Dragon's Egg (5)
“Urgh…”
Albert’s hand trembled at Owen’s unexpected interference.
But he quickly regained his composure and jumped back into the bidding.
“260 gold coins!”
Owen immediately burst into mocking laughter at Albert’s shout.
“Hahaha! Sir Albert! Are we doing this pathetically, ten at a time? Let’s go big! 300 gold coins!”
The auctioneer followed suit, announcing bids in increments of 50 from then on.
Albert, naturally humiliated, flushed beet red.
He felt like everyone around was mocking him.
“Damn it.”
It was even more humiliating with the beautiful Arhana sitting beside him.
He was utterly smitten with her, the infamous moneylender of Bris known as the Black Widow.
She whispered in a soft, silky tone.
“Are you just going to let him win like this? Albert.”
“As if! 400 gold coins!”
As Albert jumped up by 100, murmurs rippled through the crowd.
“Now that’s bold!”
“What the hell is in that egg?”
Albert smirked smugly at Owen, his attitude screaming that a punk like him had no business interfering.
He’s got 500 gold coins at most. There’s a limit!
Albert could already taste victory.
Meanwhile, Owen was calculating coolly.
I was planning to drop out around now…
Influencing the price upward was fine, but getting stuck buying it himself would be a disaster.
Owen had zero intention of purchasing that stillborn egg.
But seeing Albert’s attitude now changed his mind.
Maybe one more bid wouldn’t hurt?
To crush him completely, Owen was prepared to take the risk.
His max was 500 gold coins.
He was about to throw it all in when something unexpected happened.
“600 gold coins!”
A random third party had jumped in out of nowhere.
“!”
Owen’s eyes widened in surprise.
But it didn’t stop there.
Another bidder followed immediately.
“700 gold coins!”
“800 gold coins!”
Owen couldn’t help but panic at this sudden turn.
“What the?”
In truth, this was all blowback from his own actions.
Owen hadn’t fully realized it, but his reputation in Bris had skyrocketed lately.
Seeing him in a bidding war sparked everyone else’s curiosity.
“What exactly is that red egg?”
“Those two are fighting like mad—there must be something to it.”
“Not a bad investment.”
The merchants’ minds raced.
A compelling story had formed.
The egg that Suffolk Duke’s dragon stable managers had battled over at the eastern auction house!
It could probably fetch a high price elsewhere.
“Now that I look, its shell looks extraordinary…”
“There’s gotta be some secret to it.”
Albert was going insane at how things had spiraled.
“Those moneybags pigs! Gah!”
The bidding price shot past 1,000 gold coins in no time.
Now it was too steep for investing in a mystery egg.
Bids slowed, some dropping out as a tense standoff ensued.
“Any more bids?”
Albert hesitated at the auctioneer’s call.
He was tapped out, honestly.
He wrestled fiercely with the dilemma.
I’ve got about 300 gold from pulling this year’s remaining budget—all earmarked, so it’s tight. Plus 500 I skimmed off. And 300 loaned by Arhana. Thought it was plenty, but now I’m hitting the limit. If it keeps going, I’m done…
No way he could win.
Then Arhana prodded him slyly.
“Giving up?”
“Knowing when to fold… is wise.”
“But I’m right here?”
“…No, that’s—”
“I don’t want to watch you lose, Albert. I’ll loan you more than we discussed. How about it?”
“You mean it?”
“Of course.”
Arhana flashed a seductive smile and stroked his thigh lightly.
Excited, Albert dove back in.
Someone bid 1,300, and he countered instantly.
“1,400 gold coins!”
The crowd buzzed.
The price had ballooned too far.
Arhana, watching from beside him, hid a sly smile behind her fan.
Everything was going her way.
Her goal was to get Albert to borrow as much as possible.
He’d been drawing lines at what he needed, but this unexpected chaos broke him easily.
The black widow clearly had plans.
“1,400 gold coins! No more bids? Going once!”
The auction ended at 1,400 gold coins.
Albert won.
“Yes!”
Drenched in sweat but triumphant, he clenched his fist.
It had been a grueling battle, but victory was his.
His heart pounded with elation.
Buoyed by confidence, he locked eyes with Arhana and beamed.
“Congratulations.”
The beautiful widow’s smile was irresistible.
“Thanks!”
Joy made his chest thump wildly.
With this win boosting him, he felt like he could claim the woman before him tonight.
As Albert savored the moment, a stray thought crossed his mind.
“Wait?”
Come to think of it, Owen hadn’t bid at all for a while.
The guy had seemed dead set on that red egg no matter what.
“Hm?”
A weird feeling hit him. He glanced at Owen’s seat—and realized he was gone.
“What? Where’d that bastard go?”
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Owen had just slipped out of the auction house.
His lips curled into a grin.
“Never dreamed it’d go this perfectly.”
Even he hadn’t anticipated this outcome.
He’d actually debated dumping his entire 500 gold fortune into the bid.
But everyone piled in, driving the final price to 1,400.
Absurd for a stillborn egg.
“Hahaha!”
Owen had to stop walking and slap his thigh laughing.
Albert was now in deep trouble.
With that black widow tagging along, he must’ve borrowed a ton. Wonder if he can handle a stillborn hatchling.
By then, Albert wouldn’t have eyes for harassing the 5th Dragon Stable.
Owen inhaled the night air, feeling buoyant.
