Roughly half a minute later—
The brown-haired woman who had left earlier returned, now accompanied by a middle-aged man.
Dressed in a black formal suit, with a pocket watch pinned to his chest and single-rimmed glasses resting on his nose, the man had the unmistakable air of an appraiser.
The moment his gaze fell upon the bone chains inside the package, his expression turned serious.
"Your Excellency, please follow me."
The man spoke with measured respect, extending a hand in invitation as he gestured toward the rear section of the guild.
Sakeer gave a slight nod, picked up the package, and silently followed.
The moment Sakeer disappeared behind the counter, the guild erupted into murmurs.
Previously, the adventurers had only been speculating, but now—
The guild's reaction confirmed their suspicions.
Those two dark chains were indeed bone chains from a Barghest.
"That little Barghest must have been recently born, right?"
"Once fully matured, it'll be a level 45 monster!"
"A creature as cunning as the Barghest is incredibly dangerous. Even if someone successfully tames it, the moment it gains enough strength to fight back, it'll likely turn on its master."
"That black-haired kid… if he dares to handle such a beast, maybe he's a Monster Summoner."
"Looks more like a Beast Tamer to me."
The discussion shifted, their previous frustrations about the Great Forest of Tob now overshadowed by the intrigue surrounding Sakeer.
Meanwhile, a handful of adventurers remained silent, their expressions unreadable.
But one thing was clear—Sakeer had left an impression.
To suddenly appear with such a rare and dangerous creature meant that he was not someone to be underestimated.
Had he overheard the conversation, Sakeer would have smirked in satisfaction.
Camouflage.
True deception wasn't just about hiding information—it was about misleading others into drawing the wrong conclusions.
The Barghest's presence was already a layer of misdirection, leading people to focus on the wrong details.
And once that misleading layer was peeled away, the information they believed to be true would seem even more convincing.
The room was simple and quiet, its minimalist decor free from distractions.
Sakeer set the package on the table, then took a seat on the sofa, waiting patiently as the middle-aged man prepared to inspect the items.
"Please enjoy some tea while you wait."
The man placed a cup of black tea in front of Sakeer, his movements polite yet efficient.
"Thank you," Sakeer replied with a slight nod.
With that, the appraiser settled into the seat opposite him, donning a pair of white gloves before carefully lifting one of the bone chains.
His gaze sharpened as he ran his fingers over its surface.
"The gloss and hardness… both are exceptionally high-quality."
"This is the bone chain of an adult Barghest."
His fingers glided along the chain, pausing when he reached the fractured end.
He examined the break for a moment before muttering,
"The fracture is a bit rough… but nothing that can't be polished with time."
Then—
He set the chain down gently, raised both hands over it, and softly chanted:
"Magic Detection."
A faint blue glow flickered from his palms, spreading across the surface of the chain.
Ding!
At that moment, something flashed on Sakeer's status panel:
『Detected: Second-tier spell "Magic Detection." Required level: 8–14. Conditions met.』
『Would you like to spend 1 skill point to learn it?』
Sakeer's eyes flickered with mild surprise.
His gaze shifted toward the middle-aged appraiser, now realizing the man was a Magic Caster.
"No."
He dismissed the prompt without hesitation.
At the same time, he mused to himself—
"Magic Detection" is a low-tier spell from the divination category. It can only determine an item's magical properties or detect whether someone is carrying an enchanted object.
Useful for appraisal, perhaps—
But in actual combat?
It was practically worthless.
The middle-aged appraiser withdrew his magic, letting out a quiet sigh of regret.
"After a Barghest dies, some of the magic contained in its bone chains naturally dissipates. The removal process also results in additional magic loss," he explained, shaking his head slightly.
"Special techniques are required to minimize this effect. However, your bone chains are still in remarkably good condition, so while the price will be slightly lower, they remain quite valuable."
His tone was respectful, his gaze meeting Sakeer's as he carefully delivered his assessment.
Sakeer listened in silence, a faint flicker of pity flashing in his eyes.
"Can you sell them quickly?" he asked.
"Absolutely."
The middle-aged man nodded without hesitation.
"High-quality magical materials like these can be refined into enchanted weapons with minimal processing."
"If you're willing to wait three days, we can find the best buyer willing to pay the highest price. Of course, we take a 10 percent commission."
"Alternatively, if you prefer a quick sale, we can purchase them directly—but at a lower price, and without any commission fee."
Both options had their trade-offs.
Sakeer considered his choices before asking, "How much would you offer if I sell them to you directly?"
"For one chain, 360 gold coins—a total of 720 gold coins for both."
The response came swiftly, as if the man had already calculated it in advance.
Sakeer's gaze flickered. This offer was actually higher than he had anticipated.
Then again, considering the value of magic-infused artifacts in this world, it wasn't entirely surprising.
Seeing Sakeer's silent agreement, the middle-aged man's expression brightened. He promptly stood up and left the room.
Two or three minutes later, the middle-aged appraiser returned, carrying two money pouches.
One was bulging with weight. The other was noticeably flatter.
"Here are 720 gold coins," the man said, placing both pouches on the table and sliding them toward Sakeer.
"Since carrying large amounts of gold isn't always convenient, I took the liberty of exchanging part of your payment into platinum coins."
"This bag contains 34 platinum coins, and the other holds 40 gold coins."
Sakeer's brows furrowed slightly.
"Platinum coins?"
He had heard of them before—but never actually seen one.
And more importantly—
34 platinum coins and 40 gold coins?
That exchange ratio… felt off.
The little Barghest, sensing Sakeer's shift in mood, let out a low growl, baring its sharp teeth at the appraiser.
The man visibly paled, his posture stiffening as he hurriedly clarified,
"T-The exchange ratio follows the standard set by the Kingdom… though, to be precise, the value of gold, silver, and copper coins varies across different nations."
"Typically, 20 gold coins are required to exchange for one platinum coin. In smaller countries, the rate can be even higher."
"Additionally, platinum coins are given higher priority in most economies. However, if you'd prefer gold coins, I can exchange them for you immediately."
His voice carried a hint of panic, and he instinctively leaned back, casting wary glances at the Barghest—as if afraid it might lunge at any moment.
Sakeer didn't respond right away.
Instead, he reached into the pouch and pulled out a platinum coin.
At first glance, it bore a strong resemblance to silver, but upon closer inspection, it was noticeably thicker and heavier than gold.
Then—
His eyes narrowed.
On the back of the coin, instead of the national emblem of the Kingdom of Re-Estize, he saw—
A dragon's head.
A dragon…
A flicker of insight flashed across his gaze.
In this world, dragons were beings of immense power—their influence spanning across history and legend.
"Platinum coins…"
"The Platinum Dragon King…?"
(End of chapter.)