Lord: Stripped of My Inheritance from the Start

High in the sky, the tense atmosphere eased as the two spoke, and Bellora officially stated his request—for the Giant Dragon’s scales.

He also made a promise.

If Ronin was willing to provide the Dragon Scales, Bellora would grant a request of his in return.

Although Bellora specified it had to be something within his power, for a Great Mage of his caliber, what could possibly be beyond his abilities?

This promise carried considerable weight!

Ronin could ask for many things: High Level Magic or Combat Skills, a sum of Magic Crystal Stones, or even for Bellora to save his life a few times should he find himself in mortal danger.

He could even secure Bellora’s support for any major power shifts in the future.

Thinking of this, Ronin patted the Giant Dragon’s massive body. “Carlos, what do you think?”

The Giant Dragon snorted in displeasure, its two massive nostrils puffing out clouds of white mist.

To Bellora, it was obvious the Giant Dragon was furious and unwilling.

But in Ronin’s mind, Carlos’s voice was timid. ’Master, can I refuse?’

The last time, to help Elron try to create a Fury Potion, it had endured the pain of giving up some of its blood.

Even though it was just a small cut, and the bleeding had stopped before Elron even had a chance to use a Healing Skill, Carlos had still sulked about it for a long time.

Ronin chuckled and sent via Soul Transmission, ’Don’t worry, I won’t agree so easily. And even if I do, I’ll make him compensate you properly.’

So Ronin still intended to give some away.

Carlos let out a low growl and shot Bellora a fierce glare.

The killing intent flashing in its cold eyes sent a chill down even the Great Mage’s spine.

“Your dragon seems reluctant?”

Bellora had done some research on Giant Dragons and knew the creatures were incredibly proud.

If Ronin weren’t holding it back, it probably would have blasted anyone who dared ask for its scales with a gout of Flaming Dragon Breath.

“He is indeed unwilling.”

Ronin said with a smile, “After all, forcefully tearing off his scales would be incredibly painful and would also damage his Spirit.”

Bellora frowned.

Ever since he’d accidentally acquired the recipe for this secret potion, he had tried using many other materials as substitutes for Dragon Scale.

He’d tried Griffins and Dragon Eagles, which were rumored to have Giant Dragon blood, as well as creatures with tough scales like High Tier Crocodiles, Giant Pythons, and certain Sea Fish, but the results were always lackluster.

The Dragon Scales were essential for his purposes.

Before, he’d had no way of finding a Giant Dragon. But now, with one right before his eyes, he had to find a way to get at least a few scales.

However, he didn’t want to resort to force.

After all, the young man before him was the descendant of an acquaintance; he couldn’t bring himself to stoop to robbery.

As for murder and theft, that simply wasn’t Bellora’s style.

“It’s said that Giant Dragons love shiny things. And as you know, if my domain has one thing in abundance, it’s Magic Crystal Stones.”

Bellora said, “Help me persuade Carlos. If he is willing, I’ll purchase each piece of Scale Armor for 300 fully charged Magic Crystal Stones.”

A fully charged Magic Crystal Stone, even at a conservative estimate of 100 Gold Coins each, meant Thirty Thousand Gold Coins per Dragon Scale.

The price wasn’t low, but it wasn’t particularly high either. Then again, what could one expect? Giant Dragons were exceptionally rare.

“Three hundred seems a bit low, doesn’t it?”

Hearing this, Bellora knew he had an opening. ’So the young man is greedy,’ he thought to himself.

“You may not realize this, but while my domain does have a Magic Crystal Ore Vein, it can’t be mined by ordinary people. Not only is the annual output limited, but at most, we only produce about three thousand fully charged Magic Crystal Stones a year.”

He explained, “I consume a portion of those, and another portion is sold externally. There isn’t much left over.”

Ronin understood. He’d assumed all Magic Crystal Stones were fully charged right after being mined.

In that case, getting him to offer more Magic Crystal Stones seemed difficult.

’Still, if he’s out of Magic Crystal Stones, he can make up for it in other ways,’ Ronin considered.

“It would be difficult to tear scales directly from a Giant Dragon,” Ronin said, “but perhaps you weren’t aware that Giant Dragons also shed their scales naturally.”

Ronin continued, “And as it happens, I have some with me.”

Carlos was confused. ’When did I shed scales?’

But then he remembered. He had indeed shed over a hundred scales when he’d leveled up before. Ronin had picked them up, planning to forge a suit of Dragon Scale Armor.

Bellora’s eyes lit up. “Giant Dragons molt?”

He coughed, seemingly realizing how impolite that sounded, and quickly changed his question. “How many do you have?”

Ronin had 136 scales.

