Chapter 13

"Kono hiyo wa ikura desu ka?" Stormshadu asked the price in Elvish. The old man held up his hooked index finger in a downward slash indicating either ten gold pieces or a core. Stormshadu gave him the money for both books. Stor looked over saw the titles were in Elvish and asked. "What did you buy now?"

Stormshadu looked at the covers before replying "ABCs of weapon enchanting and The Complete Psychic Monk's Book Of Sorcery. I think John is ready to learn something new." Stormshadu had taught John only some basic fighting philosophies.

Stor realized that John was still less than a month since hatching yet he grew so fast. He didn't think that was a normal dragon growth rate. He had read that a dragon less than ten years was still considered a hatchling.

As he recalled from Ba'mut's holy scriptures it would take several tens of decades if not a centuries for a dragon to cultivate to this point.

This dragon he helped hatch took less than a month. He wondered if the egg was blessed with Ba'mut's godly growth rate.

Torjen looked around. Most people here had scales or fur going about their business. While the those without that type of skin seemed to be servants or slaves. Torjen was feeling slightly uneasy from it. He noticed about twenty hairless and beardless dwarves in chains pulling a horse-carts.

A few moments passed before they arrived at the inn. Several lizard men were near the entrance selling and betting on stones.

"See this reddish slate? That means there's iron in the rock. It has a high chance of having high grade iron crystals." said the blue lizard man.

"That won't have Jadeite in it. Much less Heavenly Imperial Jade." said the green lizard man.

"That's true but are you only interested in betting on Jadeite? Not anything else?" asked the blue lizard man.

Kong was resting in the back of John's conscious suddenly roused. "Buy the green rock" sent John this thought.

"I will buy the green rock" John said. Paying with the groups money.

"Shall I cut it?" asked the blue lizard man.

"I don't think you're able to cut it but you can try" said John.

The rotary saw went smoothly a third through the rock before stopped cold and jammed. The saw was reversed.

"That's strange" the blue lizard man said. And went to work using hand chisels. After a brief twenty minutes part of the exterior green rock was removed displaying a hint of Mithral emerald crystals.

"I'll give you a thousand gold pieces for the rest of that stone" said the blue lizard man.

"I will double his offer." said the green lizard man.

John turned to Stormshadu. "Father what should I do?"

"Take the money" replied Stormshadu.

So John took it and bet on another rock. And another. And another. And all the rocks John bet on were bought by the green lizard man or the blue lizard man. In one afternoon John became famous for betting on rocks. While not one of his rocks contained Jadeite they all had crystals related to army use.

John had managed to buy his own storage ring and fill it with over fifty thousand gold pieces in an afternoon.

So many lizard man were following John's group now sticking close enough that they occasionally bumped John's "slaves".

As the afternoon waned into night an Inn was sought that would accept John's group. The Red Unicorn Inn was just the place they needed. Mixed company was welcomed at this establishment. Stormshadu, Stor and Torjen each had a mug of ale to clear away the afternoon's dust.

While shouting "Cheers""Kampai" or such at the darkened sky a sudden brilliance shown overhead came down like a shooting comet. It landed on the tallest tower in the city.

As if they were at a gokon Stormshadu, Stor and Torjen paired up with others and spent the night separated.