Chapter 36: A Fair Trade

"This guy... I mean, you...!" Calypson stuttered in confusion, his mind racing to make sense of the unexpected mention of the Platinum Dragon.

How does this kid know about the Platinum Dragon? He hasn't come out from his lair for over two centuries years...

The dragons Karyl mentioned had vanished long enough for two human generations to pass and then some.

Where did he hear about this?

“I don't understand what you're talking about.” Calypson asked, his expression filled with confusion. "Dragons? They are but a tale of the past, long gone from our continent."

But Karyl took a step closer. He stood on his tiptoes and while resting his chin on the table, he said with a relaxed expression,

"Don't worry. I mean you no harm. Narh Di Maug isn't interested in your magical artifacts but in your unique items instead."

"..."

Calypson furrowed his brow. "Quiet, boy. What would a kid like you know about Lord Narh Di Maug? He's the one who saved me when I was on the brink of death."

"Indeed," Karyl smiled at Calypson. "If the Platinum Dragon, unlike other dragons, didn't care about lesser beings, you wouldn't have survived. Truly a benevolent creature."

"Creature?!" Calypson shouted, his mouth hung open in shock.

And the same goes for humans.

The Platinum Dargon was the only dragon who participated in the Oracle War that would break out three years later.

He was also the one who taught me how to travel back in time.

Briefly getting lost in nostalgia, Karyl’s voice broke the silence. "So, what item will you show me?"

"..."

"Anyway, he's still asleep. I know you've been leaving items in front of his lair to honor your promise of life, but it would be better to do so three years later."

"...What?" Calypson scoffed, misunderstanding Karyl's words. "Nonsense. Look, these are my creations."

Carefully, Calypson took out three boxes from a drawer and placed them on the table. Despite the shop's collection of old antiques, these boxes were rather exquisitely crafted, not fitting the surroundings.

Hmph, I bet he'll be speechless at the price. I don't know how much money this kid has, but it's predictable.

Watching Karyl, Calypson smirked to himself. Each item inside the boxes was truly extraordinary.

"Hey...!!"

As Karyl nonchalantly opened the lids of the boxes, Calypson's face grew pale, a desperate attempt to stop Karyl forming in his mind. But it was too late.

"Hmm."

But looking inside the boxes, Karyl seemed disappointed.

Huh, what's with that face?

No one had ever looked at Calypson's creations with such an expression before.

"Is this it?"

"Of course, boy. Seriously, are your eyes just for decoration? It'd be hard to find treasures like these in any dungeon," Calypson replied, flabbergasted by Karyl's grimacing face.

"Certainly, it would be hard to find in any dungeon. It would need to be at least a B-grade dungeon."

"...What?"

"There should be more. Bring them out."

"What, what are you talking about!?" Calypson’s voice rose even higher, but Karyl simply smirked and sighed.

"Must I always be blunt? I don't understand why gnomes always try to hide things."

"What do you mean..."

"The Four Fangs."

Startled by the sound of his swallowing, Calypson stared at Karyl in shock.

"What I want to buy is exactly that."

The Four Canines. They are a masterpiece among masterpieces created by the gnome craftsman Calypson.

The ring, embedded with a small red gem, would appear to be a normal accessory at first glance, but it was actually an armor enchanted with gnome crafting magic.

Crafting Magic was something only craftsmen could apply to the artifacts they created. While the process of inscribing the spell was complex and its effects were unpredictable, sometimes the spell even backfired during the creation process, risking the craftsman's life. This is why, even for gnomes, creating items with crafting magic was rare.

In that regard, the Four Canines were extraordinary. However, the method of activation was rather unsophisticated.

The four sharp canines embedded in the ring harness the user's magical power to create a shield. The more magic it absorbs, the stronger the shield becomes.

In other words, it drains the user's magical power.

Furthermore, there's no limit to the amount of magical power the Four Canines can absorb. This means that if one is not careful, they could die from magical depletion.

The activation condition was not actually intended for humans.

After the revelation of the Oracle, Narh Di Maug handed over his treasures to humans. One of those items was this ring.

Karyl watched as Calypson took out a hidden box from the floor with trembling hands.

Click-

Looking at the ring inside the box, Karyl nodded in satisfaction.

At that time, the only person in the empire capable of handling it was the court sorcerer, Kadin Luer. Even though he had reached the level of a Grand Sorcerer, his magical capacity was ultimately limited.

Being able to “handle” something is quite different from using it “freely”.

