Chapter 51: Apparently, My Ancient Dragon Has Been Collecting Treasures for Thousands of Years

Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Apparently, My Ancient Dragon Has Been Collecting Treasures for Thousands of Years

By the time I finally sat down, I had already spent far longer inside Starlight than I originally intended.

What was supposed to be a simple meal had somehow turned into a meeting with an organization that I had apparently been neglecting for far too long.

Aurora and the others gathered around the table while Samantha and Bianca brought several documents from a nearby cabinet. There were maps, financial reports, records of different branches, and enough paperwork to make my head hurt just by looking at it.

I stared at the pile.

"...How much have you girls actually been doing?"

Aurora smiled.

"Quite a lot, Master."

That answer was not reassuring.

I leaned back in the chair.

"Then explain it to me from the beginning. What exactly is Starlight, and how far have you expanded it?"

"Of course."

Aurora opened the first document.

"Starlight was created as the commercial face of the Eclipse Order. Every person working here is a member of the Order, including the maids, administrators, guards, craftsmen, and other personnel."

I paused.

"So there are no ordinary employees?"

"None."

Aurora smiled.

"We considered that safer. Everyone here already understands the Order’s rules, so there is no need to worry about outsiders discovering information they shouldn’t."

That made sense.

Samantha placed several maps on the table.

"We currently have branches in several major cities, along with warehouses and smaller facilities connecting them. The branches generate resources for the Order while also giving us places to store equipment and materials."

I glanced over the maps.

"And the products?"

"We sell food, clothing, jewelry, magical tools, monster materials, weapons, armor, and other valuable goods. We also maintain a collection of rare artifacts and historical pieces."

"Where did you even get those?"

Octavia answered this time.

"Some are purchased from merchants or recovered from abandoned ruins and forgotten settlements. Our members regularly search old ruins, abandoned estates, ancient battlefields, and other locations where valuable objects may have been left behind."

She placed a small report on the table.

"We authenticate anything worth preserving before adding it to the collection or putting it on display."

I nodded.

So they weren’t relying on random merchants to supply everything.

The Order itself was searching for valuable discoveries.

Herrera leaned back in her chair.

"The collectors’ section has become particularly profitable. People are willing to pay absurd amounts for rare paintings, magical artifacts, ancient weapons, and preserved monster materials."

"Of course they are."

I looked at the documents again.

"And the information?"

Aurora smiled.

"That is another benefit."

She pointed toward the map.

"Every Starlight branch serves as a place where members can observe merchants, nobles, adventurers, and travelers. Since everyone working there belongs to the Order, useful information can be gathered without exposing our true purpose."

I slowly nodded.

Money, resources, information, and influence.

All from one organization.

I leaned back.

"...You girls really turned a simple business into something much bigger."

Aurora smiled.

"We only wanted to create something useful for Master and the Eclipse."

I looked around the enormous chamber.

The restaurants, galleries, warehouses, collections, and countless facilities suddenly made much more sense.

While I had been attending the academy, they had been quietly building an entire network beneath the name of Starlight.

I couldn’t help sighing.

"I leave you alone for a while and you build an empire."

Herrera laughed.

"Is that a complaint?"

"No."

I glanced at the mountain of documents.

"It’s just more than I expected."

Aurora’s smile softened.

"We have only just begun."

I immediately regretted asking.

"...Of course you have."

The room filled with quiet laughter.

The walk back to the academy was surprisingly peaceful.

The streets had become quieter now that evening had settled over the capital, and the two of us continued along the road without any particular hurry. Draven had been unusually quiet since we left Starlight, but I could tell from the way he occasionally glanced back that he was still thinking about everything he had seen.

Eventually, he broke the silence.

"Still, isn’t it amazing?"

"Hmm?"

"Your people."

Draven looked at me with an expression that was difficult to describe.

"Even for me, it’s hard to believe they managed to build something like that in such a short amount of time. They’re still young, yet the way they conduct themselves and manage everything is already more professional than most organizations I’ve seen during my lifetime."

I couldn’t help smiling.

"Yeah. I expected them to become capable, but even I didn’t expect them to take things this far."

I glanced back toward Starlight.

"They really are extraordinary."

Draven laughed quietly.

"To think my master is actually this impressive..."

He placed his hands behind his head and looked up at the evening sky.

"Haah... waking up after a thousand years was definitely worth it."

He paused.

