Dragon's Egg (3)
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Owen naturally had no fondness for the crooked-nosed manager of the 2nd Dragon Stable.
But he smiled and followed him inside anyway.
The vast tent could easily hold a hundred people, and it was filled with all sorts of hatchlings and dragon eggs.
"Impressive."
Owen couldn't help but be genuinely awed.
It seemed the rumors of rampant smuggling were true.
"Kek!"
"Kiek!"
The hatchlings cried out one after another at the sight of the visitors.
Some perched on perches, while others sprawled across the flat floor, fast asleep.
Even to Owen's eyes, there were plenty of promising ones among them—but Albert immediately started acting like he knew all about them.
"Oh, this one's a Kalotes Dragon. Do you know it?"
It was a hatchling barely thirty centimeters long.
Of course, Owen knew these creatures well.
But curious to hear what nonsense he'd spout, he kept his mouth shut.
Albert brightened up at once.
'He doesn't know after all.'
He planned to give a detailed explanation here, building an image of himself as a dragon expert.
That way, it'd be easier to meddle and butt in later.
"The Kalotes Dragon is a small dragon that's a master at climbing trees. Even fully grown, it only reaches about human size. But they're exceptional hunters in the forest."
"Is that so?"
Owen pretended to listen attentively to the endless stream of words.
Of course, inwardly he scoffed.
No one in the Empire had utilized Kalotes Dragons as extensively as Owen had.
They never grew large enough to ride, but they displayed astonishing combat prowess in the woods.
They bounded across even the tallest trees as if on flat ground, leaping lightly from branch to branch.
Owen had once used that trait to devastating effect against a dark elf band entrenched in the western forests.
And now this fool was lecturing him on Kalotes Dragons. It was like teaching a silkworm about wrinkles.
"I hope my explanation proves helpful. Try to focus—moments like this, when a senior passes on his knowledge, don't come often."
"Thank you, Sir Albert."
As Owen adopted a respectful demeanor, Albert smirked inwardly.
'Of course. What could a boy like him possibly know? Rumors are always exaggerated.'
Taking it a step further, Albert offered to help Owen pick an egg.
"We're colleagues from the Bris dragon stables, after all. I can offer some advice."
The malice was blatant, but Owen expressed gratitude.
'This bastard underestimates me because I'm young. A good sign.'
Owen feigned wide-eyed innocence, gasping in awe.
He played the part of a rookie seeing so many dragon eggs for the first time.
Then he paused before a round egg.
It was small, about twenty centimeters in diameter.
But Owen recognized it immediately.
And as he focused on it, just as expected, Tanares' power displayed the details.
Potential: B-Grade
Gender: Female
Status: Healthy
'I figured it'd show info on dragon eggs, but I didn't expect it to be this detailed!'
It even displayed potential, gender, and health status.
'Jackpot. No way to mess up picking eggs now. Hell, this means the Empire's finest dragon eggs are all mine.'
Owen had to forcibly calm his excitement.
Tanares' gift was proving to hold tremendous potential.
For now, he liked the Elderly Dragon egg right in front of him.
'Elderly Dragons are rare. And a female, no less.'
Dragons varied by species, but females generally fetched higher prices.
They could produce offspring.
Just hatching and selling the young could make a fortune.
Dragon traders sold eggs unhatched because even they couldn't confirm gender for sure—and to liquidate smuggled goods quickly into cash.
There was also the risk of failed hatching, but Owen knew this egg was healthy.
"Hold on. You like this egg?"
As Owen showed interest in the Elderly Dragon egg, Albert jumped in immediately.
He might not have Owen's detailed info, but he recognized what it was.
Albert promptly emphasized the risks to dissuade him.
"Think again. This is an Elderly Dragon egg. Rare and expensive. Fail to hatch it, and you'll take a massive loss."
"Hmm…"
Owen pretended to listen, and Albert launched into a tirade.
"Plus, if it's a male, you won't profit much."
"Really?"
"Of course. Rare species like Elderly Dragons are hard to sell, and there's scant breeding info, making them tough to raise. They're notoriously frail as hatchlings. If it just up and dies? You'll burn through a fortune in gold. Better find something safer and more reliable. This is advice from a senior—heed it well."
His words flowed like clear spring water.
Any true novice would've been completely swayed.
"I see."
Owen feigned admiration for now.
He liked the Elderly Dragon egg, but there was more to see.
No rush to decide.
Soon after, however, Albert recommended another egg to Owen.
"How about this? It's a Dickerson—a type of Necklace Dragon egg."
Owen glanced at it and cursed inwardly.
'This fucking prick. He's really trying to screw me over.'
Tired of playing along, Owen decided to sting back.
The label only said "Necklace Dragon egg"—no mention of the specific "Dickerson" breed.
Even without Tanares' info, Owen knew it wasn't a Dickerson.
"Sir Albert. This is an Aurisep, not a Dickerson."
Necklace Dragons were named for the necklace-like stripes around their necks.
Popular small dragons, with many breeds under the category.
Dickersons were the priciest; Auriseps were inferior.
"What? No, I'm telling you, it looks exactly like a Dickerson…"
"Sir Albert. It's an Aurisep. You can tell from the color at the base. Considering the price, even selling after hatching won't yield much profit."