He needed to keep 108 of them to forge the Dragon Scale Armor, which left 28 that could be sold.

However, he needed to keep a few in reserve; perhaps Elron would need Dragon Scales as a material in the future.

“About twenty.”

Ronin stated his terms directly. “If you need them, Bellora, you can purchase fifteen of them for five hundred thousand Gold Coins, and the rest for 1,500 Magic Crystal Stones.”

He mentioned five hundred thousand Gold Coins primarily because of the requirements for the final tier of the “Bountiful Fortune” achievement.

If he could complete that achievement, he would be able to break through to the Silver Moon Level, and even Ridder could become a Proud Sun.

Seeing that Ronin was willing to sell, Bellora’s mood improved immensely.

Twenty Dragon Scales would be more than enough for trial and error.

Once he successfully developed the Magic Potion, he might get one step closer to the Legendary realm.

But then he ran into a problem.

The Silva Clan’s vaults didn’t seem to hold that many Gold Coins or Magic Crystal Stones.

It was like asking a billionaire to produce five hundred million in cash on the spot—a difficult feat.

“I can gather the five hundred thousand Gold Coins within a few months.”

Bellora said thoughtfully, “But the 1,500 Magic Crystal Stones are trickier. For one, our inventory is low, and for another, my own Magic research consumes a great deal. Do you think we could trade for something else instead?”

“Of course. But first, I’d like to see what you have to offer.”

Ronin hadn’t forgotten his original purpose for coming to Crystal City.

Magic, Combat Skills, water from the Magic Spirit Spring, Starlight Grass—these were all things he wanted.

“Hahaha, in that case, let’s not linger in the sky. Come, let’s go to Crystal Castle.”

To put Ronin at ease, he added reassuringly,

“I’ll go on ahead and announce your arrival in Crystal City. I’ll have Franz await you, so you won’t have to worry about me trying to pull anything.”

After making such an announcement, attacking Ronin would be a public slap in his own face.

Bellora may have grown indifferent to most worldly matters, but the Silva Clan was still the ruler of this land. They had their pride to maintain.

Watching him depart at a Rapid Speed, Ronin finally relaxed.

His encounter with Bellora was a complete accident, but the outcome had been surprisingly good.

Especially the five hundred thousand Gold Coins. He’d thought he would have to wait for his trade business to flourish before earning that much, but he never expected the Dragon Scales sitting in his storage ring would come in so handy.

“Come on, let’s follow him.”

Carlos gave a happy roar and flapped his wings. Since no scales were being plucked from his body this time, he was in a great mood.

「Crystal Castle.」

Upon his return, Bellora immediately had someone summon Franz.

In truth, at Bellora’s age, his familial bonds with the younger generations had grown somewhat distant.

Franz was an exception; his talent was impressive, so he was able to meet with Bellora on occasion to receive his guidance.

His other great-grandchildren, and even the generations after them, likely only saw Bellora once a year during the annual festival or on other important holidays.

“Great-grandfather!”

Franz bowed with the utmost respect, not daring to be the least bit careless. “What are your instructions?”

Bellora was smiling, looking quite amiable. “You know Ronin?”

Er…

Franz hadn’t expected such a question.

He paused for a moment, then nodded.

“I met Ronin at the martial arts tournament in the Royal Capital last year. He was the champion.”

Bellora nodded. “And how old is this Ronin?”

“About eighteen or nineteen, I think?”

Hearing this, Bellora couldn’t help but gasp. “Only eighteen or nineteen?” he asked in shock.

He had thought Ronin was at least in his twenties.

“What’s wrong?”

Franz was confused. Why was his great-grandfather so shocked by Ronin’s age?

His great-grandfather’s next words completely boggled his mind.

“An eighteen-year-old Meteor Knight and Great Mage… This Ronin has the makings of a Great Emperor!”

The Great Emperor he spoke of was the founding Great Emperor of the Orland Empire, the man who had conquered and unified the entire continent.

“Impossible!”

Franz’s eyes widened. “But during the tournament, he was only a Silver Knight!”

“Oh?”

Bellora was surprised for a moment, but he quickly guessed that Ronin must have been hiding his true strength.

He thought for a moment, then said, “Don’t speak of Ronin’s strength to outsiders. Also, he will be arriving at Crystal Castle shortly. You will receive him on my behalf.”

Franz’s head was spinning.

At twenty-three years old, he had reached the rank of Bronze Knight and Great Mage in his Magic and Martial Dual Cultivation, a feat that was already considered exceptionally talented in the eyes of others.

But Ronin, at only eighteen or nineteen… had he really reached the Seventh-level in both of his professions?

’No, this can’t be right. I have to ask him about this later!’