The waiter was a quick-witted young man. Upon hearing “Master Barnaby,” his eyes brightened, and he respectfully pointed in a direction.
“The Master resides in the senior suite on the third floor, the easternmost one with a balcony.”
Lei Luo thanked him and went straight upstairs.
The corridor on the third floor was covered with a thick carpet, making his footsteps silent.
Lei Luo arrived at the easternmost door, and indeed, “Barnaby” was carved on the nameplate.
He straightened his collar and gently knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
A strong, resonant voice came from inside the room.
Lei Luo pushed open the door. The room was elegantly furnished, and the air was filled with a faint, peculiar scent, a mix of herbs and magic.
A middle-aged man in a simple gray mage robe sat behind a desk, a thick tome spread open before him, and a monocle perched on his nose.
Presumably, this was Master Barnaby.
“Good evening, Master Barnaby.”
Lei Luo bowed slightly in greeting.
“Forgive my intrusion. I am Lei Luo, the Lord of Blackstone Territory. I saw your notice seeking Dragon Scales and came to visit.”
Master Barnaby raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Lei Luo for a moment before he nodded.
“Please, Baron,” he said, gesturing to a chair in front of the desk.
Once Lei Luo was seated, Master Barnaby put down his book and leaned slightly forward.
“Oh? You have Dragon Scales?”
His tone was calm, but a subtle hint of interest flickered in his eyes.
Lei Luo said no more, carefully taking out the five Dragon Scales from his embrace and gently placing them on the desk in front of Master Barnaby.
The scales clinked together with a clear, pleasant sound, especially distinct in the quiet room.
Master Barnaby’s gaze was instantly drawn to them.
He picked up one of the Dragon Scales and held it under the light of the magic lamp, examining it closely.
The Silver Scales shimmered with a Moonlight-like glow in his fingers, and the complex magical patterns on them were clearly visible.
For a moment, only Master Barnaby’s faint breathing could be heard in the room.
After a while, Master Barnaby put down the Dragon Scale in his hand, picked up another, examined it repeatedly, and even lightly scraped the edge of the scale with his fingernail.
His brows furrowed and relaxed intermittently.
Finally, he looked up.
“Excellent! These are indeed Dragon Scales, and… they are rare Silver Dragon scales shed during its infancy. They are of superior quality, rich in magic, and very well preserved.”
A great weight lifted from Lei Luo’s heart, and a hint of joy appeared on his face.
Master Barnaby pushed up his monocle and looked at Lei Luo, his gaze becoming somewhat inquisitive.
“Baron, forgive my impertinence, but where did you obtain these Silver Dragon Scales? To my knowledge, Silver Dragons are always secretive and rarely interact with people. Moreover, the Thunder Dragon Principality and its surrounding kingdoms seem to have no record of Silver Dragons.”
Lei Luo had prepared for this, and he replied calmly.
“Master, you may not know, but my Blackstone Territory is on the border of the Principality, near the Black Stone Mountain Range. Some time ago, a hunter from my territory accidentally discovered these scales in a hidden cave on the outskirts of the mountain range. I imagine a Silver Dragon inadvertently left them behind while resting.”
This explanation was reasonable, as dragons shedding scales is a natural phenomenon, and borderlands often hold strange encounters.
Master Barnaby nodded, seemingly accepting the explanation.
“I see. That is quite an extraordinary encounter.”
He picked up the five Dragon Scales, his eyes full of admiration.
“I am very satisfied with these five scales. As per the notice, I can pay you the corresponding gold coins, or you can choose to exchange them for the potions I refine.”
Lei Luo’s purpose was clear, naturally choosing the latter.
“Master, I wish to exchange them for Earth Knight Breakthrough Potion.”
Master Barnaby nodded and took out two small crystal vials from a specially made wooden box behind him. The vials contained a viscous red liquid like molten gold, emitting strange energy fluctuations.
“Master, I saw in the notice that this Earth Knight Breakthrough Potion is ‘special’?”
Lei Luo carefully put away the potions and asked curiously.
“The reason they are called special is because when I refined this batch of potions, I was fortunate enough to obtain some… well, special materials.”
He paused, lowering his voice slightly.
“I added a small amount of Dragon Blood to them.”
Lei Luo’s pupils slightly contracted. Dragon Blood?
This Master also had a deep understanding of dragons, and had even achieved something in his research.
“Ordinary breakthrough potions have a maximum success rate of twenty percent,” Master Barnaby continued.
“But these two special potions of mine, because they incorporate the power of Dragon Blood, can increase the breakthrough success rate to at least thirty percent! For someone trying to break through the Earth Knight bottleneck, that extra ten percent chance is incredibly significant.”
“Master, these potions are too precious…”
Lei Luo was momentarily at a loss for words of gratitude.
Master Barnaby waved his hand, his expression calm.
“The Dragon Scales you provided are of extremely high quality, worth this price. I am currently embarking on a research project concerning Dragon Scales, and these rare Silver Dragon Scales are very significant to my research.”
He paused, then added,
“Take them. Remember, the timing of consumption is crucial; it’s best when your qi and blood are abundant and your spirit is full.”
Barnaby handed the potions to Lei Luo.
Lei Luo carefully took them; they felt warm in his hand, as if he were holding two burning flames.
He solemnly tucked the potions into his embrace and thanked Master Barnaby again.
Master Barnaby waved his hand, “If you have such good things again in the future, you can always come find me.”
“Certainly, certainly.”
Lei Luo thought, the little fellow Moonlight probably still had quite a bit of stock in his belly.
After bidding farewell to Master Barnaby, Lei Luo, clutching the two precious potions, felt his steps lighten.
When Lei Luo returned to his room, Moonlight was sprawled out on the soft carpet, his belly round from eating, his Silver fur gleaming softly in the sunlight filtering through the window.
He squinted his pale golden eyes, his tail flicking idly, utterly content.
“Little fellow, you certainly know how to enjoy yourself.”
Lei Luo chuckled and shook his head, carefully hiding the two precious potions close to him.
The value of these things was far more substantial than a pile of gold coins.
He had barely sat down when a knock came from outside the door.
“Baron, my Lord, Barton Boulder, the Earl of Boulder City, wishes to invite you to lunch.”
A steady knight’s voice came from outside the door.
The main course of this Boulder City trip had arrived.
“Please inform the Earl that I will be there shortly,” Lei Luo called out.
“Yes, Baron.”
The knight responded and departed.
Lei Luo glanced at Moonlight, who was still feigning sleep on the carpet, and instructed, “I’m going out for a bit. You stay in the room and be good. Don’t run around, and especially don’t cause trouble.”
Moonlight’s ears twitched, and his tail flicked a bit faster, which counted as a response.