Tanares' info even showed it was male.
"No…"
"Thanks for the advice anyway."
Stung by Owen's rebuke, Albert was left speechless.
He flapped his mouth like a crucian carp in panic.
'Not some clueless rookie after all? How'd he spot it's an Aurisep right away?'
Albert, who'd been smug, shut up after that hit.
His face flushed red from the blow to his pride.
Owen was finally satisfied with the silence.
"Are you Sir Owen Leire?"
Then someone else interjected.
"Yes."
A hearty old man with a thick white beard eyed Owen.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Tasson, a dragon trader."
Owen was inwardly startled by the introduction.
'What? Tasson?'
The name was famous even back when Owen was alive.
'I've heard of him. A veteran dragon smuggler in the east—yeah, that was Tasson.'
But he couldn't let on that he knew.
"Mr. Tasson. What can I do for you?"
"I've heard a lot about you lately, Sir Leire. I've been eager to meet you. An honor."
That was just the start.
Soon, dragon traders flocked to see Owen.
He was surrounded in an instant.
"Sir Owen Leire. An honor to meet you."
"May I invite this man to dinner?"
"The Leire family has produced a fine talent."
The real reason for the traders' interest was the rumor that Owen had secured a hefty budget this time.
Merchant instinct, plain and simple.
On top of that, Owen taking down Baron Maroon earned their goodwill.
The traders had suffered plenty under that baron.
With the mood like this, Albert was naturally sidelined.
He tried greeting his trader acquaintances, but it was futile.
"Hey, been well?"
"Ah, it's you, my lord. How do you do?"
The perfunctory replies barely paused before they turned back to Owen.
Albert seethed with rage.
'He's getting this treatment with my stable's budget. Unforgivable.'
He couldn't exactly yell like he did at the 2nd Dragon Stable, so it felt like bile rising in his throat.
Then, to top it off, Tasson—the famous smuggler—mentioned special eggs he wanted to show Owen.
'Ignoring me, the 2nd Dragon Stable manager, for that punk?'
Albert's vision nearly went red.
But he swallowed his anger and wedged in.
"Tasson, I'm here too."
"Ah, Sir Albert."
"I got funding for new eggs this time too. Whatever they are, show me as well."
"Oh, right. Understood. Actually, I have a collection of unidentified eggs. With your expertise in dragon eggs, Sir Albert, why don't you come take a look too?"
"Hrrm. Thanks."
Albert's pride smarted at having to beg his way in, but now wasn't the time to be picky about hot or cold rice.
"This way."
Guided by Tasson, Owen and Albert moved to another tent.
Far smaller than the first, it held about a dozen dragon eggs.
True to "unidentified," none had labels.
Tasson explained with an awkward look.
"This happens plenty in smuggling. We bring back dragon eggs, but no clue what breed. As you know, there are so many dragon species."
The Empire even had a saying: "No one knows all dragons."
It meant human knowledge had limits—and it was literal.
Even Owen in his past life hadn't known every dragon.
Even experts like dragon traders ran into mysteries.
Thus, these were all-or-nothing gambles.
Pure lottery.
So Tasson's intentions weren't entirely pure in showing this place.
But Owen's heart raced with joy.
Because he could identify every single one.
Albert, meanwhile, couldn't hide his discomfort.
"Hrrm…"
He'd prided himself on his eye, but these were all unfamiliar breeds.
Pink eggs, blue-tinged ones, bumpy ones, spotted ones—utter chaos.
"All unidentified breeds. Each one's a new discovery."
"Exactly, Sir Albert. How about it? Want to be the first in the Empire to own these dragons?"
Albert backed off at Tasson's words.
"No, that's not necessarily good. Sure, potential for novelty, but no breeding info? Pay a fortune, lose the hatchling, and you'll get booted from your stable. Hatching isn't even easy—methods vary per egg."
"Such weak words from the renowned Sir Albert."
Meanwhile, Owen was frantically scanning the hovering info above the eggs.
Then his gaze locked on one.
Even at a glance, it looked extraordinary.
Its shell gleamed a vivid crimson, like flames.
Owen wasn't the only one drawn to it.
Albert sidled up, staring entranced.
"An egg like this… It must be from some amazing dragon."
Albert's hunch was spot on.
Potential: A-Grade
Owen could only think one thing upon seeing the info: insane.
He didn't know what a Dumeril Dragon was.
But the egg was fifty centimeters across.
Definitely a pricey medium breed.
And A-Grade to boot.
Buy it, and it's pure profit.
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But the egg had a fatal flaw visible only to Owen.
Bacterial Infection. Stillbirth Confirmed.
He had no idea what had happened to it, but it was infected with bacteria before even hatching.
The exterior looked fine for now, but it would soon start dying from within.
Stillbirth confirmed—quality didn't matter.
'Close call. The shell's still too pristine.'
Even past-life Owen might've fallen for it.
No way to detect the issue at this stage.
With things like this, Albert's eyes gleamed with greed.
Owen could guess his thoughts.
He'd have coveted it too, without Tanares' power.
'Look at this guy. Perfect. Time to steer him toward this total dud…'
Owen resolved to sabotage things and make Albert grab the worst lemon here.
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