, when he first entered, he had noticed a medallion faintly visible on the breast of Grey Hawk's robe—depicting an eagle and a sword.
"I hope you store them carefully in your vault..."
"When the time comes—"
"I'll come looking for you..."
Cassius gazed at the buyer with benevolent eyes. The other man thought nothing of it, assuming he was merely pleased with the outcome of the deal.
The item-trading phase drew to a close shortly after.
Beyond sharing magical knowledge, exchanging research, and auctioning goods, the Arcane Hermitage also served as a venue to seek aid in eradicating evil. At that moment, Grey Hawk was rallying support.
"The Cinder Nest—many of you may not have heard this name yet, but this evil faction's reach has expanded across the entirety of Storm Heights, already threatening the surrounding nations. Ogres, wyverns, chimeras... those vile, terrifying monsters have gathered in one place..."
"The Cinder Nest?"
"I think I heard some nearby adventurers mention it."
"That land of death?"
"Their leader is said to be a red dragon."
Grey Hawk gritted his teeth. "Indeed! Their leader is a savage red dragon—those wretched reptiles! Dragons! Born with immense power, yet they still plot to wrest everything from our grasp. Their desires are insatiable. Greedily craving more, they seek to hoard every treasure in the world. People of righteousness like us ought to step forward—"
Hearing this, Olivia's brow furrowed slightly, though she said nothing.
Instead, Cassius intervened at just the right moment: "Your Excellency Grey Hawk, you are generalizing a bit too broadly. Are there not also champions of good among dragons, such as gold and silver dragons? Such noble beings are far more worthy of the word 'justice' than mere mortals."
"Indeed."
Olivia nodded instinctively.
Yet she soon realized the impropriety of her gesture and caught the smiling glance Cassius cast in her direction.
She gave Cassius a deep, knowing look and said no more.
'A dragon's benevolence...'
Cassius mused inwardly. Such was the paradox of metallic dragons.
On one hand, blessed with immense lifespans, they believed themselves far nobler than other beings—just like most dragons—and thus would never view other creatures as equals. Yet at the same time, these metallic dragons were "good," taking pleasure in aiding the weak and championing justice, which made their conduct feel much closer to tossing charity to pets.
Having been interrupted, Grey Hawk was visibly displeased, but he pressed on: "Presently, the three dukes of Lakeman, Bosque, and Knott are assembling an allied army, preparing to combine forces to purge the evil from this land and launch an offensive against the Cinder Nest. However... the coalition still lacks sufficient spellcasters. If any of you present are willing to fight for the order and peace of Anzeta, please contact me. My family is prepared to offer generous compensation to those who step forward—a price that will surely satisfy you."
"Yet this so-called Cinder Nest has not launched an attack against you, has it? So why... must you initiate a war?" Olivia asked softly.
Silver dragons did not care for war. They despised injustice and cruelty, yet unlike gold dragons, they did not relish acting as the sworn nemeses of wickedness and villainy; rather than punishing or eradicating evildoers, silver dragons were more concerned with protecting the innocent and healing their wounds.
Seeing that the person of highest standing had spoken, Grey Hawk hurried to reply, "Lady Stars, that is a red dragon. You can expect only the very worst from it! Its talons and flames could render us homeless at any moment! It will abduct our wives and daughters and burn our homes to ash! The only thing we can do... is strike preemptively!"
Clap, clap, clap!
Applause rang out through the spacious hall.
—Coming from Cassius.
"Well said, Your Excellency Grey Hawk! This red dragon indeed threatens the peace and order of Anzeta. As a saying from my homeland goes: with great power comes great responsibility. As the darlings of the world, we spellcasters truly bear a duty to uphold justice and purge such ruthless, wicked fiends. I believe everyone present shares this conviction. I, along with the faction behind me, am willing to contribute our strength to the coalition's crusade."
Cassius's words rang with resounding conviction.
Seeing such staunch support from the wealthy, mysteriously backed Cassius, Grey Hawk's expression turned into pure delight. Completely forgetting his earlier annoyance, he stepped forward and flattered him: "Your Excellency Embers, to stand against a dragon for the sake of justice—I am truly filled with profound respect for you."
Cassius waved his hand. "Think nothing of it. We all walk the path of justice; this is merely what we ought to do."
"Precisely!"
Applause broke out all around them.
Wearing warm smiles, the two exchanged a firm handshake, each harboring their own hidden agenda and taking the other for an easy mark—though Cassius held far superior information.
Chapter 84