"Especially since I get to eat so many different kinds of food now."

"That’s what you’re thinking about?"

"Of course."

He looked completely serious.

"I spent a thousand years asleep. I think I’m entitled to enjoy the food I missed."

I couldn’t argue with that.

We continued walking for a little while before Draven suddenly looked toward me.

"By the way, Master, there’s something I’d like to give you."

"Hmm?"

I turned toward him.

"What is it?"

Draven smiled.

"You see, before I entered my slumber, I spent a very long time collecting treasures. Artifacts, magical tools, weapons, jewelry, strange objects whose original purpose had already been forgotten... I collected quite a lot."

"That sounds like something a dragon would do."

"Naturally."

He looked rather proud of himself.

"But there is a reason I want to give some of them to you."

His expression became slightly more serious.

"You were the one who helped me reach the end of my evolution."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Evolution?"

"Not exactly."

Draven thought for a moment before continuing.

"Our race was different in ancient times. There were several ancient dragon races, each possessing slightly different characteristics. I belonged to one of the older bloodlines, a race known as the Astral Dragons."

"Astral Dragons?"

"Yes."

He nodded.

"Back then, our kind had a tradition of entering a deep slumber once we reached a certain stage of development. It wasn’t simply sleeping. The purpose was to allow our bodies and souls to continue refining themselves until they reached their natural limit."

He looked toward me.

"During that process, we would normally absorb mana through a special crystal placed near our resting place. Ordinary people or even powerful mages could awaken a sleeping dragon by pouring mana into the crystal, but the amount they could provide was limited."

"So they could wake you, but not finish the process."

"Exactly."

Draven smiled.

"The problem was that most beings couldn’t provide enough mana to complete the final stage. They could awaken us, but the evolution would remain incomplete, leaving us weaker than we could have become."

He paused.

"But you were different."

I smiled slightly.

"I suppose I poured in a little too much."

Draven gave me an incredulous look.

"Master, you poured enormous amount of mana into that crystal to accomplish what only a very small number of ancient dragons had ever achieved."

He shook his head.

"Only a 3 of my kind throughout history ever managed to reach that stage."

"So I basically finished what your slumber was supposed to accomplish."

"Yes."

Draven nodded.

"That’s why I consider this a debt."

He smiled.

"And because I spent centuries collecting things, I thought it would be appropriate to give you something worthy of that debt."

I looked at him.

"Wow."

A grin appeared on my face.

"You’re really the best, Draven."

Draven immediately looked away.

"I understand. We can discuss the details later."

"Wait."

I grabbed his shoulder.

"Tell me about the artifacts first."

He sighed.

"I knew you would ask."

He thought for a moment.

"I have hundreds of artifacts stored away, although most of them aren’t particularly powerful. Some are valuable because of their history, some because of their rarity, and some simply because I liked them."

"That’s a lot."

"Among them, I have several hundred ring-type artifacts."

"Several hundred?"

I looked down at my hands.

"Seems like my fingers are going to be completely covered in rings."

Draven laughed.

"Don’t worry about that, Master. You can hide them whenever you want."

He looked at me with complete confidence.

"With your power, concealing their presence will be a piece of cake."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

He raised one finger.

"Out of all the ring artifacts I’ve collected, only seventeen are truly exceptional."

"Seventeen?"

"Yes. And I believe ten of them should be particularly compatible with you."

My eyes immediately lit up.

"Ten?"

Draven nodded.

"I’ll give you those."

I couldn’t help smiling.

"Then I definitely want to see them."

Draven laughed.

"I thought you might like it."

I looked toward the academy in the distance.

There was still some time before we reached the dormitory, but suddenly the walk didn’t seem quite as boring as it had a few minutes ago.

Ten rings that were apparently compatible with me.

Not bad.

"Then we’ll look at them once we get back."

"Of course."

Draven smiled.

"But don’t expect all of them to be ridiculously powerful. Some are simply rare because of their abilities."

"That’s fine."

I placed my hands behind my head.

"Anything that survived thousands of years is interesting enough for me."

Draven nodded.

"I knew you’d understand."

We continued toward the academy beneath the evening sky.

I had originally thought the most interesting thing that happened today would be discovering what Starlight had become.

Apparently, I was wrong.

It seemed that after waking from a thousand years of slumber, Draven had brought an entire collection of ancient treasures with him.

And somehow, I had just become the owner of a portion of them.

Not a bad day at all.