However, Karyl’s magical power was different.

With my magic...

Karyl took the ring out and looked at it. Perhaps, Karly could even stop gods with this ability.

But unfortunately, just as its name implied, the shield could only be used four times, with one fang per use.

Yet, for Karyl, that was sufficient. There's only one life anyway, death just meant the end.

Just preventing

that

was enough to prove the worth of this artifact.

"Hey. I don't know how you found out about it... Alright, that's fine. But do you even have the money to buy it? Don't get greedy for nothing..."

Before Calypson could finish, Karyl placed a pouch from his pocket on the table.

"Only this much? Come on..." Calypson snorted, eyeing the small pouch of gold coins, and untied it.

"These gold coins are from 250 years ago. As a gnome, you are aware, right? Back then, gold coins were made of 100% pure gold. I believe this should be enough value. If it falls short, there are a few gems inside as well."

Calypson was speechless as he examined the gold coins and gems inside the pouch.

Taking out a large blue gem to inspect, he couldn't hide his astonishment. It was no ordinary gem. It was a lapis lazuli, all veins of which had disappeared decades ago, making it impossible to find any more of these gems.

"An... elemental stone?"

"Yes."

And there were more.

Aside from the lapis lazuli, there were carnelians, hematite, cradle stones, and so on...

𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

And of such high purity... With these, you can buy a small country!

Elemental stones are considered the source of magic, and these stones, filled with one of the five elemental powers, could be ingested or applied to weapons.

The coins paled in comparison to the immense value of these magical stones. Calypson gazed at Karyl in disbelief.

"Elemental stones are said to possess higher purity of magic the more facets they have. These are all octahedral. You can't find these in any existing mines."

Unbeknownst to himself, Calypson gulped audibly.

If taking an octahedral stone can elevate an ordinary person to the ranks of a sorcerer, then what I have should more than suffice.

"Where did you get these...?"

"Isn't the black market all about goods and gold? If you won't sell, then it can't be helped."

"Wait a moment!"

Karyl chuckled.

The items possessed by a dragon were unnecessary for him, but for those with magical power, they were irresistibly valuable.

As Karyl turned to leave, Calypson hastily called out to him. A mischievous smile played upon Karyl's lips as he gripped the door handle.

"Fine... I'll hand over the ring."

Karyl nodded slowly in response to his words.

Hmm, the kid seems to have a good head on his shoulders, but he's still young. Where did he get these from? Even the emperor can’t get his hands on such high quality octahedral stones!

Suppressing a chuckle, Calypson slowly pulled the pouch of gold towards him and handed the ring to Karyl. Karyl silently slipped the Four Canines onto his little finger. A sharp pain followed, as the ring bit into him, drawing a drop of blood that quickly got absorbed.

"But I have one question. You've mentioned gnomes several times, do you know any others?" Calypso asked cautiously.

Karyl responded smoothly as if he had been waiting for this moment. "It’s hard to say. I've only met one by chance. I don't know where they live, but it’s just that I've heard rumors of a certain place."

"Where? And from whom?" Calypson’s voice grew urgent.

Karyl recalled a memory from his past life.

“If only I had known a little earlier, before the Oracle was revealed... I could have saved the few remaining members of my race... It's regrettable, such a shame... Damn this war, it killed even those few who were left..."

A sigh filled with regret.

An old gnome, living in disguise, gazed at the battlefield from beneath the capital's walls and shared his story with Karyl. The Oracle could save the continent, but it couldn’t save his kin.

Who did I hear it from, you say?

Karyl looked up slowly, meeting Calypson's gaze.

I heard it from you, five years from now, when we met in my past life.

But of course, he couldn't say that.

"Hmm. I can’t tell you that, but if you wish, I can tell you about that place."

"Really?"

"Yes, really." Karyl nodded confidently.

"Who knows? The last remaining lineage of the thought-to-be-extinct Gnome Kingdom might be waiting for you."

Calypson's eyes wavered intensely at his words.

You must be dying of curiosity.

Karyl had firmly caught his prey. Karyl was naive? Ridiculous.

"Really...? Where is it?!" Unable to contain himself, Calypson leaped up from the table and shouted.

Unfazed, Karyl pointed to the pouch of gold and elemental stones he had placed on the table earlier.

"This is the black market, after all. If you want something, you must pay its rightful price, don’t you agree?" Karyl chuckled as he spoke.

"What?"

The Four Canines shimmered on the finger pointing at the pouch filled with gold and elemental stones.