“Hoo.”
After catching his breath, he ducked into a small tent.
“You’ve arrived.”
Old dragon trader Tasson waited inside.
A bottle and glasses sat on the table.
Owen had skipped mingling with auction guests to come straight here.
For a chat with this intriguing merchant, of course.
And he’d greased the wheels for a private meet with bribes.
“Please, sit.”
“Thank you, Sir Tasson. But straight to the point—the egg?”
“Hahaha, you like it, eh? Here, this box. Open it.”
Owen opened the box to reveal a moldy egg.
Albino Variant
It was exactly what he wanted.
Owen grinned involuntarily.
Not only had he screwed over Albert, but he’d scored his desired egg for free.
Perfection.
Elated, Owen grabbed the bottle.
“Allow me to pour you one, Sir Tasson. Truly grateful.”
“No need. It was moldy, so I wasn’t planning to sell it anyway.”
Truth was, Owen had visited Tasson yesterday specifically for this egg.
Tasson had offered it as a gift in exchange for a private drink.
Owen happily accepted, sensing the man wanted to build ties.
He too desired connections with the famed eastern smuggler.
“Sir Tasson, one question.”
“Ask away.”
“Where did you get this egg? It’s not from dragons beyond the orc plains.”
“Impressive eye. So you know the exact species?”
Tasson’s face lit with interest.
“I do. A whip-tail dragon egg.”
“Oh, indeed!”
Tasson nodded, then froze at Owen’s follow-up.
“Precisely, the Stellatus variant of whip-tail dragon.”
“W-wait. You can tell that much?”
Whip-tail dragons had many subspecies, each distinct.
This was the Stellatus type.
“Of course.”
“Even so, from the egg alone?”
“There are ways. Can’t share them, though.”
“Hmmm… astonishing. Hard to believe.”
As Tasson mixed awe and doubt, Owen pressed confidently.
“Hatch it later and see. Then you’ll know if Owen Leire is a man of empty words.”
“Haha… if you say so.”
“Anyway, that’s why I ask—whip-tail dragons live not beyond the eastern plains, but on far southeastern islands, months by sea. How did this end up here?”
“The Southern Cross Islands, you mean.”
So named because the Southern Cross constellation looms largest there.
A dragon paradise, the world’s finest.
Many dragon knights coveted mounts from there for their superior dragons.
The issue: distance and peril.
Only a tiny fraction reached the Empire.
Whip-tails were among them.
“Yes. Southern Cross Islands. Wild-collected, not Empire-bred. No living Stellatus in the Empire now. How?”
“Heh.”
Tasson chuckled softly before replying quietly.
“Can’t go into details, but one thing: consider it goodwill toward you, Sir Leire. Keep it secret.”
“Understood.”
“I’ve been pioneering a smuggling route to the Southern Cross Islands. Huge losses, of course. Human enemies block the way.”
“Heard even breaking the encirclement leads to vast seas swarming with monsters.”
“Exactly. That’s why it’s a dragon paradise yet so unreachable. Recent breakthroughs let me collect some—though this egg seems a dud…”
“Haha… incredible tale. No smuggler’s reached there in over a decade, I heard.”
If true, Owen resolved to forge tight bonds with Tasson.
Southern Cross dragons were mostly powerful rares.
Even some could tip the scales against “humanity’s foes.”
“But there’s a catch.”
“What?”
“Those island eggs are hard to hatch and raise. Who in the Empire could manage it?”
“I can.”
“Haha…”
Tasson appreciated the confidence but couldn’t fully buy it.
Remarkable, sure, but still just a boy.
Suddenly, he felt like testing Owen.
“Then you can hatch this one too? Mold and all?”
“Naturally.”
“…Fine. If you’re that sure, you must have a plan. Succeed, and I’ll deal with you more openly, Sir Leire.”
Meaning more Southern Cross intel.
“Thank you. Watch and see results.”
Their drinking chat stretched late.
Mostly dragon talk.
Both knowledgeable, it was enjoyable.
And mutually surprising.
This kid… can’t underestimate just ’cause he’s young. Knows more about dragons than me. Unbelievable.
Tasson started believing Owen might deliver.
The next day at lunch.
Owen immediately prepped to hatch the egg.
“Young master, got the reagents you ordered.”
“Thanks.”
First, mold suppressant.
Couldn’t eradicate it fully.
Possible, but harsh chems harmed the embryo.
So Owen used his personal know-how for the mildest brew.
As he mixed herbs, servant Ben gawked.
“Lord almighty! Young master, you know this stuff too?”
“Just a minor skill.”
“Well, this old coot knows somethin’. Dilutin’ it like that, mold’ll come right back.”
“Right. This is just basic prep.”
Owen knew exactly how to hatch a moldy whip-tail egg.
He’d done it in his past life.
Probably the only one in the Empire who could.
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“Oh, got the wooden planks I mentioned?”
“Yessir, nails and hammer too. What’re ya makin’?”
“A wooden box.”
Owen was about to unveil his special hatching method.
Soon, this egg would hatch.
A rare albino variant emerging would shock all of Bris.
No, the whole Empire’s dragon enthusiasts would eye Owen.
No albino whip-tail had ever appeared here.
“Young master, is a whip-tail dragon that special? Heard it’s small-sized.”
“Whip-tail dragons differ from standard combat breeds. They hold a very unique place in the Empire.”
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