"Oh... I'm a little disappointed."
"It's surprisingly bare. Don't dragons hoard treasures according to legend?"
Noah and Kana walked out of the cave dejectedly, in stark contrast to their excitement when Dolan had allowed them to enter.
Old man Dolan followed and mercilessly mocked Kana, "Who would believe that? What use would a dragon have for treasure? Most dragons don't care for trinkets."
"Tsk, that just proves Iron Dragons don't like treasure, right, Noah?"
Kana looked to Noah for agreement, but he only stared at the two warm pieces of ore in his hands. These were the only things in the iron dragon's lair.
The extremely high‑quality ore could be sold for millions on the market without processing.
Such precious ore would normally be found in piles in an Iron Dragon's lair; lower‑grade ore might only be suitable for paving the ground there.
Dolan allowed Noah to take two precious minerals as an apology for his earlier mistake and as thanks for preventing the Black Magic Cult from entering the lair.
Kana was jealous and pretended: "Grandpa Dolan, I want one too."
"Huh? Who called me Grandpa Dolan first?"
Dolan rolled his eyes but still tossed her a fingernail‑sized piece of ore — a world of difference from Noah's fist‑sized pieces.
Kana didn't mind. She happily put the ore in her small bag. She hadn't done anything and had nothing to lose; as long as she got something, she'd profit.
It's nice to get something for free.
Back at the market, Dolan revealed his real work to Noah and asked him to choose one item as a reward for destroying the Black Magic Order branch.
Among the dazzling array of magic weapons, Noah chose a pair of gloves with "attribute‑switching" and "blasting" abilities.
When worn, the gloves let the user switch among the five attributes — wind, thunder, water, fire, and earth — at will, and release a corresponding "blast" with a punch.
High‑quality materials reduce the wear caused by switching attributes. Dolan's craftsmanship gave the gloves exceptional toughness, and he added the "blasting" feature, whose power scales with the user's magic output.
The only drawback is a very high mana requirement. Ordinary mages run out of mana after switching attributes a few times, and the "blast" consumes even more.
For Noah — with strong physical skills and the magic he possesses — these "blasting gloves" were a perfect fit. They compensated for his lack of combat spells, were easy to carry, and usable anytime.
Until he received rewards from the "Wish" order to boost his combat power, the blasting gloves would be Noah's primary attack.
Outside the market, Noah couldn't wait. He put on the gloves and threw five consecutive punches at an abandoned ore as tall as a person.
The sounds of wind, thunder, flame, rushing water, and seismic vibration rang almost simultaneously, leaving five deep, differently colored marks on the ore.
As Noah retracted his fist, the marks detonated violently, shattering the entire ore.
"What speed!"
"Impressive power."
Kana and Dolan, watching, were surprised and pleased respectively.
Kana was surprised Noah handled the gloves so well on his first try.
Dolan was happy his work matched its user. Every magic blacksmith hopes their craft will meet the right person.
Noah studied the rubble with a neutral expression.
Recalling the brief pause before the explosion, he seemed to have noticed something and looked at Dolan. Dolan spoke first.
"You caught that quickly, Noah boy. You truly surprised me."
Dolan praised Noah and explained the gloves' "blasting" mechanics.
The gloves have two detonation modes: "immediate" and "delayed." Immediate detonates on impact and is very powerful. Delayed leaves a mark that the user can detonate later via mana control; it is less powerful but better for surprise.
I want such a versatile item... Kana drooled. She only regretted learning card magic — it drained energy and emptied her wallet, and its divination value was mediocre.
But seeing the demolition gloves' price in Dolan's shop, Kana cared less. Even if she sold herself and all her cards, she still couldn't afford the 500,000 price tag.
After testing the weapon, Noah returned to Dolan's shop and promised Kana a commission. Though pleased with the blasting gloves, he considered Dolan's reward as payment for the commission.
Noah then set his sights on a space ring.
Though small, it was a fusion of space magic and high‑level forging. The ring contained a 10 cm × 10 cm × 10 cm pocket usable to store items. The ring responds only to the user's mana; no one else can open it by normal means.
Dolan's price shocked Noah: 1.2 million for one tenth of a cubic meter of space — outrageous.
After bargaining, Noah got a 50% discount and painfully spent 600,000.
Seeing Dolan's stoic face then smile after receiving the money, Noah realized even half price made the old man a lot of profit.
It's pure robbery!
No — even robbery doesn't make money that fast!
Kana received a 30,000 commission and celebrated with Dolan, while Noah's funds dwindled.
Noah bought the space ring to store the "Dragoon." Though the unactivated Dragoon was palm‑sized, it was inconvenient to carry and could fall; a small pocket was safer.
After asking Dolan for a chain to wear the ring, Noah and Kana left the market.
"Hey, Kana, tell Erza to come pick up her new equipment."
"I will, Dolan."
On the return magic train, Kana and Noah waved goodbye to Dolan through the window, and the old man watched until the train disappeared.