Chapter 40: Smaug’s Legacy
As Rynar watched the Elaris Woods Rangers settle into their roles, he suddenly remembered that he had a remarkable treasure in his hands.
"Boom!" A golden-red figure crashed heavily to the ground in the open space outside the city, releasing a sulfurous aroma that filled the air.
"Look! I almost forgot about Smaug, measuring a whopping 141 meters!" Rynar clapped his hands and turned to the stunned crowd.
Even though everyone had grown accustomed to seeing the 15-meter-long Kalador soaring over their heads, this massive dragon was a true rarity.
Adult dragons typically measure around 30 meters... but Smaug?
A staggering 141 meters! He had traded away his draconic language magic for unparalleled strength and melee prowess.
"Oh my! What a treasure! Your Majesty, why didn't you bring it out sooner?" Radir grinned as he approached. For mages pursuing the truth of magic, any part of a dragon was precious material.
"Caslow, Reynard, you two take your men and strip him clean! These dragon scales and hides are top-notch armor material," Rynar exclaimed, rubbing his hands together.
It's true; slaying dragons could lead to instant wealth, and ongoing wealth as well!
"Ah! What a massive dragon!" Aivy seemed startled and ran behind Radir.
"By the way, we need to remove the dragon's teeth too! They can be made into weapons!" Rynar added.
"The dragon wings are top-tier material for magical cloaks; don't cut them badly and waste them." Radir conjured an elemental blade with earth magic and began to carefully slice the membrane of the dragon's wings.
"Dragon eyes! We have to get those too! A dragon eye this size could make an incredible Eye of Insight with a vast range!"
After a moment of panic, the adorable Aivy perked up, directing everyone.
"Be careful! Don't cut too deep! Dragon blood is expensive!" Caslow shooed away a clumsy knight and cautiously pried up a dragon scale.
"Reverse scales! Reverse scales! Don't forget to look for his reverse scales!" Rynar recalled the most noble scales of true dragons, imbued with magical power!
"Quick! Quick! There's a cut here! Bring a bucket to catch the blood!" Reynard yelled, his voice a mix of panic and excitement.
The hard dragon scales were embedded in thick dragon hide, and after much effort, Reynard managed to pry a few scales loose, only to accidentally exert too much force, causing boiling dragon blood to ooze out.
"Here! Here! The bucket is coming, my lord!" The Battanian archers, who had been waiting nearby, quickly handed over a wooden bucket.
"Watch it! Don't crack the skull!"
Radir exploded in outrage as he saw a Battanian archer swinging a hammer meant for breaking through mithril armor, preparing to smash open the skull for the crystal.
He snatched the hammer away, but the weight made him stumble, and his back let out a loud crack.
You can't extract the dragon crystal like that! You have to skin and fillet it first, then go in through the hollow of the bones!" Radir grunted, rubbing his back.
"Wait! Don't pull that arrow out!" Rynar yelled as he saw an Elaris Woods Ranger attempting to remove a black arrow lodged deep in the dragon's heart.
"If you pull out the arrow, the heart's blood will spray out! Get a basin! You all work together to pull it out! Don't waste any of it! There's gold everywhere!" Rynar commanded.
"Someone! Go find the villagers and bring back a couple of large saws!" Caslow spat in his palm, eyeing Smaug's sharp claws with greed.
"Up there! Cut the meat and let the blood flow steadily! Watch out for the dragon tendons!
Whether we archers can use dragonbone bows in the future depends on how steady your hands are!
If anyone snaps a tendon, I'll make him use his own tendons to string the bow!" Rynar paced around, inspecting everyone's work with an unyielding demeanor.
As he observed the bustling and enthusiastic group, Kalador, Caslow's four-legged wyvern, cast a sympathetic glance at Smaug's corpse before looking around to see if anyone was watching.
Seizing the moment, he quietly moved away… This place was too terrifying!
They regarded Smaug's body as if it were a trove of treasures—treasures that could maintain their value!
Kalador shivered; as a wyvern, he could easily ignore temperatures that dipped below freezing, yet he felt a strange chill at this moment… Humans were terrifying…
"Wow! This dragon tendon is long! Just think of how many bowstrings we could make from over a hundred meters of it!" Rynar exclaimed in awe.
Ultimately, Kalador couldn't escape the grasp of Rynar and his crew. At this moment, he was cautiously stepping outside, a rope tightly binding a dragon tendon as thick as a man's head…
"Wow, this dragon bone is quite nice!" Radir chuckled, tapping the exposed ribcage; the dull sound echoed in his ears, delightful to hear.
"Radir, aside from making armor, what else can dragon bones be used for?" Rynar asked curiously.
"Hahaha! Once you gain the allegiance of Zaltarion's alchemists or potion-makers, you'll understand.
Dragon bones are crucial components for countless alchemical items and potions!" Radir explained while stroking his beard.
"Hey! Hey! Someone break off those spines on top! Smooth them out, and we'll have a piercing weapon!" Reynard noticed some spines on the dragon's tail that had been overlooked.
…
Thus, in less than half a day, the once-majestic Smaug, who had occupied the Lonely Mountain, successfully contributed to Rynar's growth.
According to rumors, Smaug's legacy would even be used during the nation-building years to come.
One cannot help but marvel at why, throughout history, warriors have been so keen on dragon-slaying; it is incredibly lucrative!
The wealth from a single dragon could easily sustain a family!
"A few thousand scales the size of washbasins, nearly a hundred bundles of cut dragon hide, sixty-four dragon teeth of various sizes, a dragon crystal the size of a washbasin, seven dragon tendons, twenty claws, a pile of dragon meat, and a hundred barrels of dragon blood!"
Rynar counted the various treasures while systematically storing them away.
"A windfall!" Rynar exclaimed in amazement.
At one point, he even stole a few glances at Caslow's wyvern; it turns out that slaying dragons for riches really is addictive!
"Isn't there a lava forge in the city? We can process the dragon scales into armor!" Rynar said enthusiastically, imagining Zaltarion soldiers clad in dragonhide and scale armor, dominating all of Lothlórien.
"Your Majesty, we lack the strength to equip magical armor…" In fact, Radir quickly doused his enthusiasm with cold water.
Riverguard had only the basic magma forge and no rare materials for forging.
Moreover, it would be better to focus on repairing the city walls rather than wasting time on non-essential magical gear at the moment.
"Ah… I understand." Rynar said, feeling a bit dejected.
He realized he had been too naive. Having immense wealth was good, but unfortunately, he lacked the ability to convert it into something usable at this time.
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